Elbit Systems Athos 155mm howitzer (photo : behance)

29.03.2014 Defense Studies

MANILA, Philippines -- Elbit Systems Land and C41, a defense material manufacturer based in Israel, won the bid to supply the Army more than P368 million worth of artillery, a source privy to the bidding said.

“Elbit offers P368,837,332 for 12 pieces of 155 Howitzer canons with accessories and ammunition,” beating Bosnian firm BNT, the source said.

The second conference that concluded with the choosing of the winning bid was held in Camp Aguinaldo.

The defense department’s Bids and Awards Committee for the project is led by Assistant Secretary Efren Fernandez.

Elbit offered its Athos howitzer system.

Bids for the contract were opened on December 5 last year, following a pre-bid conference on November 22.

(Interaksyon)

02/04/2014 lorientlejour.com

La ministre italienne de la Défense Roberta Pinotti (Parti démocrate), qui a effectué hier une tournée auprès des dirigeants locaux, a souligné hier « l'appui constant de son pays à la Finul, ainsi que le soutien humanitaire de Rome aux réfugiés, conformément aux aspirations et aux besoins du gouvernement libanais ». « L'Italie maintiendra ses engagements vis-à-vis du Liban », a-t-elle indiqué, annonçant la tenue d'une conférence technique de soutien à l'armée le 10 avril à Rome, en guise de préparation à la conférence majeure qui aura lieu en juin dans la capitale italienne et dans la foulée de la conférence de soutien de New York du 25 septembre dernier.

Il s'agit de la première visite officielle de la ministre italienne depuis sa nomination à ce poste, le 22 février dernier.

Mme Pinotti s'est ainsi entretenue à Baabda avec le président de la République, Michel Sleiman, en présence de l'ambassadeur italien Giuseppe Morabito, avant de se rendre au Sérail où elle a été reçue par le Premier ministre Tammam Salam. Elle a par ailleurs rencontré le ministre de la Défense, Samir Mokbel, et le commandant en chef de l'armée, le général Jean Kahwagi.

La ministre italienne a enfin inspecté, à Naqoura, au Liban-Sud, le contingent de son pays au sein de la Finul, auquel elle a rendu un hommage appuyé. Mme Pinotti a mis l'accent, dans ce cadre, sur l'importance de la contribution italienne à la stabilité et la sécurité au Liban dans le cadre de la situation critique que traverse actuellement la région.

April 2, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: The International Relations and Security Network; issued March 28, 2014)

Is The FD-2000 An Albatross Or A Raptor-Killer?

Why is China proposing to sell FD-2000 anti-aircraft missiles to Turkey? James Hasik thinks there are three possible reasons – Turkey is impressed with the system, China isn’t expecting a military confrontation with America any time soon, or internal disputes are clouding Beijing’s decision-making processes.

The Hurriyet Daily News reported [...] that enthusiasm has begun to wane amongst local subcontractors in CPMIEC’s proposed sale of FD-2000 anti-aircraft missile batteries to Turkey. CPMIEC has been blacklisted by the US government under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act, and Turkish firms are wary of winding up on the wrong side of the world’s biggest customer. As early as last October, Raytheon and Eurosam (MBDA and Thales’s joint venture) were asked to extend their pricing, and the bidding was again extended in January, so this deal is hardly done. Yet unexplained remains the motivation from the Chinese side. Why did Beijing allow CPMIEC to offer an important missile system to a NATO ally of the United States?

The actual quality of the product is hard to discern through public sources, and the heritage can be confusing. The FD-2000 is the export version of the HQ-9, itself originally a clone of the S-300 from Russia’s Almaz-Antey. Allied governments assuredly have better information. As I wrote earlier, the Slovak Air Force first brought its S-300s to a NATO exercise in 2005. The Hellenic Air Force has had 12 launchers since 2000, and test-fired some missiles back in December. The Bulgarians have the weapon too. Consider the Croatian battery that was actually sold to the US in 2003, and you can guarantee that the S-300 has been analyzed down to the smallest screw.

The Chinese missile is not quite the same, though it’s not clear whether it’s better or worse. Many Chinese companies are excellent contract manufacturers, and the industry may have tricked out the old Soviet technology. The record, however, is not good. Chinese efforts to copy Russian aircraft and engines have been thus far unimpressive, so one might wonder about the radars and missiles too. Indeed, in one second-hand report, I heard the FD-2000 described as the air defense equivalent "of a 1991 Hyundai.” Even at a Volkswagen price, that’s not a good deal.

