Vue du futur HMS Queen Elizabeth

crédits : ROYAL NAVY

01/06/201 MER et MARINE

Converteam vient de livrer le premier alternateur de 36 mégawatts destinés à la propulsion du HMS Queen Elizabeth, futur porte-avions de la Royal Navy. Un deuxième est actuellement en cours de fabrication dans les usines de Rugby au Royaume-Uni. Les immenses alternateurs, d'un poids de 75 tonnes chacun, fourniront les moteurs Converteam à induction de 20 MW. Ils seront couplés à la turbine à gaz MT30 de Rolls-Royce avant leur installation sur le navire, dont la livraison est prévue en 2016. Un second bâtiment, dont la construction a récemment débuté, doit être achevé en 2018.


(© : CONVERTEAM)

May 31, 2011 By Robert Wall aviation week and space technology

Warton, England - One of the flagship programs underpinning the ambitious Franco-British effort to establish a 50-year strategic partnership in national security is several steps closer to being clarified.

France and the U.K. have committed to jointly address their medium-, long-endurance unmanned aircraft (MALE) requirement under the new defense agreement that was formulated in November 2010. But much of the program’s success will hinge on devising combined requirements and a cohesive acquisition strategy. Progress on both fronts is being made, and a definitive shape is likely in the next few months.

The French defense procurement agency, DGA, has already dispatched a cadre to Abbey Wood, home of the U.K. defense ministry’s defense equipment and support organization, to help run the project. The detailed acquisition strategy is now being defined.

Many industry officials in Europe are eagerly anticipating the outcome, but probably none more so than BAE Systems and Dassault—they have agreed to jointly pursue the program. Others, such as Thales, are still pondering a commitment and EADS Cassidian is mulling over building a proposal featuring its Talarion unmanned aircraft concept.

While BAE Systems and Dassault have agreed on the broad outline, details are closely coupled to the requirements document. Although the two national prime contractors appear strange bedfellows, Ian Fairclough, project director for strategic unmanned aerial systems (UAS) programs at BAE Systems, argues that the two firms offer “complementary capabilities.”

Fairclough suggests that open competition and a sole-source approach to the Franco-British industrial partnership are under consideration; European competition rules could influence the outcome.

Regardless of what course is taken, Fairclough argues, there are benefits to moving quickly beyond just preserving the notional 2015-20 fielding agenda. A prolonged competitive process jeopardizes design engineering skills, which would otherwise be idle during that time.

Detailed program definition between the partners is still being worked out. What is less clear is how specific that document will be and whether it will be sufficient to begin detailed design activity.

One matter still under discussion is whether the system would have to be certified to civil requirements, which would ease operations in civil airspace but add complexity and cost.

Industry also is waiting for word from both governments over their preference for final assembly.

The current plan calls for BAE Systems to be responsible for defining the aircraft and engine selection—turbofans and turboprops are still in the mix—while Dassault would focus on systems integration and testing, Eric Trappier, executive vice president/international at Dassault Aviation, said recently.

The concept would be an evolution of the Mantis flying demonstrator developed by BAE Systems. Many details, though, remain undetermined, including how many air vehicles will be featured in each system.

Another decision revolves around devising an exportable system. The two countries “would like to minimize ITAR content,” Fairclough says of equipment governed by the complex U.S. International Transfer of Arms Regulations.

The air vehicle would be designed to be able to both target and deliver ordnance.

Cost estimates vary for the program. Some put the development/production bill at €1 billion ($1.4 billion), which would be shared equally, although a U.K. defense ministry document cites a £2 billion ($3.2 billion) life-cycle cost for the U.K. alone. That assumes around 20 aircraft, although no number has been set.

For the U.K., the program would take on much of the requirement of the so-called Scavenger UAS requirement, although it remains uncertain whether all aspects would be covered by the Franco-British effort. The U.K.’s UAS document, developed by the defense ministry’s doctrine center, suggests “the U.K. will consider if other complementary components are needed to fully satisfy the U.K. capability requirement.”

Although the program is bilateral, so far, Dassault’s Yves Robins, a counselor to Trappier, says that if the two governments change course, industry would adapt.

May 31, 2011 ASDNews Source : Selex SI

Rome - SELEX Sistemi Integrati executed two very positive launches to test the capabilities of the combat management system (CMS) and multifunctional EMPAR radar onboard the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour.

The missile system SAAM/IT, which was officially qualified by this campaign, managed both launches.

The SAAM/IT, a system realized within the international cooperation programme FSAF, is made by the multifunctional EMPAR radar system, by the AGIS command and control system, both developed and realised by SELEX Sistemi Integrati, and by the vertical launcher sub-system and the Aster 15 missile both belonging to MBDA.

