Lockheed eyes Indo-Pacific in push to sell newest C-130 variant

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  13 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  Spain’s military still has eyes for the F-35 despite European fighter push

  By: Sebastian Sprenger MADRID – The Spanish navy and air force are still interested in the American F-35 fighter jet, even though the government is about to join a Franco-German program to develop a new European plane. The two services are in the beginning stages of an analysis in which the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft is emerging as a key contender, officials told reporters on the sidelines of the FEINDEF defense expo here in late May. For the navy, the choice for the short-takeoff-and-landing variant of the jet, dubbed the F-35B, appears to be more clear-cut than for the air force. The Spanish navy wants to replace its 12 Harrier jets, which are launched from the LPH Juan Carlos I. That ship's short, ski-jump deck makes the F-35B the only option on the market, according to Cdr. Antonio Estevan, a staff officer at the service's plans and policy division. “From a technical point of view, it's a very interesting option for us,” Estevan said. “The problem is the cost. The version for us would be, as far as I know, $100 million; the air force version $80 million. We are talking about high prices. Even the American president was surprised when he realized the cost.” Air force officials, meanwhile, are keeping their options more open when it comes to replacing the service's 84 Boeing-made F-18s. Twenty planes of the “A” variant, stationed on the Canary Islands, need to be replaced first, by 2025, according to Brig Gen. Juan Pablo Sanchez de Lara, chief of the Spanish Air Force's plans division. Airbus has its eyes on that business and is offering to outfit the squadron with the Eurofighter. While that outcome is also the air force's expectation, a replacement for the rest of the F-18 fleet, 64 planes of the “M” designation, is still up for grabs, according to Sanchez de Lara. The two services cooperating on the requirements of a potentially joint program means the F-35 is on the table in some form or another, though it's unclear how compatible the branches' needs will be in the end. “For the navy, it's a very simple solution because they need an aircraft for vertical, short takeoff,” Sanchez de Lara said. “For us, it's different.” Both services want new aircraft by around 2030. That would be ten years before the Future Combat Air System program, led by Airbus and Dassault, is scheduled to field a new combat aircraft. The situation in Spain is reminiscent of the choice Germany faced about the F-35, and the government's decision earlier this year to ditch the plane as a contender to replace the Tornado. The Luftwaffe, the German air force, was reportedly in favor of the American fifth-generation plane, while the defense ministry's civilian leadership preferred an upgraded version of the Eurofighter Typhoon. Airbus had lobbied hard against the F-35, arguing that the pick of a new U.S. aircraft at this stage would effectively sink the entire FCAS project. Meanwhile, two F-35s arrived at Llanos Air Base near Albacete, Spain, earlier this week for training with other NATO air forces, according to announcements from the U.S. Air Force and NATO. During the Tactical Leadership Program officials practiced integrating the aircraft into a search-and-rescue drill to extract friendly forces from enemy territory, a June 11 alliance statement reads. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/06/12/spains-military-still-has-eyes-for-the-f-35-despite-european-fighter-push/

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  2 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  First KC-46 delivery stalled by Mattis’ departure

  By: Valerie Insinna ASHINGTON — Boeing won't be delivering the first KC-46 tanker to the Air Force in 2018 as planned, due to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' surprise ouster from the Pentagon, a source told Defense News on Monday. The Air Force had intended to accept the first KC-46 by the end of December and was awaiting signature from Mattis, which would finalize the delivery plans, Reuters first reported on Dec. 20. However, later that day, Mattis announced that he would step down from the top Defense Department post in February, and just three days later, President Donald Trump tweeted that Mattis would wrap up his work as secretary of defense by the end of 2018. With sweeping changes in leadership at the Pentagon imminent, a decision on KC-46 was pushed out, a source close to the program told Defense News. The situation was further complicated because Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan — who by the end of Dec. 31 will temporarily take over Mattis' role as defense secretary — is a former Boeing executive and must recuse himself from all decisions involving the company. Boeing declined to confirm that the delivery would not take place on Dec. 31. “KC-46 remains a top priority and we look forward to delivering tanker aircraft in partnership with the Air Force,” said Kelly Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the company, in a statement to Defense News. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The delay is a blow for Boeing, which had promised to deliver the first tanker by the end of 2018 after a string of missed delivery dates stemming back to August 2017. “We continue to make steady progress toward final certification of the KC-46 tanker,” Boeing's CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in an October earnings call. “We are working with our U.S. Air Force customer toward completing all the steps required to deliver the first tanker aircraft this quarter." The company has now racked up more than $3 billion in pre-tax charges on the program, as it is responsible for any costs beyond the $4.9 billion fixed price contract value originally awarded in 2011. Boeing officials are hopeful that the Air Force will be able to move forward with delivery after a set of meetings in early 2019, one source said. But at the moment it is unclear who will authorize the KC-46 delivery with Shanahan barred from the process, though it may fall to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson or to Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. The Air Force plans to buy 179 KC-46s throughout its program of record. McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas is set to become the first installation to receive the new tankers, and training for pilots and boom operators has already begun. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/12/31/first-kc-46-delivery-stalled-by-mattis-departure

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  13 février 2019 | International, C4ISR

  Leonardo signs contract with NATO to extend cyber defence partnership

  Leonardo has signed an 18-month contract with the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency which will see the company continue to deliver cyber incident detection and management capabilities. The new NATO computer incident response capability (NCIRC) cyber security support services (CSSS) contract provides continuity of service to the NCIRC – full operational capability (FOC) contract which ends in February 2019. Since February 2012, Leonardo has worked in partnership with the NCI Agency to protect NATO's Communications and Information System (CIS) infrastructure from cyber attacks, thus significantly assisting in the support to NATO missions. A combined Leonardo and NCI Agency staff of around 200 digital security experts provide cyber incident detection, management and rapid-response capabilities around the clock, covering NATO staff in 29 countries. Protection extends from portable devices up to networks at 75 sites including NATO headquarters. NCIRC-FOC has also been operationally employed to successfully protect the NATO summits in 2014, 2016, and 2018. The NCIRC CSSS contract follows the successful operation of the NCIRC-FOC over a number of years and a deepening relationship between Leonardo and NCI Agency. In 2015, NCIRC-FOC expanded under the 10 Additional Sites contract to cover newly-opened European headquarters. This contract was completed to budget, specification and on schedule in 2017. In 2016, the two organizations signed an industrial partnership agreement (IPA) to share cyber security information, with the mutual goal of better understanding threat patterns and attack trends. In addition to delivering cyber security expertise to NATO, Leonardo also supports individual nation states, large corporations including defence companies and financial institutions. In September 2017, the company announced that it had been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the cyber security partner for the Galileo European navigation satellite program. Leonardo is also active in the Gulf and South-East Asia, working with government and industry customers. Leonardo continues to invest in its cyber expertise. The cyber services and products in the company's portfolio are designed to evolve in-line with the ever-changing cyber battlefield. To ensure its customers maintain their cyber skills, Leonardo offers certified training as well as Cyber Academy and Cyber Range design and delivery, allowing specialists to exercise against new and emerging threats. Demand continues to increase and, in June, Leonardo tripled the size of its cyber and electronic warfare capacity in Lincoln, U.K., to allow 150 students to train at any one time. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/leonardo-signs-contract-with-nato-to-extend-cyber-defence-partnership/