But actual quality is not the issue: what matters in discerning motivation is Chinese perception of that quality. So suppose that the Chinese government actually would agree that the FD-2000 is effectively junk. Selling it to Turkey would put it into the NATO exercise cycle, and as many as 20 air forces could eventually fly against it to test its mettle. If CPMIEC had indeed sold the Turks a $3 billion albatross, word would get around, and the brand image of Chinese weapons would drop even lower than it is today. The Americans would be expected to grasp just how unimpressive China’s air defenses really were. So it’s unlikely that the export version could really be much less impressive than the domestic model.

On the other hand, over at Airpower Australia, Carlo Kopp and Peter Goon are much more impressed with the HQ-9, and it’s conceivable that their sources are Chinese and trustworthy. Suppose then that the Chinese government is quite proud of the quality of the FD-2000. Selling it to Turkey would put it into the NATO exercise cycle, and as many as 20 air forces could eventually fly against it. Then, if the FD-2000 were indeed a Raptor-killer, the Americans could be expected eventually to have a full understanding of just how impressive China’s air defenses really were. But they might not stay impressive for long, as the Americans would furiously work on countermeasures, and with the actual threat system in hand. So it’s unlikely that the Chinese expect to rely on a weapon like the FD-2000 for defense against the US.

This leaves at least three possibilities. The first is that the Chinese have advanced so far in air defense technology that the HD-2000 will be at least modestly impressive to the Turks and their allies, but still nothing compared to what the HQ-9 really is. That certainly would fit with the image that the most alarmed observers hold of China’s ballistic missile technology. But again, the track record in other areas in less impressive.

The second possibility is that the Chinese don’t care, as they consider the prospect of war with the United States quite remote. In that figuring, the posturing over shoals in the South China Sea, the bumper-car games with American ships, the Hainan Island incident, and every other “act of belligerent idiocy from Beijing," as Sydney Freedberg recently termed the histrionics, really are just a game. They’re all stage-managed Cold War antics, just like the Soviets used to enjoy. The bluster and the accompanying military modernization campaign is to show that China is not just the world’s outsourced manufacturing floor, but a modern state that should be taken seriously politically. They could do this with far more class and subtlety, but a variety of factors foreign and domestic keep them on the edge.

The third possibility is that the Chinese decision wasn’t all that strategically coherent. Perhaps this intended sale is not the result of a deep calculation by the Chinese government, but instead the outcome of a power-contest among Chinese elites, or the resultant of the military’s export sales regime just doing what it does.

Unfortunately, there is no clear evidence to support any of these scenarios. The first could be rather comforting around the Pacific Rim, depending on Chinese intentions. The second is quite unsettling for the US and its allies in that region. The third is intriguing, and would argue for a greater effort to understand Chinese interagency politics. Regardless, if the Chinese have badly misjudged their own product, we would know—assuming that the deal closes—when the Turks start howling. If they do know what they’re selling, we might never know—or just not know until the shooting starts.

US Air Force pilots can now fly night training sorties. (US Air Force)

Apr. 1, 2014 - By BRIAN EVERSTINE –Defense News

Navy-based Display Sends 15 Pilots to Simulators for Updated Training

WASHINGTON — Pilots in the US Air Force’s newest and most expensive fighter can now fly at night.

An F-35A training pilot took off March 24 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the joint strike fighter’s first night training sortie. Previously, the service’s training syllabus explicitly prohibited the advanced stealthy fighter from flying at night or during adverse weather because of the different air worthiness standards in the various services flying the plane.

The joint strike fighter is designed as a common fighter for all services. However, an issue arose with the symbols that the system’s pilot interface uses.

The Air Force believed it “didn’t have enough data to ensure the pilot-vehicle interface for night flying was good enough,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the joint F-35 program office executive officer, said March 26 in response to questions from Air Force Times. “What I mean by that, is back in [training] the displays the pilots were looking at were confusing to Air Force pilots but not confusing to Navy and Marine Corps pilots because a lot of the symbology was of Navy origin.”

The confusion arose because the Air Force has a different air worthiness authority than the other services. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, handles the air worthiness standards for the service, while the Navy and Marine Corps use standards from Naval Air Systems Command.

