December 7, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Robins Air Force Base cleared to replace JSTARS fleet
The battle management squadron will start arriving at Robins in 2023 and become fully operational by October 2024.
April 26, 2018 | International, Aerospace
No stealth? No problem ― Eurofighter makes its pitch against F-35 in Berlin
BERLIN ― Eurofighter officials are downplaying the F-35 fighter′s stealth capability at the Berlin Air Show, positing that the consortium's non-stealthy Typhoon still beats out the American competition in the race to replace Germany's Tornado fleet.
“Stealth is only 10 percent of the capability mix,” Eurofighter marketing chief Raffael Klaschke told Defense News on Wednesday. “We're still better at the other 90 percent,” he argued, referring to the aircraft's combat capabilities.
While the company could rest easy with the German Defence Ministry's recent proclamation that the Eurofighter is the preferred path for the upcoming multibillion-dollar Tornado-replacement program, Lockheed Martin's massive showing at the air show may have some officials nervous.
Eurofighter CEO Volker Paltzo doubled down on the argument that the Typhoon would guarantee continued vibrancy in the European military aircraft market. “I want to underscore that every euro spent on Eurofighter within Europe stays in Europe,” he told reporters.
Executives also stressed that the European aircraft would come free of any “black boxes,” a reference to the expectation that all technological and operational details would be owned by Europeans, which may not be the case with the F-35.
F-35 advocates have touted the fifth-generation aircraft's stealth and other advanced capabilities for deep-strike and standoff combat, and there are some in Germany, especially in the Air Force, who believe that European technology simply cannot compare.
At the same time, whatever follow-on aircraft Berlin chooses for its 90-strong Tornado fleet is only expected to be a bridge toward a brand-new development, raising the question of whether a costly acquisition of the U.S. planes would be a worthwhile investment.
Klaschke described stealth as a “niche capability,” adding with a nod to the F-35′s competition: “We're not scared.”
Officials were less willing to discuss the expected nuclear-weapons capability of the Eurofighter, which it would pick up from the Tornado. Paltzo pointed to “confidentiality” in discussing the topic, referring to the Defence Ministry for information.
What is clear, however, is that the Eurofighter will be able to carry forward Germany's pledge to deploy U.S. atomic arms at the behest of NATO, according to Paltzo.
And while the U.S. Defense Department must certify the aircraft-weapon pairing, the CEO said he does not expect America to influence the fighter decision toward its own industry's product.
“This is a subject where we would not expect leverage by the U.S. over the Eurofighter,” Paltzo said.
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August 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
India to ban imports of 101 defence products
by Jon Grevatt India, one of the world's biggest defence importers, has announced a ban on procuring more than 100 military products from foreign suppliers. The new policy – announced on 9 August – is line with a government campaign to achieve self-reliance and is intended to “apprise India's defence industry about anticipated requirements ... so that they are better prepared to realise the goal of indigenisation”, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The new ‘import embargo list' features 101 defence products, with emphasis mainly on land and sea-based equipment including artillery, armoured vehicles, destroyers, submarines, and a range of related components. However, although the list includes some air platforms – such as light combat aircraft and light combat helicopters – that are currently being produced by Indian defence firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, it also features some advanced technologies – including electronic warfare systems and air-to-air missiles – that would be integrated on to these platforms. The MoD said the banned list will be “progressively implemented” over the next few years. Accordingly, the list names items that will be barred for import from December 2020 (69 products), December 2021 (11 products), and December 2022 (21 products). The MoD added that the embargo list would be expanded progressively. “This is a big step towards self-reliance in defence,” said the MoD. “It offers a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to rise to the occasion to manufacture the items ... by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting technologies designed and developed by [state-owned] Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).” https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/india-to-ban-imports-of-101-defence-products
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June 27, 2023 | International, Aerospace
KONGSBERG to establish new depot for F-35 maintenance in Norway
KONGSBERG is investing about NOK 500 million in the new depot, which will be part of the global maintenance solution and contribute to strengthened national capabilities and increased operational availability...