Back to news

January 11, 2019 | International, Aerospace

UK F-35s Clear IOC For Land-Based Ops; UK Spending Big on Defense

By

WASHINGTON: The UK is ready to start deploying the first batch of its new F-35 fighter overseas the country's top defense official said Thursday, while introducing a slew of new cruise and attack missiles for its Typhoon jets.

The announcement of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for nine F-35Bs comes weeks after the Royal Navy performed its first F-35 landings aboard the new Queen Elizabeth-class of aircraft carrier, built specifically to accommodate the F-35B. The head of Lockheed Martin UK, Peter Ruddock, noted that the IOC pertains to “land-based aircraft.” That seems sensible given that Joint Strike Fighter operations from the carrier just began. But questions surround the overall health of the UK's military, as it embarks on an expansive modernization program that is facing brisk headwinds in the form of an uncertain withdrawal from the European Union and looming budget shortfalls in the coming years.

On Thursday however, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson stood in front of a hangar full of F-35s and Typhoons at the RAF Marham air base, which has just undergone a major facelift to accommodate the F-35 — including new runways and a training center — to declare a new era in UK power projection.

“The incredible F-35 jets are ready for operations, a transformed Typhoon has the power to dominate the skies into the 2040s and we continue to look even further into an ambitious future,” he said. “The RAF has long shown Britain at its great and global best, and today it lifts our nation to even greater heights.”

Alongside the F-35 were Typhoon jets, soon to be equipped with a slew of new capabilities developed under the three-year, $540 million Project Centurion.

Chief among them is the Storm Shadow air-to-ground cruise missile which boasts a range of 350 miles, the precision guided air-to-air Meteor missile with a 62-mile range, and the air-to-ground Brimstone precision attack missile. All of the missiles are made by Paris-based defense firm MBDA, a joint venture between European defense leaders Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo.

Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, chief of the Air Staff, added: “The successful integration of Storm Shadow, Brimstone and Meteor on Typhoon completes and enhances the transition of world-class capabilities” from the retiring Tornado jets, which will “offer a step-change in our ability to employ air power around the world.”

After the HMS Queen Elizabeth makes its first deployment in 2021, it will be followed two years later by the HMS Prince of Wales, bringing to a close a gap in carrier capability that Britain has experienced since retirement of the Invincible and Ark Royal.

Royal Navy officials have said they're eager to get back into carrier operations, which will allow the UK to project power with fifth generation aircraft across the Middle East, Pacific, and in the Arctic, which is emerging as a major flash point as Russia and China rush to push assets north.

The deployments will come as a welcome relief for the US Navy, which is struggling with maintenance on its own 11-carrier fleet. The American ships have been strained over the past 17 years of war in the Middle East and growing tensions with China in the Pacific.

But the uncertainties over Brexit hangs over all of these plans.

“Our nation is moving into a new era outside the EU, and our huge achievements in air capability make our commitment to a role on the world stage clear to both our allies and our enemies,” Williamson said.

The UK's Director for Strategic Planning Will Jessett told reporters in Washington earlier this week that the MoD's ability to pump money into new defense programs will be affected by any deal reached between Britain and the rest of Europe, since their defense industries are intertwined.

“Amongst the reasons we started to face this affordability delta in 2017 were because exchange rates did fall, relative to where they were in 2015,” he said. If we get a [Brexit] deal that's OK, I can imagine, personally, exchange rates not just stabilizing but somewhat improving. If not, it is by definition going to add further pressure into this.”

He hastened to add, however, “that's not what we're planning for at the moment.”

In November, the UK's National Audit Office estimated that the Ministry of Defense's defense plans will exceed allocated budgets by an average of 3.7 percent over the coming decade, which would lead to shortfalls of between $8 billion and $18 billion over that timeframe.

https://breakingdefense.com/2019/01/uk-f-35s-clear-ioc-for-land-based-ops-uk-spending-big-on-defense

On the same subject

  • Lockheed paid suppliers $1.1 billion, added 8,300 jobs since pandemic

    June 29, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Lockheed paid suppliers $1.1 billion, added 8,300 jobs since pandemic

