10 June 2014 by Guy Martin - defenceWeb

Airbus Defence and Space is still hopeful South Africa will buy A400M strategic transport aircraft and is promoting it and the C295 light transport to the South African Air Force (SAAF).

According to Antonio Rodriguez-Barberan, Vice President Commercial at Airbus Military, the company is “absolutely interested” in offering the A400M as a replacement for the SAAF’s C-130 Hercules, which are due to be retired in 2020. “We want to be back in South Africa. Yes, there is a need for maritime patrol and a certain need for tactical and strategic transport.”

He told defenceWeb Airbus is keeping its work packages with Denel and Aerosud in place not just because they do a good job manufacturing A400M components but because Airbus is hoping for an order from South Africa. Airbus kept South Africa’s A400M workshare in place even after the government cancelled an order for eight A400Ms in 2009. Denel and Aerosud manufacture parts for the A400M, including the wing to fuselage fairing and other large components.

Barberan said South Africa has a need for an aircraft like the A400M, especially since its diplomatic and regional ambitions require it to move cargo and equipment to places like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for peacekeeping missions or to places like Sudan for humanitarian missions. Rather than chartering aircraft like the An-124 and Il-76, an A400M could fly supplies directly to where needed most, even if only an unprepared airstrip is available.

He said the A400M was not competing on price but on capability terms. Barberan estimated South Africa would need four A400Ms as a first step to establishing a modern airlift facility.

The first export production slots for the A400M will become available in 2017 and it will be around three years after an order is placed that aircraft could be delivered so if South Africa is to retire the C-130 in 2020, it needs to make a decision within the next few years.

Barberan said he hoped to have an A400M export customer by the end of this year. Airbus began actively promoting the aircraft for export last year and hopes to sell between 300 and 400 on the export market over the next 30 years, capturing a 50% market share.

Airbus is also promoting the CN235/C295 to the SAAF to meet its maritime surveillance requirements. The company brought out a C295 in 2012, which was demonstrated to the local air force. However, Barberan could not say when the SAAF might place an order for a new maritime surveillance platform, especially as funding is problematic. His company is aiming to sell the maritime patrol variant to South Africa, which features sensors such as a radar and electro-optical pods as well as a roll on/roll off mission suite that would allow the aircraft to be used purely in the cargo role as well.

Guy Martin is in Spain as a guest of Airbus Defence and Space.

source Airbus DS

Airbus Defence and Space, Europe’s number one defence and space company, will be present at Eurosatory 2014, the largest international land and air-land defence and security exhibition, to be held at Villepinte-Paris Nord Exhibition Centre from 16-20 June 2014.

Please come and visit us at the Airbus Group Pavilion (D480) to discover systems and services that make us a world’s leading Defence company:

A complete range of military aircraft solutions:

-  UASs with Tanan, Tracker and Shadow 200 present at the show.

-  Models of two of our military aircraft: the A400M, the “all-new airlifter of the 21st Century”, now in service with the French and Turkish Air Forces, as well as the market leading C295.

Protect and connect, in land and land-to-air defence and security:

-  Spexer 1000 radar: with a range up to 18 kilometres and an extremely high update rate, this core element of border security systems is able to detect suspicious movements at a very early stage and to locate difficult-to-detect objects with a very low false alarm rate.

Secure communications for defence and security:

-       COMCEPT, the first secure ultra-fast broadband communications by satellite military network in Europe, using Ka-band and the latest IP network solutions on the market, while also optimising costs.

-       The TPH900 is the latest generation Tetrapol radio. This robust, hand-portable radio allows mission-critical voice and data communications and is specially designed for easy and solid usability in the field.

-       The THR9 Ex Tetra radio, combines certification for operation in explosion-prone areas with user friendliness, a robust design and advanced features to enhance user safety.

-       The TH1n, is the thinnest and lightest Tetra handset in the world. It is small enough to be slipped into a pocket, attached to a belt, or carried in a handbag. This makes it ideal for a whole range of users, in addition to those in conventional roles.

Protect and connect in cyberspace:

Cybersecurity: the innovative Cyber Defence Centre gathers all tools and experts to watch, detect and investigate cyber-attacks. These services include supervision of IT security, early detection of attacks, investigation, remediation and 24/7 anticipation of advanced cyber-attacks. Airbus Defence and Space’s Cyber Defence Centre includes in particular Cymerius supervision and security evolved management solution.

Earth observation satellites, a trump card for intelligence and decision-making:

-   The ‘in-orbit proven’ Pléiades satellites, which form with SPOT 6 – and soon SPOT 7 – the only constellation in the world capable of taking both high-resolution and very high-resolution images of a selected point anywhere on Earth on a daily basis.

