Nouvelles

Le Danemark a annoncé, le 11 février, un accord politique concernant le renforcement de ses capacités militaires en Arctique et en Atlantique Nord. Une première décision, en 2019, conférait 1,5 milliard de couronnes danoises à la défense de la zone Arctique à l'horizon 2023. Le Danemark déploiera des drones et des moyens de surveillance tels que des radars ; des satellites d'observation devraient également être employés. Ces dispositions s'inscrivent dans le cadre d'un dialogue rapproché avec les Etats-Unis et l'OTAN au sujet de la maîtrise de la zone Arctique. Air & Cosmos du 17 février

Avio et l'école Polytechnique de Milan (Politecnico di Milano) ont signé un contrat avec la NAVARM (Direzione armamenti navali) et la Direction Nationale des Armements du Ministère italien de la Défense. Dans le cadre du programme PRIBES, un partenariat qui s'inscrit dans le Plan national de recherche militaire 2020, Avio et le Politecnico di Milano vont concevoir et développer un nouveau système pour les forces armées italiennes afin de tester les capacités opérationnelles de la défense et en particulier les missiles tactiques. Avio, sous contrat MBDA, fait partie de deux programmes de systèmes sol-air de la défense italienne : le CAMM-ER (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile Extended Range) et l'Aster-30. Air & Cosmos du 17 février

By: Tom Kington ROME — First there was the video from Libya of a Turkish drone destroying a Russian Pantsir missile defense system. Next came the veteran S-300 air defense system — also Russian — being taken out in Nagorno-Karabakh by an Israeli-built Harop loitering munition. In the conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh last year, unmanned platforms often made short work of the ground-based systems designed to neutralize them, paving the way for easy attacks on vulnerable troops. What is more, experts say, is that the balance of power between drones and air defense systems is shaping up to be a key to global wars in the near future. “Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and also Syria have just showed us that if a fielded force cannot protect its airspace, then the large scale use of UAVs can make life extremely dangerous,” said Justin Bronk, an air force research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in England. Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 armed drone grabbed the headlines during the Libya conflict last year, which saw Turkey deploy the platform to defend the U.N.-backed Tripoli government against strongman Khalifa Hifter, who relied on Russian Pantsir systems. Able to fire their Roketsan munitions from outside the range of the Russian systems, the TB2s scored hits, helping stop Hifter's advance. “Turkey also sent in engineers who improved the software of the drones on the fly, while there was no similar learning curve with the Chinese UAVs operated by the UAE to assist Hifter,” said Jalel Harchaoui at the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. “The bold and effective use of TB2s in Nagorno-Karabakh in October was made possible by the previous success in Libya,” he added. An enclave belonging to Azerbaijan but governed by breakaway ethnic Armenians, Nagorno-Karabakh has been a flashpoint between Azerbaijan and Armenia for years. It exploded in a brief and bloody war between September and November. Turkey, which backed Azerbaijan, reportedly sent in UAV trainers ahead of the conflict. TB2s alongside Israeli loitering munitions were soon racking up successes, with Dutch warfare research group Oryx reporting 134 Armenian tanks destroyed compared to 22 lost by Azerbaijan. “Turkey built up its UAV expertise after leasing Israeli UAVs, then put that expertise to use building its own after frustrations over the limits placed on its use of the Israeli systems,” Bronk said. “The TB2 has a similar aerodynamic profile to the Heron, while the Turkish Anka UAV is similar to the Hermes 450.” Manufacturer Bayraktar has sold the TB2 to Qatar and Ukraine, while Serbia is eyeing a purchase, raising the TB2′s profile as a competitor to the Chinese Wing Loong II, 50 of which have been exported. “China and Turkey are vying for sales, which begs the question: Why doesn't Russia have the equivalent of a TB2 to sell? I am very surprised they are almost absent in this market,” Harchaoui said. The drone's contribution to the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh came with a price, as Canada suspended arms exports to Turkey amid claims the TB2 contained Canadian parts, while a U.K. firm supplying parts to the drone also canceled its contract. A number of nations, including the U.K., are meanwhile beefing up their defenses for ground forces, said Bronk. “In light of this threat, the British Army has recently ordered a short/medium-range [surface-to-air missile] system called Sky Sabre. If deployed forward in significant numbers, it should dramatically reduce the Army's vulnerability to both surveillance and attack by hostile UAVs in situations where friendly air cover is unavailable,” he said. Drones are not, however, invulnerable, he added. “U.S. and British Reapers and Predators in Syria had lots of problems with Russian electronic warfare. Since the Reaper can be targeted, you can imagine that less sophisticated platforms can be more easily affected,” he said. Bronk expects that more militaries will spend more money on air defense to balance out the drone threat — “particularly countries which don't have strong air forces.” “One option is the Russian SA-17 system, which has a 75-kilometer range compared to the 10 kilometers of TB2 missiles, or the cheaper and more contained SA-15 with a 10-kilometer range. Western products include the [National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System] NASAMS, which already helps to defend Washington, D.C., with a roughly 15-kilometer range and the NASAMS 2 with a 30- to 40-kilometer range,” he said. Peter Roberts, the director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, said the world is waking up to the reality of modern warfare. “For a while there was the romantic view that either drones or tanks or missiles would win wars on their own,” he said. “There is no silver bullet on the battlefield, and this is an era which is rediscovering that.” Roberts added that urban warfare is also undergoing a revival, as is the art of deception in war. “Whether it's the Russians in Ukraine or the Iranians, the use of decoys is back — something we once knew about, then forgot in the 1990s.” The world is also returning to an era of proxy wars, he said, from Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh to Yemen. “That means wars fought on the edge of great powers using mercenaries and sponsored guerilla groups and insurgents,” he said. “It also means more sophisticated weapons in the hands of smaller, nonstate groups like the Houthis in Yemen using cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. It is potentially very nasty.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/15/the-drone-defense-dilemma-how-unmanned-aircraft-are-redrawing-battle-lines/

