28 juillet 2022 | International, Aérospatial
As the US and Great Britain pursue different sixth-gen fighters, they'll still find ways to collaborate, the US air attaché in London said.
14 novembre 2024 | International, Terrestre
Achieving all objectives, the milestone is the latest in a rigorous U.S. Army test program, advancing towards fielding the 360-degree, full sector capability this year.
13 septembre 2018 | International, Terrestre
By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — Estonia's military is prioritizing the purchase of a midrange air defense system as the country seeks to plug a capability gap its defense minister called the result of a “total oversight” by NATO. During a Washington trip to attend Sen. John McCain's funeral, Estonian Defence Minister Jüri Luik told Defense News that NATO made a strategic mistake in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union by not building up air defense capabilities, outside of rotational deployments of aircraft. “For a long time, there was no consideration that you would actively have to close the airspace at some point. So NATO countries have very weak air defense capabilities,” Luik said. “I think this is one of the priority systems, or priority areas, which every [one of the allied] countries should develop.” “I have to say with sadness that very few NATO countries actually have proper air defense capabilities. That is one of the areas which was gravely mismanaged, or was not under any attention,” he added. “I think that was a total oversight. But, of course, it was based on the idea that the era of big power tensions is over.” Luik hopes to put Estonia's money where his mouth is. The country in June signed an agreementwith MBDA to purchase more Mistral short-range air defense weapons, but has its eyes on adding another layer of protection. The country is looking at procuring a medium-range air defense system, similar to the Kongsberg network-centric air defence system, or NASAMS, purchased by Lithuania, which is also in use by Finland. While not declaring Estonia would also go after NASAMS, Luik acknowledged that regional air defense systems “should be as close as possible coordinated” with neighborhood countries. However, such a system is “the only step which is even theoretically available to our country with our defense spending,” Luik said, even if the upcoming March elections lead to a government willing to increase defense spending to about 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. (At the worst, Luik predicts, defense spending would remain flat.) Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/09/12/estonia-eyes-mid-range-air-defense-systems-to-rectify-nato-oversight
29 août 2018 | International, Terrestre
By: Jaroslaw Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — The Czech Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to supply 62 Titus six-wheel drive armored vehicles, jointly developed by France's Nexter Group and Czech vehicle-maker Tatra Trucks, to local defense company Eldis Pardubice. “Acquiring the Titus vehicle has been one of the military's priorities for several years. Soldiers need this technology, and it is my objective to complete this project successfully and quickly,” said Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar, as reported by local broadcaster Ceska televize. The ministry decided to change the contractor from Tatra Export to Eldis Pardubice after the former company failed to obtain a relevant security clearance, including a license from Nexter Systems. Deliveries of the vehicles are scheduled for the years 2020-2025, according to the minister. The contract is estimated to be worth about 6.7 billion koruna (U.S. $303.1 million). Both Tatra Export and Eldis Pardubice are part of the country's defense industry giant Czechoslovak Group. The Titus is mounted on a chassis made by Tatra Trucks. Czechoslovak Group reported sales of more than 24 billion koruna for 2017. The holding is operated by a workforce of about 8,000, according to data from Czechoslovak Group. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/08/28/after-security-clearance-hiccup-czech-republic-selects-a-contractor-for-armored-vehicle-deal