-   I4D, jointly demonstrated with Actinct/Weblab, allows users to obtain and to analyse information collected by any intelligence source (Signal Intelligence, Human Intelligence, Imagery Intelligence) on a single virtual globe.

-  GO3S (Geostationary Observation Space Surveillance System), an Earth observation satellite project offering continuous real-time acquisition from geostationary orbit.

About Airbus Defence and Space

Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus Group formed by combining the business activities of Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military. The new division is Europe’s number one defence and space enterprise, the second largest space business worldwide and among the top ten global defence enterprises. It employs some 40,000 employees generating revenues of approximately €14 billion per year. 

06 June 2014 defenceWeb (Reuters)

William Hague will host a meeting of African and Western officials in London next week aimed at stepping up international efforts to defeat Islamist group Boko Haram, his office said on Thursday.

Although Boko Haram has been fighting for five years, carrying out bombings and attacks on civilians and the security forces, the kidnapping in April of more than 200 girls from a school in the northeast has focused world attention on them.

The June 12 London meeting will be attended by the Nigerian foreign minister and representatives from neighbouring African countries Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, Hague's office said. Officials from Britain, the United States, France, Canada and the European Union will also be present.

"The meeting will consider what can be more done both to improve regional coordination, and on economic and social development to counter the threat of Boko Haram," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Hague said: "The London Ministerial on Security in Northern Nigeria will ... consider further options to combat terrorism. This shows the determination of those in the region, with the support of the international community, to defeat Boko Haram."

06 June 2014 by defenceWeb

A London-based think tank is concerned any “all-out” war against Boko Haram could lead to widespread violence across Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region.

“The propensity for Boko Haram’s violence to be motivated by revenge, combined with the probable latent strike capability of the group in other parts of Nigeria and the wider region could further destabilise neighbouring countries which could potentially worsen security in Nigeria,” said Adunola Abiola, founder of Think Security Africa (TSA).

“Boko Haram has failed to present a workable alternative to the current system of governance. Furthermore, they have shown a wanton disregard for the lives and property of the very people they claim to want to govern. The real issues are: how long it will take to stop the violence and how many lives and countries they will be allowed to destroy before they are stopped. For these reasons the strategy chosen to defeat them must be selected carefully,” he said.

“Boko Haram’s attacks continue to detract attention and resources away from the socio-political problems in Nigeria that have made the establishment of groups such as Boko Haram possible.

“Consequently Nigerian and international efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency must prioritise containment and pursue concepts of operations designed to protect civilians, boost local force protection and decrease the ability of Boko Haram to manoeuvre nationally and regionally.

“Adopting a retaliatory force posture will likely replicate the outcome of the 2009 crackdown on Boko Haram, where it suffered heavy fatalities, but was still able to regroup and unleash an unprecedented and dispersed campaign of violence against Nigerians,” he said.

News agency reports from Nigeria and elsewhere indicate the current reign of Boko Haram terror is forcing up to 800 people a day to flee. The group’s armed offensive is also said to have claimed at least 3 000 lives last year.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva said “relentless” attacks on civilians, including the high profile kidnapping of scores of schoolgirls earlier this year, could put security even more at risk in wider West Africa.

Reports earlier this week said hundreds of people were killed during a Boko Haram attack in north-eastern Nigeria.

TSA was established in June 2009 and is an independent think tank and research and advisory company. It was set up in response to the fact that security in Africa is still far too persistent and far too important to be without broader input and participation, the think tank’s website states.

“TSA serves as a forum for people across multiple sections of government and society to articulate and seek solutions to contemporary security challenges in Africa. At TSA we aim to improve understanding of national and regional security-related issues in Africa by penetrating beyond the surface of African politics, security forces, economics and society in order to produce accessible resources on the issue, and provide policy guidance to those at the forefront of improving security in Africa.”

11.06.2014 Yazid Ferhat - .maghrebemergent.com
 

L’Algérie, le plus gros importateur d’armes au Maghreb ces dernières années, s’approvisionne essentiellement auprès de la Russie. Mais elle se tourne aussi vers l’Allemagne : elle a été son premier client en 2013 avec des contrats d’armements de 826 millions d’euros.

Brussels - 10 June, 2014 European Defence Agency

June 4, 2014 by Think Defence

The Royal Navy Type 26 programme is progressing with news yesterday from BAE on the award of a number of design and development contracts.

Six Design Development Agreements have been awarded covering key areas such as propulsion, ventilation and electrical equipment, as well as combat and navigation systems. The design contracts have been awarded to the following companies:

Babcock for the ship’s Air Weapons Handling System

DCNS for work on the vessel’s propulsion shaftlines

GE Energy Power Conversion for the Electric Propulsion Motor and Drive System

Imtech for the  Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System, and the Low Voltage Electrical equipment

Raytheon to develop the Integrated Navigation and Bridge Systems

Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions for the ship’s Fixed Firefighting Systems

The latest contract awards build on the first four suppliers to the programme announced in September 2013. Covering propulsion and communications equipment for the ship, the initial Design Development Agreements were awarded to Rolls Royce, MTU, David Brown Gear Systems and Rohde & Schwarz. It is expected that a total of 25 agreements will be placed this year.

