26 juin 2018 | International, Aérospatial
C'est toujours le flou autour des offres pour le remplacement des F-16. Pour rappel, trois avions sont sur la table du gouvernement : le F-35 américain, l'Eurofighter Typhoon européen et le Rafale français qui lui, est "hors procédure" — c'est-à-dire que l'offre n'a pas été faite dans le cadre de l'appel d'offres officiel.
Une situation qui a déjà donné naissance à quelques cacophonies au sein du gouvernement, le ministre de la Défense voulant privilégier les offres rendues en bonne et due forme, et le Premier laissant entendre que l'offre française (plutôt alléchante) serait examinée, malgré le fait qu'elle n'ait pas respecté les procédures.
Et quatre mois avant que le gouvernement ne doive rendre sa décision, rebelote. Le ministre de la Défense Steven Vandeput (N-VA) a déclaré dans dans les pages du Morgen que la proposition de la France pour le remplacement des F-16 était exclue, "On ne peut pas faire comme si les Français faisaient partie de la procédure", affirme Steven Vandeput , vendredi. La décision est bien entendu à prendre au sein du gouvernement et le ministre a toujours dit qu'il y présenterait les éléments concernant ce dossier, a indiqué vendredi le cabinet de Steven Vandeput (N-VA), tout en rappelant que les Français n'ont pas introduit leur offre dans le cadre de la procédure officielle.
Sa sortie dans le Morgen a rapidement conduit le Premier ministre Charles Michel à réagir en soulignant que l'offre de Paris était toujours en lice et que la décision finale serait "prise au sein du gouvernement et nulle part ailleurs".
"L'offre des français est sur la table du gvt. Nous devons encore discuter. Les discussions ne sont pas closes. Il y a toujours trois candidats constructeurs, deux dans la procédure classique et une autre proposition émanent des français", a alors précisé Steven Vandeput à l'entrée du conseil des Ministres
Interviewé sur Radio 1, M. Vandeput a précisé qu'il ne voulait pas envoyer un message au Premier ministre avec son intervention dans la presse, mais uniquement "mettre les points sur les i" après que le constructeur français Dassault - qui produit le Rafale - a lancé une large campagne de communication sur son offre.
Sur la question d'un contexte géopolitique européen, avec le projet d'une Europe de la Défense qui pourrait influencer le choix du gouvernement, le ministre de l'Intérieur Jan Jambon répond : "Ce projet là est très important, mais il est pour l'horizon 2045. D'ici là, nous devons acheter de nouveaux avions et on ne peut pas attendre."
"On n'achète pas des bicyclettes, il faut tout analyser : le prix, les éléments techniques... On doit maintenant envisager toutes les options, même celle du prolongement éventuel des F-16" a quant à lui déclaré le vice-Premier Didier Reynders.
25 octobre 2023 | International, Aérospatial
A $482 million loss on the VC-25B Air Force One program helped sink Boeing's defense sector's profits and lead to a nearly $1 billion quarterly loss.
18 janvier 2023 | International, Aérospatial
CAE announced today that CAE Defense & Security has been awarded the competitive re-compete for Fixed-Wing Flight Training Service by the United States Army. The contract provides comprehensive initial and recurrent training for more than 600 U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force fixed-wing pilots annually. The firm-fixed-price award has an approximate total value of US$250 million through 2032 distributed from an initial base period and seven single-year options. “We are honored that the U.S. Army has once again selected the CAE Dothan Training Center to support the readiness of their future fixed-wing aviators,” said Dan Gelston, Group President, CAE Defense & Security. “The training center is a prime example of delivering live, virtual and constructive training with adaptive technologies and agile learning to deliver the highest quality instructional solutions to our military customers.” CAE Defense & Security has provided Army Fixed-Wing training at the company-owned company-operated Dothan Training Center in Alabama since the initial contract award in 2016. The state-of-the-art facility, near the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Rucker supports initial and recurrent training for transitioning Army rotary-wing aviators and Army initial-entry fixed-wing students. “CAE provides a world-class training program that balances academics, simulation, and aircraft flight training,” said Merrill Stoddard, Vice President and General Manager, CAE Defense & Security Readiness Solutions. “We leverage modern training solutions to deliver scenario-based training specific to the Army’s fixed-wing requirements.” The Fixed-Wing Flight Training Service program features academic, simulation and aircraft flight training, including the CAE Trax Academy which augments the current ground-based training assets with self-paced virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) training in both the C-12 and Grob G-120TP. CAE also provides Grob G120 TP flight training devices and a suite of desktop trainers and courseware in addition to a fleet of C-12U King Air aircraft owned and maintained by the U.S. Army and operated by CAE instructors to deliver C-12 King Air aircraft flight training.
13 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial
By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — Airbus is trying to make hay out of its $6.5 billion sale of 38 Eurofighter aircraft to Germany for other procurement competitions in Switzerland and Finland. The European defense giant inked a deal with the German Luftwaffe, or Air Force, this week after the country's parliament, the Bundestag, approved the budget earlier this month. The Luftwaffe stands to get 30 single-seater and eight twin-seater planes, Airbus said in a statement. Four of those aircraft will serve as test beds for future technology, as the company positions the Eurofighter as the bridge to the next-generation Future Combat Air System, a German-French-Spanish collaboration, according to the service. “The renewed order from Germany secures production until 2030 and comes at a strategically important time for the program,” the company statement read. “In addition to an expected Eurofighter order from Spain to replace its legacy F-18s, procurement decisions in Switzerland and Finland are imminent in 2021.” Switzerland wants to buy up to 40 aircraft for a maximum of $6.5 billion, and the Eurofighter is one of the aircraft in the running. Similarly, Finland is considering the plane as a replacement for its F-18 fleet. “The variant offered in Switzerland corresponds to the configuration of the German Quadriga order,” Airbus officials wrote in the statement, referring to the name of a new, fourth tranche of aircraft. The new batch, to be delivered by 2030, will replace the first tranche, bought between 2003 and 2008, which can only do air-to-air combat and boasts an obsolete radar, according to the German Defence Ministry. Voters in Switzerland approved a new air defense package in September, including a ground-based weapon system and a fleet of combat aircraft. A second offer from the four competing companies is expected this month. Besides the Eurofighter, Dassault's Rafale, Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin's F-35 also are under consideration. The Finnish government over the summer upped the budget for its “HX” fighter program to $5.8 billion, eyeing a procurement decision in 2021. “The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060,” Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke said in a statement following the contract signature with the German government. “Its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the European Future Combat Air System, FCAS.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/11/12/airbus-hopes-its-65-billion-german-eurofighter-sale-will-shine-for-switzerland-finland