News

By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― Economic shock waves from the coronavirus pandemic are threatening U.S. arms sales to its allies and partners, who may suddenly have less to spend. U.S. defense exports, through either the Foreign Military Sales process (which is government-facilitated) or the Direct Commercial Sales process (from a firm to a nation), are a means for the U.S. to strengthen ties with friendly countries and, as President Donald Trump likes to make explicit, pump revenue into the U.S. economy. Though the U.S. made $55 billion in foreign military sales in fiscal 2019, observers see headwinds in declining oil prices and the potential for allies to prioritize their domestic response to COVID-19 over defense spending. The Middle East is a leading market, and Saudi Arabia the world's leading purchaser. But the falling price of crude oil has fueled projections that Gulf Cooperation Council budgets will shrink, and with them demand for U.S. weapons. To boot, a Saudi-initiated oil price war has only added to Capitol Hill's ire toward the kingdom. Arms sales to Saudi Arabia reentered Congress' crosshairs as lawmakers probed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for firing of a State Department inspector general who'd been investigating Pompeo for bypassing a congressional freeze on arms sales to the kingdom. Previous objections to the sale centered around Riyadh's role in Yemen's civil war and — U.S. intelligence agencies believe ― the death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. “I think the trends are a bit worrisome,” Roman Schweizer, the managing editor of Cowen Washington Research Group, said during a Defense One event. “The Saudis have been in the penalty box with the U.S. Congress since the Khashoggi killing, and most recently with the overproduction of crude oil. ... So getting a deal though the U.S. Senate for the Saudis are probably a bridge too far.” Within NATO and the European Union, allied purchases of U.S. equipment have been lagging, as Trump has jousted with leaders in Western Europe, Schweitzer said. At the same time, allies nearer to the border with Russia have been buying U.S. arms more heavily. In the long term, tensions with Russia and China are still likely to drive demand, observers say. China ― the Pentagon's pacing threat ― is raising defense spending by 6.6 percent in 2021 even as it cuts education and public services. “The growth rate may have slowed, but the fact the budget increased is still a significant indication of the focus and prioritization that the [Chinese Communist] Party puts on modernization plans and national security interests,” Meia Nouwens, an expert on Chinese military affairs with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said at the same event. For now, it's unclear whether COVID-19 will turn Europe's focus away from burden-sharing, said Edward Ferguson, a former British ambassador now serving as minister counselor for defense at the U.K. embassy. What is clear: European governments will have to have difficult conversations. “Right now within NATO, what we see are allies proliferating rather than reducing,” Ferguson said at the event. “Notwithstanding the additional demands on treasuries and exchequers is the fundamental shifts in technologies we're seeing and [the] need to invest in that, and the increasingly complex strategic environment, whether it's Russia or China. " Along similar lines, the industry itself has been largely optimistic about the prospects of overseas sales. On recent investor calls, Lockheed Martin executives said there's been no reduction in demand from the Middle East. They touted F-16 fighter jet deals with Bahrain, Bulgaria, Slovakia and ― pending government approval ― Taiwan, as well as demand for Hellfire missiles and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile. Lockheed Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Possenriede, on an investor call earlier this month, pointed to demand for the F-35 jet from Poland, Belgium and Japan, and Lockheed's plans to participate in aircraft competitions in Switzerland, Spain and Finland. “We're in the final stages of the Canada competition, which we feel pretty good about,” he said. In Raytheon's May 7 earnings call, CEO Greg Hayes acknowledged Saudi Arabia is challenged by the lower oil prices, but added: “I don't think peace is breaking out anytime soon in the Middle East.” The company anticipated Riyadh will buy its AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, which is linked to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system. “So far, we have continued to see good cash come in from the Middle Eastern customers during the first quarter, surprisingly even with oil out there,” Hayes said. “They need the equipment, they want the equipment and we need to help them defend themselves.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/06/15/will-us-foreign-military-sales-catch-the-coronavirus

