15 oct. 2015 by Lockheed Martin

October 15, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Department of Justice; issued October 14, 2015)

The Boeing Company has paid the United States $18 million to settle allegations that the company submitted false claims for labor charges on maintenance contracts with the U.S. Air Force for the C-17 Globemaster aircraft, the Justice Department announced today. Boeing, an aerospace and defense industry giant, is headquartered in Chicago.

“Defense contractors are required to obey the rules when billing for work performed on government contracts,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that the Justice Department will ensure that government contractors meet their obligations and charge the government appropriately.”

The government alleged that Boeing improperly charged labor costs under contracts with the Air Force for the maintenance and repair of C-17 Globemaster aircraft at Boeing’s Long Beach Depot Center in Long Beach, California. The C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which is both manufactured and maintained by Boeing, is one of the military’s major systems for transporting troops and cargo throughout the world. The government alleged that the company knowingly charged the United States for time its mechanics spent on extended breaks and lunch hours, and not on maintenance and repair work properly chargeable to the contracts.

The allegations resolved by the settlement announced today were originally brought by former Boeing employee James Thomas Webb under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The act permits private individuals to sue on behalf of the government those who falsely claim federal funds, and to share in the recovery. Mr. Webb’s share of the settlement has not yet been determined.

The case was handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Management Agency.

The False Claims Act lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Webb v. The Boeing Company, CV13-000694 (C.D. Cal.).

The claims resolved by today’s civil settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

Oct 14, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Ireland Ministry of Defence; issued Oct 13, 2015)

Minister Coveney today announced the allocation of €904m in Defence funding for 2016. With an increased allocation for 2016, this represents a new very significant commitment to Defence and will allow Defence to deliver on the commitments outlined in the recently published White Paper on Defence.

Minister Coveney stated: “Today’s Budget announcement marks a new chapter in spending and commitment for the Defence Forces. For the past number of years it has been necessary to stabilise the economy and put the national finances on a sound footing but now Defence expenditure, linked to the White Paper on Defence, is increasing again.

“The White Paper on Defence sets out the roles that Government have assigned to the Defence Forces and looks at associated capability requirements. The allocation of over €900 million to Defence will enable the Defence Forces to undertake these roles with professionalism and dedication. It will also facilitate the implementation of the White Paper proposals, including the replacement of major equipment platforms and other priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service.”

Minister Coveney emphasised the significance of the Capital allocation of €66m in 2016 and €437m over the period of the ‘Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 Plan’. This will allow Defence to prioritise and plan for significant capital investment programmes over the coming years.

Minister Coveney stated: “We have had a very good outcome from the capital plan announced recently, where, over the next six years, we will see an increase in capital expenditure for Defence to a total of €437m over the life of the Capital Investment Plan.

The 2016 budgetary allocation will allow Ireland to continue to deliver on all roles prescribed for the Defence Forces, both domestically and overseas and Minister Coveney highlighted, in particular, the role played by the Naval Service in their deployment to the Mediterranean this year, as he stated: The people of Ireland can truly be proud of the work the Naval Service has done and is continuing to do and I wish them every continued success with their work. This is in addition to the ongoing high standard of performance by the Defence Forces on other overseas missions and in their various security roles at home.

Financial Overview:

The gross allocation provided to the Defence Sector in 2016 is €904m: comprising of some €680m for Defence (Vote 36) and €224m for Army Pensions (Vote 35). Some €498m of the Defence Vote provides for the pay and allowances, of over 10,500 public service employees. This pay provision will allow for ongoing recruitment and the Minister has re-affirmed his commitment to maintain the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at a level of 9,500.

The non-pay allocation of €182m (including €66m in capital) provides mainly for essential and ongoing Defence Forces standing and operational costs together with the necessary procurement and upgrading of defensive equipment. The Naval Vessel Replacement Programme continued in 2015 with the addition to the fleet of the LÉ James Joyce and the third ship purchased under the programme, the future LÉ William Butler Years, is scheduled for delivery in July 2016. This programme was advanced without recourse to additional funding and was financed through careful management of financial resources.

The Defence Vote also includes funding for the Reserve Defence Force, Civil Defence and a grant to the Irish Red Cross Society.

As regards the Army Pensions Vote, there are over 12,100 military pensioners paid by the Department of Defence. Army Pensions expenditure is largely non-discretionary and demand-driven.

The launch of the White Paper on Defence has established the strategic parameters within which Defence will operate over the next decade and Defence policy will need to be responsive to any emergent changes in the domestic and international peace and security environment.