Because the NAVAIR standards are used on the F-35’s night systems, the Air Force trained 15 pilots through simulators at Eglin and the F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas, until it was confident its pilots were ready to begin night flying at Eglin, Bogdan said.

The F-35 program as a whole was cleared for night flying in December, with Navy and Marine Corps pilots beginning sorties in January.

Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh on March 26 told the House Appropriations Committee that despite continuing software issues with the jet, he is “more confident than I’ve ever been” the F-35A will reach its initial operating capability by the end of 2016 as currently scheduled. However, he expects that some issues to remain and will need to be addressed while the jet is flying operationally.

His comments came the day after the Government Accountability Office released a report on the technological issues plaguing the jet, including continuing issues with the complex software in the jet.

“Delays in developmental flight testing of the F-35’s critical software may hinder delivery of expected warfighting capabilities to the military services,” the GAO wrote. Delivery dates vary by service.

The Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation has said that delivery of operational capabilities could ultimately be delayed by as much as 13 months due to delays in software delivery, limited capability in delivered software, and the need to address problems and retest additional software versions.

“[I]f software testing continues to be delayed, if funding falls short of expectations, or if unit cost targets cannot be met, DoD may have to make decisions about whether to proceed with production as planned with less capable aircraft or to alter the production rate,” the GAO wrote.

The Defense Department agrees that software problems are the largest problem facing the F-35 program as a whole, but is more confident in the jet’s future.

“My biggest technical concern in development is still software,” Bogdan said in March 26 testimony to the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air forces subcommittee. “Over the past two years, the program has implemented significant changes in how system software is developed, lab tested, flight tested, measured and controlled.

“These changes are showing positive effects, and I am moderately confident that the program will successfully release the [software upgrades] Block 2B and 3I capability as planned in 2015 and 2016, respectively.”

The first F-35A arrived for pilot training in March at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The base will accept 16 jets this year, and eventually house 144 jets for training. Instructor pilots are still in training at Eglin, which is expected to graduate its 100th pilot and 1,000th maintainer this week

BRUXELLES, 2 avril - RIA Novosti

Les Etats-Unis saluent la décision de Moscou de retirer les troupes massées dans la zone frontalière avec l'Ukraine et attendent d'autres démarches capables d'atténuer les tensions dans la région, a déclaré mardi le secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry.  

"La question est de savoir si cette initiative aura des suites et si les troupes seront retirées afin de calmer la situation", a déclaré John Kerry à l'issue d'une réunion du Conseil de l'Otan au niveau des ministres des Affaires étrangères des pays membres de l'Alliance.  

Plus tôt dans la journée de mardi, le secrétaire général de l'Alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, avait déclaré que l'Otan ne possédait aucune preuve attestant le retrait des troupes russes de la frontière.  

Lundi, le Département de l'Information et de la Presse du ministère russe de la Défense a annoncé que le 15ème bataillon d'infanterie motorisée du district militaire du centre avait terminé ses manœuvres dans la zone du polygone Kadamovski, non loin de la frontière ukrainienne, et allait retourner dans la région de Samara.

by Franco-British Council

Date: 3 April 2014

The British Ambassador in Paris will host this invitation-only annual gathering of  experts. 

Building on the Lancaster House treaties, the Franco-British Council is drawing together senior defence policy makers from the military, industry, academia and the governments in our fouth annual review designed to deliver concrete progress in the bilateral defence relationship. Programme 2014.

The Franco-Britsh Council would like to thank the French Ministry of Defence and the MBDA for their support.

01/04/2014 Sources : EMA

Le 1er avril 2014, le général Pierre de Villiers, chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA), s’est rendu sur la base aérienne (BA) 942 de Lyon Mont-Verdun pour effectuer sa première visite officielle aux forces aériennes.

Accompagné du général Denis Mercier, chef d’état-major de l’armée de l’Air, le CEMA a rencontré les aviateurs du commandement de la défense aérienne et des opérations aériennes (CDAOA) qui planifient et conduisent au quotidien les opérations aériennes.

En se rendant dans le centre névralgique des opérations aériennes, là où se jouent à la fois la protection et la sécurité du territoire national, ainsi que le volet aérien de nos engagements en opérations extérieures, le CEMA a voulu témoigner sa reconnaissance et sa fierté aux hommes et aux femmes qui permettent aujourd’hui à la France de disposer d’une armée qui gagne et qui protège. « J’ai vu ici toute la cohérence de nos forces aériennes. J’ai vu la diversité et la complexité des missions, la manière remarquable dont elles s’imbriquent les unes dans les autres, comme si tout était simple et évident. J’ai vu des hommes et des femmes maîtrisant parfaitement leur partition, des aviateurs engagés, passionnés par leur métier ».