By ARIE EGOZIon June 15, 2020 at 1:02 PM TEL AVIV: The Israeli air force's F-35 special test aircraft is set to arrive in Israel, suitably enough, on the Fourth of July, along with three more Joint Strike Fighters. The arrival will start a planned process of upgrading the IAF's F-35 aimed at making them the main target supplier for the Israeli defense forces. In November another three are scheduled to arrive, bringing the IAF's total to 27 out of the 50 in the current contract. The special test aircraft was officially delivered to the IAF a year ago and some new systems developed by Israel have been installed. But the most sensitive systems will be installed only after the aircraft lands in Israel. Currently, the IAF operates 20 F-35 (Adir) and uses them in combat. One of the key capabilities of the F-35 is its capability to absorb electronic signals from radars and air defense systems and to quickly classify them, geolocate them, and display them to the pilot. Then the aircraft can distribute that data to other combatants. The critical data is collected by the aircraft's passive antennas embedded in the F-35's edges. They feed the signals information to the jet's computers. Using interferometers, the slightest time delay between when a signal hits one antenna compared to another, azimuth and range can be defined and target-quality coordinates created on where the threatening radio frequency emission is coming from. The already very advanced ELINT system of the F-35 is going to be further upgraded by the IAF, working with Israel's defense companies. Since the stealth fighter aircraft first arrived in Israel, some locally-made systems have been partially tested in different scenarios, but the test aircraft will allow these new systems to be put completely through their paces. The test aircraft will enable each of the Israeli F-35s to function as a “Target Generator” for all Israeli ground and naval forces thanks to what some have described as an Israeli-built command-and-control system. The Israeli companies that are developing systems for the IAF's F-35's are reluctant to provide details about the systems under development. Eitan Ben Eliyahu, former commander of the IAF, told Breaking Defense that the F-35 will bring two main capabilities to the Israeli air force's existing ones: “The stealth of course is the obvious one and it is crucial in an area where different forces deploy advanced anti-aircraft systems. “The second capability is the one that allows this aircraft to receive and distribute all kinds of combat data from a long list of sensors. This,” Ben Eliyahu said, “is very important for an air force that is performing combat missions almost on a daily basis.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/06/israelis-to-boost-f-35-fleets-electronic-warfare

ARMY Shimmick Construction Co. Inc., Oakland, California, was awarded a $78,801,484 modification (P00012) to contract W912P5-17-C-0007 for Chickamauga Lock chamber replacement. Work will be performed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of June 23, 2023. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $78,801,484 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Heil Trailer International LLC, Gatesville, Texas, was awarded a $37,063,855 firm-fixed-price contract for mobile tactical retail refueling systems, authorized stockage list kits, production qualification testing (PQT) assets, log assets, support for PQT testing, refurbishment of PQT assets, refurbishment of integrated product support systems and contract data requirements lists. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 14, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0047). Cashman/Dutra JV, Quincy, Massachusetts, was awarded an $18,027,778 modification (P00009) to contract W912WJ-18-C-0010 for improvement dredging. Work will be performed in Boston, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 civil construction funds and 2020 non-federal funds in the amount of $18,027,778 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Versar Inc., Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $10,200,664 firm-fixed-price contract to provide technical services including, but not limited to, inspections, assessments, repairs, testing, reports, training for facilities and operations-related projects within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $10,200,664 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0262). Kleinfelder Inc., Rancho Cordova, California, was awarded a $9,476,096 firm-fixed-price contract for civil and geotechnical engineering related design and construction services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Sacramento, California, with an estimated completion date of April 22, 2023. Fiscal 2018 civil construction funds in the amount of $9,476,096 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-F-0080). Moog Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia, was awarded a $9,360,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 180 slip rings. