4 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Croatia urges Israel to overcome disagreement with the US by January 11 or says it will cancel deal.
Croatia has urged Israel to overcome a rare disagreement with the United States and to confirm it can carry through on a deal to sell 12 used American-made fighter jets.
Croatia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday it needed an answer from Israel by January 11 or the Balkan country's $500m order for a dozen F-16 aircraft would be cancelled.
Israel made a tentative deal to sell the upgraded F-16 Barak fighters to Croatia in March pending US approval for allowing the jets to go to a third party.
The deal ran into trouble after the US State Department hinted that Israel needs to strip off the upgrades that were added after Israel took delivery of the planes from the US some 30 years ago.
Israel upgraded the jets with sophisticated electronic and radar systems, which was crucial in Croatia's decision to buy the planes from Israel rather than from the US.
"If the planes are not in accordance with what we have agreed, the deal will not be carried out and we will have another purchase bid," Croatia's parliament speaker, Gordan Jandrokovic, said.
Relations between the Trump administration and Israel have been very close, particularly on defence issues. But the sale of the jets to Croatia appears to be an exception.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday in Brazil but didn't agree on a way to end the impasse.
"We are expecting final and clear stands from both Israel and the United States on this issue and then we will make a final decision," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.
Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said Thursday that Israel provided guarantees during the contract bidding process that US officials would greenlight the sale.
The controversy over the bid has triggered calls for the defence minister's resignation.
The deal is Croatia's largest single military buy since it split from the Yugoslav federationduring the 1991-95 war.
NATO member Croatia faces a mini arms race with Russian ally Serbia, which recently received six used Russian MiG-29 fighter jets.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
16 mars 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Israel and South Korea are to co-operate in the field of unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance (ISTAR), with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 15 March. Showcased at ADEX 2017, KAI's stealth U...
8 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA — The Turkish government has launched a competition to buy hundreds of multi-rotor micro drones, with scores of local companies having already expressed interest. SSB, Turkey's procurement authority, has said that the planned drones would be used in homeland security missions like search and rescue, surveillance and reconnaissance, remote sensing and mapping. An SSB official said all drone programs come with a “priority” tag. Under the multi-rotor micro drone program, SSB will procure a total of 499 units. Twenty-two companies have replied to SSB's Request for Proposal (RfP). “The level of interest [in the contract] and potential competition during the race reflects the vibrancy of Turkey's fast-growing drone industry,” said Özgür Ekşi, an analyst with C4Defense.com, a defense industry specialist. “Especially when you think that only a decade ago there was not a single drone maker in the country.” Turkey has long prioritized developmental and operation of unmanned systems for its military and for export. The Turkish military was largely dependent on the Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles in its fight with Kurdish insurgents in early 2000s when the government-controlled Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) started working on the Anka, Turkey's first indigenous drone. In 2013 TAI won a contract from the Turkish government to supply 10 Ankas and ground control stations. The Anka, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, can fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet for 24 hours and can carry up to 200 kg payload. TAI later developed the armed and satellite-controlled versions of the Anka as the country's dependency on drones in its asymmetrical warfare against Kurdish insurgency deepened. The Anka has paved the way for the entry into the market of private sector players. Kale-Baykar, a consortium, has successfully developed the Bayraktar TB-2, a drone system that comes in unarmed and armed versions, and delivered to the military six systems in 2017. The Bayraktar uses the MAM-L and MAM-C, two mini smart munitions developed and produced by state-controlled missile specialist Roketsan. Turkey's local industry also is developing BSI-101, a SIGINT system, for the Bayraktar to end Turkey's dependence on U.S.-made SIGINT systems for drones. The Bayraktar can fly at a maximum altitude of 24,000 feet. Its communications range is 150 kilometers. The aircraft can carry up to 55 kilograms of payload. “We encourage private companies to spend more on drone R&D and come up with solutions cut for our specific (mostly asymmetrical) requirements,” said one procurement official. “there is a lot of activity going on and the market will deepen in quantity and quality in the years ahead.” Ekşi from C4Defence.com said: “Twenty-two local bidders in a relatively small drone competition is a sign that the market, infant by age, will flourish soon.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/11/07/companies-line-up-to-deliver-turkey-hundreds-of-micro-drones
27 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By BRIAN EVERSTINE PALMDALE, Calif.—Northrop Grumman is expanding its side of the secretive Plant 42 facility here and hiring thousands of employees while development of the new B-21 bomber remains largely under wraps. An older tan hangar-turned-production facility sits next to recently built white and blue buildings. Another large hangar is still under construction, and trailers serving as offices are lined up on-site. Heavy equipment dug through the dirt as speakers praised the evolution of the legacy B-2, which is helping lay the foundation for its next-generation successor, at a recent birthday ceremony at Northrop's facilities. The company won't specifically say whether the growth is driven by the B-21 Raider, only that the new construction is for “programs.” But it has funneled “multiple hundreds of millions” of dollars to improve Plant 42, according to Janis Pamiljans, the president of Northrop's aerospace sector. The company has also grown from about 25,000 to 28,000 employees in California alone since 2015 and continues to hire. “We've been on a tremendous hiring spree ... and you can see the kind of structures being built,” Pamiljans said. Northrop moved some of its other systems, such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-4 Triton, to new locations so it can better serve production of those aircraft. The shifts also free up space for other endeavors. Reporters were not allowed near the new facilities during an escorted visit throughout the Southern California site earlier this week. No other companies that are involved in B-21 development were visible on the premises. The promise of a new design remained even as Northrop and the Air Force celebrated the B-2 turning 30 years old at an Aug. 20 event. The “Spirit of Missouri” was parked in front of a hangar that is now partially used to produce F-35 jet fuselage and is partially dedicated to “other programs,” Pamiljans said. The B-21 is eventually expected to replace the stealthy B-2 over the coming decades. Northrop plans to use the Spirit program's focus on supportability, sustainability, and mission-capable rate as the blueprint for maintaining the B-21 as well. Northrop officials say they are taking lessons learned in the development and sustainment of low-observable technology, a key to the B-2's stealth, and applying them to these “other programs,” Pamiljans said. “The B-2 is setting the path, course for the B-21,” Pamiljans said. “What we've learned on B-2, we're finding baselined into the design of the B-21.” Eighth Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. James Dawkins told reporters in Palmdale that aspects of B-2 sustainment like computers, maintenance, and materials can naturally be leveraged for the B-21. He said the platform's cost and schedule performance are “right on expectations.” “From that standpoint, it's been very successful so far,” he said. “We're really happy about the way Northrop has approached this.” The Air Force remains mum about the state of B-21 production, other than to occasionally say it is going well. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson said last month the service is planning first flight of the B-21 in December 2021. The service is so far sticking with its plan to buy at least 100 of the bombers to go with 75 B-52s that will remain in service. The Air Force and Northrop continue to crunch overall production numbers, and haven't settled on an exact strategy for phasing out the B-2 as the B-21 comes online. There will be a transition period when both the B-2 and B-21 will be part of the strategic bomber fleet, Dawkins said. “I'm optimistic they will take lessons learned” from the B-2 for “any type of program” the company is developing, he added. http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/August%202019/Northrop-Grumman-Expands-Plant-42-as-B-21-Continues-Development.aspx