Lors de cette rencontre, le CEMA a également voulu leur communiquer sa vision du modèle d’armées à l’horizon des années 2020. Il a ainsi rappelé que l’objectif de la transformation qui est engagée est de conserver un outil de défense performant. Les modalités de réalisation de ce défi constituent le projet « Cap 2020 » dans lequel il souhaite que chacun s’implique à ses côtés. « Les défis sont nombreux, importants. Ils sont à notre portée si nous agissons ensemble et autrement, pour continuer à faire au mieux. C’est l’esprit de Cap 2020 qui rejoint celui de l’armée de l’Air ‘Unis pour Faire face’ ».

Ce déplacement a été l’occasion pour le CEMA de rencontrer les experts du centre national des opérations aériennes (CNOA) et de découvrir la future salle ACCS (Air Command and Control System). Ce système de commandement et de contrôle aérien de pointe constituera, d’ici 2016, une capacité d’intégration multinationale des systèmes et des données opérationnelles, notamment ceux des partenaires européens de l’Alliance atlantique. Le CEMA a également pu visiter le commandement de la composante aérienne des forces interarmées en Afrique centrale de l’ouest, le JFACC AFCO (Joint Forces Air Component Command). Avec son antenne localisée à N’Djamena au Tchad le JFACC AFCO planifie et conduit l’ensemble des missions aériennes au profit des différentes opérations et forces stationnées dans cette zone. A ce titre, il exerce le contrôle opérationnel des moyens aériens engagés au profit de l’opération Serval. Depuis janvier 2013, le JFACC AFCO a été à la manœuvre des 6000 sorties aériennes réalisées au Mali, dont 2000 ont été consacrées à la chasse, 1600 au renseignement et au ravitaillement, et 2700 aux missions de transport.

Après sa visite à Mailly-le-Camp le 24 mars, le CEMA s'est à nouveau rendu sur le terrain pour rencontrer les hommes et les femmes qui sont au cœur des engagements opérationnels. En qualité de commandant des opérations, il a voulu leur témoigner de sa confiance. Il a également voulu les assurer de sa volonté de bâtir, avec eux, le modèle d'armée qui sera le leur à l'horizon 2020.

01.04.2014 Helen Chachaty - journal-aviation.com

Le consortium AirTanker annonce que la première opération de ravitaillement en vol d’un C-130 Hercules de la RAF par un A330 MRTT a eu lieu le 31 mars. Cette manœuvre fait suite à la certification complémentaire accordée par le ministère de la Défense le 29 mars.

Les MRTT britanniques réalisent des opérations de ravitaillement en vol des Tornado GR4 et des Eurofighter depuis l’été 2013 et ont à ce jour effectué plus de 215 vols de ce type.

La Royal Air Force possède actuellement sept exemplaires des A330-200 modifiés par Airbus Defence & Space, sur les quatorze commandés.

March 31 By Richard Tomkins (UPI)

A direct fire weapons effect simulator used by British forces is to continue to receive support from Saab under a $33.8 million contract.

Swedish defense company Saab says it has received a new contract to continue support and service of a simulator system used by the British Army.

The simulator is the Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator System.

The DFWES is a laser-based tactical engagement system for vehicles and anti-tank weapons to simulate the effect of weapon engagements that enables realistic and challenging training. It is used in force-on-force exercises in Britain and Canada, as well as in Germany.

Saab has supplied and operationally supported the system since 1994, the company said.

“This new contract, extending the use of the capability, is proof of the strong relationship between Saab and the British Army, and a renewal of our commitment as a highly trusted overall training provider to a leading military customer,” said Henrik Hojer, vice president and managing director of Saab’s training and simulation business.

The contract from Britain’s Ministry of Defense is worth about $33.8 million. The performance period of the contract was not disclosed.

31 Mar 2014 By: Craig Hoyle – FG

London - A phased reduction of the UK Royal Air Force’s fleet of Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft has taken its latest step, with two frontline units having been stood down on 28 March.

The service’s 12 and 617 squadrons ceased operations with a disbandment ceremony conducted at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, which from mid-2014 will instead become home to its Eurofighter Typhoon-equipped 1 and 6 squadrons, which are to be relocated from RAF Leuchars.