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Blacksburg, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $4,212,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0121). AIR FORCE AECOM International Inc., Neu-Isenburg, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0008); Buchard-Horn GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0009); Dorsch Gruppe International GmbH, Weisbaden, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0010); igr AG, Rockenhausen, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0011); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Arlington, Virginia (FA5613-20-D-0012); and Peschla + Rochmes GmbH, Kaiserslautern, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0013), have been awarded a $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architecture-engineer (A-E) services. This contract provides multi-disciplined A-E services for design of various U.S. military buildings, structures and facilities in Europe. Work will be performed primarily at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Europe (USAFE); Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and USAFE geographically separated units in Germany. Work is expected to be completed June 14, 2027. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $582 are being obligated for each awardee at the time of the award. The 700th Contracting Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is the contracting activity. HDT Global, Salon, Ohio, has been awarded a $17,581,114 fixed-price, incentive-firm modification (P00055) to contract FA8204-13-C-0010 for Transporter Erector Replacement Program (TERP) production. This modification exercises Lot Three, Option Three and provides the government five TERP units. Work will be performed at Cincinnati, Ohio; and Florence, Kentucky, and is expected to be completed Jan. 20, 2022. The total cumulative face value is $83,751,189. Fiscal 2020 missile procurement funds in the amount of $17,581,114 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $13,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the research and development for adaptive and robust control for hypersonic engagement research effort. The five-year contract will support research and development to comprehend and address impacts of complex flight environments on advanced weapon systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be completed March 2025 for the initial task order. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $760,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-20-D-0036). Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $7,329,960 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) Operational Realtime Combat Analysis (ORCA) Increment Two. This contract provides for enhancements to the software package known as the JASSM ORCA Increment Two. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be complete by June 14, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,299,806 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin, Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8682-20-C-0007). NAVY Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $30,269,098 firm-fixed-price contract (N32205-20-C-4037) for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the post shakedown availability of the expeditionary sea base U.S. Ship Miguel Keith (T-ESB 5). The $30,269,098 consists of the amounts listed in the following areas: Category “A” work item costs, additional government requirement, other direct costs, and the general and administrative costs. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon. Work will include the furnishing of general services, shipboard access, clean and gas free tank voids and cofferdams, machinery room to pump room watertight door, machinery space deck utilization plan, hull perimeter lighting, machinery space closed circuit television monitoring system and bow camera, install of the third air condition plant in forward house, aft house grey water system isolation, segregate grey and black water transfer line, forward main fire loop installation, aft house habitability mods and engineering control room No. 1 deck head install. Work is expected to be complete by December 2020. The contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $30,985,070. Funds will be obligated on June 15, 2020. Contract completion will be December 2020. Contract funds in the amount of $30,269,098, excluding options, are obligated for fiscal 2021 using operations and maintenance (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.sam.gov website and one offer was received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4037). Summer Consultants Inc.,* McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $30,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract with a maximum amount of $30,000,000 for multi-discipline architect-engineer services for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire-protection within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Washington area of operations (AO). All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other facilities within the NAVFAC Washington AO including, but not limited to, Maryland (40%); Virginia (40%); and Washington, D.C. (20%). The work primarily includes design and engineering services for new construction, major repairs, renovations and alterations. Design services may include, design and engineering concepts, contract documents, construction cost estimates, surveys, shop drawing reviews, construction consultation and inspection and the preparation of construction record drawings. Engineering services may include technical reports and studies, site investigations and programming concepts. Work is expected to be complete by June 2025. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months. No task orders are being issued at this time and no funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and 10 proposals were received. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-20-D-0017). BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair, Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $20,447,455 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-2317 to exercise options for the U.S. Ship Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) post shakedown availability (PSA). Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida. The work to be performed will include correction of government-responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfers at the time of PSA. The incorporation of approved engineering changes will be included that were not incorporated during the construction period, which are not otherwise the building yard's responsibility under the ship construction contract. The PSA is accomplished within a period of approximately 16 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the shipbuilding and conversion (Navy), obligation work limiting date. The PSA encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. Work is expected to be complete by July 2021. Fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $12,902,625 will be obligated at time of award. Funding will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. The University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, is awarded a $16,542,048 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the development of state-of-the-art improvements to unmanned systems and in situ ocean sampling. Work will be performed at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California. The lines of effort will improve and implement new oceanographic sampling techniques and methods. Experimentation events will enable data collections to support the next generation of federated oceanographic data tasking, processing and dissemination for future warfighting and oceanographic applications. Work is expected to be completed by June 2025. The total cumulative value of this contract is $16,542,048. The base period is $16,542,048 and there are no proposed option periods. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,100,000 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-20-C-2039). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Honeywell International, doing business as Honeywell Aerospace-Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $27,243,370 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for aircraft generator auxiliary power units in support of the Blackhawk helicopter platform. This was a limited acquisition as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (a)(2). This is a five-year base contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with a June 15, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is the Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 (Army) working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0054). Dixie Chemical Co. Inc., Pasadena, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $12,619,380 firm-fixed-price, requirements-type contract for high-density synthetic hydrocarbon jet propellant and priming fluid. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee and Colorado, with a June 15, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Air Force and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy – Aerospace Energy, San Antonio, Texas (SPE601-20-D-1510). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND UPDATE: Two additional companies, Eastern Airlines LLC., Wayne, Pennsylvania (HTC711-20-D-CC03); and USA Jet Airlines Inc., Belleville, Michigan (HTC711-20-D-CC04), have been awarded firm-fixed-price contracts under the Domestic Airlift Charter Services, Federal Aviation Administration Part 121, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed price Contract at an estimated overall program value of $697,000,000. These funds were obligated on individual task orders issued among sixteen contracts. The program initially began in October 2018. The contracts provide domestic air cargo and passenger charter services. Services shall be provided for the Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. Work will be performed within the continental U.S., all U.S. territories, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. Performance is from June 15, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2023. Ordering is decentralized and will be determined at the task order level. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2220903/source/GovDelivery/