By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's procurement agency has commissioned a local company to develop critical technologies for an engine that the government hopes will power its first indigenous fighter jet. A contract was signed Feb. 14 between two state-controlled companies for the development program. Under the deal, TRMotor, an engine maker, will develop an auxiliary power unit and an air turbine start system for what Turkey hopes will be critical components of an indigenous engine to power the TF-X aircraft. TRMotor signed the deal with the prime contractor of the TF-X program, Turkish Aerospace Industries, another state-controlled defense company. “The program aims to develop critical technologies ... that will enable us [to] possess indigenous engines,” said Osman Dur, general manager of TRMotor. “The [indigenous] TF-X engine is at the moment at its concept design phase.” TRMotor is completely owned by SSTEK A.S., a defense technologies company owned by Turkey's defense procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries, or SSB. This is a milestone contract for the TF-X program,” said TAI CEO Temel Kotil. The deal comes as SSB is holding talks to co-produce an engine with a consortium of the British company Rolls-Royce and Turkish firm Kale Group. In 2017, Kale Group and Rolls-Royce launched a joint venture to develop aircraft engines for Turkey, initially targeting the TF-X. But the £100 million (U.S. $139 million) deal was effectively put on hold due to uncertainties over technology transfer. A year before the partnership, TAI signed a $125 million heads of agreement with BAE Systems to collaborate on the first development phase of the TF-X. Turkey originally planned to fly the TF-X in 2023, but aerospace officials put off the target date to the 2025-2026 time frame. The TF-X program, or MMU in its Turkish acronym, has been crawling over the past years due to technological failures and know-how transfer. Turkish engineers must first select an engine for the planned aircraft before they finalize their designing phase. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2021/02/16/turkey-hopes-new-engine-deal-will-power-future-tf-x-fighter-jet/

