2 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial

Companies seek end to haggling over FCAS rights with fresh offer this week

COLOGNE, Germany – Airbus and Dassault executives hope to finalize their offer for the next phase of the Future Combat Air System by the end of the week, putting to rest a dispute over the handling of intellectual property rights that has been simmering between partner nations Germany, France and Spain.

At issue is whether countries participating in the development of mainland Europe's futuristic weapon system are free to use the technology to make adjustments of their own later on, said German Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz.

“It should be clear that if we're developing a European system, there can be no black boxes,” he said at an virtual press conference organized by German aerospace industry association BDLI. The term “black box” refers to technology purchased as-is, with no means by customers to understand, replicate or modify it.

“It must be possible to hand intellectual property rights from branch of industry to another so that it's possible for all partners to make their own developments in the future,” Gerhartz added.

The tri-national FCAS program aims to replace the German Eurofighter and French Rafale fleets by 2040. As envisioned, it will consist of a next-generation manned jet and a series of drones, dubbed remote carriers, that can be tasked to work in concert on anything from reconnaissance to strike missions.

Germany's Airbus and France's Dassault are the primary contractors for the program. As Europe's most ambitious weapons project ever, it is estimated to have a price tag in the hundreds of billions of euros. Spain is meant to be a full participant, with Indra as national lead, getting access to a third of the overall work share.

Next up for the program is additional development work culminating in the presentation of a demonstrator aircraft and remote carriers by 2026 or 2027. Those could be simple, throw-away drones or more elaborate unmanned planes in the style of a “loyal wingman” to the human pilot, said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, at the same event.

An agreement on intellectual property usage is needed both on the government and industry level before submitting an offer for the upcoming program stage. The idea is to find a compromise by Feb. 5, have the Berlin government submit the documentation to the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, for approval over the next few months, and get the green light to spend additional money before the summer break, Hoke said.

While Airbus is used to sharing its intellectual property rights when selling to the German government, partner nations, France and Spain handle those occasions differently. “I'm confident that we can find a common solution,” Hoke said.

Reinhard Brandl, a lawmaker of Bavaria's Christian Social Union who sits on the Bundestag's appropriations committee, said he shared the optimism but singled out IP rights as a continuing sticking point. “We will look at the agreement very carefully,” he said. “We don't want to see unfavorable concessions just for the sake of an agreement.”

Brandl belongs to a faction of German lawmakers who fear that domestic companies could lose out in a cooperative program with France. That is especially the case, following that logic, because Airbus, as the German lead contractor, is partly French to begin with.

The French, meanwhile, have at times become frustrated with Germany's piecemeal approval process for FCAS funding, a dynamic that could become even more pronounced if money gets tight as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Thomas Jarzombek, the point person for aerospace policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, said the program remains crucial for German industry, describing it as a recovery activity for companies post-COVID. “It's become even more important than before,” he said.

Brandl said he still worries about spending cuts in the future, especially during development, as the defense ministry may seek opportunities for more near-term fixes to lagging readiness rates across the force. He proposed anchoring FCAS funding elsewhere in the federal government other than under the auspices of the Bundeswehr, at least until the program gets close to showing actual military utility.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/01/companies-seek-end-to-haggling-over-fcas-rights-with-fresh-offer-this-week

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18 décembre 2018 | International, Naval

France’s Naval Group eyes Brazil as hub for its regional submarine business
By: Sebastian Sprenger RIO DE JANEIRO – The Brazilian navy launched its first domestically produced attack submarine on Friday, a move that French boat designer Naval Group hopes will lead to additional sales in the region. The new vessel, named the Riachuelo, is a copy of Naval Group's Scorpene-class submarine, though slightly bigger, at 1,870 tons, to enable more crew and longer range. The submarine program's objective is protecting the vast resource-rich waters all along the country's coastline, dubbed the Blue Amazon, outgoing Brazilian President Michel Temer told an audience at the launch ceremony at Itaguai naval base outside Rio de Janeiro. Defense News attended the launch and accepted airfare and accommodations from Naval Group. The Riachuelo, considered roughly 80 percent complete at this point, is the first product of the Brazilian navy's $8.9 billion Prosub program. She is scheduled to begin sea trials next summer. Three identical, diesel-propelled boats are slated to follow by 2023, based on a technology-transfer contract with the French shipbuilder. A joint venture between Naval Group and local construction conglomerate Odebrecht, named ICN, assembles the boats at the new Itaguai submarine shipyard built for the program. The real prize for the Brazilian navy, however, will only come afterwards. Beginning in the mid-2020s, the country's military wants to start building what Naval Group chief HervéGuillou calls the “ultimate ambition” – a program of nuclear-powered submarines. Design work for the first nuclear submarine is already underway, with the French shipbuilder providing “assistance,” as a company brochure puts it, and the Brazilian navy in a more prominent role. The sea service here will manage all aspects of the power plant development, for example. “Brazil is absolutely critical for Naval Group and other European players to be present here,” Guillou told reporters at Naval Group's Rio de Janeiro office. That's because European countries, even those spending two percent of GDP on defense, a NATO-wide objective, are unable to match the growth rate of South America's expected military spending, he said. The foray into Brazil and other emerging markets offers the opportunity for “critical mass” to help bridge dips in demand at home, according to Guillou. The French shipbuilder already has its eyes on another target, Poland, which the CEO said he wants to similarly develop into a submarine hub for regional navies. European rival shipyards Saab and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems are also in the running for that country's program, however, each with local work-share ambitions of their own. Friday's launch ceremony ended with Temer and his successor, far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, jointly pressing a large red button initiating the machinery for lowering the Riachuelo into the water. “Brazil has a vocation for peace and is building its submarine not to threaten anyone or unsettle the calm of international waters,” Temer was quoted as saying in a local Reuters report. “Brazil is building submarines because a nation with more than 7,000 kilometers of coastline cannot do without tools to defend its sovereignty and it marine riches,” he said. Bolsonaro had no speaking part in the ceremony. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/12/17/frances-naval-group-eyes-brazil-as-hub-for-its-regional-submarine-business/
9 janvier 2020 | International, C4ISR

