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November 5, 2023 | International, Aerospace

Near Donetsk front line, Ukraine artillery crew face intensifying fire | Reuters

Soldiers in the war-ravaged region dug in near the front line described how Russian artillery intensified significantly in recent weeks, but said it remains below peaks seen a year ago as both sides struggle to advance.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/near-donetsk-front-line-ukraine-artillery-crew-face-intensifying-fire-2023-11-05/

On the same subject

  • SPECTO Aerospace wins NATO contract

    June 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    SPECTO Aerospace wins NATO contract

    June 2, 2020 - The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) awards SPECTO Aerospace a three years contract for the provision of rotor blade repair services to support NATO nations' AH-64 helicopter fleets. SPECTO, located at the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) base in Woensdrecht The Netherlands, is specialized in the maintenance and repair of civil and military helicopter rotor blades. The military Part 145 approval for the RNLAF includes the NH-90, AS-532, CH-47 and AH-64 helicopter types. Furthermore Boeing authorized SPECTO for rotor blade maintenance of the Chinook and Apache helicopters. The workshop of SPECTO at the RNLAF base is fully equipped for the overhaul of rotor blades, including painting, static balancing and release to service (EASA/FAA Form1 / Def Form 1). About NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA): The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brings together in a single organization, acquisition, logistic, medical and infrastructural capabilities, operational and systems support and services to the NATO nations, NATO Military Authorities and partner nations. As NATO's primary enabler, the Agency's mission is to provide effective and cost-efficient multinational solutions to its stakeholders. About SPECTO: SPECTO Aerospace specializes in composite and sheet metal repair services for primary and secondary Fixed & Rotary wing aircraft components. The company has two state-of-the-art maintenance facilities, focusing on Rotor Blades for helicopters at Woensdrecht Air Base and Radomes, Flight Control Surfaces, Nacelle- and Structure parts for fixed wing aircraft at Amsterdam Lelystad Airport. SPECTO is an EASA/FAA/TCCA/MAA-Part 145 repair station and certified according to AS9100, AS9110 and ISO9001. View source version on SPECTO Aerospace: https://www.spectoaerospace.com/specto-aerospace-wins-nato-contract/l72c3

  • Army tweaking major software effort to be more commercial friendly

    August 20, 2024 | International, C4ISR, Security

    Army tweaking major software effort to be more commercial friendly

    The Army in May unveiled plans to award more than $1 billion in software development contracts over the next decade.

  • With F-16 buy, Slovakia ‘cutting off’ Russian hardware

    November 19, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    With F-16 buy, Slovakia ‘cutting off’ Russian hardware

    HALIFAX, Canada — NATO member Slovakia is on track to purchase 14 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters to replace its MiG-29 jets in a wider effort to break from Russia, the Slovak Ministry of Defence's No. 2 official said Saturday. In an interview on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum, MoD State Secretary Róbert Ondrejcsák said of the Russian defense industrial relationship: “We are cutting off as quickly as we can. “The most important connection with Russia is still the MiG-29, which is still Russian manufactured, and it's what we are cutting now with the decision about the F-16s,” Ondrejcsák said. “There several are other smaller systems.” In the same vein, Slovakia also expects to receive five more Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, which completes its planned purchase of nine. (Long-term plans call for at least 18 multi-role helicopters to replace Soviet-designed Mi-17 rotorcraft, though no platform has been selected as yet.) “By replacing them, we are also cutting those ties with Russia,” Ondrejcsák said, adding that Slovakia will fly the UH-60 and Mi-17 for several years while the UH-60 is phased in. Slovakia was a part of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War but joined the European Union and the NATO military alliance in 2004. Slovakian officials understand the purchase of American hardware strengthens their strategic relationship, but Ondrejcsák emphasized — on the anniversary of Czechoslovakia's velvet revolution in 1989 — the partnership is based on faith in liberal democratic values. “We want to see America as a leader in the free world, as they did for 70 years,” Ondrejcsák said. “We hear a lot here [at Halifax] about the values-based international order, but it's very real for us.” Beyond the U.S., leaders of Slovakia and the Czech Republic announced in September the two countries will cooperate on joint purchases of weapons and military equipment. Both have moved to increase their respective defense budgets following Russia's alleged military intervention in Ukraine's eastern part and its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. As to the F-16s, Ondrejcsák said the intent is for his government to finalize the legislative vehicle and contract in the coming months to ensure timely delivery of the first F-16s in 2022 or 2023. In part driven by maintenance costs, Slovakia decided to make a switch from the MiG-29 and ultimately chose the F-16V over the Saab Gripen based on price and internal analysis, according to Ondrejcsák. The announcement came in July after U.S. State Department in April approved the potential sale of 14 Block 70/72 F-16Vs for Slovakia. Otherwise, negotiations are also underway for the U.S. to further improve Slovakian air fields in Sliač, which is in central Slovakia and in Malacky, which is in in Western Slovakia. “We take it as a win-win situation because they are investing in infrastructure, which will be crucial for us too,” Ondrejcsák said of the U.S. military. “Of course its good for them (the U.S. military) because in case of potential operations, they (the airfields) are available.” The U.S. Air Force has ramped up investments that would enable it to deploy to allied bases in Eastern Europe and operate close to Russia's western flank. U.S. air field improvements have already included partner air bases in Hungary, Estonia and elsewhere. As Slovakia upgrades its heavy mechanized units, it is also exploring the modernization of its existing fleet of T-72 main battle tanks, Ondrejcsák said, rather than wait for the next generation of MBT to be developed. No platform has been selected. “We will upgrade them to the highest possible standards which will allow them to operate in the framework of the mechanized brigade,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/11/18/with-f-16-buy-slovakia-cutting-off-russian-hardware

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