15 déc. 2014 BAE Systems

12 December 2014 BAE Systems

We have completed the first full trial installation of MBDA’s Brimstone missile onto a Typhoon aircraft.

The trial fit is an important milestone in demonstrating the integration of the missile with the aircraft and follows the successful completion of an initial £5M study contract awarded to us by the UK’s Ministry of Defence earlier this year.  The trials are helping to pave the way for Brimstone 2 integration for the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) by 2018. 

Six Brimstone missiles were fitted to the aircraft, each wing carrying a launcher with three missiles. Training missiles were used for the purposes of the trial and demonstrated that the weapon can be fitted to the aircraft.  The aircraft was also fitted with two Paveway IV precision guided bombs, showing the baseline Phase 3 Enhancements Air-to-Surface configuration which will provide RAF Typhoon operators with a multi-role platform capable of addressing a wide range of target sets and delivering a variety of proportional precision weapon effects.

Andy Blythe, Test Pilot said “Brimstone is an extremely flexible combat low collateral damage missile which was proven on the Tornado GR4.  Brimstone 2 is the next iteration of the weapon and building on its previous successes, will undoubtedly provide the RAF with a potent capability. When the system is paired with Typhoon and Paveway IV, the aircraft will be able to engage a huge cross section of potential targets.”

The current Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone which Brimstone 2 replaces is effective against the most challenging, high speed and manoeuvring targets over land and sea. As a low collateral, close air support weapon it is already combat proven by the RAF in Afghanistan, Libya and most recently in Iraq on the Tornado GR4.

Fitting of the Brimstone missile comes in a year that has seen progress across a range of programmes for Typhoon.  The UK RAF are now operating the most advanced Typhoon to date with the latest Phase 1 Enhancement package now in operation.  This upgrade delivers true simultaneous swing-role capability to Typhoon.

Progress is also being made across a number of weapons programmes including the award of a full integration contract for the Storm Shadow weapon and further trials to fully integrate the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-To-Air missile.  In addition an EUR1bn contract to develop and fit the Captor E-Scan radar was signed on 19 November which will give Typhoon one of the most advanced radar systems in the world, providing a wider field of regard than any other combat aircraft.  

04 December 2014 BAE Systems
 

A Typhoon aircraft has successfully completed the first in a series of live firings of the MBDA Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile. This continues the series of trials we lead to demonstrate integration of the Meteor missile with Typhoon's weapon system.

Following contract signature in 2013 for the full integration of Meteor onto Typhoon, the trials continue to demonstrate that the weapon operates effectively with the aircraft.

Led by ourselves with support from MBDA, Selex, Qinetiq and MOD, the trials were conducted  in November 2014  at the MOD’s Hebrides firing range in the UK and further developed and tested the integration of the missile with the weapon system as well as expanding the jettison envelope by conducting firings at different altitudes and speeds. The trials also tested the interface of the missile with the weapon system for both pre-launch priming and post launch datalink functions between the missile and radar.

Test pilot Nat Makepeace flew the sortie and  said: “The aircraft and the weapon performed exactly as expected.  It’s very easy and intuitive to operate, and the trials demonstrated that we can operate in an expanded envelope safely and accurately.  This is a significant step forward for the full integration of the Meteor missile onto the Typhoon aircraft.”

Produced by MBDA, Meteor is an active radar guided missile designed to provide a multi-shot capability against long-range manoeuvring targets, such as fast jets, small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures environment.

Capable of engaging air targets during day and night, and in all-weather conditions, the Meteor will complement Typhoon’s existing missile systems, providing pilots with a greater choice of weapons during combat.

Further firing trials are scheduled to be carried out as part of the Meteor Integration contract to fully expand the launch envelope and weapon system integration which will culminate in the integration being complete in 2017.

These trials take place in a year that has seen progress across a range of programmes for Typhoon. The UK RAF are now operating the most advanced Typhoon to date with the latest Phase 1 Enhancement package now in operation. This upgrade delivers true simultaneous swing-role capability to Typhoon. Progress is also being made across a number of weapons programmes including the award of a full integration contract for the Storm Shadow weapon and the first multiple release of a Paveway IV bomb.

A £800m contract to develop and fit the Captor E-Scan radar was signed in November which will give Typhoon one of the most advanced radar systems in the world, providing a wider field of regard than any other combat aircraft. Typhoon is already regarded as one of the world’s leading swing-role combat aircraft and continues to be upgraded to provide decades of effective, relevant effect. 

