11 mars 2015 Royal Navy

March 10th, 2015 By German Radio - defencetalk.com

German Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel is facing an awkward trip. From Saturday, he will be on a four-day journey through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – all countries where Germany has significant business interests. Representatives from 140 German companies will be accompanying him.

Less exhilarating, however, is the fact that each of these countries is guilty of significant human rights atrocities in the name of Islamic law – including beheadings and brutal corporal punishment.

The most notorious of these is Saudi Arabia, the first stop on Gabriel’s tour. Opposition parties have been making the usual appeals to Gabriel’s conscience in advance. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, parliamentary leader of the Green party, called on the vice chancellor to use his meetings to bring up the case of Raif Badawi, the DW prize-winning blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for allegedly “insulting Islam.” She also wants Badawi to be offered asylum in Germany. The socialist Left party MP Jan van Aken echoed the call and demanded that future weapons exports be made contingent on improvements in the human rights situation.

Two days before his journey, the pressure on Gabriel was cranked up further by the release of an answer to an official Bundestag question made by the Left party. In response to the question, Gabriel’s ministry was forced to reveal exactly how many weapons exports Germany had approved over the last 12 years, and to which German arms manufacturers.

Olaf Boehnke, German foreign policy analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations, points out that the government justifies the sales in a number of ways beyond the economic. “The political argument is that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperation partner in a region marked by a lot of insecurity and defragmentation,” he told DW. “Our interest has to be to support those who support European interests in the fight against IS.”

More precise numbers

The answer to Left party’s question shows that, since 2002, Germany has approved an average of 14 weapons exports a year – Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s 2002 – 2005 tenure saw the approval of 68 exports, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2005 – 2009 tenure 48, and her second – up to 2013 – saw 52 approvals.

The figures also showed that Saudi Arabia has been one of Germany’s best weapons customers. In the period 2009 – 2013 alone, under Merkel’s coalition government with the Free Democrats, fully 43 of 52 approvals went to Saudi Arabia – including machine guns, ammunition, and parts for tanks and armored vehicles – all ideal equipment for suppressing internal dissent.

As well as the three countries on Gabriel’s tour, Germany’s other customers in the past 12 years have included Pakistan (fighter plane parts), Indonesia (tank parts), both pre- and post-revolutionary Egypt (ammunition manufacturing equipment), Turkey (assault rifles, ammunition), pre- and post-revolutionary Libya (radar systems), Algeria (parts for surveillance systems), Israel (ammunition, weapons parts), Oman (sniper rifles, machine guns), Lebanon (machine guns, handguns), Bhutan (machine guns, grenades), and Turkmenistan (patrol boats).

While a member of the opposition, Gabriel criticized Germany’s weapons exports, but in office, he has been confronted with grubby realities dealing with business interest groups, Now, he says that the country is still caught in old contracts that it can’t get out of. “But there are various interest camps in a permanent conflict here,” said Boehnke. “In a recent speech, Gabriel said he would much prefer to pass the decision-making to the foreign ministry, because it was much better equipped to judging the human rights situation – which I expect led to a lot of laughter in the foreign ministry, because, of course ,they don’t want to either.”

The government’s weapons exports decisions are made periodically by a secret “security council,” chaired by the chancellor and attended by key ministers, like Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Flooding the Middle East with weapons

The new figures also show that fully one-third of the approved contracts went to the controversial gun-maker Heckler and Koch, named by anti-weapons campaigners as the “deadliest company in the world,” and currently under investigation by Stuttgart prosecutors for illegally exporting assault rifles to Mexico. Heckler and Koch’s machine guns are used by police forces and armies all over the world, as well as virtually every Islamist militia – from Hezbollah to “Islamic State.”

Despite this, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly been sold “manufacturing equipment” for Heckler and Koch guns over the past decade. “Whether it’s Schröder, Merkel, [former Foreign Minister Joschka] Fischer, or Steinmeier, they all personally decided to put the instruments of oppression into the hands of the unjust regime in Saudi Arabia,” van Aken told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Thanks to Germany, Saudi Arabia now has the capacity to make its own Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifles – the state-of-the-art weapon used by the Bundeswehr and other NATO forces. Given that these guns can be functional for a period of 30 to 50 years, it seems likely they will be in circulation around the Middle East conflicts for decades to come, and that Western coalition soldiers will eventually be facing “terrorist” militias armed with German weaponry.