Both launches had a successful result in terms of intercept and correct behavior of the SAAM/IT and of the capability of the whole combat management system of the Cavour aircraft carrier.

The first launch was made in autonomous configuration, not integrated with the ship combat system, and achieved the shooting down of the radio target (MIRACH). The EMPAR was able to intercept, track and allow the threat neutralization, respecting the mission timing.

The second launch was realized using the EMPAR radar system integrated into the combat management system of the Cavour aircraft carrier. The target was intercepted in less of 50 centimeters of distance, allowing the management system to recognize the threat and allow its neutralization.

The CMS and the EMPAR confirmed to be completely reliable in terms of combat readiness, also ensuring very fast response times.

The second launch was particularly important because it involved the whole Cavour combat management system, qualifying the integrated capabilities to intercept, track and neutralize a target through the onboard sensors.

The CMS, recently and successfully tested on shore, is a combat system among the most complex in the European scenario, with a high usage flexibility. It is operational thanks to functionalities as the navigation support, automatic local and force threat evaluation, surface and air threats engagement, air traffic control, tactical picture management through the integration of the information provided by the onboard sensors and by the tactical links elements.

The EMPAR is the main radar system installed onboard of Cavour which also hosts many radars and sensors provided by SELEX Sistemi Integrati, like the surface radar RASS, the surveillance radar RAN40L, the IFF Phased Array, the PAR (Precision Approach Radar) and the FCS - Fire Control Systems. Other onboard navigation equipments and systems used for information exchange onboard are again managed by the CMS of the Finmeccanica company.

31/05/11 By Craig Hoyle Flight International

The task of developing the West's most powerful-ever turboprop has had its challenges, but with civil type certification having been secured, Europrop International (EPI) is just months away from launching series production of its TP400-D6 engine for the Airbus Military A400M.

Received on 6 May from the European Aviation Safety Agency, the approval clears the way for partners ITP, MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce and Snecma to power production examples of the A400M in service from early 2013.

The French air force will be the first to get its hands on the new type and it will eventually receive 50 aircraft from a revised total of 170 to be delivered to Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK. The EPI consortium's stake in the project is worth more than €4 billion ($5.6 billion) and over 750 engines.

A three-shaft design with a power output of up to 11,000shp (8,200kW), the TP400 has brought with it a unique set of challenges. The A400M launch contract of May 2003 required the aircraft and its propulsion system to be certificated to civilian standards, but its specifications were such that Airbus Military, EPI and EASA would have to explore new territory.

"We worked with EASA intently over the last 18 months to get the engine to the full certification standard," says EPI president Simon Henley. The engine consortium is responsible for delivering the A400M's entire propulsion system. At its heart are four TP400s, each weighing around 1,900kg (4,190lb) and with 5.3m (17.4ft)-diameter, eight-bladed Ratier-Figeac FH386 propellers. They are integrated with the aircraft via a full authority digital engine control system described as being several times more complex than the one used on the Airbus A380.

It is almost six years since the TP400 made its first ground run in France. Engines have since amassed more than 12,000h of running time, including around 4,000h at ground test sites in France, Germany, Spain and Belgium. The remaining 8,000h have been accrued on the wings of four A400M development aircraft, with more than 5,000 engine hours logged in flight.

As with the A400M programme as a whole, the engine development work has run well behind the schedule set out in the original contract signed with Europe's OCCAR procurement agency. First delivery of the aircraft was then targeted for November 2009, but it would be one month beyond this date before the first development aircraft, MSN1, would take to the air from Airbus Military's San Pablo site near Seville in Spain.

Efforts to save the A400M from possible cancellation led to the declaration of a roughly three-year programme delay. Airbus Military says it is successfully tracking this target.

The next major milestone on the TP400's journey to service entry will be the planned receipt of military certification around mid-2012. This target remains in place, despite a roughly eight-month slip experienced in achieving the civil standard, Henley says.

Speaking at last year's Farnborough air show, EPI officials identified a September 2010 target for civil certification. However, with the TP400 being both the first large turboprop and the first military engine to have come before EASA, the deadline came and went.

Concluded in the last quarter of 2010 as the last major element of the certification programme, medium bird ingestion testing represented a potential major stumbling block when it came to the TP400's ability to meet a widely adopted industry standard for recovering from such an event.

The agency's regulations stipulate that "ingestion must not cause more than a sustained 25% power loss, or the engine to be shut down during test". But its specific requirement for the design to recover within a period of not more than 3s could not be met.

