12 septembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

L'Italie embarque à bord du Tempest

Helen Chachaty

A trois, on y va. L'Italie a officiellement rejoint le programme d'aviation de combat du futur, mené par le Royaume-Uni. Un secret de polichinelle qui a pris la forme de la signature de deux accords distincts, le premier impliquant les autorités politiques, le second établissant les bases pour la coopération industrielle à venir entre les deux pays. Les documents ratifiés cette semaine prévoient aussi bien un partenariat renforcé sur les plateformes actuelles, Eurofighter et F-35, qu'un développement conjoint du prochain aéronef de combat, au sein du programme Tempest.

La déclaration d'intention signée entre le chef du Defence Equipment & Support (l'équivalent britannique de la DGA), Sir Simon Bollom, et le Lieutenant général Nicolò Falsaperna, vice-secrétaire général à la Défense italien, couvre cinq aspects de coopération : un rapprochement des deux gouvernements sur les capacités futures de l'Eurofighter ; la définition conjointe des besoins militaires concernant le Tempest, le développement d'une feuille de route pour l'aviation de combat, avec le transfert de technologies de l'Eurofighter au Tempest ; la mise en place d'un cadre de coopération industrielle ; le lancement d'études pour de nouvelles voies de « travail collaboratif ».

Cette annonce politique a été suivie le lendemain par la signature d'un accord de coopération entre les principaux industriels britanniques et italiens, à l'occasion du salon DSEI, qui se tient jusqu'au 13 septembre à Londres. Il s'agira de « travailler ensemble pour définir un concept innovant et un modèle de partenariat qui inclura le partage de connaissances, la conception et le développement de technologies en vue d'un développement conjoint des systèmes de combat aérien futurs », selon le communiqué officiel. Côté britannique, on retrouve BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, Rolls Royce et MBDA UK, tandis que la partie italienne va impliquer Leonardo - évidemment - Elettronica, Avio Aero et la MBDA Italy.

L'Italie devient ainsi le troisième acteur impliqué dans le programme de développement du système de combat aérien du futur lancé et dirigé par le Royaume-Uni, le deuxième au sein du programme Tempest. La Suède s'est pour sa part contentée de signer un accord de coopération pour l'aviation de combat de nouvelle génération lors du salon aéronautique de Farnborough, sans toutefois rejoindre le programme Tempest en lui-même. Selon Jane's, la décision formelle est attendue pour la fin de l'année 2020.

Le paysage européen de l'aviation de combat du futur se répartit à présent comme suit : France, Allemagne et Espagne coopèrent sur le SCAF, tandis que le Royaume-Uni, l'Italie - et peut-être la Suède - s'engagent sur le Tempest, chacun avec ses industriels dédiés. Certains, tels que MBDA ou encore Safran (qui figurent tous deux dans la liste « team Tempest »), tirent cependant leur épingle du jeu, en étant impliqués dans les deux programmes.

https://www.journal-aviation.com/actualites/43040-l-italie-embarque-a-bord-du-tempest

Sur le même sujet

  • US Army awards Raytheon $191 million contract for multi-mission radar

    2 novembre 2018 | International, C4ISR

    US Army awards Raytheon $191 million contract for multi-mission radar

    TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $191 million contract for Ku-band radio frequency radars. KuRFS, an advanced electronically scanned array system, fills an immediate U.S. Army operational need for a counter-unmanned aerial vehicle radar. Already deployed, KuRFS delivers precision fire control as well as "sense and warn" capability for multiple missions including detection of rocket, artillery, mortar and swarming UAS threats. "Seeing threats – like swarming drones – as soon as possible on the battlefield is essential to protecting critical assets and saving soldiers' lives," said Andrew Hajek, senior director of tactical radars at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "KuRFS makes this possible by delivering a unique combination 360-degree situational awareness, precision and mobility." KuRFS enables defense against multiple threat types through integration with the Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System, 50-caliber guns and 30 mm cannons. The radar also supports high-energy laser and the Coyote weapon system in both a ground mounted or vehicle mounted configuration. Raytheon' KuRFS is able to quickly address the urgent needs of the Army through a model of rapid-turn development and deployment. This reduces time to fielding, while providing enhanced flexibility to adapt to a quickly-changing threat environment in the drone space. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter. www.raytheon.com Media Contact Jackie Gutmann + 1.781.879.2789 idspr@raytheon.com SOURCE Raytheon Company http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2018-11-01-US-Army-awards-Raytheon-191-million-contract-for-multi-mission-radar

  • Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges

    14 avril 2021 | International, Sécurité

    Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges

    Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges There's still time! The deadline to apply to the Canadian Safety and Security Program's (CSSP's) 6th call for proposals has been extended to May 11, 2021. The program is looking for your ideas to mitigate the effects of future high-impact, low-frequency events such as pandemics, natural disasters, or other disruptive forces caused by natural events or human activity. The challenges are aimed at reducing societal and economic disruptions, bolster the security of critical supply chains, and develop confidence in automation and virtual operations to enhance domestic resiliency. View the Call for Proposals here: http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_98225.html Thank you, The IDEaS Team Date limite prolongée pour le 6e appel de propositions du PCSS Il vous reste encore du temps! La date limite pour présenter une proposition au 6e appel de propositions du Programme canadien pour la sûreté et la sécurité (PCSS) a été reportée au 11 mai 2021. Le programme est à la recherche de vos idées pour atténuer les effets de futurs événements à fort impact et à faible fréquence tels que pandémies, catastrophes naturelles ou autres forces perturbatrices causées par des événements naturels ou des activités humaines. Les défis visent à réduire les perturbations sociétales et économiques, à renforcer la sécurité des chaînes d'approvisionnement critiques et à développer la confiance dans l'automatisation et les opérations virtuelles pour améliorer la résilience nationale. Consultez l'appel de propositions ici: http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/fra/h_98225.html Merci, L'équipe IDEeS

  • Does Japan Need to Develop a New Fighter Aircraft?

    13 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial

    Does Japan Need to Develop a New Fighter Aircraft?