“Both squadrons have delivered precision air power around the world, whether that be in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground attack or in the intelligence-gathering role. We are proud of our heritage but we look to the future,” says AVM Stuart Atha, Air Officer Commanding the RAF’s 1 Group.

Known as “The Dambusters”, 617 Sqn will be reformed in 2018 as the UK’s first frontline unit to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Some personnel from 12 Sqn, meanwhile, will be retained at Lossiemouth to support operations with the Typhoon.

The latest unit retirements leave the RAF with operational Tornado GR4 squadrons only at its Marham base in Norfolk. Its 15 Sqn operational conversion unit for the type will remain at Lossiemouth until 2018, with its last examples currently expected to leave use during 2019.

Brussels, 1 April 2014 7672/14 (OR. en) PRESSE 149

The Council today launched an EU military operation to contribute to a secure environment in the Central African Republic, as authorised by the UN Security Council in resolution 2134 (2014).

EUFOR RCA is to provide temporary support in achieving a safe and secure environment in the Bangui area, with a view to handing over to a UN peacekeeping operation or to African partners. The force will thereby contribute both to international efforts to protect the populations most at risk and to the creation of the conditions for providing humanitarian aid. EUFOR RCA will operate in Bangui and in the capital's airport.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton, said: “The launch of this operation demonstrates the EU’s determination to take full part in international efforts to restore stability and security in Bangui and right across the Central African Republic. It forms a key part of our comprehensive approach to solving the huge challenges faced by the Central African Republic. I’d like to thank all the Member States and non-EU countries which are working together to make this operation a success. It is vital that there is a return to public order as soon as possible, so that the political transition process can be put back on track.”

The force will comprise up to 1000 troops, led by Major-General Philippe Pontiès (France) as EU Operation Commander. Its Operation Headquarters is located in Larissa, Greece, while the Force Headquarters and the troops will be located in Bangui. The common costs of the operation are estimated at € 25.9 million for the preparatory phase and a mandate of up to six months starting from the point of reaching full operational capability.

The EUFOR troops will deploy rapidly so as to have immediate effects in the operation's area of responsibility.

More information:

Council conclusions on the Central African Republic of 17 March

Factsheet on the Central African Republic

Factsheet on EUFOR RCA

BRUXELLES, 1er avril - RIA Novosti

L'OTAN et l'Ukraine élargiront leur coopération et élaboreront conjointement des réformes dans le domaine de la défense, a annoncé mardi la Commission Ukraine-OTAN au terme d'une réunion au niveau des ministres des Affaires étrangères à Bruxelles.

"L'OTAN et l'Ukraine vont intensifier leur coopération et promouvoir des réformes de la défense par le biais de programmes de renforcement et de développement des capacités", est-il indiqué dans le document mis en ligne sur le site de l'Alliance.

"Les pays de l'OTAN renforceront également le Bureau de liaison de l'OTAN à Kiev en y envoyant des experts supplémentaires", selon la déclaration.

"Les Alliés continueront de coopérer avec le gouvernement ukrainien, la Rada suprême et la société civile pour renforcer le contrôle civil des forces armées et du secteur de sécurité s'y rapportant", ont ajouté les ministres.

Les ministres ont en outre appelé la Russie à procéder à une désescalade en ramenant le niveau de ses troupes en Crimée à ceux d'avant la crise et en les repliant sur leurs bases, à réduire ses activités militaires le long de la frontière ukrainienne et à "revenir sur l'+annexion+ illégale et illégitime de la Crimée", selon le document.

Un changement de pouvoir ayant toutes les caractéristiques d'un coup d'Etat s'est produit en Ukraine le 22 février dernier. La Rada suprême (parlement) a destitué le président Viktor Ianoukovitch, réformé la constitution et fixé l'élection présidentielle au 25 mai. Moscou conteste la légitimité des nouvelles autorités du pays.

Peuplée en majorité de russophones, la république autonome de Crimée a proclamé son indépendance vis-à-vis de l'Ukraine et sa réunification avec la Russie au terme d'un référendum tenu le 16 mars, lors duquel 96,7% des habitants de la péninsule ont appuyé cette décision. La Russie et la Crimée ont signé le 18 mars dernier le traité sur le rattachement de la république de Crimée et de la ville de Sébastopol à la Fédération de Russie.