10 Jul 2013 By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor - telegraph.co.uk

Britain has had to rely on German military support in a war for the first time since the Battle of Waterloo.

During the Libyan conflict in 2011 British forces had to use maps supplied by German intelligence because of cut backs in the Ministry of Defence, it has emerged.

It was the first time the UK had to rely on Germany in such circumstances since 1815 when Gebhard von Blucher’s Prussian forces helped the Duke of Wellington defeat Napoleon.

The development was disclosed on the annual report of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee which raised concerns over decreasing funding for defence intelligence.

The committee, which takes evidence from the security and intelligence agencies in private, warned that cutbacks meant resources had to be constantly shifted around and it risked “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

The committee said the spy agencies and defence intelligence would have to increasingly rely on “burden sharing” and make use of allies in some parts of the world who may be better placed to provide intelligence.

It said: “We accept the need for this specialisation. It is not novel: for example we have been told that (by defence intelligence) ‘in Libya we went to war on German maps’”.

Sir Max Hastings, the military historian, said it would likely be the first time Britain relied on Germany like that since Waterloo.

”It is a fact of enormous frustration that it is now almost impossible to conduct any military operation without help,” he said.

The ISC report warned cuts to the defence budget will lead to the loss of 450 defence intelligence posts – the equivalent of 10 per cent.

It concluded: “The Committee has repeatedly warned of the risks of cutting resources – in particular to Defence Intelligence – to the UK’s ability to provide the necessary level of global coverage.

“Whilst we recognise that burden-sharing arrangements with allies may offset some of the impact, there must continue to be a critical mass that can respond to unexpected events without this being at the expense of coverage of other key areas.

“We are concerned that shifting resources in response to emerging events is ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’: we must maintain the ability to respond to more than one crisis at a time.”

An MoD spokesman said: "It is important that we use Defence resources effectively and efficiently.

"It is increasingly common for us to burden-share activities with allies. In this particular case our operational planning for Libya was undertaken using current German mapping under long-established programmes of work sharing.

"Operations in Libya were a coalition effort and therefore it is only right that we make best use of the assets of our international partners.”

10 juillet 2013 RPUE

Ce bulletin propose une sélection des principales contributions des think tanks aux débats d’idées sur les questions européennes de janvier à début juillet 2013. Il vise à mieux identifier l’éventail et l’occurrence des thèmes traités et à présenter les principales positions exprimées sur les sujets de l’actualité immédiate et sur les réflexions en cours. Des liens dans le texte permettent d’accéder aux publications.

Panorama des think tanks bruxellois - printemps /été 2013

10 July 2013 baesystems.com

The Royal Air Force has completed the biggest training mission ever undertaken by its Typhoon force.

Over the past two weeks a total of 265 sorties have been flown on six days in Exercise Android Preference.

Availability of aircraft

One of the main aims of the Typhoon Availability Service and ATTAC (Availability Transformation Tornado Aircraft Contract)TAS and ATTAC contracts is to ensure the RAF has the maximum amount of aircraft available. Working in partnership with the RAF, our colleagues on both these contracts contributed towards ensuring such a large scale training mission could take place.

Qualified Weapons Instructor Course

Exercise Android Preference, which concluded at RAF Coningsby on 5 July, forms part of the Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) course regarded as the pinnacle qualification for RAF aircrew, as RAF Coningsby Station Commander, Gp Capt Johnny Stringer, explained:

“The QWI courses are where we fuse the physical, moral and conceptual components of air fighting power at the tactical level. We’re taking our brightest and best and making them the most capable and aware tactical operators they can be. What Android Preference allows us to do is not only to prepare them for the QWI operational phase, but also to expose them to some of the wider and higher-level considerations and consequences of their tactical appreciation, planning and subsequent execution.”