    By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― Lockheed Martin has sent $1.1 billion in accelerated payment to support its network of suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced Friday. The defense contracting giant has also hired 8,300 employees since the crisis began in March, with plans to hire 3,200 more before the end of the year. The hires mark a contrast with the rest of the U.S. economy, which saw the unemployment rate hit 13 percent this month and began a recession in February. “In this volatile environment, it is more important than ever before to maintain the operations of the defense industrial base and support our men and women in uniform,” Lockheed's new president and CEO, Jim Taiclet, said in a statement. Ever since the Pentagon announced it would speed progress payments to its suppliers to keep cash flowing in the defense-industrial base, it says it has made $3 billion in contract obligations. The Pentagon is working to support smaller firms in particular. Lockheed Martin said Friday it has “flowed all of the accelerated payments it has received from the Department of Defense to its supply chain, giving priority to small and vulnerable suppliers, as we continue our efforts to mitigate COVID-19 risks and promote a healthy Defense Industrial Base.” This wasn't the only good news for the sector this week. Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said at a Monday news conference that nearly all of the defense firms closed by the pandemic have reopened. “We see an enormous amount of recovery in the defense-industrial base. It depends on location and what type of work is being performed, but there is enormous progress coming back,” Lord said. “Obviously for manufacturing we need people on the line, so we're doing things differently in terms of following [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's] guidelines and so forth.” Still, the Pentagon expects to see “inefficiencies” across most programs as well as cost growth. “COVID-19 is shutting down defense manufacturing facilities and production lines, disrupting supply chains, and distressing the financial stability of the companies DoD relies on to protect the nation,” Lord said. Due to the effects of the pandemic, Lockheed said it would slow F-35 production, leaving it anywhere from 18 to 24 jets short of the 141 scheduled for delivery this year. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/06/26/lockheed-paid-suppliers-11b-added-8300-jobs-since-covid-19-hit/

  • Britain's BAE Systems wins $8.8 bln contract to continue operating Tennessee ammo plant | Reuters

    December 12, 2023 | International, Land

    Britain's BAE Systems wins $8.8 bln contract to continue operating Tennessee ammo plant | Reuters

    Britain's BAE Systems has won an $8.8 billion contract to maintain and operate a U.S. Army ammunition plant in Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) said on Tuesday.

  • Damen and Thales to build the German MKS 180 frigate of the future

    November 18, 2020 | International, Naval

    Damen and Thales to build the German MKS 180 frigate of the future

    Hengelo, November 18, 2020 – Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Thales signed on November 17, 2020,the contract for the delivery and full integration of Thales's Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates contracted by the German Navy. The system will be designed by Damen and completely built by German shipyards, under Damen's project management. Valued at €1.5B, the contract illustrates Thales's leading position in global naval integration. It will be executed by Thales's naval Centers of Excellence in Hengelo (the Netherlands), Kiel and Wilhelmshaven (Germany) in cooperation with a substantial number of German subcontractors. Underpinning this contract is the proven cooperation of German and Dutch naval industries, including numerous joint opportunities for Damen and Thales in the Netherlands to innovate within naval shipbuilding projects, often with the participation of the Netherlands' Ministry of Defence. The project underscores Damen's and Thales's ambition to build further cooperation with shipyards and partnering industries in high-end European naval programmes. Thales's Mission and Combat System includes the comprehensive Tacticos Combat Management System and the AWWS (Above Water Warfare System) Fire Control Cluster. The contract includes four ship systems, logistic services and multiple land-based test and training sites, as well as the option for one or two additional ships. AWWS is a cutting-edge warfare suite that helps the ship crews to counter and neutralise complex saturation attacks by continuously analysing and optimising the tactical environment and deployment of resources. AWWS will be combined with APAR* Bl2, the evolved version of Thales's proven AESA* multifunction radar. In 2019, Thales signed an AWWS development contract for the new M-frigates for the Belgian and Dutch Navies. In the past years, Thales has been awarded several large contracts by European NATO navies, thanks to innovative solutions and its proven reliability as an industrial partner. These contracts have made Thales the de facto naval combat system partner of NATO. The first ship of the MKS 180 class will be operational in 2028. The entire programme will run for over ten years. “Winning such a substantial contract within the strict framework of an objective scoring system reinforces our global leading position in high-end naval integration. Thanks to our innovative capabilities, the German Navy will be able to execute both current and future tasks whilst substantially contributing to stability in the operational theatres all over the world.” Gerben Edelijn, CEO of Thales Netherlands. “As a partner in the MKS 180 programme, Thales Deutschland not only contributes to a high German value-added share, but also brings many years of experience in European cooperation and proven systems expertise. This programme will create new, high-quality jobs in Germany, within an exemplary framework of European defence cooperation. We will also contribute to maintaining the German Navy's operational capability at the highest level within the alliance,” Dr. Christoph Hoppe, CEO of Thales Deutschland. “We are very honoured by this notification which further solidifies our long-standing cooperation with the German Navy and Damen. We sincerely thank our customers for their continued trust. This huge contract anchors our position as global leader in high-end naval systems integration. The German Navy will benefit from cutting-edge technological systems thanks to the diversity of talents at Thales”. Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales. * APAR: Active Phased Array Radar * AESA: Active Electronically Scanned Array Faiza Zaroual Media Relations and Social Media, Land & Naval Defence, Thales Group faiza.zaroual@thalesgroup.com Press office : +33(0)1 57 77 86 26 +33 (0)7 81 48 80 41 @ThalesDefence View source version on Thales Group: https://thales-group.prezly.com/damen-and-thales-to-build-the-german-mks-180-frigate-of-the-future?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=TCKM

All news