By: Aaron Mehta   WASHINGTON — Overall nuclear warheads in the world decreased in 2019, but broad modernization efforts by the biggest nuclear countries — along with a degradation of arms control agreements around the world — could mean a dangerous mix for the future, according to an annual report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI. The organization estimated that at the end of 2019, nine countries possessed a total of 13,400 nuclear warheads, down from the 13,865 estimated in SIPRI's previous report, which in turn was a drop from 14,465 the year before. The reductions were primarily due to numbers dropping under the New START nuclear agreement between Russia and the U.S., which experts largely expect not to be renewed at the start of the new year. Russia is the largest holder of nuclear warheads, according to SIPRI's numbers, with 6,735 total, of which 1,570 are deployed. The U.S. follows at 5,800, with 1,750 deployed. The two countries account for over 90 percent of the world's nuclear arsenal. The United Kingdom (250 total, 120 deployed) and France (290 total, 280 deployed) are the other two nations believed to have deployed nuclear warheads. China (320 total), India (150 total), Pakistan (160 total), Israel (90 total) and North Korea, (30-40 total) round out SIPRI's list. Both the U.S. and Russia are engaged in expensive, widespread modernization efforts of its nuclear arsenal. America is upgrading both its legacy nuclear warheads with new designs, as well as updating its fleet of nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and ICBMs. Earlier this year, the Pentagon deployed for the first time the W76-2, a low-yield variant of the nuclear warhead traditionally used on the Trident submarine launched missile, and early design work is being done on another new submarine launched warhead design, known as the W93. Russia, meanwhile, has spoken openly about developing hypersonic weapons that could be nuclear equipped and has invested in novel weapons such as the Status-6, an underwater drone that could be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Moscow has also vocalized new deployment plans for its weapons and on June 2 made official a policy that it may use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack. Those investments by the world's two nuclear superpowers come against a backdrop of the collapse of numerous arms control agreements. 2019 saw the formal end of the Intermediate Range and Shorter Range Missiles (INF) treaty, and in May the U.S. announced its intention to withdraw from the Open Skies arms control verification agreement. The last major arms control agreement between Russia and the U.S. is New START, which is set to expire in February of 2021. In recent weeks the U.S. has announced its intention to start negotiations on a new arms control agreement that would include China. However, Chinese officials have repeatedly and categorically denied that it would be willing to join such an agreement, and experts largely view any efforts to create a trilateral nuclear arms control pact as a New START replacement are non-starters, leading to widespread agreement among analyst that New START is likely doomed under the Trump administration. “The deadlock over New START and the collapse of the 1987 Soviet–US Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate Range and Shorter Range Missiles (INF) Treaty in 2019 suggest that the era of bilateral nuclear arms control agreements between Russia and the USA might be coming to an end,” said Shannon Kile, Director of SIPRI's nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation program. “The loss of key channels of communication between Russia and the USA that were intended to promote transparency and prevent misperceptions about their respective nuclear force postures and capabilities could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race.” https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nuclear-arsenal/2020/06/14/nuclear-modernization-speeding-up-as-arms-control-on-the-brink-report/

Nathan Strout The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Raytheon $37 million to develop sensors for Project Blackjack, according to a June 12 contract announcement. Project Blackjack is a demonstration constellation being developed and fielded by DARPA to show the military utility of an on-orbit mesh network made up of satellites operating in low Earth orbit. The agency expects to launch flight demonstration satellites this fall before beginning to launch the full constellation of about 20 Blackjack satellites in 2021. As part of the June 12 contract, Raytheon will research, develop and demonstrate Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) sensors that will be integrated into the Blackjack constellation and the Pit Boss system, an autonomous, space-based command and data processor which is the brains behind Blackjack. Work is expected to be completed in April 2023. DARPA has awarded a number of Blackjack contracts as it prepares for its first Blackjack launches in 2021. In April, the agency selected SEAKR Engineering as the prime contractor to develop Pit Boss. That same month, Lockheed Martin announced that it has been awarded a contract for the first phase of satellite integration for Blackjack, which entails defining and managing interfaces between the bus, payload and Pit Boss. Blue Canyon Technologies was awarded a $14 million contract for phase 2 and 3 work on the Blackjack buses on June 9, and on June 10 was issued a $16 million contract for phases 2 and 3 work on the payload side of Blackjack. Blue Canyon had received a phase 1 award for spacecraft design work in 2018. The payload effort is expected to be wrapped up in March 2021, with the bus work completed in June 2021. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/06/15/raytheon-awarded-37m-for-blackjack-sensors/