Mar 10, 2015 ASDNews Source : Saab AB

Defence and security company Saab have signed a contract on further deliveries of components for the Carl-Gustaf man-portable weapon system.

The order has a total value of SEK 127 million and comprises components for ammunition to the Carl-Gustaf system, a modern and effective ground support weapon system. The contract also includes an option for additional orders with a total value of SEK 60 million.

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March 3, 2015 By Gerard O'Dwyer - Defense News

HELSINKI — As Russia strengthens its naval, air and ground forces in its northern territories, Norway has responded by scaling-up manpower, equipment and Arctic combat units as part of a broader reinforcement of its High North defenses.

Norway's program, part of the Norwegian Defense Forces' (NDF) Smart Defense strategy, comprises a strong Arctic-focused dimension in funding and resource allocation.

The Smart Defense approach to High North military reinforcement has, since 2010, placed higher priority on Arctic-class specialized equipment procurement coupled with more intensive training for High North-deployed units. The goal is to produce combat-ready modular units that can fight independently or alongside NATO forces.

The NDF's August 2009 decision to relocate the Army's headquarters functions to the Arctic town of Bodø — 1,700 kilometers north of Oslo — bolstered Norway's commitment to establishing an integrated High North defense system. That decision led to the establishment of the Joint Operational Command Headquarters (JOCH).

This new approach is centered around more compact units equipped with the best available Arctic fighting equipment and capable of delivering greater firepower.

The JOCH is overseeing the evolution of Norway's High North defenses into a centralized command and coordinated fighting structure that will be able to call upon an Air Force equipped with F-35s, forward Army battalions deploying CV90 tracked armored fighting vehicles and high mobility Archer artillery units, and a stronger Navy operating anti-aircraft and submarine-hunting Arctic-class Fridtjof Nansen frigates and Skjold corvettes.

The scaling-up of Norway's defense capabilities in the High North is happening while the military intelligence services are urging the government to adopt a more cautious posture toward Russia's increasing militarization in the region.

Although the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) believes Norway is under no "short- to medium-term threat" from Russia, its latest open threat evaluation assessment, FOKUS-2015, advocates vigilance.

"Threat is a combination of two factors; capacity and intention," NIS chief Lt. Gen. Kjell Grandhagen said. "Although capacity is increasing, it is difficult for the time being to see a rational reason for Russian military activity against Norway in a short- to medium-term perspective. But intentions can change over time, and it is therefore now increasingly important for Norway to follow Russia's long-term political, economic and military development."

The NIS' intel-gathering capacity will be enhanced once its new advanced signals intelligence ship, the Marjata 11, enters service in the High North and Barents Sea in 2016.

Under the Smart Defense program, Ørland, located on the mid-Norway coast, and Evenes, above Norway's Arctic Circle, will become the main operating bases for F-35 aircraft and, during more regular joint exercises, NATO aircraft and forces. Evenes also will house a Quick Reaction Alert squadron.

Ørland, Evenes and the NDF's core High North battalions will also be equipped with an updated Norwegian advanced surface-to-air missile system, which is being deployed primarily to protect key military installations, warfare units and infrastructure against air-to-surface attacks.

The system uses active missiles and different types of sensors, boosting firepower for the NDF's Smart Defense and High North strengthening program.

Archer, the next-generation self-propelled artillery system developed as a joint project with Sweden, also increases firepower. Norway plans to deploy 24 Archer systems complete with fully automated 155 mm/L52 howitzer guns and M151 Protector remote-controlled weapon stations. These are mounted on modified Volvo A30 six-wheel-drive chassis all-terrain articulated haulers.

The Arctic-class Archer's operational strike-and-run capacity makes it ideal in the hilly and forested terrains of the High North. Moreover, Archer can fire Nexter Bonus and Raytheon/Bofors XM982 Excalibur guided rounds over respective distances of 34 kilometers and 60 kilometers.