A real operational feel

The exercise designer, Flight Lieutenant Andrew Tidmarsh, said:

“For the first time we’ve executed missions involving the entire Typhoon Force which, along with other Force Elements, gives a real operational feel. The exercise challenges the whole spectrum of what Typhoon can do as a platform; not only fighting air-to-air, but also finding, fixing and prosecuting targets on the ground.

“Being fully swing role the Typhoon is able to fight its way to the target and then fight its way out again. This places a high training demand on the pilots who have to be extremely capable in the air-to-air role and the air-to-surface role and be able to make timely tactical decisions to enable them to fulfil both in a high threat environment.”

Largest training mission for Typhoon

In the first week of the Exercise the single largest training mission Typhoon has ever undertaken as one complete Force was executed. A total of 22 Typhoons from five different squadrons took part in a Combat Search and Rescue scenario that also included Tornado GR4s, USAF F-15 Eagles and Danish F16s, as well as Support and Attack Helicopters. Tactical air control and command was provided by an E-3D Sentry from RAF Waddington and 1 Air Control Centre (1 ACC), which deployed to RAF Coningsby from their home station at RAF Scampton.

Gp Capt Stringer explained: “The key involvement of 1 Air Control Centre and E-3 Sentry underlines the importance of air command and control, as well as ISTAR, to the effective employment of modern combat air power. We’re also delighted and very grateful to have had the excellent support from the Support Helicopter and Tornado GR4 Forces, 100 Squadron, the Army Air Corps and our USAF and Danish colleagues.”

Challenging roles

This variety and scope of exercise participants presented its own challenge for mission planning and execution in addition to an excellent opportunity for training large and diverse packages of aircraft. Each QWI student took it in turns to act as a Mission Commander, a challenging role which requires individual tactical prowess and wider integration in order to succeed.

Flt Lt Tidmarsh added: “At one point there was a 16 versus 20 air-to-air fight concurrent with ground serials including Air Interdiction, Close Air Support and Dynamic Targeting. I can’t remember in my career the whole force attempting one Defensive Counter Air mission that lasted an entire day.”

10 July 2013 naval-technology.com

Designers have completed plan for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary's (RFA) new fleet of Tide-class military afloat reach and sustainability (MARS) tankers, which will serve at least 25 years.

The four Tide-class MARS tankers, comprising Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce, will enter service with the Royal Navy to boost its capabilities by delivering fuel, water, spare parts and other supplies.

In cooperation with the Royal Navy and RFA, BMT Defence Services has completed design for the four next-generation tankers with hundreds of design drawings and plans.

The company has also developed and tested scale models in the gigantic water tank at Haslar in Gosport, where Tidespring vessel also successfully refuelled HMS Queen Elizabeth in various sea conditions.

"A Range Rover's fuel tank connected to all four 7in hoses on the starboard size of a Tide tanker would be full in 0.12 seconds."

The future tanker project naval architect Mark Lewis said: "A Range Rover's fuel tank connected to all four 7in hoses on the starboard size of a Tide tanker would be full in 0.12 seconds."

Following completion of a £450m quartet design of the 37,000t ships, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) will draw up detailed plans to begin construction on the ships next year at Okpo-dong in south-east South Korea.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a contract to DSME in 2012 for the construction of four MARS tankers to replace the existing RFA's single hulled tankers, with the first ship of the class due to be delivered in October 2015, with the final vessel due in April 2017.

The new double-hulled tankers will be designed to meet International Maritime Organization pollution (MARPOL) regulations, an International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 and the protocol of 1978, as well as European Commission environmental regulations.

Jul. 9, 2013 - by TOM KINGTON – Defense News

ROME — Since Estonia suffered a crippling cyberattack in 2007, generally attributed to Russian hackers, European states have slowly been organizing their disparate cyber crime and security organizations under national coordinating committees, bringing military commanders into contact with intelligence agencies, police forces and private industry.

The new furor over US spying on European Union nations will likely heighten efforts in the region to strengthen defenses against economic and political cyberattack from political and economic adversaries and allies alike.

