No more Army adviser brigades or amphib ships? This proposed report could radically change how the services fight

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  15 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Thales UK secures Indian partner for selling its Starstreak air-defense missile

  By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – The Northern Ireland arm of Thales UK has struck a partnering arrangement with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) as part of its effort to secure a deal with the Indian military to purchase the British-developed Starstreak man-portable, air-defense system. In a statement the two companies said the tie-up will see BDL become a “part of the Starstreak global supply chain, providing the opportunity for export of Indian-manufactured components to existing and future Starstreak air defense customers, including the UK armed forces.” The agreement also provides the opportunity for BDL to “offer a ‘Make in India' solution to the Indian government, with a capability that will match the immediate air defence needs of the Indian Army and Air force, and with 60 percent of the system manufactured in India,” said the two companies. The tie-up is the culmination of a four-year effort by Thales and BDL to explore a possible technology-transfer deal following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2017. The items in line for building by the Indian state-owned BDL include electronic and mechanical components with sub-system and system assembly, Thales UK officials told Defense News. The industry teaming agreement was signed in a virtual ceremony in Britain and India on Jan. 13 with British defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin and the Indian Army's director general of air defense in attendance. “Today's signing marks the start of the next-generation of missile systems for the Indian Army and reinforces our commitment to work with international partners,” Quin said. The partnership follows the two governments' recent signing of a defense-technology and industrial-cooperation memorandum of understanding. To date Starstreak has not participated in any Indian competition for a man-portable, air-defense weapon. The high-velocity, Mach 3-plus weapon, which can be man-portable or platform-mounted, has been in service with the British Army since 1997 and has been exported to several nations, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The weapon is unique in that it employs three laser guided darts as its warhead. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/14/thales-uk-secures-indian-partner-for-selling-its-starstreak-air-defense-missile

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  13 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Rafale jets won’t save India’s air force

  The first five of India's new Rafale fighter aircraft touched down in country on July 29. According to the terms of a 2016 contract with the French manufacturer Dassault, 31 more will follow. They will go some way toward filling India's larger requirement of 126 such jets. The Indian Air Force has long needed refurbishing, but it has been perennially delayed both by New Delhi's infamous bureaucratic red tape and by budgetary issues. Now, the arrival of the new fighters—the first in over 20 years—in the middle of an unprecedented border face-off against China, will be a boost for Indian military capability as well as morale. But it won't do much to change the hard reality that, as an air power, India is falling far behind, foreign media report. The Indian Air Force has historically been one of the best-equipped air forces in the region, but it has seen its advantage, both qualitative and quantitative, against China and Pakistan narrow dramatically over the past two decades. Even worse, it now faces the challenge of mustering enough aircraft to tackle any possible collusion between the Pakistani and Chinese air forces. Related to tensions in Ladakh, China seems to be activating air platforms in its Tibetan airfields. And along the border with Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force recently conducted an air exercise out of the Skardu base in Gilgit-Baltistan. Taken together, those are tough challenges for an underequipped air force to take on. The Rafale may help somewhat. After decades of fielding upgraded legacy fighters and struggling to develop contemporary jets, the Rafale finally provides the Indian Air Force with a comprehensive combat craft that requires very little further tinkering. Unlike any previous procurements, the Rafale fighters' capabilities are already up to par, and small enhancements will be relatively easy and cheap via the so-called India-specific enhancements. These India-specific changes are being carried out under a concurrent design, modification, testing, and certification program carried out by Dassault. The modifications involve a mix of hardware and software changes, including an improved infrared search-and-track capability, the addition of an Israeli helmet-mounted display and sight system, changes to the electronically scanned radar, a new device for jamming low-band radio frequencies, integration of an Israeli-created decoy system, an upgraded radar altimeter, expanded navigation aids, and a more robust cold start system for the engines to make them suitable for winter operations from the Air Force's Himalayan bases. Once all changes are tested and certified in 2021, the entire Indian Rafale fleet will be updated. This allows Dassault to keep producing fighters at an economical rate and the Air Force to induct jets and train personnel in an organized manner, while still ensuring that the final aircraft does not compromise on the original capability requirements. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/699521-rafale-jets-won-t-save-india-s-air-force

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  3 février 2022 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Taxonomie : l’industrie de la défense redoute d’être stigmatisée

  DÉFENSE Taxonomie : l'industrie de la défense redoute d'être stigmatisée Avec un chiffre d'affaires s'élevant à près de 27 Md€, la filière française de la défense s'inquiète de la possibilité de ne pas être intégrée dans la taxonomie verte. Et les travaux préparatoires à la mise en place d'une seconde taxonomie dite « sociale » n'intègrent pas non plus cette industrie. « Nous nous interrogeons sur la façon dont les acteurs financiers interpréteront ces taxonomies et à son impact, avec des risques d'assèchement des financements vers la filière et des difficultés pour recruter », s'inquiète Guillaume Muesser, Directeur des Affaires Economiques et de Défense du GIFAS. Un risque qui est déjà une réalité. « Depuis deux ans (...), nos adhérents, issus de 17 pays européens nous alertent sur un mouvement en cours au sein des établissements financiers, de plus en plus nombreux à exclure la défense de la liste de leurs investissements », précise Jan Pie, secrétaire général de l'Association des industries européennes aérospatiales et défense (ASD). Sous pression d'ONG et de l'opinion publique, la Deutsche Bank a ainsi décidé d'exclure l'industrie de défense de ses investissements. « Nous sommes inquiets d'une exclusion qui se ferait sur des critères philosophiques, culturels voire idéologiques », affirme Pascal Bouchiat, directeur général finance de Thales. L'inquiétude grandit car le risque d'affaiblissement d'une des industries où l'Europe est encore au meilleur niveau mondial est réel. La filière européenne emploie plus de 462 000 salariés très qualifiés et réalise quelque 120 Md€ de ventes. « Sans défense, il n'y a pas de sécurité ni de souveraineté et donc pas de durabilité », résume Éric Béranger, président du comité défense au sein du Conseil des Industries de Défense Françaises (CIDEF) et patron du missilier MBDA. Le Figaro du 3 février