The NDF also is establishing a specialized Arctic-trained "professional" rapid reaction force north (RRFN), set to become fully operational in 2017. The RRFN unit's core will comprise an existing armored battalion and a motorized infantry battalion equipped with CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard 2 tanks

Norway's ability to defend its High North territories also received a boost from the Defense Ministry's US $1.6 billion program to re-equip its core forward armored brigade units with CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, part of the NDF's biggest fighting vehicle modernization project investment.

The vehicle fleet upgrade, with delivery scheduled from BAE Systems in 2015-17, will include 74 modernized and armor-strengthened infantry fighting vehicles, 21 reconnaissance, 16 multirole (mortar carrier or cargo), 15 command and control, 16 engineering, in addition to two driver training vehicle types.

The new and updated vehicles are expected to make the NDF's forward armored battalions in the High North more mobile with improved firepower. The infantry vehicles also will have better protection against armor-piercing weapons and rounds, including improvised explosive devices.

The infantry and reconnaissance vehicles will also be equipped with better sensor systems, surveillance and communication capabilities, and fitted with integrated technologies that will extend to dismounted infantry troops. Norwegian company Kongsberg's Protector remote weapon stations are to be fitted to all IFV variants.

The need to prioritize military readiness and defense capability in the High North helped drive Norway's decision to raise spending on defense above that of any of its Nordic neighbors, said defense analyst Thorvald Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian defense minister.

"Russia is rebuilding its naval and Air Force strength, as well as its Arctic fighting capability, in the High North," Stoltenberg said. "While this is understandable from a Russian perspective, its growing level of activity regionally is causing problems and concerns among all Nordic governments and militaries. This is unfortunate, as the emphasis should be on building more, not less, bilateral cooperation with Russia on defense and security in the Arctic."

Norway's defense budget will run to $8 billion in 2015.

Le MRAP HIGUARD de Renault Trucks Defense pourrait-il être vendu à Singapour?

10 mars, 2015 Pierre Brassart (FOB)

La France est, depuis plus de vingt ans, un important fournisseur d’armes pour la république de Singapour. Que ce soit pour les hélicoptères (Cougar, Fennec,…), les blindés (AMX-10P), les missiles (Milan, Mistral, Aster), les frégates (classe Formidable, dérivée des La Fayette), la France est toujours présente. Et, qui sait, peut-être qu’une nouvelle vente se profile à l’horizon…

Le ministère de la défense singapourien a publié début mars un document concernant le futur de son armée, tant en ce qui concerne la marine que l’aviation ou l’armée de terre.  On y parle notamment, pour le volet terrestre, du remplacement de véhicules blindés V200 dans le cadre du programme PRV (Protected Response Vehicle). Or, sur plusieurs sites internet spécialisés, ainsi que sur le site du journal singapourien Today, une photo montrant un véhicule de Renault Trucks Defense, le MRAP Higuard, est apparue.

La République de Singapour pourrait-elle être le deuxième client export pour le Higuard après le Qatar ?

March 10, 2015 By Aaron Mehta – Defense News

WASHINGTON — Boeing and Saab have teamed up to develop a Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) program, with three successful test launches of the new system completed last month.

The three tests, conducted at a range in Sweden, proved that the Boeing and Saab design could successfully launch a SDB weapon from the ground, sync up with GPS and guide the weapon to its target, opening up what Beth Kluba, vice president for Boeing Weapons and Missile Systems, called "all-angle, all-aspect attack."

The system essentially sticks a GBU-39B small diameter bomb, widely used by the US military and a number of international customers, on the front of a M26 rocket. The M26 is set to be demilitarized by 2018 under a set of cluster munitions treaties, meaning the GLSDB program would essentially be recycling an item that countries were planning to stockpile or scrap.

The weapon is designed to be launched out of a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), used by a number of US allies already, avoiding the need to design a new launch system. That MLRS can hold six weapons per pod, with two pods per vehicle.

Executives from the two companies are positioning the system as a low-cost product that meets a requirement gap by combining off-the-shelf products.

"These are technologies that are already in use," Kluba said. "It's off-the-shelf technology. That really drives the risk down for this new capability."

Once launched, the SDB acts as any air-launched SDB would, which means ground-based commanders now have 360-degree coverage. The weapon can do both high and low angles of attack, fly around terrain to hit targets on the back of mountains, or circle back around to attack a target behind the launch vehicle.