By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan has abruptly suspended the planned deployment of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, which will drastically alter the U.S. ally's plans for defending itself against such threats. Defense Minister Taro Kono cited cost and technical issues as the reasons for the suspension of Japan's plans to deploy two Aegis Ashore systems at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, or JGSDF bases at Akita Prefecture in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu and at Yamaguchi Prefecture in the south. He explained during today's announcement that that the main technical issue was the need to ensure that the rocket boosters of the interceptor missiles, which are used to accelerate the missile to supersonic speeds following their launch, will fall on its designated areas following separation from the missile. Attempts to modify the software on the SM-3 Block IIA missiles to ensure correct booster separation so as to not put civilian lives and infrastructure at risk have not been successful so far, with modifications to the missile hardware likely to be needed, the minister said. Kono added that Japan has already spent the equivalent of $1.02 billion on the development of the SM-3 Block IIA so far, which is being developed jointly by Japan and the United States. The missiles can also be fired from the Aegis equipped ships of both countries to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Japan's Aegis Ashore deployment plans have been controversial, with the defense ministry facing strong opposition from local governments and residents at both sites, citing concerns about the radiation from the system's Lockheed Martin Long Range Discrimination Radar. The news of the suspension comes a little over a month after local media reported that the ministry will cancel the planned Aegis Ashore deployment at Akita and choose another site. However, this was swiftly denied by Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who said at the time no decision had been made. In announcing the suspension of the Aegis Ashore deployment, defense minister Kono said that Japan will continue to rely on its Aegis-equipped destroyers to provide ballistic missile defense against North Korea's missiles in the meantime. Japan operates seven such destroyers and is building another, although the Aegis Ashore radars are more advanced than that used on the ships. The land-based systems also reduce the demands placed on the ships and their crews by the missile defense mission. The latest developments come as Japan announces completion of the deployment of an upgraded Patriot Missile Segment Enhancement, or MSE, interceptors at four different locations throughout the country earlier this month. The announcement was made during a media briefing by Gen. Yoshinari Marumo, chief of the Air Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or JASDF, last Friday. The missile batteries, which can be used against aircraft or short-range ballistic missiles, are located at JASDF bases at Narashino, Hamamatsu, Ashiya, and Tsuiki. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/06/15/japan-suspends-aegis-ashore-deployment-pointing-to-cost-and-technical-issues/

La Commission européenne a lancé le 15 juin 16 projets industriels de défense pan-européens et trois projets technologiques de rupture. Ils vont bénéficier de 205 millions d'euros de financements à travers un Fonds pilote pour la défense EDIDP (programme européen de développement industriel de la défense) doté de 525 millions d'euros au total sur la période 2019/2020 : technologies portant sur les drones, sur le spatial (réseau de communications et technologie militaires pour satellites), sur les missiles anti-chars, sur les véhicules terrestres sans pilote et sur la cyber. Sur les 19 projets, dont neuf sont des projets PESCO (Coopération structurée permanente), 24 États membres sont représentés à travers leurs entreprises (223 concernées, dont 83 PME). De nouveaux projets européens devraient être signés en fin d'année, dont le drone MALE européen Eurodrone (100 millions d'euros) et le projet de communications militaires interopérables ESSOR (37 millions d'euros). La Tribune du 15 juin 2020

Les exportations d'armements ont dopé la balance commerciale de la France en 2019. Selon des données dévoilées le 15 juin par l'Observatoire économique de la défense, les exportations de matériels de guerre ont atteint un niveau historique. En 2019, la France a réussi à diminuer son déficit commercial de 3,9 milliards d'euros. Comment ? Notamment gr'ce au succès de ses armements à l'international. Les exportations de matériels de guerre et produits liés ont atteint un record décennal de 11,3 milliards d'euros (+34 %), selon le bulletin du mois de mai de l'Observatoire économique de la défense (OED). Les véhicules aériens ont particulièrement contribué à ces résultats. Quatrième meilleur secteur en excédent commercial Le succès des armes françaises à l'export n'est pas nouveau. Début juin, le ministère des Armées rapportait un haut niveau de prises de commandes. Cette fois, on connaît la valeur totale des exportations, le type de biens exportés