Italy

In Italy, a decree issued by the Cabinet in January sought to impose a chain of command on a series of cybersecurity operations launched in recent years by law enforcement and state agencies.

The decree puts the prime minister at the top of the pyramid but gives operational authority to the head of the DIS, the Italian intelligence agency that oversees both overseas and domestic operations.

“The DIS has led this reorganization and has taken a central role,” said Stefano Mele, a cyber analyst with the Italian Institute for Strategic Studies. “It is the first real step toward an operational approach to cybersecurity.”

“The Italian cyber strategy is defensive,” an Italian intelligence source said.

The new setup, which is reportedly still being staffed, involves a political committee to propose strategy to the prime minister, drawing representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, defense, justice, economy and economic development.

A permanent monitoring center is also being established, to be run by the prime minister’s military adviser.

Mele said the new center would be open 24 hours a day to monitor threats.

“Police units have previously mounted 24-hour monitoring operations, but the new setup moves beyond a focus on cyber crime to cyberwarfare,” he said.

The center can also activate a crisis unit, drawing on various ministries when an attack threatens national security.

One analyst feared the new structure was too complex to react quickly to cyber threats.

“The chain of command is too long and complicated to respond to attacks, which are by definition fast, but this is a start,” said Raoul Chiesa, a cybersecurity consultant to the UN.

The Italian military’s cyber defense operation, which is run by the General Staff in Rome, continues on a parallel track to the new civilian setup, but there would be crossovers, Mele said.

“The key role given the prime minister’s military adviser is no coincidence,” Mele said.

Germany

Responsibility for German cybersecurity is divided among many players on the federal and state levels. The National Cyber Defense Center, under the federal Interior Ministry, was founded in April 2011, involving the military, the police, the secret service and other security and civil defense organizations.

Additionally, a National Cyber Security Committee has been set up to decide wider cybersecurity policy, involving the chancellery, various ministries, the states and industry representatives as associate members.

While these are all defensive measures, the Bundeswehr acknowledged last year that it had a Computer Network Operations Team capable of offensive action. It is part of the Strategic Reconnaissance Command and stationed in Rheinbach, near Bonn. Press reports suggest the unit started training a couple of years ago and reached initial operational capability in 2012.

However, actual offensive operations would require the approval of the German parliament, as all German military actions do.

The team is not represented in the National Cyber Defence Center nor is it responsible for the defense of the military itself against cyberattacks; the military has built up a separate IT security organization.

United Kingdom

Cybersecurity spending in the UK emerged unscathed from a new round of government austerity measures announced by Chancellor George Osborne for the 2015-16 financial year.

The Treasury said cyber was a national security priority and investment in the area will continue to grow in 2015, including a £210 million (US $320 million) investment in the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP).

That money builds on £650 million in funding set aside in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review to tackle cyber threats and turn the problem into an opportunity for the British security industry.

The initial four-year spending program, started in 2011, allocated an extra £384 million to the intelligence services over the period with the Ministry of Defence-allocated £90 million.

That money is in addition to other cyber funding streams for the intelligence agencies and government departments — figures that are not aired in public.

The review said cyberattacks were among the government’s four top security risks.

That review was followed at the end of 2011 by a new UK cybersecurity strategy that sought to better protect cyberspace interests and build the capabilities needed to combat the growing problem.

Only last week, Iain Lobban, the head of the government’s intelligence-gathering operation, GCHQ, told the BBC that business secrets were being stolen in Britain on an “industrial scale.”

Government and industry networks are targeted by sophisticated cyberattacks about 70 times a month, often by other states, he said.

GCHQ has already invested in new capabilities to identify and analyze hostile cyberattacks, and now plays host to a new Joint Cyber Unit set up in partnership with the MoD to help counter threats to the UK.

Another MoD initiative will likely see the armed services set up a “Cyber Reserve” to harness the talents of industry specialists and others.

