27.02.2013 par Guillaume Belan (FOB)

« 2012 a été une année importante dans la vie d’EADS » a débuté Tom Enders, le PDG du groupe européen qui présente les résultats 2012 à Berlin en ce moment.

Une année mouvementée avec « l’échec du projet de fusion avec BAE, mais qui a ouvert la voie au plus grand changement d’actionnariat du groupe ». Le 27 mars se tiendra une assemblée extraordinaire pour approuver la nouvelle gouvernance.  

Mais « 2012 est aussi une bonne année », a continué le PDG allemand, avec un chiffre d’affaires en croissance de 15%, principalement tiré par le civil.

Airbus enregistre un nouveau niveau record: 588 avions commerciaux livrés. Côté militaire, Airbus a enregistré 32 commandes (contre 5 en 2011), et livrés 29 appareils (MRTT, transport légers…).

L’A400M sera livré au deuxième semestre de cette année. La France recevra quatre appareils et la Turquie, un en 2013. « Les problèmes moteur de l’année dernière sont derrières et les essais de fiabilité ont été refait » assurait le PDG. Résultat, un glissement de calendrier « peu important ». « Il n’y a donc plus de problèmes insurmontables et les essais en vol se sont bien passés » a précisé Tom Enders.

Eurocopter également voit son chiffre d’affaires augmenter de 16% (6264 millions d’euros contre 5415 en 2011), avec pourtant moins de livraisons mais une activité maintenance et réparation en hausse. Coté militaire, les livraison de NH90 et Super Puma ont tiré le CA.

Cassidian, qui a connu une réorganisation importante avec une forte réduction d’effectifs cette année connaît un chiffre d’affaires stable. « La division est maintenant plus agile et performante pour l’avenir » a-t-il précisé.

 Astrium a également un chiffre d’affaires en hausse en 2012 (5817 millions d’euros contre 4964 pour 2011), avec le lancement en 2012 de lancement pou les satellites militaires du Skynet 5D britannique et Pléiades 1B pour la France.

27 February 2013 Chemring Group PLC

Chemring Group PLC ("Chemring" or "the Group") today issues its Interim Management Statement covering the period from 1 November 2012 to date, as required by Rule 4.3 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the UK Listing Authority.

Current trading

Revenue from continuing operations during the first three month period was £136.1 million, compared with £132.4 million in the prior year. Improved trading performances in Pyrotechnics and Counter-IED were offset by weaker performances in Countermeasures and Munitions. Despite the general decline in current NATO defence spending, the Group's order book is currently £756.7 million, marginally lower than the £760.9 million order book at 31 October 2012. A weak order intake in Munitions was compensated by a stronger order intake in Counter-IED, where significant orders were awarded in the period, including a contract for Joint Services Lightweight Standoff Chemical Agent Detectors (US$28.5 million) with the US Army and a contract for the provision of Husky Mounted Detection System (‘HMDS’) Ground Penetrating Radar (US$32 million) with the US Army. 51.6% of the order book at the end of January 2013 was for delivery in the current financial year.

Counter-IED

Revenue from our Counter-IED business in the quarter was 33% higher than for the same period last year, when there was a pause in demand for HMDS from the US Department of Defense. The solid order intake in the period included the award to NIITEK of a contract for HMDS systems, together with spares and training, for the Spanish Army.

Countermeasures

Revenue at our Countermeasures business was 30% below the same period last year. This was primarily as a result of the lower opening order book and production delays at our US Countermeasures businesses, which are expected to be recovered during the course of the year.

Pyrotechnics and Munitions

Revenue in our Pyrotechnics business increased by 110% compared with the same period last year, whilst revenue at our Munitions business was 22% lower than the same period last year, reflecting the weighting of our production capacity towards smoke and illumination rounds for Middle East customers, rather than artillery ammunition. Order intake at our Munitions business continues to be impacted by delays in the placing of major contracts and by the granting of export licences.

Current financial position

The Group's net debt at the end of January 2013 was £285.9 million (31 October 2012: £244.8 million, 31 January 2012: £316.9 million). The Group continues to closely manage cash and working capital balances.

Outlook

As outlined at the Group’s preliminary results release on 24 January 2013, although budget uncertainties continue to impact wider market confidence across the Group’s US, UK and European defence markets, Chemring remains focused on driving improvements in its operational performance and restructuring its businesses in order to provide the Group with greater resilience.

An update on progress made against the key priorities for 2013, as outlined at the Group’s preliminary results release, will be given alongside Chemring’s interim results in June 2013.

LONDON, Feb. 26 (UPI)

Thales UK is to supply its Sonar 2076 fully integrated search-and-attack submarine sonar system to BAE Systems for use on new British vessels.

The submarines, the sixth and seventh Astute class vessels of the British navy, are being built by BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines in Cumbria.

"Thales is proud to be supplying Sonar 2076 for all seven Astute class submarines," said Phil Naybour, head of Thales UK's naval business.

