Title Publication Date Department News type Teaser Minister Blair and Minister Petitpas Taylor to make an announcement to honour the legacy of No. 2 Construction Battalion 2023-11-15 15:01:01National Defencemedia advisories The Honourable Bill Blair, Mini

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  March 1, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Bell out to win Australia’s bid for special ops helicopters

  By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia – Bell is positioning itself for Australia's special operations helicopter requirement by showcasing its offerings and promoting local industry tie-ups at the Avalon Airshow. Speaking to Defense News, Dan McQuestin, Bell's business development director for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, confirmed that the company responded to a request for information issued by the Australian Army, offering the Bell 407 or Bell 429 helicopters with local partner Hawker-Pacific. The helicopters being offered for Australia's Land 2097 Phase 4 requirement will be commercial off the shelf, with kits developed to meet the majority of mission requirements spelled out in the RFI. These include air assault, intelligence-gathering, and troop transport. There is also a potential requirement for the helicopter to be weaponized in the future. McQuestin said that 60 weaponized Bell 407 are already operating with a customer in the Middle East, and existing customers have expressed interest in an armed configuration of the Bell 429. The company is preparing to offer a similar weapons kit tfitted to the 407 on the 429, with two, four or six weapons stations. McQuestin also confirmed that four Bell 407s can fit inside a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III airlifter, adhering to one of the requirements set out in the RFI. He added that testing is ongoing with the Bell 429 to assess its compatibility on the C-17 with government customers elsewhere. The company has its Bell 407 and 429 helicopters painted in camouflage on the static display at the show currently being held at Avalon Airport outside Geelong in Victoria, Australia. Partner Hawker Pacific in Australia submitted the response to the RFI as the prime contractor. Trevor Thomas, government relations adviser to Hawker Pacific in Australia added that the company, which is well-established in defense and performance-based sustainment contracts in Australia, is a “natural fit” with Bell. It also has local experience with special operations equipment, and is fulfilling a sustainment contract to support the Royal Australian Air Force's fleet of 49 Pilatus PC-21 trainer aircraft. Defense News reported last year that Land 2097 Phase 4 is seeking at least 16 helicopters to fulfil the requirement, with major delivery of equipment to be delivered in 2022 and initial operating capability to follow soon after. A request for tender is expected at the end of this year. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/avalon/2019/02/26/bell-out-to-win-australias-bid-for-special-ops-helicopters/

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  August 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Europe’s next-gen fighter club faces a dilemma: Who else can join?

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — With mainland Europe and the United Kingdom pursuing their own sixth-generation fighter programs, differing views have started to emerge about how many nations should partake in the action. At issue is whether the British Tempest and the German-French-Spanish Future Combat Air System can coexist in the long run without cannibalizing the continent's defense budget. What's more, while leaders in the U.K. have openly advertised their appetite to pick up partner countries for Tempest, Paris and Berlin are divided about admitting additional members, besides Spain, for fear of slowing down their effort. German defense officials early this year told Bundestag lawmakers they consider it risky to keep the circle of participants too small because team Tempest could go around snagging up contributors, though that concern has yet to bear out. To Dirk Hoke, the CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, the issue comes down to the budget. His company is the co-lead for the FCAS program along with France's Dassault Aviation. Notably, the French have the lead for the Next-Generation Fighter, envisioned as the central aircraft for the larger program of supporting drones and command-and-control equipment. “Europe can't afford two new systems,” Hoke said in a virtual panel discussion organized by a German defense industry lobbying association. That is especially the case, he argued, because a competition between the U.K. and members of the European Union would reinforce the perception that Britain's divorce from the bloc has weakened the intra-continental defense alliance — a notion that leaders on both sides of the Channel have been trying to dispel. Finding a way to merge FCAS and Tempest should become a top priority for decision-makers once a Brexit agreement on future trade and defense relations is in the bag, according to Hoke. Until then, he said, “we simply have to be patient.” In order to be prepared for “an opportunity to negotiate at eye level,” both projects should continue to work through their technology development so that eventual touchpoints for cooperation are already far along, he explained. In contrast, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has urged caution when it comes to broadening the FCAS circle too soon. “I don't know if there won't be some new partners in the future,” he said during a company earnings call late last month. “We must not exclude them.” Noting that Spain already was admitted to the program after Germany and France had kicked it off, Trappier said the companies involved were still learning to work together. “We have to get to know each other and share our work together,” he said. “If we change partners every six months, I can tell you that we will not reach 2040,” he added, referring to the envisioned in-service date for the futuristic weapon. The next big milestone for the program is fielding a demonstrator aircraft in 2026. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/08/17/europes-next-gen-fighter-club-faces-a-dilemma-who-else-can-join

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  March 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Leonardo eyes enhanced firefighting configuration for its C-27J aircraft

  The 16th Aerial Firefighting Europe event is returning to Nimes, France, March 19 to 20 with a new entry, Leonardo's C-27J aircraft in firefighting configuration. The C-27J firefighter with roll-on/roll-off Fire Attack System (FAS) made by Simplex Aerospace–a leader of advanced aerial application systems–represents an effective solution in airborne firefighting technology and capability. This enhanced firefighter configuration is a flexible solution, ideal for enhancing the capabilities of the C-27J multi-mission aircraft with significantly lower acquisition and operating costs than a dedicated firefighting platform. The Simplex Fire Attack System can be easily installed or removed by a small team in approximately 60 to 90 minutes via the aircraft's rear loading ramp. No major structural modifications are required to the airframe. The main tank has a maximum capacity of 10,600 l (2,800 US gallons); 568 litres (150 US gallons) of foam retardant can also be added. The firefighting system is one of the options that C-27J customers can add to the C-27J Spartan new baseline configuration, which incorporates a brand new avionics system designed to comply with Next Generation Air Traffic Control requirements, new cockpit control panels and LED aircraft lights. Operators will enjoy improved operational cost and performance within the aircraft flyaway price. The firefighting capability and the new baseline configuration are also being offered as a retrofit to current operators that want to upgrade their C-27J fleet. While offering the C-27J firefighter with the Simplex Aerospace roll-on/roll-off Fire Attack System, Leonardo, in collaboration with the European SCODEV Consortium, is also studying and testing a further innovative solution to enhance the C-27J's firefighting potential. The SCODEV scooping device will provide increased operational flexibility by allowing the water tank to be filled from a stretch of water, without the need to return to base. The system will provide a scooping device for the safe loading of water (sea, lakes, rivers) from around 30 metres above the surface, with a roll-on / roll-off approach to allow the aircraft different roles between firefighting, emergency support (medevac) and transport. Eighty-five C-27J Spartans have already been ordered by the air forces of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, United States, Mexico, Australia, Peru, Kenya, Morocco, Chad and Zambia. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/leonardo-eyes-enhanced-firefighting-configuration-for-its-c-27j-aircraft