    By Arnaud Sobrero The Japanese archipelago lies in a volatile region rife with historical tensions and territorial disputes. China's defense spending has increased at a double-digit rate annually for much of the past three decades. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has drastically modernized its air capabilities with development of the J-20 fighter and the upcoming FC-31, and has demonstrated consistently assertive behavior, including airspace violations and military buildups in the South China Sea. North Korea, a nuclear power since 2006, has also shown belligerence by firing ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, while Russia has violated Japanese airspace on several occasions prompting Japan to scramble its F-15J fleet. Those geopolitical challenges are clearly stated in Japan's Mid Term Defense Plan and National Defense Plan Guidelines, which define Japan's long-term procurement strategy. To effectively address those security challenges, these documents claim, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) needs to modernize its existing fleet and significantly upgrade its capabilities. Japan's 200-plus-strong F-15J fleet, built under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has been the backbone of Japan's air superiority for close to 40 years. Nonetheless, they face some obsolescence issues that have led the Japanese defense ministry to purchase a $4.5 billion upgrade package to modernize 98 of them into a “Japan Super Interceptor” configuration equipped with better radar, avionics, and weaponry. The F-2 program, co-developed with Lockheed Martin, has been facing operational challenges and has a staggering unit cost of $170 million. Even though the last F-2 was delivered in 2011, the program faces significant obsolescence issues and will remain in service for a shorter duration than the F-15J. Given the dynamic geopolitical environment Japan finds itself in, the Japanese defense ministry is determined to fill the capability gap created by the old F-15J and the future retirement of the F-2. It has decided to purchase its first batch of 42 F-35As, destined to replace the aging F-4, followed by a second batch comprised of 63 F-35A and 42 F-35B fighters, worth $23 billion. The F-35 is a formidable addition to Japan's military apparatus: it offers stealth, excellent sensor and networking capabilities,and an ability to fuse real-time information for rapid decision-making rather than high speed and pure dogfighting capabilities. From a traditional standpoint, the F-35 scarcely represents the air superiority platform the JASDF wants to counter China's growing fleet of J-11 fighters, or even the more advanced platforms recently deployed by Beijing, such as the Su-35 or J-20. Japan has tried to acquire the F-22 from Lockheed Martin but ultimately failed to do so, given that the aircraft was not designed for export due to its sensitive technologies. The JASDF is still looking to acquire a stealthy, twin-engine, long-range air superiority fighter with a robust payload and advanced networking capabilities, which will provide Japan with a qualitative military edge over growing Chinese air capabilities. ADVERTISEMENT Beyond the requirement of modernizing JASDF's capabilities, maintaining a competitive defense industrial base has been a primary strategic goal for Japan. After the Second World War, Japan spent decades rebuilding its aerospace sector, building U.S. military aircraft under license, including the F-86, F-4, F-15, CH-47, and P-3. Building sophisticated aircraft under license has been Japan's de facto strategy to acquire new technologies and upgrade its industrial base skills. Japan has historically relied on U.S. companies to import military hardware through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) framework. These imports have increased considerably in the last decade, its proportion of the country's total defense budget rising from 0.9 percent in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2019 with big-ticket items like the F-35, the MV-22, and the E-2D being procured through the government-to-government route. Outside of servicing those types of equipment, tier 1 and tier 2 domestic companies have not benefited from those FMS programs. Japanese companies face restrictions on sharing some critical software intellectual property and technical data from equipment that has originated in the U.S. original. Even Japan's industrial participation in the manufacture of the F-35 has been a far cry from what the local industry had envisioned initially, when Japanese companies were seeking a larger role in the aircraft's production. Recently, in a blow to U.S. military exports, the Japanese defense ministry has decided to scrap two major programs – the Global Hawk and the Aegis Ashore – due to some price and technical issues. These developments may suggest that Japan is potentially reconsidering its engagement with the U.S. on military hardware and could utilize government funds instead for domestic development to enhance the competitiveness of its defense industrial base and, more importantly, gain full control of defense capabilities, as well as on future upgrades. According to the ministry of defense's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency, Japan is looking to leverage the technologies the industry has captured through license production, as well as the development of the experimental ATD-X stealth aircraft, for the development of an indigenous fighter, known as F-X. This would represent a shift in Japan's long-term procurement strategy and could indicate that Japan is now looking to partner for the design and manufacturing of sixth-generation fighter aircraft technologies. After former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's return to power in 2012, he stopped years of decline in defense spending by boosting investments modestly. After eight years of slow but steady increase, the Japanese defense budget stands at a record of about $51.6 billion with the FY21 budget request. In addition, the Japanese defense ministry decided to “convert” its Izumo helicopter destroyer into a small aircraft carrier capable of accommodating 12 F-35B jet fighters, which will strengthen Japan's offensive capabilities. Following the lift of the ban on defense exports, Japan had seen last year its first successful military export, with the sale of air radar systems to the Philippines. Japan would likewise welcome an opportunity to export the F-X, its future sixth-generation fighter, with the assistance of an international partner – if not to promote military ties with friendly nations, then in order to reduce the tremendous development cost. Of all the challenges the F-X program will face, its affordability will be the most pressing. The F-X program represents a clear continuation of Abe's robust defense doctrine and will further cement its legacy into Japan's long-term military modernization. By bolstering the country's domestic defense industrial base and by enabling technological transfer, the F-X program will help Japan catch up with China and Russia in the stealth fighter market. Based in Asia for more than 10 years, Arnaud Sobrero is an independent writer focused on defense technology and East Asian affairs. https://thediplomat.com/2021/01/does-japan-need-to-develop-a-new-fighter-aircraft/

Toutes les nouvelles