23/11/2014 IsraelDefense

BAE and IMI offer the IDF an extended and upgraded version of the veteran M-113 APC, fitted with an active protection system and passive and reactive protection

Not just Merkava (NAMER) APCs? BAE and IMI have jointly offered IDF a project involving the acquisition of extended and upgraded M-113 Armored Personnel Carriers.

The need for the prompt renewal of at least a portion of the IDF APC fleet is one of the significant lessons derived from the fighting in the Gaza Strip. IDF entered the operation with an insufficient amount of protected Merkava (NAMER) APCs, and were consequently compelled to also employ outdated M-113 APCs, dating back to the 1970s. One of these APCs was bogged down owing to a technical malfunction during the operations of the Golani brigade in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and was subsequently destroyed by an antitank missile. In the attack on the stranded APC and the subsequent evacuation operations, 13 troopers and commanders were killed and dozens were injured. IDF had to employ artillery fire in order to support the evacuation effort.

As reported in the special edition of Israel Defense magazine that concluded Operation Protective Edge (Issue #22), IDF hastened to cancel a planned cut in the manufacture of future NAMER APCs pursuant to the operation. The NAMER APCs are manufactured as a joint project with the General Dynamics Company in the USA, with some of the financing provided through US Aid funds.

During the visit by Defense Minister Ya'alon to the USA in late October 2014, it appeared that IDF will increase by 200 the number of NAMER APCs originally ordered prior to the war.

Israel Defense has learned that the joint proposal of BAE and IMI involves the renewal and upgrading of APCs in a manner similar to a project recently completed in Canada. According to the proposal, the old APCs are to be cut across the middle and extended. At the same time, all of the APC assemblies are to be replaced, including the engine and the steering system: the old joystick-driven system will be replaced by a steering-wheel driven system. The new engine has a 400hp output and this power boost will enable the fitting of 6 tons of passive and reactive protection, in addition to an active protection system.

The cost of the upgrading process can be significantly lower than the cost of a new NAMER APC, which is estimated at around US$ 5 million, but according to the proposal submitted to the IDF Ground Arm, the upgrading project is just a "complementary project" to the planned acquisition of the NAMER APCs. IDF are to review the proposal over the coming weeks.

17 November 2014 BAE Systems  Ref. No: 243/2014

U.S. Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) program to protect U.S. rotary and fixed-wing aircraft from infrared guided missiles.

BAE Systems today announced that it has submitted its proposal for the U.S. Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) program. CIRCM is a lightweight, low-cost, and modular laser-based aircraft protection system, designed to protect U.S. rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft from infrared guided missiles.

“The submission of our CIRCM proposal is the latest offering in our more than 40 years of experience with infrared countermeasures, delivering critical aviation survivability equipment to our armed forces,” said Bill Staib, director of Threat Management Solutions at BAE Systems. “We are leveraging the company’s extensive expertise to submit a proposal for a next-generation aircraft survivability solution, which would protect U.S. military aircraft and troops from existing and evolving infrared-guided threats.”

CIRCM is designed to be part of a suite of infrared countermeasures that also includes a missile warning system and a dispenser for flares. The Army’s current missile warning system is BAE Systems’ Common Missile Warning System (CMWS), which is responsible for detecting and declaring an infrared threat. Both CIRCM and the dispenser receive the handoff from CMWS and provide appropriate countermeasures to defeat the threat.

BAE Systems’ CIRCM offering has been tested and evaluated in the company’s Worrell/Weeks Aircrew Protection Center. This unique state-of-the-art facility enables rigorous analysis and integration of aircraft survivability equipment in an operationally representative environment.

Since BAE Systems was awarded an initial contract in 2012 to compete in the CIRCM technology demonstration phase, the company has met or surpassed every program milestone, including the early delivery of initial units, successful lab testing, design reviews, and flight testing. Early next year, the Army plans to award a 26-month contract for the engineering, manufacturing, development, and delivery of 21 CIRCM systems.

Additional information regarding the company’s threat management solutions can be found at www.baesystems.com/threat-management.

12 nov. 2014 BAE Systems

Défense -  Images de synthèse du concept SCAF (Système de Combat Aérien Futur). (Crédits : Dassault Aviation)

07/11/2014 Michel Cabirol – laTribune.fr

Paris et Londres ont donné le coup d'envoi à des études industrielles pour un futur drone aérien de combat franco-britannique à l'horizon 2030. Dassault Aviation et BAE Systems vont coopérer sur ce projet qualifié "d'historique".