Oct 14 , 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Elizabeth Pineau -Reuters; published Oct 13, 2015)

RIYADH --- French Prime Minister Manuel Valls trumpeted 10 billion euros ($11 billion) worth of contracts with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, although few had actually been finalised as he concluded a visit to the kingdom. (.../…)

"10 billion euros of contracts," Valls, who was leaving the Middle East after a four-day trip, said on his Twitter feed. "The government is mobilised for our companies and our jobs." (…/…)

But behind the initial euphoria, the document agreed between France and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday suggested that little had been sealed.

Among the potential deals in the document, the kingdom is expected to order 30 military patrol boats by year-end. An announcement of that plan was already made in June, and had been due to be concluded this month.

Saudi Arabia has also entered exclusive negotiations to buy spy satellite and telecommunications equipment worth "billions of euros" from Thales, the document added. (…/…)

Valls looked to play down the lack of deals. "What's important is the perspective, the movement," he told reporters. "Step by step, we are deepening each time our partnership. We don't doubt for a second that the letter of intention will be finalised." (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.


(Defense-Aerospace.com EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to a contract for 30 Airbus AS-332C1e utility helicopters, Valls was also widely expected to sign other arms deals which had been leaked in advance of the trip to French media, including Gowind corvettes, satellites and low-level air-defense.
In fact, there has been little progress since June, when the Saudi deputy crown prince and defense minister, Mohammed Ben Salman, visited Paris, and a similar announcement was made of deals worth 12 billion euros that have still not been signed.
As one observer noted “there are a lot of projects, but precious few contracts” as most of these potential projects are only mentioned as “agreements” in the joint final communiqué – even less binding than a letter of intent.
These include the 30 patrol boats and observation and telecommunications satellites, but none of the other expected contracts is even mentioned.
Consequently, Valls’ claim of “€10 billion in contracts” was, at best, intended to mislead.)

Oct 14, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Associated Press; issued Oct 14, 2015)

QUITO, Ecuador --- Ecuador says it's unilaterally ending a contract with India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which sold seven military helicopters to the South American nation.

At least four of the Dhruv helicopters delivered between 2009 and 2012 have crashed. One was assigned to transport President Rafael Correa, though he wasn't in the aircraft at the time.

Defense Minister Fernando Cordero announced the action during a news conference Wednesday. He said two of the crashes were caused by mechanical failures. The three remaining Dhruv have been grounded. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Yahoo News website.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 By Richard Tomkins (UPI)

AeroVironment is to supply RQ-11B Raven unmanned aerial vehicles to seven U.S. allies.

AeroVironment Inc., a manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, is supplying its hand-launched RQ-11B Raven system to seven allied countries. The countries, which were not identified, are obtaining the Raven -- together with spare parts and contractor logistics services -- through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.

Read more

Oct 14, 2015 ASDNews Source : Cobham

The KC-46A Pegasus notched another success this week when the systems at the heart of aerial refuelling were demonstrated on EMD-2 with the deployment of both drogue systems and the boom

On Thursday, EMD-2 successfully extended the drogue refuelling baskets from both the Centerline Drogue System, located on the belly of the fuselage, and from the Wing Aerial Refuelling Pods, located on the wing tips, for probe receiver aircraft.  On Friday, EMD-2 extended the boom, the telescoping tube which an operator on the tanker aircraft extends to receptacle-equipped receiver aircraft. "The core mission of Pegasus is to fuel the fight, so deploying the boom and drogues signals real progress toward demonstrating the ability to pass fuel in flight," said Brig. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Program Executive Officer for Tankers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. "This sets the stage for the main act, which is hooking up to and refuelling an aircraft in flight." 

Read more

Brussels - 15 October, 2015 European Defence Agency

In the context of the ongoing discussions on the future shape of the European defence, especially the upcoming EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, Jorge Domecq, the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA) participated in the experts’ seminar “European Strategy, European Defence and the CSDP” on 14 October 2015 to share his thoughtful insights from the Agency’s perspective.

The seminar was organised by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, and the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations, with support of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU. The welcome speeches were delivered by the Ambassador Alain Le Roy, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service and Prof. Dr Sven Biscop from the Egmont. 

The future EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, which the European Council mandated Federica Mogherini, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to draft by June 2016, served as a starting point for the debate. The seminar’s agenda was built around political and military aspects of Europe’s responsibilities as a security provider, along with the implications for the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). 