Range-wise, the GLSDB can hit targets 150 kilometers in front of the launcher or 70 kilometers behind it.

While declining to put a price range for the system, Kluba said it will be "very affordable" and comparable in price to anything the MLRS currently uses. She also predicted an 18- to 24-month delivery time from when a contract is signed to when the system would be fielded.

"This is not developmental, it's not PowerPoint," she said. "It' hardware, it exists, and through our investment we're able to bring this capability to the war fighter very quickly."

That investment she mentions is all internal R&D spending, something split between the two companies.

According to Kluba and Saab North America President Michael Andersson, there are ongoing discussions with a number of customers, including several who were present for the weapon tests in February. While Kluba confirmed the US Army is looking at the system, she declined to identify other customers.

Boeing actually began development of the GLSDB system in 2011, but dramatically sped up the process once Saab signed on as a partner in August.

Both executives also declined to go into details of how the investment has been split between the two companies. However, it is clear that a big part of Saab's role will be to help sell the system to nations overseas, something in line with previous Boeing teaming efforts.

"From Boeing's point of view, this was something we wanted to do and we were moving towards that goal," Kluba said. "As we conducted out various reviews, we saw an opportunity, because we have a relationship in place with Saab, and as we were looking at the market and how to be most successful in penetrating the global market, we saw an opportunity."

"We view ourselves as equal partners," Andersson said. "We're bringing different skills and capabilities to the program, and that ranges from engineering production, testing and also marketing."

Andersson added that there are 10 potential initial customers identified by the companies, adding that this is a program that could exist even if the US does not buy in.

"Looking at the international coalition partners, this is a very important capability," he said. "In the US context it may be more complimentary. Here it is a unique capability that they haven't had access too, and that's really important in terms of looking at the broader market."

Mar 9, 2015 ASDNews Source : US Navy

Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) successfully undocked USS Maryland (SSBN 738) Feb 21. SSBN 738 is now pier-side to finish its Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO), a complex, major shipyard availability at the submarine's mid-life point that enables the submarine to operate for its entire design service life. Maryland has been at NNSY since Dec. 2012.

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March 8, 2015 By Pierre Tran – Defense News

PARIS — Industry is expecting France to soon launch a tender worth an estimated total €250 million for two types of vehicles for its special operations forces, sources close to the deal said.

The procurement reflects a need for a speedy equipping of the special forces, which have been widely engaged in foreign missions and have worn out the Panhard Véhicule de Patrouille Spéciale.

"The special forces can't wait," said a source who declined to be identified.

The tender comprises two orders, one worth €100 million and the other €150 million, a second source said.

Two sources said such a deal would be expensive for a relatively small order. But a company that wins the bid could promote itself in the market as supplier to the elite French special forces.

The Defense Ministry will hold a tender to choose a vehicle and develop it to meet special forces requirements, procurement chief Laurent Collet-Billon told journalists on Feb. 9.

No off-the-shelf vehicle meets the specifications, which calls for two years of development, he said. The development will adapt the vehicle, which will then undergo a certification to show the weapons and radio will be fit for use, he said.

Special forces command, the chief of the armed forces and the Direction Générale de l'Armement procurement office will conduct the acquisition.

"I hope a solution can be found that meets the urgent needs of the operational forces and the realities of the procurement procedure," French senator Jacques Gautier said.

Gautier, Daniel Reiner and Gérard Larcher co-wrote a Senate report on the special forces published in May. An off-the-shelf acquisition of heavy and light vehicles was planned under the multiyear budget law, the report said.

The special forces command has highly specific requirements, which makes it hard to find a vehicle already on the market, the sources said. Sources said the vehicle likely will be of French, not foreign, manufacture.

One of the specifications is that two of the vehicles can be loaded on the C-130 Hercules transport.

Renault Trucks Defense (RTD), part of the Volvo group, has filed papers to qualify for the tender, which is expected to be launched soon, an industry executive said.

RTD is pitching its four-wheel drive Sherpa Light, which was on display last year at the Eurosatory trade show and at the special operations forces innovation network seminar (SOFINS) the year before.

RTD declined comment.

The SOFINS website refers to "the must-go biennial event for collaboration between the Special Forces community and French industrialists."