"We were very close to the absolute figures that they had provided," Henley says, attributing the issue to the regulator's desire to maintain the standards employed towards turbofan designs. Although the TP400 required 3.8s to reach the required 75% power level after an incident, he notes that it then went on to recover to 100% rating just 1.2s later, having suffered no damage. With this in mind, the EASA went to public consultation to propose an alternative means of compliance.

In April, it said: "EASA is not in the position to judge whether or not other comparable turbo­prop engine designs have met the 3s recovery, since there was no European turboprop engine subject to type certification over the last 40 years. Moreover, there is no evidence that any turboprop ever met the 3s recovery time."

The agency noted that: "The energy delivered to the aircraft after the medium bird strike and during the subsequent 3.8s is equivalent to or better than an acceptable realistic profile for 75% power recovery in 3s."

EPI says that "during development testing the engine demonstrated exceptional performance operating at sea-level and altitude conditions. It also proved its ability to cope with bird strike, ice and water ingestion."

"We are specification-compliant in terms of performance," says Henley.

The civil type certification achievement came as additional good news to the EPI consortium, which had just days earlier signed an amended contractual agreement with Airbus Military to resolve all issues linked to the A400M's delay. The pact was signed in Toulouse by Henley and Erik Buschmann, Airbus Military's head of propulsion procurement.

© Europrop International Rolls-Royce is responsible for the TP400's high-pressure compressor; certification work concluded in the last quarter of 2010

Henley says all the "hard negotiating" over the resolution had been done before he became EPI president on 1 January this year. Noting that those involved had a "shared destiny" in wanting to deliver the A400M, he says the result was "a very cordial agreement that all parties were happy with".

The amendment also incorporates changes agreed in a new contract signed by the programme's seven launch nations via OCCAR on 7 April 2011, including a less steep ramp-up to full-rate production of the aircraft. As well as the 170 A400Ms for the European partners, 10 more will still be built from original planned orders for Germany and the UK, and offered for sale "as soon as possible". Four more will be delivered from 2014 to the programme's lone export customer, Malaysia.

INTERNATIONAL USERS

Work linked to the TP400 is expected to be valued much more if Airbus Military gets anywhere near its target of selling another 400 A400Ms to international users over the next three decades. Snecma believes the technologies behind the giant turboprop could also have future applications with equipment such as "combat drones or heavy helicopters".

EPI is now working to complete the last four flight-test engines to be produced, with 25 having been delivered previously. "We will hand those over in the second half of this year and start to build production engines towards the end of the year," Henley says. "There is still some validation testing to do, but we know the configuration."

The first deliveries will power production aircraft MSN7 in flight from late 2012.

A new assembly line for the TP400 has already been established at MTU's Munich site, and Henley says this is now "live and running smoothly". Previous plans had called for the work to be conducted at the German company's Ludwigsfelde plant, but the latter will still be used during the test and delivery of completed engines.

Four of an eventual five "Grizzly" flight-test aircraft are involved in development activities from Seville and Toulouse, with the most recent aircraft having begun operations last December. The fifth, a production-representative aircraft, MSN6, should be flown for the first time in October, with its engines to be installed soon on the San Pablo final assembly line. The fleet has amassed around 1,600 flight hours, with another 1,000h required before the declaration of initial operating capability to the customer nations in late 2011.

The EPI team receives near real-time engine data from the flight tests at R-R's Filton site near Bristol in the UK, which Henley says is a great benefit. "We get feedback within two or three hours, so can process any issues overnight."

It is in flight test that much key information has been gathered about the performance of the propulsion system. Activities conducted by the fleet in the past few months have included measuring the TP400's capabilities across a range of conditions, from minimum speed take-offs to high crosswinds and sub-zero temperatures. This followed earlier strong results during stall testing, which Airbus Military says validated the clean airflow created by using a "down between the engines" configuration.

Powerplants and systems were subjected to extended "cold soak" tests during a deployment to Kiruna in Sweden this year. These included a 24h period exposed to temperatures as low as -38°C (-36.4°F). Elsewhere, test aircraft have operated in crosswinds of up to 22kt (40km/h), with higher speeds to be sought later.

The TP400's power has been demonstrated recently in minimum control speed tests, with MSN4 having been rotated as low as 82kt and with climb-out at 105kt.

Work was also conducted in April on VMCG (minimum control speed on the ground) tests, in which a fuel restriction was introduced to one engine to simulate a failure during the take-off run, and 12 shutdowns performed. In the event that one of the aircraft's outboard engines loses power on take-off, the opposite TP400 has its output reduced by 25% using an automatic take-off compensation system.

Good results have also been reported from initial tests with acoustic cladding installed inside MSN4. "First indications are that noise levels are already meeting requirements," says Ed Strongman, Airbus Military's chief test pilot military. This could lead to a weight saving by removing the need to install active noise cancellation equipment in the cargo hold. Full noise measurements will be performed using MSN6.