Poland

Meanwhile, Poland is increasing the cyber defense and combat capacities of its armed forces — one of the priorities of the modernization of the Polish armed forces, according to a white paper on national security, released in May by the National Security Bureau.

The paper “recommends a national cyber defense system … integrated with similar systems of [other NATO member states],” the document said.

The paper also recommends the armed forces receive “mechanisms and systems for offensive activities in this area, and treated as an element of support to conventional activities.”

Poland’s cybersecurity efforts are largely driven by the massive cyberattacks that targeted Estonia in 2007 and crashed the Baltic state’s Internet infrastructure, local analysts said.

Two organizations set up to avoid the fate of Estonia will become operational next year.

The Polish Ministry of Defense and the Internal Security Agency, Poland’s domestic intelligence agency, are aiming to launch the National Cryptology Center, designed as a “response to the newest cyber threats … which should bring a breakthrough in what concerns [Poland’s] cybersecurity,” Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said.

A new unit within the Ministry of Defense will also foster the development of information technologies for military purposes.

The planned Inspectorate of Implementation of Innovative Technologies will be modeled on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, according to Siemoniak.

Nordic Region

Closer collaboration in developing common platforms to counter cyber threats has been given priority status by the Nordic militaries’ cooperation vehicle, Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO).

The need for a robust Nordic dialogue and pan-Nordic interaction is highlighted in the study, “Cyber Defense in the Nordic Countries and Challenges of Cyber Security,” produced by the Finnish National Defense University and delivered to NORDEFCO in January.

The study generated a report, “The Fog of Cyber Defense,” which is expected to provide a road map for future cyber threat cooperation among Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark. It is anticipated that the first cross-border projects to develop common anti-cyber threat policies and strategies could emerge as soon as 2014.

In the meantime, the five Nordic states are working to strengthen their domestic cyber defense capabilities. All have, or are in the process of, establishing national cyber defense centers that can draw expertise from military and national intelligence units, as well as cyber threat divisions within the communications regulatory authorities in each country.

Recommendations advanced in the “The Fog of Cyber Defense” include a pan-Nordic political initiative to pursue cooperation. This would entail developing a sophisticated cyberspace information exchange platform supported by each country’s cyber defense center; development of a common cyber strategy; the holding of joint interoperability exercises to enhance linguistic, procedural and technical compatibility; the establishment of a common Nordic Cyber Defense Center; and the possibility of standardizing legislation on cyber defense cooperation.

NORDEFCO is running a so-called Cooperation Area research program to ascertain the cost benefits and operational gains from Nordic cyber defense cooperation that would specifically deal with immediate threat warnings.

On a national level, Norway established a dedicated cyber defense unit under the management of the Ministry of Defense in 2012. The unit merges the cyber threat and defense capabilities of the Armed Forces Command’s Norwegian Military Intelligence Service, the National Security Authority and the Norwegian Police Security Service.

Denmark established a Center for Cyber Security under the direction of the Ministry of Defense in December, while Finland launched its Total Society Cyber Security Strategy in January, a four-year strategy that aims to have a dedicated cyber defense center and acomprehensive countermeasures infrastructure in place in 2016.

In Sweden, the government established a National Cyber Defense organization in January, which will share information from frontline cyber units within the military’s signals intelligence wing FRA, the military intelligence unit MUST and the Swedish national police intelligence service, Säpo.

Albrecht Müller in Bonn, Andrew Chuter in London, Jaroslaw Adamowski in Warsaw and Gerard O’Dwyer in Helsinki contributed to this report.

July 8, 2013 Source: Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

Chief Kicks Off the Reorganisation

The reorganisation of management and command structures of the Czech military explains Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Petr Pavel at a Command Meeting in Prague.

New requirements for the military and resources the Czech Republic can allocate for defence of this country including meeting of allied and international commitments called for a substantial reorganisation of management and command structures of the Czech defence department which was outlined in the White Paper on Defence 2011.