et également les zones géographiques vers lesquelles ils sont expédiés. Avec 2,7 milliards d'euros d'importations, l'excédent commercial lié aux livraisons de matériels de guerre s'élève à 8,5 milliards d'euros en 2019 (+2,1 milliards d'euros et +32,8 % par rapport à 2018). “Cet excédent sectoriel est une des principales sources d'atténuation du déficit commercial de la France”, fait remarquer l'Observatoire économique de la défense. Seuls trois secteurs dépassent cet excédent commercial en France : en premier l'aéronautique civile (+29,6 milliards d'euros), l'agro-alimentaire des boissons (+13,2 milliards) et l'industrie manufacturière des parfums et des cosmétiques (+12,5 milliards). L'aviation de défense repart Après une stagnation entre 2017 et 2018, les exportations d'avions et d'autres véhicules aériens repartent avec une augmentation de 24,4 % entre 2018 et 2019. Cette catégorie représente à elle seule 2,8 milliards d'euros, soit 25 % de l'ensemble des exportations de matériels de guerre. Les systèmes de propulsion (turboréacteurs, turbopropulseurs) enregistrent également une belle performance : leurs exportations ont cru de 34 % à 2,3 milliards d'euros, soit 20 % de la valeur totale exportée par la France. “Ces exportations sont principalement à destination, dans l'ordre, du Proche et Moyen-Orient, de l'Union européenne, de l'Amérique et de l'Asie”, note l'OED. L'Observatoire économique de la défense ne détaille pas les produits livrés mais l'avion de combat Rafale de Dassault Aviation a sans doute contribué à ces résultats. En 2019, les livraisons de cet appareil vers l'étranger ont explosé à 26 exemplaires. Belle croissance pour les instruments d'optique Derrière, les avions et les systèmes de propulsion les armes et les munitions comptent pour 2,1 milliards d'euros (+34,7 %), soit 18 % des exportations françaises de matériels de guerre. “Près de trois quarts de ces exportations sont des bombes, des grenades, des torpilles ou des missiles”, décrit l'OED. Les chars, les véhicules blindés, les instruments d'optique, de mesure et de précision représentent moins d'argent. En revanche ces catégories affichent les plus fortes croissances. Les exportations de véhicules blindés décollent de +56,8 % (1,1 milliard d'euros). Les instruments ont quant à eux progressé de 47 % (700 millions d'euros). “Il peut s'agir de télémètres ou encore d'appareils pour la navigation à usage militaire. 80 % des exportations sont à destination du Proche et Moyen-Orient, de l'Afrique et de l'Asie (hors Proche et Moyen-Orient)”, détaille l'OED. Pour le secteur maritime, l'année 2019 n'a pas connu de grandes livraisons à l'international. Les navires de guerre affichent une contre-performance de -20,4 % et n'ont compté que pour 128,3 millions d'euros dans les exportations. Les appareils de détection et de radiosondage (radars, sonars et leurs composants) affichent une croissance de 59 % à 1,8 milliards d'euros. Selon l'OED, ces matériels sont principalement exportés vers le Proche et Moyen-Orient. Le Proche et Moyen-Orient, principaux clients de la France De manière générale, le Proche et Moyen-Orient concentrent 42,4 % des exportations françaises (4,8 milliards d'euros, +205 %). Les résultats sont plus serrés entre les autres zones géographiques : l'Amérique représente 11,4 % des exportations (1,3 milliard), derrière l'Afrique (13,8 %, 1,6 milliard), l'Asie (15,7 %, 1,8 milliard) et l'Europe (16,7 %, 1,8 milliard). Pour les importations, la préférence européenne joue aussi. “La majorité des importations françaises de matériels de guerre et produits liés provient de l'Union européenne : 56,2 %, soit un 1,5 milliard d'euros”, fait remarquer l'OED tandis que l'Amérique représente 27,3 % des importations (0,8 milliard). https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/comment-les-rafale-et-vehicules-aeriens-ont-reduit-le-deficit-commercial-de-la-france-en-2019.N975531

06/09/2020 GMV has won a contract under the Spanish MoD's RAPAZ program for the supply of four Class I Seeker RPASs, to be integrated into the intelligence units of the Paratrooper Brigade and the Tercio de Armada de Infantería de Marina (Marine Infantry Protection Force), thus providing them with the most advanced version of the unmanned aircraft Seeker. The UAS Seeker is an autonomous, rapid-deployment system developed by Aurea Avionics and supplied by GMV, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over a 15 kilometer range with a 90-minute endurance and a weight of 3.5 kg. This aircraft represents a qualitative leap forward for the armed forces, strengthening their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to ensure better operational capability and tactical superiority of Spanish troops. Seeker constitutes the core of a situational awareness system providing real-time intelligence. It is designed for rapid-deployment and high-mobility military applications carrying out low-level intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Within this project, due for delivery by October 2020, GMV will be running the design and manufacturing activities and also the various flight campaigns scheduled to check that the systems work properly before handover to the MoD. https://www.gmv.com/en/Company/Communication/News/2020/06/Seeker.html