NO PROBLEMS

"We've done all the work on the propeller and the propeller stress survey and calibration flights to show the power being produced on the aeroplane is as we expected, plus all the transients and the slams in various configurations, with no problems," says Strongman. One more FADEC standard has yet to come, but he says the current one - FFS 2.1 - delivers full functionality.

Fifteen dry contacts were also made with a Royal Air Force Vickers VC10 in air-to-air refuelling trials conducted from Toulouse. The test team wanted to study the effects on the A400M's propellers and tailplane from the tanker's four R-R Conway engines, and Strongman says "there were no problems across the envelope".

Water ingestion tests will be at Istres in June, and fleet activities for the rest of this year to be focused on securing EASA civil type certification for the A400M itself.

One production modification to the propulsion system is likely to include the installation of vortex generators inside the jet pipe to address a nacelle cooling issue identified in early testing when jet flow returned inside the nacelle when run at low power on the ground. The change has been proven on the ground and in flight.

© Charles Knight/Rex Features The A400M flew at Farnborough last year

Looking ahead to the need to provide TP400 operational support, plans have been made for an "EPI Protect" model. This was initially viewed as being a collaborative arrangement between France and the UK, but Germany and Turkey at least have also shown interest in using a joint set-up. "We are having preliminary-type discussions, but we know what it would look like. It gets closer and closer to a commercial approach," says Henley.

"It's an incredibly integrated programme, from the engine into the propulsion system and into the aircraft," he says, referring to EPI's close working relationship with Airbus Military. "I am delighted with the extent to which we have been able to work together."

The A400M will be on static and flying display at June's Paris air show, and at the 40th anniversary Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in the UK in mid-July.

• Watch video of the Airbus A400M flying at last year's ILA air show in Berlin

The ice-breaker MV Polarbjorn Photo: PA

The Ministry of Defence is spending £26 million renting a ship from Norway, it has confirmed.

31 May 2011 THE TELEGRAPH

The ice-breaker MV Polarbjorn, which is being renamed HMS Protector, will be commissioned into the Royal Navy fleet on June 23.

The ship's duties will include patrolling the waters around the Falkland Islands and South Atlantic, and taking on the Navy's Antarctic mission.

The MoD confirmed the initial three-year contract for loan of the ship was worth £26 million.

The ship has also undergone a refit involving the repositioning of the flight deck from the bridge roof to the stern, the installation of a multi-beam echo sounder survey system, an overhaul of the main engines and gearboxes and the addition of naval insignia.

The spending comes after a round of cuts to the Navy which includes the loss of aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, Harrier jump-jets, and 5,000 jobs.

An MoD spokeswoman said: ''HMS Protector offers a highly capable and value-for-money solution to fulfil the important ice patrol ship capability while a decision is made on the future of HMS Endurance.''

The 4,985-ton HMS Protector will be crewed by 76 Royal Navy personnel.

The loan will be for an initial period of three years while the MoD considers whether to repair or replace HMS Endurance, which suffered major flooding off Chile in 2008.

Protector was built in 2001 as an Antarctic research ship.

The name Protector has a historic connection with Britain's Antarctic commitment as it was the name of the ship which preceded the Endurance.

Protector will carry out all the functions of an Antarctic patrol ship involving close links with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the UK Hydrographic Office and the British Antarctic Survey.

May 31, 2011 ASDNews Source : Saab AB

In May four Gripen fighters from the 211th tactical squadron, Časlav Air Force Base in the Czech Republic participated in the NATO Tiger Meet 2011.

The exercise took place in Cambrai, France and is one of the largest air exercises in Europe. The Gripen squadron defended its triumph from last year when they won the Silver Tiger Award and also this year they belonged to one of the best squadrons.

Exercise at all levels

NATO Tiger Meet is not just about the aircraft or the pilot. It stands for a sophisticated system of modern supersonic fighters controlled by a pilot trained at the best level, with the support of qualified and competent technical staff. The Czech Gripen pilot, Lieutenant Milan Nykodym, was one of the participants in NATO Tiger Meet 2011.

"We have trained together with the Swiss Air Force's F/A-18 Hornet and with F16 Fighting Falcon bearing the Turkish and Greek insignia", he said.

The 211th tactical squadron proved their qualities in dozens of simulated air duels, in rescue operations in aid of downed pilots, in seeking and destroying important targets in the opponents' rear and as protection of helicopters with paratroopers.

"During the exercise two Czech Gripen fighters were gracing the sky of France in the mornings while in the afternoon fighting in a cluster of four. All demonstrating the great capabilities of the Gripen fighter", he continues.