The new structure came in effect on 1 July 2013. The most visible change is dismantling both tactical operational headquarters - Joint Forces at Olomouc and Support Forces at Stara Boleslav - and incorporating their duties into structure of the General Staff of ACR in Prague.

General Pavel explained changes, new relations, links and responsibilities of newly formed agencies, centres and institutes in a bid to enable a smooth transition of command, logistic and support services into the new structure.

At the end of the meeting, General Pavel said: “The military must work forward. We must meet our tasks regardless political turbulence, regardless there is or is not the government."

Jul 8, 2013 ASDNews Source : Thales Group

Thales UK has signed a contract with the Estonian Defence Forces to provide an additional four years of technical support and maintenance to two former Royal Navy (RN) mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) now serving with the Estonian fleet.

The contract provides a framework to achieve cost savings while accessing a wider range of support activities than previously provided.  Thales offers a complete range of services and support packages to suit specific operational and maintenance requirements.

The two former RN Sandown-class vessels – HMS Sandown and HMS Inverness – were decommissioned and sold to Estonia in 2006. The vessels were re-named ENS Admiral Cowan and ENS Sakala.

As part of a programme to return the two ships to operational service, Thales originally signed a contract in 2006 to provide operational support to the ships in service and upgrades to Thales UK’s highly-successful Sonar 2093 system. This new contract now extends the support programme until December 2016.

Sonar 2093 is a variable-depth sonar system and is designed for the detection and classification of bottom and moored mines. It is optimized for littoral (coastal) and open-ocean waters and is effective against all known mine types.

The system is in service with the RN’s remaining Sandown-class MCMVs, and existing export contracts include Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy and the Republic of Korea.

Ed Lowe, head of Thales UK’s naval business, said: “We greatly value our relationship with the Estonian Navy and Defence Forces, and see this new contract as a key to providing their ships with the best and most cost-effective long term support that will enable them to meet their important national and NATO commitments.”

Neeme Kass, Director of the Procurement Service in Estonia, said: “This signed agreement is a result of effective cooperation with Thales and is significant for Estonian Defence Forces because our goal is to establish long-term partnerships with professional companies.”

08/07 LesEchos.fr (Reuters)

L'Allemagne, l'Espagne, l'Italie et la Grande-Bretagne prendront sans doute début 2014 une décision sur la dernière tranche de leur commande de chasseurs Eurofighter, a déclaré lundi un porte-parole du ministère de la Défense après avoir confirmé que le coût de l'appareil avait augmenté.

L'Allemagne a pour l'instant pris livraison de 101 exemplaires de l'avion de combat et prévoit de porter sa flotte à 108 unités d'ici la fin de l'année, sur un total de 143 commandés.

Une éventuelle dernière tranche n'est soumise à aucune obligation contractuelle.

"Nous discutons évidemment avec nos partenaires mais nous n'avons pas encore pris de décision. Les discussions vont continuer dans le courant de cette année et je pense que d'ici le début de l'an prochain, nous serons en mesure de prendre une décision", a dit le porte-parole.

07.07.2013 Le Monde.fr avec AFP

Le directeur des opérations d'Airbus, filiale d'EADS, a estimé que le groupe européen d'aéronautique se trouvait lancé dans une course de vitesse contre l'espionnage économique dont il dit être une cible privilégiée, dans un entretien à paraître dimanche 7 juillet dans Welt am Sonntag.

"Nous sommes une cible de choix", a déclaré à propos de l'espionnage économique, Günter Butschek, rappelant que le groupe se trouvait dans ce domaine aux premières loges, bien avant les révélations de l'ex-consultant Edward Snowden de l'Agence américaine de sécurité nationale (NSA) sur le programme de surveillance des communications mondiales par les Etats-Unis. Face à la menace, le groupe européen a fait de la sécurité informatique l'un de ses principaux chantiers, selon M. Butschek. "Presque une réunion de la direction sur deux discute de la question de la sécurité informatique", a expliqué le dirigeant allemand.

