12 mai 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Though four trainers are emerging as leaders, competition in this segment is fierce.
12 octobre 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre
Lockheed has found a way to accelerate the Army's critical Sentinel A4 program that will provide radar coverage for major air and missile defense systems coming online.
3 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial
June 2, 2020 - The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) awards SPECTO Aerospace a three years contract for the provision of rotor blade repair services to support NATO nations' AH-64 helicopter fleets. SPECTO, located at the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) base in Woensdrecht The Netherlands, is specialized in the maintenance and repair of civil and military helicopter rotor blades. The military Part 145 approval for the RNLAF includes the NH-90, AS-532, CH-47 and AH-64 helicopter types. Furthermore Boeing authorized SPECTO for rotor blade maintenance of the Chinook and Apache helicopters. The workshop of SPECTO at the RNLAF base is fully equipped for the overhaul of rotor blades, including painting, static balancing and release to service (EASA/FAA Form1 / Def Form 1). About NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA): The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brings together in a single organization, acquisition, logistic, medical and infrastructural capabilities, operational and systems support and services to the NATO nations, NATO Military Authorities and partner nations. As NATO's primary enabler, the Agency's mission is to provide effective and cost-efficient multinational solutions to its stakeholders. About SPECTO: SPECTO Aerospace specializes in composite and sheet metal repair services for primary and secondary Fixed & Rotary wing aircraft components. The company has two state-of-the-art maintenance facilities, focusing on Rotor Blades for helicopters at Woensdrecht Air Base and Radomes, Flight Control Surfaces, Nacelle- and Structure parts for fixed wing aircraft at Amsterdam Lelystad Airport. SPECTO is an EASA/FAA/TCCA/MAA-Part 145 repair station and certified according to AS9100, AS9110 and ISO9001. View source version on SPECTO Aerospace: https://www.spectoaerospace.com/specto-aerospace-wins-nato-contract/l72c3
16 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― Economic shock waves from the coronavirus pandemic are threatening U.S. arms sales to its allies and partners, who may suddenly have less to spend. U.S. defense exports, through either the Foreign Military Sales process (which is government-facilitated) or the Direct Commercial Sales process (from a firm to a nation), are a means for the U.S. to strengthen ties with friendly countries and, as President Donald Trump likes to make explicit, pump revenue into the U.S. economy. Though the U.S. made $55 billion in foreign military sales in fiscal 2019, observers see headwinds in declining oil prices and the potential for allies to prioritize their domestic response to COVID-19 over defense spending. The Middle East is a leading market, and Saudi Arabia the world's leading purchaser. But the falling price of crude oil has fueled projections that Gulf Cooperation Council budgets will shrink, and with them demand for U.S. weapons. To boot, a Saudi-initiated oil price war has only added to Capitol Hill's ire toward the kingdom. Arms sales to Saudi Arabia reentered Congress' crosshairs as lawmakers probed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for firing of a State Department inspector general who'd been investigating Pompeo for bypassing a congressional freeze on arms sales to the kingdom. Previous objections to the sale centered around Riyadh's role in Yemen's civil war and — U.S. intelligence agencies believe ― the death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. “I think the trends are a bit worrisome,” Roman Schweizer, the managing editor of Cowen Washington Research Group, said during a Defense One event. “The Saudis have been in the penalty box with the U.S. Congress since the Khashoggi killing, and most recently with the overproduction of crude oil. ... So getting a deal though the U.S. Senate for the Saudis are probably a bridge too far.” Within NATO and the European Union, allied purchases of U.S. equipment have been lagging, as Trump has jousted with leaders in Western Europe, Schweitzer said. At the same time, allies nearer to the border with Russia have been buying U.S. arms more heavily. In the long term, tensions with Russia and China are still likely to drive demand, observers say. China ― the Pentagon's pacing threat ― is raising defense spending by 6.6 percent in 2021 even as it cuts education and public services. “The growth rate may have slowed, but the fact the budget increased is still a significant indication of the focus and prioritization that the [Chinese Communist] Party puts on modernization plans and national security interests,” Meia Nouwens, an expert on Chinese military affairs with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said at the same event. For now, it's unclear whether COVID-19 will turn Europe's focus away from burden-sharing, said Edward Ferguson, a former British ambassador now serving as minister counselor for defense at the U.K. embassy. What is clear: European governments will have to have difficult conversations. “Right now within NATO, what we see are allies proliferating rather than reducing,” Ferguson said at the event. “Notwithstanding the additional demands on treasuries and exchequers is the fundamental shifts in technologies we're seeing and [the] need to invest in that, and the increasingly complex strategic environment, whether it's Russia or China. " Along similar lines, the industry itself has been largely optimistic about the prospects of overseas sales. On recent investor calls, Lockheed Martin executives said there's been no reduction in demand from the Middle East. They touted F-16 fighter jet deals with Bahrain, Bulgaria, Slovakia and ― pending government approval ― Taiwan, as well as demand for Hellfire missiles and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile. Lockheed Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Possenriede, on an investor call earlier this month, pointed to demand for the F-35 jet from Poland, Belgium and Japan, and Lockheed's plans to participate in aircraft competitions in Switzerland, Spain and Finland. “We're in the final stages of the Canada competition, which we feel pretty good about,” he said. In Raytheon's May 7 earnings call, CEO Greg Hayes acknowledged Saudi Arabia is challenged by the lower oil prices, but added: “I don't think peace is breaking out anytime soon in the Middle East.” The company anticipated Riyadh will buy its AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, which is linked to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system. “So far, we have continued to see good cash come in from the Middle Eastern customers during the first quarter, surprisingly even with oil out there,” Hayes said. “They need the equipment, they want the equipment and we need to help them defend themselves.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/06/15/will-us-foreign-military-sales-catch-the-coronavirus