The NATO Tiger Association (NTA) brings together units from all over the world that have a tiger or other big cat in their logos or emblems. The large-scale international exercise, NATO Tiger Meet, is intended by the association to strengthen the ties between its members.

30 Mai 2011 PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Le plus récent système de missiles anti-aérien de la Royal Navy est désormais prêt au service. Richard Scott étudie l’intégration et les essais qui ont mené à sa qualification opérationnelle.

Le 17 juin 2010, la barge Longbow était mouillé à quelques nautiques au large d’ l’île du Levant, le centre d’essais de missiles de la Délégation Générale pour l’Armement. Le personnel du centre et des ingénieurs de MBDA, le concepteur du missile Aster et maître d’œuvre du système Sea Viper, se préparaient pour un essai important du système de missiles anti-aérien Sea Viper destiné à la Royal Navy.

Après des essais réussis en juin 2008 et en février 2009, le programme Sea Viper avait connu des problèmes en mai 2009 lorsque le 3è essai de qualification, qui comprenait un tir en salve sur une cible manœuvrant à basse altitude, avait raté l’interception. En novembre de la même année, un nouvel essai avait conduit au même échec.

Des investigations avaient conduit à la découverte d’un problème de production au niveau du missile Aster 30.

Dans les semaines qui ont précédé le nouvel essai du Sea Viper, la réussite des essais depuis des bâtiments français et italiens, avec des missiles réparés, ont semblé confirmer que le problème était résolu. Mais cet essai du Sea Viper, avec un environnement complexe, était destiné à tester les limites du système.

A 12 heures 55, une cible Mirach 100/5 est lancée depuis l’île du Levant. Sur la barge Longbow, l’antenne du radar multi-fonctions du Sea Viper, le Sampson, tourne à 30 tours par minute au sommet d’un mât de 34 m de haut. Le radar peut effectuer simultanément une recherche sur tout l’horizon et une recherche en volume.

12 minutes plus tard, la cible est détectée par le radar Sampson. La trace est transmise au système Sea Viper pour évaluation de la menace.

Le système informatique, utilisant des ordinateurs à haute vitesse de traitement, a immédiatement pris la piste en compte et place le radar en mode poursuite. La trace a été identifiée comme une menace.

Deux missiles Aster 30 — stockés dans un module de lancement vertical SYLVER A50, sur le pont de la barge Longbow — reçoivent des messages d’initialisation — position et trajectoire prédite de la cible à intercepter. La nature de la cible nécessitait un tir en salve pour augmenter la probabilité de destruction.

"3, 2, 1 , 0," annonce le responsable des essais depuis la barge Longbow, puis "Autorisation de lancement."

Un panneau s’ouvre sur le module de lancement et, 2 secondes plus tard, une flamme orange et brillante précède un nuage de fumées blanches alors que le 1er missile Aster 30 décolle et se dirige vers sa cible.

Puis, 5 secondes plus tard, nouveau lancement pour le 2è missile. Après avoir largué leur propulseur d’accélération, les 2 missiles se dirigent à plus de Mach 4 (4 fois la vitesse du son) vers la cible Mirach. Dans le même temps, le radar Sampson continue de pister la cible et transmet à mi-course des messages de correction, modulés sur le faisceau radar.

Cette mise à jour continue de la position de la cible et du missile a permis au 1er de s’approcher de la cible. Dans la phase finale, il est passé en mode de recherche active, allumant son propre radar. La cible Mirach a alors effectué une manœuvre d’évitement à fort taux de "g", pour tenter d’échapper à l’interception. Le missile Aster a donné une poussée latérale pour s’approcher de la cible, effectué un coup direct et détruire la cible. Quelques secondes plus tard, le 2è missiles Aster 30 traversait les débris de la cible.

Le système Sea Viper est le système de missiles anti-aérien retenu par la Royal Navy pour équiper ses nouveaux destroyers Type 45.

La nécessité d’un tel système est apparue immédiatement après la Guerre des Malouines en 1982. Les pertes survenues pendant le conflit ont mis en lumière les limites des systèmes existants de lutte anti-aérienne, que ce soit en haute-mer ou en environnement littoral. Les systèmes de l’époque étaient trop lents à réagir, très limités en canaux de contrôle de tir et incapable d’intercepter les cibles les plus difficiles.

Les nouveaux types de missiles anti-navires nécessitaient le développement de nouveaux systèmes, dit de défense de la zone locale, qui pourraient fournir un "parapluie" au-dessus et autour d’un bâtiment ou d’un groupe de bâtiments.

Destiné à fournir une capacité d’auto-défense, à courte et moyenne portée, contre un large éventail de menaces aériennes, le système Sea Viper est une des 2 versions du système tri-national PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) développé par MBDA pour répondre aux besoins de défense anti-aérienne de la France, de l’Italie et du Royamune-Uni.