Read more at BAE, click here

Relevant website links below;

• Babcock
• DCNS
• GE Energy Power Conversion
• Imtech
• Raytheon
• Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions

From the earlier batch of contracts

• Rolls Royce
• MTU
• David Brown Gear Systems
• Rohde & Schwarz

Du 16 au 20 juin, METRAVIB sera présent au salon EUROSATORY (stand F500 – hall 6), semaine internationale de la défense et la sécurité. A cette occasion et tous les jours, METRAVIB participera aux démonstrations dynamiques pour présenter un de ses produits phares : PEARL.

PEARL (Personal Equipment Add-on for Reactive Localization) est un système de détection acoustique miniaturisé conçu pour détecter et localiser des tirs ennemis issus de petits calibres.

MOSCOU, 11 juin – RIA Novosti

Les exercices russes dans la région de Kaliningrad et en mer Baltique ont été une surprise pour l'Otan, a annoncé hier Robert Pschel, directeur du bureau d'information moscovite de l'Otan, écrit mercredi le quotidien Nezavissimaïa gazeta.

"Nous avons appris le déroulement de ces manœuvres dans la presse. Les exercices russes ne sont pas toujours transparents. Nous avons beaucoup de questions à ce sujet", a-t-il souligné.

Ces manœuvres ont démarré hier sous le commandement du général Anatoli Sidorov, chef du district militaire Ouest. Elles se déroulent avec la participation des navires et de l'infanterie de marine de la flotte de la Baltique, d'unités de troupes aéroportées, de l'armée de l'air et des forces de défense aérospatiale.

Le scénario tactique utilisé pour les exercices n'est pas connu mais on peut supposer qu'ils sont une réponse aux exercices internationaux Saber Strike 2014 et Baltops 2014.

Le nombre de militaires russes participant aux manœuvres dans la région de Kaliningrad et en mer Baltique n'est pas révélé. Dans le cadre de ces exercices, les navires de la flotte de la Baltique assureront la sécurité de la frontière russe, protégeront les communications maritimes, poursuivront et élimineront des sous-marins et des navires d'un ennemi supposé. Les unités de la défense antiaérienne de la flotte de la Baltique et des forces de défense aérospatiale assureront la sécurité aérienne dans les zones où se déroulent les manœuvres, ainsi que celle des bases de stationnement.

Ces exercices permettront de travailler le transport aérien et la projection opérationnelle des troupes aéroportées de Pskov sur les polygones de la région de Kaliningrad, pour effectuer un débarquement. Les parachutistes travailleront des scénarios en coopération avec l'infanterie de marine de la Baltique pour empêcher le débarquement sur le littoral d'un ennemi supposé, ainsi que pour bloquer et éliminer des groupuscules clandestins armés.

Les troupes aéroportées et les fantassins de marine seront appuyés par les chasseurs-bombardiers Su-34 et les hélicoptères Mi-24, projetés dans la région de Kaliningrad depuis les régions centrales de Russie. Les bombardiers stratégiques Tu-22M3 effectueront des vols d'entraînement au-dessus de la mer Baltique.

Bien que les observateurs militaires russes n'aient pas été invités à Saber Strike 2014 et que les navires de la flotte de la Baltique ne soient pas admis à participer à Baltops, la Russie parvient tout de même à percer une brèche dans les sanctions américaines. Des médecins militaires de
13 pays assisteront aux exercices Roubej 2014 (Frontière), qui ont commencé hier à l'Académie militaire de médecine Kirov à Krasnoe Selo, près de Saint-Pétersbourg. Une soixantaine de médecins venant de 13 pays, dont la Chine, le Japon, la Thaïlande et Brunei, assisteront à ces exercices.

10.06.2014 par Marine Nationale

Du 26 mai au 04 juin 2014 a eu lieu, au large de Toulon, l'exercice naval franco-égyptien Cleopatra. Rendez vous bisannuel entre les deux marines, les 10 jours d'entraînement à terre et en mer, pour la première fois en France, ont permis de développer l'interopérabilité des moyens navals français et égyptiens et renforcer les liens qui les unissent.

June 11th, 2014 defencetalk.com

The US Air Force has deployed two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers to a British air base for exercises with NATO allies, the Pentagon said Monday.

The deployment, which the Pentagon said was preplanned and short-term, comes against a backdrop of tension with Russia over unrest in Ukraine.