RTD had fitted a naval version of a pintle-mounted Nexter 20mm gun on the Sherpa Light displayed at SOFINS two years ago. A second special forces show is due to be held April 14-16 at the Souge army base, near Bordeaux, southwest France.

The special forces drew on lessons learned in the Mali campaign, when insurgents drove pick-ups armed with a Russian 14.5mm gun, which has a range of 1.2 kilometers, greater than that of the 12.7mm, or .50-inch, NATO standard weapon.

Under the public markets law, the Defense Ministry must hold a tender for off-the-shelf acquisition, yet a certification is not always needed. For example, the AWACS and Hawkeye did not need French certification as the spy planes had already been certified by the US authorities.

The special forces also have a requirement for a heavy vehicle in the 10-ton category to replace a current fleet of 212 units.

A second major equipment project for the special forces is an upgrade of avionics and further tactical capabilities on the C-130. The avionics must conform with rules that go into effect from 2020 and set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

9 March 2015 naval-technology.com

The US Marine Corps (USMC) Programme Executive Office - Land Systems has exercised options under a contract awarded to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to support its assault amphibious vehicle (AAV) upgrade programme.

As part of the prime contract signed in May last year, SAIC is responsible for engineering, designing and test upgrading of ten prototypes and 52 low-rate initial production (LRIP) vehicles.

The initial $16m, multiple award included options for prototype vehicle builds and trials, followed by a LRIP.

SAIC Navy and Marine Corps Customer Group senior vice-president and general manager Tom Watson said: "This significant win demonstrates SAIC's ingenuity to meet the demands of our customers and to serve the mission interests of the USMC.

"SAIC is honoured to have the opportunity to support the USMC on this highly important programme to ensure the safety and amphibious mission success of our nation's marines."

The contract value has increased to $69m and, if all options are exercised, will rise to approximately $194m over five years.

Work includes armour and engine rebuilds to enhance horsepower and torque, replacement of ageing transmission, modernisation of suspension components and new water jets and blast-resistant seats, as well as upgrades to vehicle control, instrumentation and driver interface systems.

SAIC will carry out upgrade works primarily at its facility in Charleston, South Carolina, US.

AAVs are capable of attacking any shoreline from the well decks of navy assault ships and can carry marines and cargo through hostile environments.

March 09, 2015 by Paul G. – Think Defence

It’s no secret that the A2 has had a hard few years, with prolonged use in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also ironic that after many modifications it is now a respected weapon, but one without any real chance of newer versions coming into service due to a lack of the tooling required. The A1/A2 are what I would class as 1st generation bullpups: that is, rifles that have made it into mass production and have been accepted into service. Other examples include the Steyr Aug and the FAMAS.

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March 9, 2015 Defense News

Now that Paris has shelved plans to deliver two helicopter assault ships to Russia, Moscow is working overtime to convince India to dump plans to buy French fighters and instead buy a new Sukhoi jet.

In 2012, New Delhi tapped Dassault's Rafale as its next fighter, with plans to acquire 126 of the twin-engine jets for $12 billion. At the time, Indian officials said the French jet would help them reduce their reliance on Russian equipment (India also flies French Mirage 2000 jets as part of a longstanding policy to avoid exclusive dependence on Moscow for military hardware).

By choosing Rafale, India also gains access to cutting-edge technology to advance its aerospace and defense industries.

But talks have stalled over price and who would bear responsibility for Rafales license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Russia is irked that its once-close ally has invested tens of billions of dollars on American transports, helicopters and maritime patrol planes and now is about to buy French jets.

At the recent IDEX trade show in Abu Dhabi, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov announced that Russia and India had inked a deal to co-develop a new version of Sukhoi's Su-35. Indian officials, however, say Russia has pitched the jet, but have not yet agreed to move forward on the project.

The Su-35 is a formidable aircraft and an improvement over India's Su-30s, but the Rafale is superior as a system, with greater mission capability and reliability. And its technology is more likely to serve as a foundation for a more competitive Indian defense and aerospace industry.

The entire rationale behind the Rafale deal wasn't to get the least expensive fighter to meet India's needs, but the aircraft that would best satisfy the nation's long-range military needs as well as its industrial interests.