6 novembre 2014 par Gil Roy – Aerobuzz.fr

Le Joint Strike Fighter américain, archétype de l’avion de combat de cinquième génération, sera-t-il le dernier vecteur piloté de l’intérieur ? Les progrès réalisés par le drone furtif X-47B peuvent laisser penser, en effet, que l’avenir appartient aux drones. En Europe, Dassault Aviation a pris les commandes du Neuron, un démonstrateur de drone de combat, également furtif, qui pourrait préfigurer le successeur du Rafale, du Gripen ou encore de l’Eurofighter. Si ce programme implique une multitude d’industriels de Défense de nombreux pays, en revanche, celui qu’il va désormais falloir appeler SCAF pour «  Système de combat aérien futur » ne réunit que deux partenaires, la France et la Grande-Bretagne, qui ont déjà a leur actif plusieurs programmes aéronautiques communs. Dans le domaine militaire, on se souvient évidemment du Jaguar…

Suite de l'article

10 October 2014 Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP

Steel was cut today for the first of 3 new Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) at a ceremony in Glasgow.

Défense Le rapport de KPMG épingle l'avion de combat Eurofighter Typhoon de BAE Systems, Airbus Group et Finmeccanica - photo Luftwaffe

07/10/2014 latribune.fr

Un rapport de KPMG identifie 140 problèmes et risques concernant neuf programmes majeurs allemands, d'un montant total de 57 milliards d'euros. Sont épinglés notamment l'avion de transport A400M (Airbus Group) et l'avion de combat Eurofighter Typhoon (BAE Systems, Airbus Group et Finmeccanica).

Oct. 6, 2014 By Richard Tomkins (UPI)

BAE Systems is to convert more Army M88A1 recovery vehicles to an improved configuration.

YORK, Pa., Oct. 6 -- Dozens of U.S. Army M88A1 recovery vehicles are to be converted to a new configuration by BAE Systems under a $153.6 million contract.

A total of 53 M88A1 recovery vehicles will be converted to the M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System -- or HERCULES -- configuration, which is able to recover the M1 Abrams tank and the heaviest mine-resistant ambush protected variants on the battlefield.

"This contract provides enhanced capabilities for America's soldiers and will help preserve the defense industrial base by retaining critical employees and unique skill sets," said Adam Zarfoss, director of Artillery and Recovery Systems at BAE Systems. "The HERCULES is a significant upgrade over its predecessor and is essential to fulfill successful recovery missions."

Work on the vehicles will be primarily conducted at company facilities in York, Pa., extending the M88 production line within the Combat Vehicle Industrial Base through 2016.

BAE Systems said additional work under the contract would be performed at Anniston Army Depot and BAE Systems' Aiken, S.C., facility.

The company has so far converted nearly 650 U.S. Army M88 vehicles to the HERCULES configuration.

RG21 - BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa

17 September 2014 by defenceWeb

BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa launched the latest addition to its RG series of mine protected vehicles, the RG21, at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2014 exhibition today.

The company said the vehicle is based on a commercial vehicle, which has been evaluated and customised with the support and experience of Iveco Defence Vehicles, “resulting in a cost-effective vehicle with enhanced maintainability and reliability.”

The RG21 can be configured for many roles and is available in left or right hand variants. The vehicle provides users with a modular interior layout due to the interchangeable mounting rail system. The RG21 is blast protected and can withstand a 21 kg explosive blast under any wheel and 14 kg under the hull.

BAE Systems said the RG21 was designed for cost, manufacturability, and supportability using off-the-shelf components such as the drivetrain, running gear, dashboard and electronics. The vehicle, which can be air transported in a C-130 Hercules, can be configured for various weapons systems such as a manual turret, remote turret, smoke launchers, cupola or seated one man turret.

The vehicle is powered by a 5.88 litre diesel engine developing 240 hp and giving a top speed of 110 km/h. It can seat up to 12 in armoured personnel carrier configuration but is also available in ambulance and command variants. Total payload is 5 200 kg, giving a combat mass of 13 800 kg.

“Protecting soldiers is the top priority for any force and doing so cost effectively provides a great benefit to our customers,” said Johan Steyn, managing director of Land Systems South Africa at BAE Systems. “The design concept used means this new vehicle can be manufactured and supported by local partners in any country.”