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Under a recent contract award with a $30 million ceiling, Lockheed Martin will begin integrating and formally testing its open-architecture processor designed to control the U.S. Army's future combat vehicle protection system, the company announced Feb. 16. The Army is determining the specific plans and schedules for integration and testing of Lockheed's base kit for its Modular Active Protection System, or MAPS, that ties vehicle sensors and countermeasures into a common framework to detect, track and destroy rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles aimed at combat vehicles. Lockheed is supporting those activities starting later this year through 2023, David Rohall, program manager for advanced ground vehicle systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, told Defense News. The Army has not yet finalized dates for the formal testing. Lockheed received an initial award of $1.5 million through an other transaction authority agreement following a competitive process in December 2020, but has since received $3 million of additional incremental funding, according to Rohall. As part of the contract, Lockheed will develop the MAPS base kit hardware and software; perform platform integration; and run on-vehicle, live-fire demonstrations over a 36-month period. Funding will be incrementally issued throughout the period of performance, Rohall said. The base kit consists of the MAPS open-architecture controller, application software, user interface, power management distribution system and a network switch, Rohall explained. The software identifies incoming threats and deploys the most suitable countermeasure to defeat them, he added. “In an Army lab test, one MAPS-enabled active protection system actually responded faster to threats than its standalone version, thanks to the higher network speeds and greater processor power the MAPS controller offers,” Rohall said. The Army is working with other industry partners to bring in sensors and countermeasures that are compliant with the MAPS architecture. Lockheed has been working with the Army on solutions for a future vehicle protection system since 2014. The service initally awarded the MAPS software project to Raytheon and the hardware effort to Lockheed. But in 2017, the service transferred the software development to Lockheed. The Army, Lockheed and other industry partners have been working to prepare sensors and countermeasures controlled by the MAPS base kit for lab and live-fire demonstrations, including soft-kill systems like Northrop Grumman's MEOS, BAE Systems' Raven and Ariel Photonics' CLOUD, as well as hard-kill systems including Artis Corporation's Iron Curtain and Elbit System's Iron Fist. Sensors include Northrop's PICS IR sensor and Iron Curtain's L3 Mustang, as well as several laser warning systems. Lockheed will work with the Army for integration and testing on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the M1 Abrams tank, the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle and the Stryker combat vehicle ahead of a transition to the Vehicle Protection System program, Rohall said. “We continue to support development activities. We expect to be back in the field this year to support testing on multiple combat vehicles equipped with laser warning receivers that are new to the MAPS architecture,” Rohall said. The upcoming integration and testing is the last step for the base kit ahead of fielding the future Vehicle Protection System for ground combat vehicles. The effort will validate the Vehicle Protection System base kit capability for an initial production decision. The contract also covers developing capabilities beyond active protection, Lockheed said, to include underbelly blast protection. The Army has spent years developing a future Vehicle Protection System, and has had several attempts — one successful, others not — to field interim active protection systems onto current combat vehicles. The service has already fielded Rafael's Trophy active protection system on some Abrams tanks in Europe. The Army had also chosen IMI's Iron Fist for the Bradley but has struggled with technical issues and funding, and the program's future is delayed and uncertain. The service also had difficulty finding an interim candidate for its Stryker vehicle and hit a dead end with the effort in 2019. Iron Curtain was seen as the front-runner for Stryker, but due to system maturity, the service decided not proceed with its qualification efforts. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/02/16/lockheed-begins-integration-of-base-kit-for-us-armys-combat-vehicle-protection-system/

