Nouvelles

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved INR30 billion (USD427 million) worth of procurements of locally made equipment for the Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Army (IA) on 1 December. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, sanctioned the acquisition of an undisclosed number of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to arm two Admiral Grigorovich (Project 11356M)-class stealth frigates that are under construction in Russia, according to a statement by the Indian government's Press Information Bureau (PIB). Being procured for USD950 million, the two frigates, which are scheduled for delivery to the IN in 36 and 48 months, will be supplemented by two similar platforms set to be built by the state-owned Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) under a transfer of technology agreement. https://www.janes.com/article/84967/india-s-mod-approves-procurements-worth-usd427-million

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has awarded Naval Ship Management (NSM) Australia, a 50/50 joint venture between engineering group UGL and Babcock, an AUD1.5 billion (USD1.1 billion) contract to support and sustain the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) two 26,800-tonne Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships (LHDs) and their 12 associated amphibious landing craft for up to 15 years. The contract is for an initial five years, with the expectation of two further five-year extensions, Babcock announced in a 3 December statement, adding that its share for the first five years amounts to AUD250 million. The joint venture, which won the partnering agreement with the ADF in a competitive process, will begin to sustain and support these vessels in July 2019. Full article: https://www.janes.com/article/84973/naval-ship-management-awarded-contract-to-sustain-australian-lhds

By: Mike Gruss Intelligence analysts and soldiers on the battlefield could have access to near real-time imagery from commercial satellites as soon as 2021 thanks to new industry partnerships. Amazon Web Services unveiled Nov. 28 a new product named AWS Ground Station, which includes parabolic antennas at 12 locations across the globe. Those ground stations can download imagery data as satellites pass overhead and then push that information to the cloud at faster speeds than traditional ground stations. Meanwhile, leaders from satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe said in tests they were able to move imagery data from the ground station to the cloud in less than a minute. Using today's technology, that task takes about an hour. Combined, the speed of the new ground stations and the expected launch of DigitalGlobe's constellation of next-generation imagery satellites in 2021 would offer a new level of immediacy to customers. “When firefighters are attacking a wildfire, they need the most up-to-date information to save lives and homes,” Jeff Carr, director of mission operations engineering support at DigitalGlobe, wrote in a Nov. 27 blog post. “When first responders are tracking down refugees fleeing danger in flimsy rubber boats, they need real-time information about where those rubber boats are located before they sink. The uses for current and accurate space-based data is growing — and the end-users need it quickly.” DigitalGlobe provides imagery to the National Reconnaissance Office under the Enhanced View contract and to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency with the Global EGD contract. Several companies that already provide imagery and data to the Department of Defense and intelligence community — including BlackSky, Spire and HawkEye 360 — are also using the ground stations. Traditionally, ground stations download information from satellites on a rigid schedule, meaning users must wait several hours until the next pass when new information is available and can be processed. The company's new Legion satellites will double the number of times the satellites contact ground stations. In addition, an imagery satellite could revisit the same target as many as 15 times a day. All of that means defense and intelligence agencies could have access to imagery that is a few minutes old, not several hours old. Turner Brinton, a DigitalGlobe spokesman, declined to comment on the technical aspects of how the company would support the U.S. government. “Satellite data is incredibly useful for building a wide range of important applications, but it is super complex and expensive to build and operate the infrastructure needed to do so,” Charlie Bell, senior vice president of AWS, said in a press release. “Today, we are giving satellite customers the ability to dynamically scale their ground station antenna use based on actual need. And, they will be able to ingest data straight into AWS, where they can securely store, analyze and transmit products to their customers without needing to worry about building all of the infrastructure themselves.” In addition, Lockheed Martin and Amazon Web Services announced a new partnership Nov. 27 that would allow customers to download satellite data faster, more often and from multiple satellites at the same time. That technology is a shoebox-sized antenna and satellite receiver known as Verge. Each antenna would cost about $20,000 and replace larger parabolic antennas, which are often priced at more than $1 million. While Pentagon officials have worried that larger ground stations for military satellite could make easy targets, the relatively small size of Verge could be an attractive feature to defense officials focused on resiliency. It's unlikely the Defense Department would rely on the new technology for its satellite downlinks, but Lockheed Martin leaders said they could envision the military would use the ground stations for experimental satellites, particularly those in low-Earth orbit. Or the technology could be used to create a backup ground station for some of the Pentagon's more sophisticated satellites. Already, Lockheed Martin has tested a network of 10 S-band antennas in the Denver area that downlinked from a small satellite from the Air Force Research Laboratory, said Rick Ambrose, Lockheed Martin's executive vice president for space. In addition, the company has also downlinked data from another, unspecified government satellite and sent that data to the agency's cloud. https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2018/12/03/is-near-instant-satellite-imagery-in-the-near-future

