13 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
By Tony Osborne
LONDON – Britain's aerospace industry is waking up to Brexit certainty after Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a landslide majority in a Dec. 12 general election.
Johnson's Conservative party secured a significant majority in the British Parliament – the largest since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s - which will enable him to push through his vision of Brexit on Jan. 31, 2020 ending Parliamentary and legal deadlocks that have delayed the UK's departure from the EU since the original date of March 29, 2019.
For aerospace, the Parliamentary majority means stability in planning and investment, and there are unlikely to be any more delays to the process. It should also mean that the threat of a no-deal Brexit – widely considered the worst-case scenario for aerospace – has largely evaporated for now.
The current iteration of the withdrawal agreement between Britain and the EU calls for regulatory alignment with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), but the two sides still have to negotiate future trade agreements once the UK has exited the EU. A lack of agreement here could result in a no-deal.
British aerospace and defense trade association ADS said it was looking forward to working with the new government but said that ministers needed to “deliver a close future relationship with the European Union."
In a statement, ADS CEO Paul Everitt called on the government to push forward with “investments in innovation and green technologies, develop a defense and security industrial strategy and an ambitious national space program.”
Airbus, one of the most vocal aerospace companies against Brexit, said it welcomed the fact that the British government now has a “clear mandate” and is looking forward to “positive discussions.”
“Airbus remains concerned by the potential for a ‘no-deal' in December 2020 and we will continue to plan for that scenario as that is the only way any responsible business can plan,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to run our major Brexit project in order to further eradicate and/or mitigate risks.”
If the election result made Brexit more likely, it makes the break-up of the UK more probable too after the Scottish National Party (SNP) secured 48 of the 59 Parliamentary seats in Scotland.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the result was a mandate for a second Scottish independence referendum. The Conservative government is unlikely to green-light such a referendum, but independence would have significant ramifications for UK defense given the presence of several airbases and the UK's ballistic missile submarines carrying the nuclear deterrent.
https://aviationweek.com/defense/brexit-certainty-after-boris-johnson-election-landslide
14 mai 2024 | International, Aérospatial
The House Armed Services Committee's fiscal 2025 defense policy bill highlights capacity concerns at DOD's Eastern and Western launch ranges.
19 février 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By: Agnes Helou ABU DHABI — BAE Systems signed a memorandum of agreement with the United Arab Emirates repair and overhaul center to transfer technology of some F-16 initiatives to the UAE. The memorandum between BAE and the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, or AMMROC, was signed on the second day of IDEX 2019. BAE Systems will open a facility at Al Ain, along the eastern border, “formalizing the relationship” with AMMROC, which also supports Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky with Black Hawk and C-130 maintenance, and repair and overhaul of ever fixed wing aircraft that the UAE Air Force counts among its fleet. “Our agreement with AMMROC allows us to work with an established leader in MRO and benefit from the skill and experience of their local workforce in the UAE,” said Paul Markwardt, vice president of survivability, targeting and sensing solutions at BAE Systems' Electronic Systems business. Under the MOU, the two organizations will work closely together on multiple projects, ranging from testing and repair services to manufacturing, support, and product installation. Potential projects include BAE Systems' avionics, communication, display, sensor, and survivability products. Among other things, “the MOU provides the testing of the equipment BAE Systems has on the F-16 platform," with BAE transfering technology for the testing of some products and building of some others, another BAE Systems official added. Other potential products BAE Systems could bring to the UAE, are the eye goggle tester, EMI/EMC lightening test equipment, F-16 ground support equipment, and IFF (identification friend or foe) license production. AMMROC CEO Abdul Hakeem Ahmed Saif Al Muflahi noted that the MOU doesn't include buying systems but transferring technology. “This MOU enhances AMMROC's position in delivering a fully integrated, world class MRO solution in accordance with industry best practices," he said. "The potential projects represent an exciting opportunity for both companies to work together in the field of MRO. AMMROC is proud to partner with BAE Systems, one of the world's leading defense companies, and we look forward to working with their team to develop and execute on the MOU.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/idex/2019/02/18/bae-systems-signs-agreement-with-emirati-repair-and-overhaul-center-for-f-16-tech-transfer/
23 décembre 2024 | International, Terrestre
The Bundeswehr and TAURUS Systems GmbH (a joint venture between MBDA and SAAB) have signed a contract for the maintenance and modernization of the TAURUS stand-off weapon system.