By: Jaroslaw Adamowski and Mike Yeo WARSAW, Poland, and MELBOURNE, Australia — Securing the first Asian customer for its latest product, Czech aircraft maker Aero Vodochody has signed a contract to sell 12 L-39NG jet trainers to Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence. Deliveries are scheduled for the years 2023 to 2024, and Czech arms exporter Omnipol is acting as an intermediary for the deal. “We are proud to announce this crucial and strategic cooperation which is an important milestone for the L-39NG project,” Jiří Podpěra, the president of Omnipol, was quoted as saying in a statement. The value of the deal, which includes training, spare components and related logistics support, was not disclosed. The sale includes a range of related services such as pilot and instructor training, spares, as well as ground and logistical support equipment, the company said. The Czech Ministry of Defence certified the jet trainer last September, paving the way for the L-39NG's exports. The move followed about 300 test flights on two flying prototypes and ground tests on two static prototypes, according to the producer. Since then, Aero Vodochody has managed to secure a contract to deliver four such aircraft in a light-attack variant to Senegal's Air Force. Omnipol is a minority shareholder in Aero Vodochody, with a 49 percent stake. Hungarian businessman Andras Tombor holds the remaining 51 percent of the shares. The L-39NG is a modernized version of the L-39 trainer that was originally introduced into service in 1970. The new aircraft features a host of improvements over the original design, with a modern glass cockpit, improved avionics and the FJ44 turbofan engine by U.S. manufacturer Williams International. The Vietnam People's Air Force or VPAF currently operates older versions of the L-39, with an estimated two dozen aircraft still in service. The announcement that Vietnam will acquire the L-39NG comes after the country ordered a similar number of Yak-130 jet trainers from Russia in early 2020. A news segment on Russian state TV from January showed a Yak-130 for Vietnam on the production floor of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, which produces the jets. It is likely that the VPAF will operate the L-39NG as a basic jet trainer, with the higher-performance Yak-130 acting as an advanced jet or lead-in fighter trainer. Vietnam is one of six countries claiming ownership of the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea, and has been one of the most vocal in pushing back against fellow claimant China's increasingly assertive military activities in the area. The Vietnamese military still operates primarily Russian equipment, but has in recent years acquired transport aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus and taken delivery of surplus ships from the South Korean navy and U.S. Coast Guard. An arms embargo on the country imposed by the United States following the end of the Vietnam War was lifted in 2016, and U.S. Navy ships, including aircraft carriers, have made port visits to Vietnamese ports in recent years. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/16/czech-aircraft-maker-boosts-asian-presence-with-vietnam-jet-trainer-deal/

By Christen McCurdy Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The State Department approved a possible $197 million deal Tuesday to sell RIM‑116C Rolling Airframe Missiles Block 2 tactical missiles to Egypt. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Egypt's government has asked to buy up to 168 of the missiles. Its bid also includes shipping and storage containers, operator manuals and technical documentation as well as engineering, technical and logistical and support services. The proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security by "helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East," according to the DSCA's announcement. "The proposed sale will support the Egyptian Navy's Fast Missile Craft ships and provide significantly enhanced area defense capabilities over Egypt's coastal areas and approaches to the Suez Canal," the DSCA said. "Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces since Egypt already operates previously procured RAM Block 1A missiles," the agency said. Developed and produced cooperatively with Germany, the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is a lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget missile built to destroy anti-ship cruise missiles and asymmetric air and surface threats. Raytheon Missiles & Defense will be the primary contractor on this sale if it goes through. At the end of December, the State Department approved a potential $104 million sale of a Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures System to Egypt. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/02/16/State-Department-approves-possible-197M-missile-sale-to-Egypt/3421613515782/

AIR FORCE LinQuest Corp., Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a $200,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity for advisory and assistance services in support of Space Operations Command. Work will be performed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, and is expected to be completed Feb. 28, 2030. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2021 Space Force operation and maintenance funds in the amount $12,730,301 are being obligated at the time of award. Space Operations Command/Space Acquisition Management – Directorate, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA2518-21-D-0001). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Reservoir International LLC, Fayetteville, North Carolina, was awarded a $200,000,000 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92239-21-D-0001) for Army Special Operations Forces training support services in support of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and 1st Special Warfare Training Group. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,449,752 are being obligated at the time of award. The work will be performed in the vicinity of Camp MacKall, North Carolina, until January 2026. The contract was awarded competitively among service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses with nine proposals received. U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Valor Network Inc., Metuchen, New Jersey (HT0015-21-D-0001), was awarded a $73,532,325 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide professional diagnostic radiology interpretive services to the Military Health System (MHS). The base year amount of the contract is $13,369,448. The contract has four 12-month option periods. This enterprise contract is to support the continued implementation of the MHS organizational reform required by 10 U.S. Code § 1073c, and sections 711 and 712 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019, effective Oct. 25, 2019, which eliminated separate silos of military healthcare and officially integrated healthcare under the authority, direction, and control of the Defense Health Agency, consistent with the direction provided by the secretary of defense. This contract was a competitive acquisition with eight proposals received. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,369,448 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Health Agency, Enterprise Medical Support Contracting Division, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Feb. 12, 2021) ARMY General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $20,652,845 modification (P00127) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0067 for Abrams systems technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of June 22, 2022. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales (Kuwait) funds; fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds; and fiscal 2019, 2020 and 2021 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $20,652,845 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded an $8,220,193 modification (P00042) to contract W52P1J-16-C-0046 for multinational information sharing services. Work will be performed in Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of July 15, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $1,895,193 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Carbro Constructors Corp.,* Hillsborough, New Jersey, was awarded a $7,773,175 modification (P00004) to contract W912DS-19-C-0035 for construction of flood-control measures for Green Brook Segment C1. Work will be performed in Middlesex, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2021. Fiscal 2010 civil construction funds in the amount of $7,773,175 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2504777/source/GovDelivery/