BY MATTHIAS SCHULZE Germany has traditionally prioritized defense over offense in cyberspace. That's now beginning to change. There is a reoccurring debate in German national security and foreign policy whether Germany suffers from “Strategieunfähigkeit”—an inability to develop and implement strategy. The historic trauma of two lost World Wars created a pacifist culture that always struggled with formulating national security interests and defining strategy. The so-called “culture of reluctance” regarding the use of hard power has bled into Berlin's thinking about cyber issues, especially as it rushes to develop capabilities without an overarching strategy on how to use them. Until recently, Germany has prioritized defense over offense in cyberspace. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Germany's cybersecurity agency, has a strictly non-military defensive mandate and is a vigilant advocate of strong encryption and full disclosure of zero-day vulnerabilities to vendors. Germany's foreign intelligence agency (BND) has historically had a relatively small cyber espionage budget. Germany's defensive posture began to shift in 2015, after the internal network of the German Bundestag was successfully compromised by Russian state-backed operators. That led the country to revise its cybersecurity strategy, issuing a more offensive-minded document in 2016. It called for the development of cyber teams in the intelligence agencies. It also might have been a contributing factor to the creation of a specialized agency, called the Central Office for Information Technology in the Security Sphere (ZITiS), to develop innovative techniques to break into encrypted devices, develop exploits and malware for real time interception and accessing data at rest, as well as identify or purchase zero-days to support offensive capabilities. As Germany rolled out its 2016 strategy, the German military (Bundeswehr) centralized its cyber capacity by consolidating around 14,000 soldiers and IT personnel into a unified cyber command (CIR), loosely modelled on U.S. Cyber Command. CIRwants to achieve full operational capacity by the early 2020s and plans to perform strategic and tactical cyber operations against enemy assets. Usage scenarios include disrupting enemy military assets, battlefield support and reconnaissance on adversary IT assets. Full article: https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/12/germany-develops-offensive-cyber-capabilities-without-coherent-strategy-what-do-them/153227

BY PATRICK TUCKER The Pentagon is also looking at living camouflage, self-healing paint, and a variety of other applications of engineered organisms, but the basic science remains a challenge. How do you detect submarines in an expanse as large as the ocean? The U.S. military hopes that common marine microorganisms might be genetically engineered into living tripwires to signal the passage of enemy subs, underwater vessels, or even divers. It's one of many potential military applications for so-called engineered organisms, a field that promises living camouflage that reacts to its surroundings to better avoid detection, new drugs and medicines to help deployed forces survive in harsh conditions, and more. But the research is in its very early stages, military officials said. The Naval Research Laboratory, or NRL, is supporting the research. Here's how it would work: You take an abundant sea organism, like Marinobacter, and change its genetic makeup to react to certain substances left by enemy vessels, divers, or equipment. These could be metals, fuel exhaust, human DNA, or some molecule that's not found naturally in the ocean but is associated with, say, diesel-powered submarines. The reaction could take the form of electron loss, which could be detectable to friendly sub drones. Full article: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/12/us-military-genetically-engineering-new-life-forms-detect-enemy-subs/153200/

