Finnish officials begin sifting through final HX fighter offers

Sur le même sujet

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  26 octobre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  F-35 officially wins Belgian fighter contest

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Belgium has officially selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter, becoming the 13th country to join the program, the Belgian government announced Thursday. With that decision, Lockheed Martin has defeated a bid by the governments of Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom for the Eurofighter Typhoon, as well as an informal offer by France for the Dassault Rafale and an option for Belgium to upgrade its existing F-16s. Belgium plans to buy 34 F-35As to replace F-16 inventory, which numbers about 54 jets. The U.S. State Department has already approved the deal, which has an estimated value of $6.5 billion. According to Reuters, Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput told reporters on Oct. 25 that the F-35 beat the other contenders in all seven selection criteria. “We are investing heavily in defense,” Vandeput tweeted, citing Belgium's decision to buy F-35s and new land vehicles. Meanwhile, U.S. stakeholders immediately began celebrating the outcome of the competition. “Lockheed Martin is honored by the Belgian government's selection of the F-35A Lightning II for their future national security needs,” the company said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting the U.S. government in delivering the F-35 program to meet the requirements of the Belgian government.” Vice Adm. Mat Winter, head of the the F-35 joint program executive office, said the decision to join the program will strengthen the U.S.-Belgian relationship. “We look forward to working closely with our Belgian teammates as they mature plans for purchasing their F-35s,” he said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels tweeted a response to Vandeput, stressing how Belgium's F-35 selection would add to NATO interoperability. “Belgium will fly @thef35 alongside some of its closest @NATO allies & longtime partners in air defense. US is extremely proud of our enduring air partnership w/ Belgium,” it said. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, said Belgium's F-35 buy “reaffirms Belgium's military and strategic partnership with the United States, as well as builds Belgium's defense capabilities as a strong NATO ally.” Turner had interfaced with Belgian officials over the past year, providing assurances that the U.S. Congress would support an F-35 sale to Brussels, he said in a statement. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/10/25/f-35-officially-wins-belgian-fighter-contest

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  1 février 2022 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR

  Tigre, drones, MGCS, munitions : les priorités capacitaires de l'armée de Terre

  DÉFENSE Tigre, drones, MGCS, munitions : les priorités capacitaires de l'armée de Terre L'armée de Terre se prépare pour être apte à s'engager dans tous les conflits, jusqu'à l'affrontement majeur. Elle travaille ainsi à l'acquisition de nouvelles capacités et à la modernisation de ses systèmes d'armes. « Nous sommes au début de la modernisation du segment médian », souligne le général Hervé Gomart, major général de l'armée de Terre. L'armée de Terre compte sur le respect de la LPM (loi de programmation militaire) 2019-2025, qui prévoit entre 2023 et 2025 l'augmentation des crédits pour les armées de 3 Md€ par an. La France travaille aussi, avec l'Espagne, à la modernisation du Tigre, l'hélicoptère de combat, qui équipe les armées françaises, allemandes et espagnoles. De son côté, le char du futur franco-allemand (MGCS) avance sous les radars. Le CEMAT vient de valider un document de concept exploratoire portant sur l'emploi de ce futur système d'armes franco-allemand (Main Ground Combat System), sur lequel la France attend un retour de la partie allemande. Enfin, l'armée de Terre veut revenir à la pointe en matière de drones : « Toutes les unités doivent savoir se servir d'un drone » pour aller au combat, a expliqué le général Hervé Gomart. L'armée de Terre devrait disposer de 3 000 drones en 2023, dont le drone Patroller (de Safran) qui doit entrer en service cette année. En revanche, elle n'a « pas un stock suffisant de munitions » pour mener un combat de haute intensité dans la durée, a admis le général Gomart. La Tribune du 31 janvier

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  30 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Raytheon-UTC merger wins approval, pending divestitures

  By: Jill Aitoro WASHINGTON — The merger between two defense giants got the green light from the U.S. Department of Justice, under the condition that divestitures already in the works move forward and another piece of business is shed. According to a March 26 announcement from the DOJ, United Technologies Corp. and Raytheon will need to divest Raytheon's military airborne radios business as well as UTC's military global positioning systems and large space-based optical systems businesses in order to proceed with the proposed merger. The divestitures would satisfy a proposed settlement from the department's Antitrust Division of a civil antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed Raytheon-UTC merger. BAE Systems agreed in January to buy Collins Aerospace's military global positioning system business — which is owned by parent firm UTC — for $1.93 billion and Raytheon's airborne tactical radios business for $275 million. “Today's settlement protects the American taxpayer by preserving competition that leads to lower costs and higher innovation in critical military and defense products,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Antitrust Division. “The merger, as originally proposed, would have eliminated competition in the supply of military airborne radios and military GPS systems, and would have positioned the merged firm to harm rivals capable of making key components for reconnaissance satellites. These horizontal and vertical concerns are resolved by the Division's structural remedy, which includes the divestiture of three separate business units.” Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the companies need to divest Raytheon's military airborne radios business, including facilities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Largo, Florida; as well as UTC's military GPS business to BAE Systems or another approved acquirer. The proposed settlement would also require the divestiture of UTC's optical systems business, including a facility in Danbury, Connecticut, to an approved acquirer. Raytheon and UTC announced in June 2019 plans to officially merge into a new entity called Raytheon Technologies Corporation, with the deal at the time expected to close during the first half of 2020. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/03/27/raytheon-utc-look-to-shed-segments-to-win-merger-approval