La version retenue par la France et l’Italie, le PAAMS(E) qualifié en 2007, pour leurs frégates Horizon/Orizzonte, partage avec le Sea Viper un certain nombre de sous-systèmes, en particulier les missiles Aster 15 Aster 30, et le système de lancement vertical SYLVER A50.

En revanche, le PAAMS(E) utilisé par la France et l’Italie utilise le radar multi-fonction EMPAR (bande G) de Selex Sistemi Integrati et un système de contrôle commande différent.

De son côté, le Sea Viper (aussi baptisé PAAMS[S]) utilise le radar Sampson (bande E/F) de BAE Systems et un système de contrôle commande développé en Grande-Bretagne. Il permet de répondre à une spécification de performances plus restrictives. En effet, la Grande-Bretagne a exigé que son système puisse traiter des cibles plus difficiles : cibles supersoniques plongeant depuis une haute altitude, missiles subsoniques très manœuvrants et supersoniques à vol rasant effectuant des manœuvres terminales.

Cette spécification britannique plus exigeante prévoit de protéger toutes les unités situées dans un rayon de 6,5 km contre 8 missiles supersoniques à vol rasant.

Comme tous les systèmes nouveaux, le système Sea Viper a connu quelques problèmes de jeunesse, qui sont maintenant résolus.

Au début 2005, il est apparu que les modules émission réception (utilisant de l’arséniure de gallium) se répondaient pas aux attentes. Les modules ont été modifiés et depuis, le radar Sampson se comporte conformément aux attentes.

MBDA n’a pas dévoilé la nature précise des problèmes rencontrés dans la production du missile Aster. Mais des sources bien placées ont indiqué à Jane’s que des forces aérodynamiques très fortes pouvaient exciter le revêtement, pouvant conduire à sa séparation du corps du missile. Le flux d’air très chaud pouvait alors endommager le câblage, empêchant la transmission des ordres de vol. Les éléments du revêtement et leur fixation ont été modifiés pour améliorer leur tenue. Plusieurs « dizaines de missiles » Aster seraient concernés, tous seront réparés.

Les essais conduits depuis, sur l’Andrea Doria italien et la barge Longbow ont permis de confirmer la solution retenue.

Bien qu’officiellement, la Royal Navy n’en ait pas exprimé officiellement le besoin, MBDA et BAE Systems ont étudié un calendrier d’évolution qui permettrait de donner à l’ensemble actuel Destroyer Type 45 / Sea Viper une capacité de défense contre les missiles balistiques, sans dégrader les performances anti-aériennes.

Dans un premier temps, cette évolution pourrait s’appuyer sur les versions Aster Block 1 et Aster Block 1NT dont le développement est déjà en cours. Ces 2 versions permettront d’améliorer les performances contre les menaces conventionnelles tout en ajoutant une capacité à portée plus courte contre des missiles balistiques . Selon MBDA et BAE Systems, une capacité anti-missiles balistiques limitée pourrait ajoutée sans impact majeur sur l’architecture actuelle du système de combat du Type 45. Seules des améliorations logicielles seraient nécessaires.

Le missile Aster Block 1NT est considéré comme un point de départ pour la défense anti-missiles balistiques. Mais une version plus évoluée, l’Aster Block 2, permettant une interception extra-atmosphérique, est prévue pour après 2020.

May 29 2011 David Pugliese Defence Watch

Press release from Saab:

Global defence and security company, Saab AB will open new UK headquarters and draw on British engineering expertise in a new Saab Design Centre in London.

With 200 employees already based throughout the UK, Saab is preparing to expand its reach into the British defence industry by opening a central London office to co-ordinate all in-country operations.

The opening of the company's new UK headquarters will be followed by the opening of an engineering design centre. The facility will capitalise on the UK's maritime jet engineering expertise and is scheduled to open in the late Summer.

Initially staffed by approximately 10 British employees, its first project will be to design the carrier-based version of the Gripen new generation multi-role fighter aircraft based on studies completed by Saab in Sweden.

Additionally, Saab is also to centralise its underwater vehicle development and production in the UK. Saab is in the process of merging its military underwater vehicles operations in Sweden with Saab Seaeye, a UK subsidiary based in Fareham, Hampshire, which is the market leader in the design and manufacture of electric remotely operated underwater vehicles for the civilian market. The move to Fareham integrates all operations to benefit the company's significant global customer base in the civilian and defence markets.