Here are the network technologies the Army wants for 2023
By: Mark Pomerleau The Army is outlining specific technology areas that it wants industry to explore for its tactical network capabilities. The Army's incremental “capability set” build seeks to add capabilities to the network every two years beginning in 2021. Technologies in this area should enhance network capacity, resiliency and convergence solutions that are available for demonstration and experimentation. The Army issued a call for white papers to the C5 Consortium Jan. 6 for technology areas it wants to insert into the 2023 tactical network, according to an Army release. This follows a briefing to industry in Austin, Texas, in November when the Army provided what it thinks its vision is for capabilities in that build. Specific technology areas outlined by the Army include: Managed multi-orbit (Low Earth Orbit/Medium Earth Orbit/Geostationary Equatorial Orbit) satellite Communications services for forces — the Army is interested in managed services to mitigate bandwidth challenges associated with increased terminals for communications services where existing services are lacking. C4ISR/electronic warfare modular open suite of standards (CMOSS) compliant satellite communications modem, next generation blue force tracking and radio waveforms — the Army wants open source standards to converge hardware on a common platform. Non-propriety open suite of consolidated tools for unified network operations — the Army is looking for a smaller suite of tools to assist in planning, installation, managing, fault detection, communication restoral, analysis, security and data collection of the network. Segregation of data by identity access and management enabling multi-level security with mission partners — the Army wants an unclassified software solution in the prototype phase that can be used in the Mission Partner Environment, a network used by the military and coalition partners, that will include a reliable, protected and configurable network. Hardened network transport and reduced electronic signature for command post and mounted formations — the Army is interested in mitigating vulnerabilities that impact command post survivability and network resiliency by developing countermeasures within the electromagnetic spectrum. Optimizing compute, storage and applications on a distributed computing architecture to automate data tagging, synchronization, containerize services and efficiency of compute resources — the Army is looking for a common data fabric to reduce stovepipes, enable automation and improve data context for decision-makers. The Army will evaluated the technical solutions submitted and select contractors to participate in a no-cost technology demonstration, which could lead to a prototype supporting experimentation, the release said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/2020/01/08/here-are-the-technologies-the-army-wants-for-2023/
15 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

Japan Self-Defense Force Accepts Delivery of First V-22 Osprey
By: Megan Eckstein July 14, 2020 3:45 PM A V-22 Osprey aircraft bound for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force based at Camp Kisarazu prepares to depart Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, July 6, 2020. The ferry flight from MCAS Iwakuni marked the delivery of the first V-22 to the Japan Self-Defense Force. US Marine Corps photo. Japan accepted delivery of its first Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey on Friday, making it the first nation outside the U.S. to own and operate the tiltrotor aircraft. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) took delivery of the aircraft at Camp Kisarazu, across the Tokyo Bay from Yokosuka, according to news releases from Bell and Boeing, who collaborate on the aircraft program. “Congratulations to Japan on becoming the first international operator of the Osprey,” Kurt Fuller, Bell Boeing program director, said in a release. “The delivery of the Japanese V-22 represents a milestone for revolutionary aircraft capabilities for the Government of Japan and is a testament to our enduring friendship. The Osprey will provide Japan a tremendous advantage, unlike ever before, to respond to a broad range of challenges throughout the Asia Pacific region.” The Japanese V-22 variant has a unique configuration with a Japanese-specific communication system, according to the news releases. Despite the different communication system, JGSDF personnel have been working with U.S. Marines since May to learn how to operate the aircraft ahead of accepting delivery of their own Osprey. “This is an exciting moment in our partnership with the JGSDF; we have had the pleasure of working with them state-side to produce, develop, train and maintain their initial fleet of aircraft,” Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275), said in the news release. “This arrival marks a key step in standing up its V-22 fleet, and more importantly, the continued collaboration between our nations.” The start of Japan's V-22 fleet comes shortly after the U.S. Navy also accepted its first V-22 – called the CMV-22 – to carry out the carrier onboard delivery (COD) mission once the aging C-2A Greyhound propeller planes retire. Bell Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the “Black Jacks” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 in February, and the first operational aircraft arrived at Naval Air Station North Island in California last month to begin building up the inventory of the “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30. Marine Corps pilots and maintainers have also helped train their Navy counterparts on the aircraft, much like they have been doing in Japan. The Navy variant has extended range due to additional fuel tanks, a beyond-line-of-sight high-frequency radio, a public address system for passengers and an improved lighting system for cargo loading, all to assist in the COD mission ferrying people, supplies and mail across a carrier strike group at sea. Unlike the C-2, which could only fly from shore to the aircraft carrier, the V-22 will be able to reach the surface combatants in the CSG directly, thanks to its ability to land and take off vertically like a helicopter. Prior to Japan deciding to buy the V-22 in 2015, Japanese citizens long had concerns about American V-22s operating out of Japanese bases, particularly Okinawa, due to the aircraft's early safety record. Even as recently as 2018, after the V-22 had established itself as a safe and reliable aircraft, Defense News reported that safety concerns from residents near Camp Kisarazu delayed the delivery of Bell Boeing's first aircraft to Japan. https://news.usni.org/2020/07/14/japan-self-defense-force-accepts-delivery-of-first-v-22-osprey

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