The three panels devoted to these themes gave way to fruitful discussions. Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, participated in the third panel, which focused on the strategy’s consequences for defence planning, capability development, increased multinational cooperation and integration, specifically through the CSDP. “The Global Strategy will be a starting point: it should be a driver for a full range of activities, including for European defence,” said Jorge Domecq. The EDA Chief Executive justified the need for a follow-on document, which would complement the global strategy and enable to translate political objectives into military ones, viewed as long-term commitments. Moreover, Jorge Domecq drew attention to the necessity of bringing more coherence to the EU toolbox. At this point, he emphasised the Agency’s role: “The EDA has a unique expertise, know-how and legitimacy. It ensures that Ministries of Defence’s views are fully taken into account. We need to streamline our instruments and maximise the impact on defence.” 

Jorge Domecq also touched upon the EU relations with NATO in the context of the new global strategy: “Europe should not become a follower, nor a free-rider. I have been touring across Europe, I am meeting US senior officials as well as NATO officials. The message I get is: there will be no relevant NATO without a relevant Europe. The drafting of such a document on Defence embodying a real defence commitment would, as such, be a sign of reassurance.” 

15/10/2015 Sources : Marine nationale

voir Reportage photos

15 oct. 2015 by BAE Systems

Oct 13, 2015 Sputnik

Images of several types of new air-to-surface missiles designed to arm Russian jets have emerged recently. The missiles are planned to equip Russian aircraft, including the PAK FA.

The missiles are known as X-59MK2 and X-58USHKE.

The first projectile is designed to destroy located stationary ground targets. The targeting system is combined: inertial and satellite gps/glonass. A self-targeting optical-electronic device is activated on the last stage of the flight trajectory. The missile flies at an altitude of 50-300 meters. The missile can carry warheads of two types: penetrating and cluster.

The second missile is equipped with self-directing navigational gear. It can fly three times faster than the speed of sound for a distance of 250 kilometers while carrying a 150-kilogram explosive warhead.

Both missiles are being tested on board the PAK FA. According to Commander Viktor Bondarev, the T-50 equipped with weapons is showing excellent results.

15 octobre 2015 Romandie.com (AFP)

Téhéran - La Chine compte renforcer ses relations militaires avec l'Iran, a assuré un amiral de la flotte chinoise en visite à Téhéran, trois mois après la conclusion d'un accord international sur le nucléaire iranien.

L'amiral Sun Jianguo a tenu ces propos lors d'une rencontre mercredi avec le ministre iranien de la Défense Hossein Dehghan, selon le communiqué jeudi du ministère chinois de la Défense.

La visite de l'amiral Sun est destinée à développer l'amitié, approfondir la coopération et les échanges de vues sur les sujets d'intérêt mutuel des deux armées, a ajouté le communiqué.

M. Dehghan a lui aussi souhaité le renforcement de la coopération stratégique bilatérale, selon le site du ministère iranien de la Défense. Le développement des relations militaires renforcera la stabilité et la sécurité aux deux extrêmes du continent asiatique.

Avec de puissantes coalitions régionales, il faut contrecarrer l'influence des Etats-Unis et les crises que cela provoque, a ajouté M. Dehghan, en évoquant l'intervention des Etats-Unis en Afghanistan et en Irak (...) qui a renforcé les groupes terroristes.

Il a également salué l'intervention de la Russie en Syrie où les avions russes bombardent les rebelles pour aider les troupes du régime de Bachar al-Assad, un allié de Téhéran et de Moscou.

Le ministre iranien de la Défense a espéré que les actions positives de la Russie (en Syrie) auront pour résultat des changements substantiels dans la lutte contre le terrorisme dans la région, selon le site du ministère.

La Chine est le premier client du pétrole iranien et s'était attirée des menaces de sanctions de la part de Washington pour cette raison au plus fort du blocage des négociations entre l'Iran et la communauté internationale sur son programme nucléaire.

Pékin a aidé depuis à la conclusion de l'accord obtenu le 14 juillet à Vienne entre Téhéran et les grandes puissances, au terme de deux ans d'âpres négociations.

Adopté mardi par le Parlement iranien, l'accord ouvre la voie à la levée des sanctions économiques internationales imposées à l'Iran, en échange de son engagement à renoncer à l'arme atomique, et limite son programme nucléaire civil.

Cité par la chaîne iranienne Press TV, le commandant de la flotte iranienne, le vice-amiral Habibollah Sayari, s'est prononcé pour une coopération sino-iranienne dans la protection des routes maritimes de l'océan Indien.

Les entretiens du responsable chinois à Téhéran ont également porté sur les échanges de renseignements et la coopération antiterroriste, à l'heure où la Chine s'inquiète de l'agitation dans sa population musulmane ouïghoure du Xinjiang.

Les bâtiments des flottes chinoise et iranienne ont procédé à des escales mutuelles depuis 2013 et conduit des exercices antipiraterie ainsi que des opérations conjointes de recherche et de sauvetage en mer.