Saab President & CEO Hakan Buskhe, said: "Saab has a long and successful relationship with the UK, and I believe our expansion will create the conditions for a wider, strategic partnership that will benefit both nations. Today cooperation is vital in the global defence sector and the UK's requirements and expertise firmly complements our own ambitions and vision."

May 27, 2011 defpro.com

At the meeting of the Baltic Defence Ministers which was held in Latvia on May 26 Lithuanian Defence Minister Rasa Jukneviciene, Estonian Defence Minister Mart Laar and Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks signed a communiqué setting down objectives and principles of further cooperation of the countries.

According to R. Jukneviciene, the signed document embeds the aspiration to deepen mutual integration of the Baltic defence systems by drawing it closer to the Nordic cooperation model, as well as continued development of practical Nordic-Baltic cooperation.

„Better interaction in coordination of defence plans could be one of the measures to facilitate defence integration“, Lithuanian Defence Minister commented on the document.

Having signed the Communiqué the Baltic Defence Ministers reaffirmed the pursuit to have the Baltic Air Policing mission extended after 2015 as an expression of NATO Smart Defence and solidarity and efficiency of members of the Alliance. The Ministers also stressed the intention of the Baltic States to increase significantly Host Nation Support rendered to participants of the Baltic Air Policing mission.

The objective that NATO members would spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defence was also reaffirmed.

The Communiqué highlights the importance of transferring responsibility for security in Afghanistan onto local institutions so that NATO-led multinational forces could concentrate on training missions in 2014. The meaning of unity and solidarity of the allies is also stressed for the success of the responsibility transfer process.

In the Communiqué the Ministers conveyed the necessity to continue NATO reform and development of capabilities crucial for upgrading readiness of the Alliance for collective defence tasks and multinational missions and pointed out that the reform should lead to a more efficient NATO’s command system. The document also accentuates that NATO’s cyber defence policy should provide NATO with measures to counter the increasing cyber threats.

May 28, 2011: STRATEGY PAGE

The German armed forces are going to be quite different in a few years. It will be an all volunteer force, because conscription ends on July 1st. That will cause the armed forces to shrink from 220,000 to about 170,000 troops, and end up a more capable force. Currently, about 22 percent of the troops are conscripts, in service for only six months (although many can, and do, volunteer to stay in for up to 23 months.) The number of civilians working for the armed forces will also shrink (from 75,000 to 55,000). The number staff at the Defense ministry will shrink from 3,500 to 2,000. This will all be a big change from what's been going on for half a century.

During the Cold War, the West German army was 400,000 strong, well equipped and trained to fight. There were another 250,000 troops in the communist East German armed forces. Then the Cold War ended in 1991, the two Germanys united and East German forces were disbanded. The West German military absorbed some of the East German troops. Then the united German forces began to shrink. With the Soviet Union gone, and the former Soviet allies in eastern Europe clamoring to join NATO, Germany no longer had any threatening neighbors. The Cold War German army of Panzertruppen (mechanized troops) had lost its mission. Thus in two decades, German armed forces have been reduced to a third of their combined 1991 strength of 650,000.

Today, a reunited Germany has an army of peacekeepers. Well, only about 15,000 of them are involved in peacekeeping each year (either overseas or preparing to go). The peacekeepers, particularly in Afghanistan, are getting more modern gear, and the expense of this is another reason for shrinking the size of armed forces. The rest of the force is getting modern gear as well, but the troops in Afghanistan have priority. This is the first war German troops have fought in over 60 years. Germany had never gone that long without a war. While most Germans would rather keep the troops at home, there is no question that those under fire must get all the gear they need.

Germany's cutting its defense budget (currently $41.2 billion), but the amount is still being debated. More than half the military budget goes to pay and benefits, including $300 million in bonuses for troops going overseas. The military is being reorganized to better deal with peacekeeping, and less with conventional warfare. More modern equipment is arriving. Currently, about 7,000 German troops are overseas in nine peacekeeping operations, and part of the reorganization will increase that number by 43 percent.

On display at CANSEC is the world's most modern Air Traffic Control radar, ASR-E, together with the world's only civil and military dual use secondary radar MSSR 2000 I (= Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar). (c) Cassidian

27 May 2011 Cassidian press release

Latest-technology sensors for intelligence and protection of the Canadian Forces are at the core of Cassidian's presentations at CANSEC 2011 in Ottawa.

Cassidian is the defence and security division of EADS, formerly EADS Defence & Security. CASSIDIAN capitalizes on a longstanding relationship to its customers in the region focusing on self-protection systems, radars, secured communications, and target drones.