C'est l'un des dossiers « chauds » de la séparation entre l'Union européenne et les Anglais. Le gouvernement explique qu'il « explorera des pistes pour construire son propre système mondial de navigation par satellite, capable de guider les drones militaires, de gérer les réseaux d'énergie et de fournir des services essentiels aux smartphones ». « Compte tenu de la décision de la Commission d'interdire au Royaume-Uni de participer pleinement au développement de Galileo sous tous ses aspects, il est normal que nous trouvions des alternatives [...] Je ne peux pas laisser nos services armés s'appuyer sur un système dont nous ne pouvons être sûrs. Ce ne serait pas dans notre intérêt national », affirme la Première ministre Theresa May. « Et en tant qu'acteur mondial avec des ingénieurs de classe mondiale et des alliés indéfectibles dans le monde entier, nous ne sommes pas à court d'options », ajoute-t-elle, cherchant à rassurer. Les réactions n'ont pas tardé. Sam Gyimah, ministre des Sciences et des Universités, a annoncé sur sa page Facebook sa démission vendredi dernier. « Je ne peux soutenir l'accord du gouvernement tel qu'il est ». « Ce qui s'est passé avec Galileo est un avant-goût des négociations brutales que nous aurons à mener » ajoute-t-il, comme le rapporte l'AFP. Le Royaume-Uni aurait investi 1,4 milliard d'euros dans le système de positionnement par satellites européen : « nous ne récupérerons pas cet argent » affirme Sam Gyimah. https://www.nextinpact.com/brief/brexit---le-royaume-uni-n-utilisera-pas-galileo-pour-la-defense-ou-des-infrastructures-critiques-6839.htm

(B2) Un premier rapport du bureau enquêtes accidents norvégien (AIBN) l'affirme sans ambages. La collision entre une frégate de la marine norvégienne KNM Helge Ingstad et un tanker maltais (Sola TS) dans la baie de Hjeltefjorden en Norvège le 8 novembre, révèle un problème grave de conception sur certains navires fabriqués par les chantiers navals espagnols Navantia. Une alerte sécurité vient d'être envoyée Un naufrage à proximité des côtes Rappelons-nous, c'était juste après l'exercice de l'OTAN Trident Juncture, la frégate norvégienne (qui porte le numéro de coque F-313), effectuait des manœuvres à proximité des côtes, près du terminal pétrolier de ce fjord norvégien situé non loin de Bergen, quand il heurte le pétrolier qui naviguait en sens inverse. La collision ne provoque que peu de dég'ts dans le pétrolier, mais pour le navire militaire les conséquences sont autrement plus graves. Une enquête des bureaux d'accidents civil et militaire norvégiens La frégate norvégienne, qui fait alors partie de la force navale permanente de l'OTAN (SNMG1), est atteinte « au-dessus et au-dessous de la ligne de flottaison » et « absorbe énormément d'eau » comme le signale le ministère norvégien de la Défense. Il n'est plus stable et doit être échoué. Ses 137 marins doivent être évacués. Une enquête est alors diligentée associant le bureau d'enquête accidents maritime norvégien (AIBN) et son pendant militaire (DAIBN), auquel est associé l'unité d'enquête maritime maltaise (MSIU), autorité du pavillon du pétrolier. Les compartiments non étanches Trois compartiments étanches à bord du KNM Helge Ingstad sont inondés : « la salle du groupe électrogène arrière, les quartiers de l'équipage du pont Orlop et le magasin » selon le rapport de l'AIBN. La stabilité est jugée « médiocre », mais le navire est encore considéré comme 'sauvable'. Cette première évaluation ne résiste pas. L'eau gagne du terrain. Elle « coule de la salle des génératrices arrière vers la salle des engrenages via les arbres creux de l'hélice, puis de la salle des engrenages, vers les salles des machines avant et arrière via les boîtes de rangement dans les cloisons ». Quand la salle d'engrenage est inondée, l'évacuation des 137 marins est décidée. Le navire est considéré comme « perdu ». Huit marins sont légèrement blessés dans les différentes manœuvres. Le navire échoué coule à pic Les autorités espèrent encore pouvoir récupérer le navire, qui flotte toujours, en le fixant avec des c'bles. Mais dans la nuit du 12 au 13 novembre, ils s'arrachent et le navire coule à pic. Le navire est désormais considéré comme irrécupérable, même si les travaux sont toujours en cours pour être renfloué, comme le précise le ministère norvégien de la Défense. Perte sèche : 4,2 milliards de couronnes (environ 220 millions d'euros). Une enquête nécessaire chez Navantia L'autorité norvégienne préconise une vérification des navires norvégiens de même conception. Oslo dispose encore de quatre navires de la même classe — le KNM Fridtjof Nansen, le KNM Roald Amundsen, le KNM Otto Sverdrup et le KNM Thor Heyerdahl — construits sur les chantiers navals espagnols de Ferrol de Navantia. Elle demande ainsi à Navantia de mener « une enquête sur les problèmes identifiés lors de la première enquête et de déterminer s'il s'agit également d'un problème lié à d'autres navires ». L'industriel espagnol doit aussi envoyer une notification aux chantiers, propriétaires et exploitants concernés, pour leur indiquer « les mesures à prendre pour assurer la sécurité ». (Nicolas Gros-Verheyde) https://club.bruxelles2.eu/2018/12/un-defaut-de-conception-dans-les-fregates-de-type-nansen-le-chantier-navantia-mis-en-cause/

