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On the same subject

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  March 16, 2020 | International, Naval

  Fincantieri suspends operations amid coronavirus crisis

  By: Tom Kington As Italy's coronavirus crisis worsens, state shipbuilder Fincantieri has suspended operations for two weeks at its Italian facilities. The announcement on Friday came as Italian authorities reported Italy's death toll from the virus had reached 1,266, while the total number of cases reached 17,660. This week, the Italian government placed the entire country under lockdown, restricting travel unless for work reasons and shutting down most shops as it attempts to slow the spread of the virus. Fincantieri said that following a request from unions, it would suspend production in Italy from March 16 to March 29. Fincantieri tried to reduce its exposure to the virus through teleworking and halting of business travel by staff. Italy's other major defense company, Leonardo, said this week it could not rule out the “temporary, partial and targeted suspension of operations of certain departments within production sites.” The firm also said marketing campaigns, supply chains, production and delivery times would likely be affected by the crisis. Leonardo expects to give an up update on impact of the virus on its financial performance soon. It reported revenue of 13.8 billion euros in 2019, up 12.6 percent year over year, thanks to healthy performance by its defense electronics and security and aeronautics divisions. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/03/14/fincantieri-suspends-operations-amid-coronavirus-crisis

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  October 22, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  French, German leaders provide fresh top cover for new warplane, tank projects

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — German and French officials emerged from a meeting in Toulouse, France, this week with fresh promises that a next-generation aircraft program and new European battle tank spearheaded by the two countries would advance soon. The summit declaration follows repeated reports that both projects are at risk of failure due to political and industry-related differences. In the case of the Future Combat Air System — a next-generation fighter jet with sidekick drones — Berlin and Paris have long been at odds about the exportability of the future weapon, with Germany favoring a more restrictive stance than France. Airbus and Dassault are the two main industry players in FCAS. The Main Ground Combat System — the two countries' idea for a European tank ready for action in the late 2030s — had been caught up in a maneuver by German manufacturer Rheinmetall to take over the Franco-German industry team of Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, called KNDS. According to a report in Germany's newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, officials recently came to an agreement in which Rheinmetall would become a subcontractor in the project, receiving 25 percent of the work share, with Nexter getting 50 percent and KMW getting 25 percent. The aircraft and tank projects made it into the Toulouse declaration only in passing, expressed in the typical diplomatic rhetoric of bilateral enthusiasm meant to mask whatever problems brew underneath. The envisioned cooperation “requires mutual trust and common rules,” the document read. Specifically, both sides negotiated a binding agreement on arms exports in Toulouse that would be implemented once unspecified “final steps” are taken, it added. French newspaper La Tribune reported that the Oct. 16 meeting reiterated the objective of awarding study contracts for an FCAS demonstrator early next year. That means the financial commitments will now begin to grow larger, eventually reaching a level of billions of Euros in just a few years' time. German lawmakers, meanwhile, are still awaiting details on exactly how the government plans to proceed. A formal spending request to the appropriations and defense committees was still outstanding as of this week, and a Defence Ministry spokeswoman declined to be specific on the envisioned timing in a statement to Defense News. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/10/18/french-german-leaders-provide-fresh-top-cover-for-new-warplane-tank-projects/

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  November 22, 2023 | International, Land, Security

  Project Nyx Alpha to boost UK Space Command’s domain awareness

  A ground-based telescope in Crete will allow detection of satellites and other objects from LEO to GEO and Cislunar orbits.