On display at CANSEC is the world's most modern Air Traffic Control radar, ASR-E, together with the world's only civil and military dual use secondary radar MSSR 2000 I (= Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar). The ASR-E system consists of a primary radar on the basis of a semiconductor transmitter and state-of-the-art signal processing technology for long-range surveillance of the surroundings of airports and military airfields. It includes the MSSR 2000 I secondary radar for automatic tracking of cooperative targets according to the latest Mode S and Mode 5 standards.

In 2008, Cassidian was awarded a contract to deliver 22 radar systems for all German military airfields. The radar systems will be used for approach control at the airfield and for airspace surveillance within a large radius to safely coordinate, amongst other things, military flight movements with civil air traffic. In 2009, the company was awarded an additional contract for the installation of five approach control systems at the military airfields of Payerne, Emmen, Meiringen, Sion and Locarno, Switzerland.

Maximum protection for helicopters and aircraft as well as naval vessels and ground vehicles guarantee Cassidian's self-protection systems. Sophisticated electro-optic sensors provide early-warning notifications against missile attacks and enable the real-time triggering of countermeasures. Cassidian's display (EADS Hall, booth #2405) specifically features the COLDS sensor (COLDS = Common Laser Detection System) which detects and classifies various laser-based threats such as laser direction finders and laser-guided weapons.

In the area of UAVs, Cassidian presents its light tactical UAV system Tracker. This mini UAV is dedicated to surveillance and intelligence. It gathers, in day/night conditions, close range high resolution image with secured real-time processing. The system relies on an advanced image exploitation and mission control ground segment. In production for the French Army, Tracker is easy to operate and can be deployed and hand-launched in minutes.

About CASSIDIAN (www.cassidian.com)

Cassidian, an EADS company, is a worldwide leader in global security solutions and systems, providing Lead Systems Integration and value-added products and services to civil and military customers around the globe: air systems (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems), land, naval and joint systems, intelligence and surveillance, cyber security, secure communications, test systems, missiles, services and support solutions. In 2010, Cassidian – with around 28,000 employees – achieved revenues of € 5.9 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2010, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 121,000.

CASSIDIAN – Defending World Security

Sophisticated electro-optic sensors provide early-warning notifications against missile attacks and enable the real-time triggering of countermeasures. Cassidian's display (EADS Hall, booth #2405) specifically features the COLDS sensor (COLDS = Common Laser Detection System) which detects and classifies various laser-based threats such as laser direction finders and laser-guided weapons. (c) Cassidian

May 27, 2011 Tony Skinner, SHEPARD GROUP

Berlin - The UK Ministry of Defence has delivered the first software update to the Integrated Defensive Aids System (DAS) for the RAF’s fleet of Chinook transport helicopters, in what has been described as a major survivability upgrade.

As part of Project Baker, Selex Galileo has been working contracts worth more than £10 million under an urgent operational requirement (UOR) to provide the DAS system for the Chinooks and the concept has now been pushed out to RAF Puma helicopters as they are upgraded to Mk2 standard.

Speaking at the Electonic Warfare 2011 conference in Berlin on 27 May, Steve George from the DAS Upgrade Chinook Integrated Project Team said the software upgrade was delivered in March and the system would serve as the foundation of future UK rotary wing DAS programmes.

Key to the system is a central DAS controller that acts as an interface with the aircraft’s protection hardware, providing a ready upgrade path and making the system hardware agnostic, while a Meggitt TFT display gives the crew one system to monitor.

‘The key is use of a separate DAS controller, as opposed to embedding the integration function in a DAS component. This delivers technical advantages and gives more freedom in handling system interface – the customer can build and update a DAS solution without having to update a sensor, effector etc,’ George said.

He said due to the piecemeal nature of rotary DAS evolution, with new systems installed under various UORs, aircrews were required to monitor up to six displays, which was an unnecessary distracting.

Under Project Baker, an industry team led by AgustaWestland, with Selex as systems integrator and Boeing as the platform design authority, worked with the MoD, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the RAF Air Warfare Centre in developing the system.

George said Chinooks equipped with the new configuration had already deployed to Afghanistan where it was performing well.

‘It has the best possible performance of a new sensor system. It is on record that the Chinook platform is the best integration of any warning system that has been achieved in the UK. We have the highest level of performance – I can’t go into details, they are classified, but we have done it.’

The integration of a central DAS controller is only one component of the upgrade of protection systems across the MoD’s rotary fleet.

Selex is also supplying its Eclipse pointer-tracker and Type 160 infrared counter measure (IRCM) laser as part of the Common Defensive Aid Suite (CDAS) technology demonstrator programme (TDP), which aims to define the architecture for advanced defensive aid systems.

As part of the three year programme, the company expects to go ahead with flight trails later this year. A variant of the system has also been offered to the US Army alongside partner Northrop Grumman for the CIRCM programme and Selex is also hopeful of releasing an export version.