“It certainly is yet another demonstration of America’s ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance,” said Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

US military deployments have increased in recent weeks as Washington seeks to reassure Eastern European allies worried about Moscow’s moves in the region.

The two B-2 bombers arrived Sunday at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, where they joined three other B-52 strategic bombers that got there on June 4.

“These multi-role heavy bombers will conduct training flights in the US Eucom area of operation, providing opportunities for the air crews to sharpen their skills and increase interoperability,” Warren said.

Overseas deployments of the B-2 are rare, as the United States jealously guards the costly aircraft’s secrets. There are only 20 B-2s in existence.

A B-2 bomber overflew South Korea last year during an exercise amid tensions with the North.

Based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the B-2 were designed to penetrate the world’s most formidable air defenses and drop dozens of precision, conventional or nuclear bombs.

10.06.2014 par ministere de la defense

Pourquoi s’est-il engagé alors qu’il avait juste 17 ans ? Pourquoi ce jeune Breton a-t-il rejoint la France Libre après l’appel d’un général alors inconnu ? A 20 ans, comment est-il parvenu à participer à la plus importante mission amphibie interarmées et interalliée de tout les temps, sous le béret vert des premiers commandos Kieffer ? Soixante-dix ans plus tard, Léon Gautier, vétéran de 92 ans, revient sur son débarquement  en Normandie, le 6 juin 1944. Il faisait parti des 177 commandos Kieffer à prendre Sword beach. Un retour émouvant sur un destin hors du commun.

10/06/2014 Ph. E – LaDepeche.fr

La Setfa SAS, qui regroupe SNC Lavalin, Aéroport de Blagnac et CCIT, a obtenu mardi dernier la concession pour 45 ans de l'aéroport de Francazal. Elle présente aujourd'hui ses projets de développement.

La Société d'exploitation Toulouse Francazal Aéroport (Setfa SAS) est aux commandes de la plate-forme aéroportuaire de l'ancienne base militaire de Francazal, pour les prochaines 45 années. C'est officiel depuis mardi dernier. La Setfa présente aujourd'hui à la presse ses projets de développement pour la piste historique du Sud-ouest toulousain qui devrait renouer ainsi avec sa vocation aéronautique première, loin des mirages hollywoodiens.

«La concession a été attribuée officiellement au groupement autour de SNC Lavalin mardi dernier», précise Jean-Michel Vernhes. «Elle porte sur les terrains de l'ex base militaire, près de 200 ha», ajoute le président du Directoire d'Aéroport Toulouse Blagnac, associé (avec 39 % des parts dans la Setfa) au groupe canadien Lavalin (51 % des parts) et à la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Toulouse (10 % des parts). Le groupement a remporté l'appel d'offres pour l'exploitation de Francazal face au groupe Vinci Aéroport. Jean-Michel Vernhes sera le président du comité de surveillance associant Lavalin, aéroport de Toulouse Blagnac et CCIT. «La Dépêche» avait annoncé, dans son édition du 30 janvier dernier, le choix, par le Conseil d'état, du groupe canadien Lavalin, qui exploite déjà une dizaine d'aéroports en France (dont celui de Tarbes) et plusieurs dans le monde.

«Ce choix a nécessité la signature de plusieurs ministères et a peut-être été retardé par le récent changement de gouvernement», avance Bertrand Bilger, président de la Setfa SAS, pour justifier le délai de cinq mois qui a été nécessaire pour obtenir la concession officielle. Le nouveau patron du site de Francazal, par ailleurs directeur général de l'aéroport de Tarbes, évoque un avenir de Francazal «tourné vers l'aviation d'affaires, en liaison avec Blagnac, et à vocation aéronautique et industrielle. La vocation militaire est aussi affirmée». Transall et A 400 M continueront donc de décoller de Francazal (1 700 mouvements militaires ont été enregistrés, y compris en hélicoptère, sur 3 000 au total, en 2012). «L'armée française ne sera pas la seule à en bénéficier, des exercices comme celui de la semaine dernière par l'armée belge étant toujours possibles», indique Bertrand Bilger.

Lavalin envisage d'investir 10 M€ pour moderniser et reconvertir industriellement le site. Six des sept hangars existant sont déjà occupés par des entreprises issues du secteur de sous-traitance aéronautique dont la principale est Atlantic Air Industries, qui a quitté la Bretagne pour Cugnaux et occupe à elle seule trois bâtiments. 220 emplois directs liés à l'aviation civile ont déjà été générés, dont 150 dans l'industrie.

Ni vols réguliers ni charters

La préfecture de Haute-Garonne a fixé un cadre réglementaire très strict pour l'exploitation de Francazal : «Aucun vol régulier de passagers ni aucun vol de charter ne seront programmés sur cet aérodrome, et aucune subvention publique versée au groupement retenu», ont indiqué les services de l'état dans le document d'appel d'offres initial.