Le groupe européen se voit lancé dans une course pour ériger une barrière capable de rendre les réseaux informatiques internes hermétiques. "Nous nous sommes entourés d'un grillage", a expliqué M. Butschek, mais "à la vitesse à laquelle nous construisons ce grillage, d'autres y cherchent les failles".

Selon Welt am Sonntag, en matière de sécurité informatique, EADS profite de sa branche de défense Cassidian qui dispose de ses propres prestataires pour parer aux cyberattaques. Dans les divisions à haut risque, notamment dans le département en charge de la conception de fusées porteuses pour armes atomiques, les salariés ne disposent d'aucun accès à l'Internet, affirme le journal.

Le 4 juillet 2013 - ONERA

Aujourd’hui, au centre ONERA du Fauga-Mauzac, est inaugurée LIMA, une plateforme qui offre aux laboratoires et entreprises des services pour développer l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies d'imagerie aéroportée et faciliter l’innovation dans le traitement de l’information. Cette inauguration a lieu en présence des partenaires notamment institutionnels qui ont permis cet investissement clé pour la région Midi-Pyrénées : Henri-Michel Comet, Préfet de la Région Midi-Pyrénées et de la Haute-Garonne, Jean Tkaczuk, représentant Martin Malvy, ancien ministre, Président de la Région Midi-Pyrénées et Thierry Cotelle, représentant Pierre Cohen, Maire de Toulouse, Président de Toulouse Métropole. Ils étaient accueillis par le Président de l’ONERA, Denis Maugars. « L’ONERA est heureux d’inaugurer aujourd’hui la plateforme régionale LIMA en présence de l’ensemble des acteurs de ce projet. Je tiens tout particulièrement à remercier la Préfecture de la Haute-Garonne, la Région Midi-Pyrénées et Toulouse Métropole de leur confiance et de leur engagement dans ce projet, et de permettre ainsi à l’ONERA de démontrer son aptitude à mettre la science et l’innovation au service de l’industrie, des grands groupes comme des PME», a déclaré Denis Maugars, Président Directeur Général de l’ONERA.

LIMA, le Laboratoire d’ Imagerie Multicapteurs Aéroportée, est une plateforme de moyens de mesure multicapteurs – aéroportés et au sol – et de moyens informatiques d’exploitation associés. LIMA est financé à hauteur de 6,85 millions d’euros dont 4,12 millions par le Fonds européen de développement régional (FEDER), le Contrat de Projets Etat Région Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse Métropole et 2.7 millions d’euros par l’ONERA.


La plateforme LIMA est appelée à jouer un rôle structurant dans la région, à travers un double objectif.

Celui de faciliter l’accès aux nouvelles technologies d'imagerie aéroportée, en particulier l’imagerie spectrale ou 3D à très haute résolution spatiale (décimétrique), par des actions de formation et la mise en place de partenariats avec d’autres acteurs de la recherche ou des industriels. Mais également de développer les usages de ces nouvelles technologies d'imagerie aéroportée  et favoriser ainsi le passage de la recherche amont au niveau applicatif.


Un vecteur d’innovation pour les PME régionales

Plusieurs PME régionales, dont Magellium et Leosphere, présentes lors de l’inauguration, sont déjà intéressées par ces domaines à fort potentiel technologique.

Cette plateforme s’adresse à de nombreux secteurs d’activité, comme :
 

• l’agriculture, la foresterie, la gestion de l’eau
• le développement durable (efficacité énergétique des bâtiments, impact anthropique)
• le développement urbain (cartographies thématiques, optimisation du trafic ou de l’éclairage urbain, biodiversité)
• l’environnement (qualité de l'air et des eaux, caractérisation des émissions polluantes)
• les risques (accidents industriels, inondations, feux de forêt)
• la défense et la sécurité (surveillance de site, de frontières, renseignement...)
• les sciences de l'univers, la météorologie.
   