Le futur chasseur franco-allemand devra remplacer, à l'horizon 2035-2040, le Rafale français et l'Eurofighter déployé dans les armées allemandes. Découvrez les noms des industriels qui s'envoleront avec lui. Le coup d'envoi industriel du futur avion de combat franco-allemand est donné. La ministre des Armées Florence Parly et son homologue allemande Ursula von der Leyen se sont accordées pour attribuer l'an prochain aux industriels européens les premiers contrats d'études pour affiner le concept de système aérien de combat du futur (Scaf). Le futur chasseur franco-allemand devra remplacer, à l'horizon 2035-2040, le Rafale français et l'Eurofighter déployé dans les armées allemandes. Dassault Aviation a été confirmé comme le chef de file industriel du programme. Il travaillera avec Airbus pour l'étude de l'architecture du Scaf et sur un démonstrateur d'appareil. Safrandirigera celle sur le démonstrateur du moteur en partenariat avec le motoriste allemand MTU. Thales, qui fournit l'électronique et les systèmes de combat du Rafale, n'a pas été pas mentionné en premier rang dans l'attribution des contrats d'études et fait figure de grand perdant de ce premier round industriel. La France et l'Allemagne ont déjà rappelé qu'ils comptaient ouvrir leur collaboration à d'autres pays européens, notamment à l'Espagne. https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/top-depart-pour-le-futur-avion-de-combat-franco-allemand.N774254

Four shipbuilding firms and a British consortium have been selected to compete for the Fleet Solid Support ships contract A syndicate of British firms, along with four international shipbuilding companies, have been selected to compete for the Fleet Solid Support ships contract, Defence Minister Stuart Andrew has announced. The crucial vessels, which will deliver ammunition, food and supplies to UK forces across the globe, will work alongside the Royal Navy's fleet of warships and will be an important part of the UK Maritime Task Group. The British consortium is made up of leading manufacturing and engineering companies Babcock, BAE Systems, Cammell Laird and Rolls-Royce. They join Italian firm Fincantieri, Spanish company Navantia, Japan Marine United Corporation, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering of South Korea as the five successful firms who have been invited to submit a tender for the competition. Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said: The widespread interest in this competition shows that our Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary remain among the most prestigious in the world. These support ships will be vital for supporting our formidable Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and will ensure our warships can deploy in a range of challenging environments and across huge distances, wherever they are in the world. The five companies, which were selected from eight interested firms, will now develop bids before a final decision is made regarding the winning bidder in 2020. The Fleet Solid Support ships, up to three of which will be procured through international competition as they are not warships, will be fitted with specialist and classified equipment at a British shipyard before entering service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2026. Shipyards across the United Kingdom will be able to bid for this work in 2022. As part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the vessels will be civilian-manned and carry self-defence weapons only. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/shipbuilding-firms-chosen-for-fleet-solid-support-competition