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News (dpugliese@ottawacitizen.com) Published: a day ago Updated: a day ago National defence says it doesn't know when it determined that a $70-billion project to buy new warships had fallen five years behind schedule, adding billions of dollars to the cost. That lack of knowledge about a massive mega-project is unprecedented, according to the department's former top procurement official, and is further proof the Canadian Surface Combatant project has gone off the rails. The Department of National Defence revealed Feb. 1 that the delivery of the first surface combatant ship would be delayed until 2030 or 2031. The first ship was to have been delivered in 2025, according to DND documents. The five-year delay will cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but the specific amount has yet to be determined. DND now acknowledges that while there were indications in early 2020 the project schedule was slipping, it doesn't actually know when it was determined the Canadian Surface Combatant program was facing significant delays. “There was no specific month/year,” DND spokesperson Jessica Lamirande wrote in an email to this newspaper. “It was an evolving schedule that continued to shift.” But Alan Williams, the former assistant deputy minister in charge of procurement at DND, said that lack of insight by DND staff is dangerous. On major equipment procurements, every step should be documented, as bureaucrats could be called on to justify future spending decisions and overall management of a project, he said. “It's totally absurd they can't even say when they first determined this project would be delayed by five years,” said Williams. “Is that not the definition of a total loss of accountability and control?” The Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project would see the construction of 15 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy at Irving Shipbuilding on the east coast. The vessels will replace the current Halifax-class frigate fleet. However, the project has already faced delays and significant increases in cost, as the price tag climbed from an original $14-billion estimate to $26 billion and then to $70 billion. The parliamentary budget officer is working on a new report on the CSC cost, to be finished by the end of February. Each year of delay could cost taxpayers more than $2 billion, the PBO warned previously. Although the DND has a new delivery date for the initial ship in the fleet, that doesn't mean that the vessel will be ready for operations at that time. “We expect delivery of the first ship in 2030/2031, followed by an extensive sea trials period that will include weapons certification and the corresponding training of RCN sailors, leading to final acceptance,” Lamirande said. No dates, however, were provided on when that final acceptance of the first ship would happen. Troy Crosby, the assistant deputy minister of materiel at the DND, denied the CSC project is in trouble. “I wouldn't call it trouble,” he said in an interview with this newspaper in November. “Is it hard? Is it challenging work? Absolutely. But I wouldn't say we're in trouble.” Other defence analysts are arguing the CSC program is salvageable with better governance and oversight. But Williams said the CSC is like a train rolling down a hill without brakes. “You're heading for disaster and people are talking about improving governance,” he said. “That won't save this project.” Canada has yet to sign a contract to build the Type 26 ship proposed by the consortium of Lockheed Martin and BAE for the CSC. So far, taxpayers have spent $739 million preparing for the eventual construction, according to figures tabled with parliament. Australia and the United Kingdom also plan to purchase the Type 26. But the first ship, destined for the U.K., has yet to be completed. The Canadian government originally said it would only accept a winning bid based on a mature existing ship design or a ship already in service with other navies. That would eliminate technical risk, as the design would be a known and tested commodity. The Type 26 carries extra risk as its design has not yet been proven. Williams said Canada could build an initial three Type 26 ships and then purchase other warships based on a proven design at a much reduced cost. Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2021 https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/canada/dnd-unable-to-say-exactly-when-delays-in-70-billion-warship-program-began-552869/