La plateforme LIMA : une offre complète et cohérente de télédétection aéroportée

LIMA et ses partenaires du monde de la recherche et de l'industrie mettent à disposition une offre complète et cohérente de télédétection aéroportée, de la définition amont d'une application au transfert industriel, en passant par les étapes de démonstration théorique et expérimentale.

• Campagnes de télédétection : mesures aéroportées, mesures de validation sur le terrain, fourniture des produits et aide à l'exploitation des résultats.
• Aide au développement et à la validation théorique et expérimentale d’outils d’exploitation de l’imagerie aéroportée.
• Support à l'industrialisation de chaînes d'exploitation et développement de services.
• Formation et expertise en imagerie embarquée hyperspectrale et Infrarouge, imagerie laser 3D, lidar atmosphériques.

A propos de LIMA

LIMA est une plateforme de recherche qui comprend :

• une infrastructure mobile de moyens de mesure de terrain pour la validation expérimentale. Elle intègre un sondeur micro-onde et trois lidars à balayage 3D - pour la mesure des champs de vent, d’humidité, d’aérosols, de température- des capteurs pour caractériser les propriétés optiques et thermiques des surfaces, des outils de relevé 3D d’un site. A LIMA, l’ONERA adjoint des capacités aéroportées de mesure hyperspectrale à la pointe de la technologie, allant du visible à l’infrarouge thermique.
• Un centre informatique d’exploitation des données pour constituer un catalogue de bases de données de mesures, une base de traitements de références et des outils de modélisation.
• Un site expérimental de 70 hectares, instrumenté pour la télédétection aéroportée, et localisé sur le centre Onera du Fauga-Mauzac.

À propos de l’ONERA

L’ONERA est le premier acteur français de la R&T aéronautique, spatiale et de défense (ASD). Etablissement public (EPIC), créé en 1946, sous tutelle du Ministère de la Défense, L’ONERA compte 2 109 salariés dont 263 doctorants. Il est le seul acteur en France à s’être doté des compétences scientifiques nécessaires pour traiter des problématiques complexes propres au secteur ASD. Avec un parc de moyens d’expérimentation unique en Europe, il met ses compétences au service des agences de programmes, des institutionnels, des grands industriels et des PME-PMI. Son modèle atypique de recherche partenariale, labellisé Carnot, lui a permis de réaliser un volume d’activités de 243 millions d’euros en 2012 dont 53% d’activités sur contrat. Force d’innovation, d’expertise et de prospective, l’ONERA a contribué aux plus grands succès de l’aérospatial : Ariane5, gammes Airbus et Eurocopter, Rafale, Falcon 7X, le radar de veille spatiale Graves, le Very Large Telescope, etc. www.onera.fr

03.07.2013 Romandie.com

Suite à une période de conception intense et brève, qui a tiré parti d'outils et de méthodes à la pointe par l'utilisation du 'Model-Based Design' (conception basée sur modèle), la construction du Gripen E débute avec la fabrication et l'assemblage de tous les éléments du fuselage, l'élément le plus grand de la cellule et celui qui nécessite le plus de temps pour sa fabrication. Ces parties seront ensuite réunies et assemblées pour former une cellule d'avion complète. Une période intensive de construction s'ensuivra au cours de laquelle les câbles, les systèmes, le revêtement externe et d'autres équipements seront montés. Plus de 1'000 personnes chez Saab travaillent à l'heure actuelle exclusivement sur le développement et la production du Gripen E.

L'expérience que nous vivons actuellement représente un saut technologique pour Saab et pour l'industrie aéronautique dans son ensemble, puisque l'on observe la construction de l'avion de chasse le plus récent et le plus moderne par l'utilisation des procédures, des méthodes et des outils les plus récents. Cette approche nous permet de produire un avion aux capacités encore plus développées, à un coût de cycle de vie encore plus avantageux », explique Lennart Sindahl, responsable de la division aéronautique de Saab. Après des années d'investissements en R&D liés à la conception aéronautique, nous pouvons offrir des opportunités uniques pour le transfert du savoir-faire et de la technologie, en invitant les industries des pays de nos clients à participer au travail sur le Gripen. Le programme Gripen E continuera à être un moteur de développement technologique ainsi que de création d'emplois, aussi bien en Suède que dans d'autres pays.

