April 19, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
The “fleet” of defense competitors has been growing in recent years, and new entrants may have different tactics, resources and goals.
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/supply-chain/opinion-latest-challenge-defense-primes
August 22, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Upgrades to the MEP expand the UH-72A Lakota’s capabilities to conduct day and night operations by providing an advanced moving map, enhanced digital interfaces, new monitors, an airborne mission management...
July 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Updated: Jul 22, 2020 8:43 AM The PAF had acquired the F-16 Fighting Falcons a couple of years before. This time around, with the induction of the Rafale, does the IAF need more than a catchy tag line to keep the PLAAF at bay? By Wing Commander Amit Ranjan Giri “The balance rests on us”–this was the catchphrase of the IAF when the first MiG 29 thundered down and took to the skies in Pune, in the mid-eighties, heralding the parity in new generation fighter jets between the PAF and IAF. The PAF had acquired the F-16 Fighting Falcons a couple of years before. This time around, with the induction of the Rafale, does the IAF need more than a catchy tag line to keep the PLAAF at bay? As Group Captain Harkirat and his boys land the latest fighting machines at Ambala, five in all, two twins seaters (RB series) and three single-seaters (BS series), they propel the IAF to another level of air fighting capability, one which would enhance itself with the acquisition of all 36 Rafales and associated weaponry in the near future. An interesting trivia about IAF fighters is that, Russian fighters generally come in huge crates and are assembled in India whereas most ‘western' fighters are flown in, from the OEM country. This, by no means, indicates that the incoming Rafales would be able to take on the enemy immediately, it would take the IAF a little time before these jets are operationalised with a plethora of weaponry, the earlier the better. How does the Rafale fare against the Chinese fighters? The Rafales' main contender in the PLAAF would be the Chengdu J-20 and if produced and operationalised the Shenyang J-31, both are highly rated by the Chinese media and pitched as fifth-generation stealth fighters against the Rafales' 4.5 generation lineage. That having been said, the Chinese fighters' capabilities are only on paper, much of them are yet to be demonstrated or proven. True, the Rafale lacks stealth but is built around the low RCS philosophy whereas, though the J-20 proclaims itself as a proponent of stealth the ‘canards' in front and additional external hardpoints for extra fuel tanks would shatter much of its claims in this department. Just to clear the air around stealth – absolute all aspect stealth is a myth, at least as of now. Aeroplanes claiming stealth are actually low observables depending on their aspect – the way they look to the enemy sensors- never invisible from all direction. The IAF has been known to pick up Chinese J-20s on their Su 30 radars earlier. Engine, weapons and avionics: who gets the better score? With limited internal capacity of weapons and no ‘supercruise' capability as yet, the Chinese contenders do have a lot to live up to. The Rafale, in this aspect, delivers what it promises – low RCS, excellent weapon carriage capability – albeit external and supercruise – the ability to go supersonic without afterburners. When it comes to avionics, all three aircraft would pitch ‘neck to neck'. All boast of one of the most advanced radars – the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) and all three have equivalent avionics suites onboard. However, it is yet to be seen if the Chinese have been able to integrate these technologies to match, compute and present the desired data – a capability which leapfrogs an aircraft to the next level. The Rafale's SPECTRA defensive aids system is a classic example of this – processing and amalgamating information from various sensors to safeguard the aircraft. The SCALP and Meteor are some of the goodies in the Rafale package for the IAF. Whilst the former is a ground attack precision weapon, the latter, is one of the best BeyondVisualRange (BVR) air to air missiles available at present. The J-20 in comparison carries the PL series of missiles with the PL 15 matching up with the Meteor in terms of range. As per the last reports, the PL 21 with enhanced range was yet to be operationalised. Pedigree versus Pariah, who wins? The Rafale comes from an ancestry of well-known fighters which Dassault has produced and earned their place in the annals of history. If western intelligence reports are to be believed the Chinese fighters have been an attempted copy of the F 22 Raptor and the F 35 Lightning, curtsy hackers who had managed to steal substantial amount of data from the US servers. Apart from the privileged pedigree the Rafale is also combat-proven – Libya, Iraq and Syria were all contemporary conflicts wherein the French fighter has been able to earn a name for itself. The Chinese fighters, in contrast, are yet to be proven in battle, as far as the J-31 goes there are doubts if the machine has gone beyond the prototype stage as yet. The J-20, on the other hand, does enjoy an edge over its single-engined cousin, it has entered the production stage and rumours of about one squadron of this type with PLAAF has surfaced in the intelligence circle. All the above being said it needs to be appreciated that no comparison of fighting machines can be justified with data on paper – a lot goes in exploiting platforms during the war and a major portion of the winning effort comes from other non-tangible factors – the side which exploits the entire spectrum generally lands up on the victorious side. https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/rafale-coming-in-how-does-rafale-fighter-jets-fare-against-the-chinese-plaaf-fighters/2031381/
October 11, 2019 | International, Security
Monaco October 9, 2019 - Airbus CyberSecurity and Thales, two European leaders in cybersecurity, have signed a partnership agreement to offer a unique solution against cyber attacks. The solution will combine the file analysis system Orion Malware from Airbus CyberSecurity with Thales's intrusion detection system Cybels Sensor, which obtained Security Visa from the French national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) in April 2019. This cooperation will enable the two companies to offer the best detection solution on the market, increasing the overall level of cyber defence for businesses and organisations. The partnership for the French market aims to help operators of essential services (OESs) reinforce cyber protection measures required by ANSSI with the Military Programming Law (LPM) -which is similar to the European Network and Information Systems (NIS) directive. The Cybels Sensor detection system from Thales enables OESs and businesses to detect cyber attacks by confidently monitoring their networks. Through real-time analyses of large data volumes to detect potential threats, the sensor alerts cybersecurity teams as early as possible to maximise the protection of monitored networks. Customers already equipped with this solution include Le Groupe La Poste as well as large programmes such as the Galileo's security systems. In conjunction with the Orion Malware solution developed by Airbus CyberSecurity, suspicious files captured on a network by Cybels Sensor are analysed in depth in less than a minute. After the analysis, Orion Malware returns a report detailing the risks and indicators of compromise. A summary accessible to non-experts is also provided to efficiently prepare the response to the incident. At the cutting-edge of research, and already in operation to protect institutional and corporate customers, Orion Malware works like a detonation chamber for malware. It combines the best static and dynamic detection engines to detect the stealthiest malware threats. Orion also integrates artificial intelligence to improve the classification of detected malware. Thanks to the combination of Orion Malware with Cybels Sensor, businesses and organisations can now enhance the overall efficiency of their cyber protection. While offering an unparalleled level of detection, the solution is easy to implement and is fully adapted and optimised for Security Operations Centres (SOCs), incident response and cyber threat intelligence operations. It therefore reduces the costs of operating and protecting IT infrastructure. About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 80,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of € 19 billion in 2018 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto). Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations – connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity – technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments. Thales Group About Airbus CyberSecurity Airbus CyberSecurity, a unit of Airbus Defence and Space, provides companies, critical national infrastructures and government and defence organisations with reliable, high-performance products and services to detect, analyse and respond to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. www.airbus-cyber-security.com About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of € 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. This and other press releases and high resolution photos are available on: AirbusMedia Your Contact Bruno Daffix Media Relations Secure Communications, CSR +33 6 4809 9650 bruno.b.daffix@airbus.com View source version on Airbus: https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/thales-and-airbus-sign-joint-agreement-to-detect-cyber-threats.html