Le Gripen E représente une suite logique, puisqu'il se fonde sur les mêmes principes que ceux que Saab a toujours défendu : amener sur le marché des capacités de niveau mondial par l'utilisation de design intelligent et de solutions techniques innovantes, mais en réduisant les coûts de production et les frais opérationnels à un niveau bien inférieur à ceux de plate-formes concurrentes. Développé sur la base du design des versions précédentes du système Gripen, le Gripen E offre une série de capteurs de la prochaine génération, de nouvelles liaisons de communication, une architecture avionique révolutionnaire, une poussée accrue, un temps de vol plus long, davantage de stations d'armes et de capacité de charge, un cockpit entièrement digital y compris un HUD (Head-Up Display - Affichage tête haute) et un système de guerre électronique entièrement nouveau.

L'avion test 39-8 sera la première version complète pré-production du Gripen E et servira à implementer de nouvelles caractéristiques et de nouvelles capacités. Les sauts technologiques du Gripen E ont déjà fait leurs preuves au cours du programme de démonstration du Gripen, avec l'avion démo Gripen E/F qui a cumulé depuis 2008 plus de 250 heures de vol à son actif dans des pays tels que la Suède, le Royaume-Uni, l'Inde et la Suisse (à Emmen en Octobre 2012 puis en janvier et avril 2013).

Le 24 août 2012, la Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency (FXM) et sa contrepartie suisse armasuisse ont signé un accord-cadre sur l'acquisition de 22 avion Gripen E par la Suisse. Selon cet accord, les avions devraient être livrés entre 2018 et 2021.

Le 15 février 2013, Saab a signé un accord avec le Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) portant sur le développement et la modification de 60 Gripen E pour la Suède au cours de la période 2013-2026 ainsi que sur une commande possible d'une production supplémentaire de Gripen E pour la Suisse.

05/07/2013 Armée de l'air

Du 20 au 27 juin 2103, l’escadron de chasse 2/4 «La Fayette» a participé à l’exercice Tactical La Fayette Week (TLW) organisé par le centre opérationnel des forces aériennes stratégiques (COFAS).

Cet exercice vise à entraîner dans un environnement réaliste les équipages aux différentes phases tactiques d’une mission aérienne complexe. Au programme, des phases de ravitaillement en vol, de pénétration basse et moyenne altitudes, et de combat aérien en vol dans le respect le plus strict des règles de sécurité aérienne du temps de paix.

Les avions ont évolué dans la zone d’entraînement aérienne la plus étendue de France, qui couvre tout l’espace maritime entre Perpignan et Solenzara, en Corse. Cette zone, l’une des plus grandes en Europe, offre de très belles possibilités d’entraînement (vitesse supersonique, vol très basse altitude…). L’emploi de moyens de conduite modernes tels Stradivarius (outil de visualisation en temps réel de la situation aérienne) a favorisé l’optimisation des moyens aériens dédiés à TLW.

Au bilan, l’exercice a totalisé 137 sorties en 9 raids aériens composés de 15 à 25 chasseurs. Le nombre des acteurs révèle également le succès de TLW : Mirage 2000N, Rafale, Mirage 2000-5, Mirage 2000D, Mirage F1, Alphajet, avions ravitailleurs C135 et un avion radar E3-F. TLW se caractérise aussi par sa dimension interarmées avec la participation de Rafale de la flotille 11F de la marine nationale, mais également une dimension interalliée avec la présence d’Eurofighter espagnols et italiens, de F18 espagnols et de Tornado britanniques. Enfin, par son action, le centre de détection et de contrôle de Lyon Mont-Verdun a permis de donner toute sa dimension à cet exercice.