"This successful program reflects the skill and dedication of our teams ... and also the close support and cooperation we have received from BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defense."

The sonar system to be supplied will include both inboard and outboard bow, fin, intercept and flank arrays and inboard processing equipment.

"BAE Systems is pleased to award Thales UK these important contracts for the sonar systems for the sixth and seventh Astute class submarines," said Ian Hawkes, head of Combat Systems, BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines.

"Placing these contracts not only continues a well-established and enduring relationship with Thales UK, it also helps the submarine enterprise to meet the submarine program affordability challenge by obtaining economy of scale through batch procuring the sonar."

Thales said its involvement with the Astute class building program is not limited to sonar gear. It also supplies two non-hull penetrating CM010 optronic masts, electronic support systems and communications and emergency buoys.

Feb. 26, 2013 - by ANDREW CHUTER  - Defense News

LONDON — British defense spending could face a new wave of cuts totaling about 11 billion pounds ($16.6 billion) over the next decade due to further budget reductions demanded by the Treasury, according to a leading military think tank here.

“On reasonable assumptions, the Ministry of Defence may need to find around 11 billion pounds in savings over the next 10 years as a result of decisions taken in the Autumn [budget] Statement 2012 and the Spending Review 2013,” according to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) research director, Malcolm Chalmers.

The report, to be published Feb. 27, also rang alarm bells over the potential impact on other military budgets of the coming bow wave in spending on the renewal of Britain’s submarine nuclear deterrent.

The study into the defense implications of the upcoming Government Spending Review scheduled to be unveiled in the middle of this year says although the potential cuts pale in comparison with the 74 billion-pound funding gap faced by the MoD in 2010, the current gap between planned spending and available resources could “still be significant.”

New Treasury assumptions on inflation will add pressure to find further savings, Chalmers said, even if the government maintains its commitment to real-term growth in spending post-2015.

The MoD announced last year it had balanced the books after being faced with a massive funding gap caused by the combination of cuts under the Conservative-led coalition government’s budget austerity measures and 38 billion pounds in unfunded defense commitments left by the outgoing Labour administration in 2010.

Military and civilian personnel numbers have been slashed and numerous programs and capabilities axed over the last two years to bring a degree of budget normality to a department where spending plans had been notoriously out of control.

The government’s “strong preference” to accommodate the potential budget shortfall is likely to through further efficiency savings, with equipment support costs being among the primary targets, said the RUSI report.

Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that part of Britain’s huge overseas aid budget could be diverted to defense activities that featured stabilization and peacekeeping, offsetting some spending pressure on the MoD.

Philip Dunne, the defense procurement and support minister, said, “The MoD budget for 2015/16 will be set this summer and the budget for subsequent years will be finalized in the next full Spending Review. The Treasury has made clear that the MoD may plan on receiving a 1 percent real-term increase in the equipment budget from 2015/16 onwards. This has been endorsed by the prime minister.”

Government spending reviews, which set departmental expenditure limits, are normally undertaken on a four-year cycle. The current review runs through fiscal 2014/15. This time, though, with the coalition government facing a likely election in 2015, it has agreed later this year to a departmental budget limit for just one year, 2015/16.

A further spending review by a new government will have to take place in 2015 at about the same time as the next strategic defense and security review is being finalized.

Analysts here reckon that with a poor economic outlook for much of the rest of the decade, further budget cuts could be painful. The government’s failure to cut the deficit and the poor economic outlook cost the country its Triple A credit rating last week.

RUSI said the MoD is likely to face a “very difficult” 2015 Spending Review if Britain’s wider fiscal problems remain.

Chalmers said the Autumn Statement reductions over the next two financial years have reduced the baseline from which future budgets will be calculated. The RUSI report says the budget cuts could rise to nearly 17 billion pounds in the 10-year period up to 2025 if the spending review in 2015 takes a further 2.5 percent from the MoD’s resource budget.

The additional reduction would be taken from MoD resource spending proposed in last year’s Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne. Resource spending here mainly covers personnel costs, equipment support and the upkeep of defense bases and similar assets.

The resource budget is set to be cut while spending on new equipment is on the rise.

The MoD unveiled its 10-year equipment plan in January, vowing to spend about 159 billion pounds on new systems, support and other items of military capabilities.

RUSI said the plan “raised new questions” as to whether the MoD will have to make significant cuts in non-equipment spending to afford what it said was an ambitious program for new equipment — 95 percent of which has already been committed.

The report also drew attention to the growing problem the British will face as the Royal Navy’s Trident missile-based nuclear deterrent program exerts greater influence on the defense equipment budget.

The government’s own equipment plan pointed up the fact that building and supporting the new Astute attack submarine force and beginning the process of replacing the present four-strong Vanguard-class of submarines with the Successor nuclear deterrent boats will dwarf other areas of equipment spending.

Projected spending over the 10 years is about 35.8 billion pounds and accounts for 25 percent of the total equipment program. That level of spending is expected to rise further and be sustained throughout the 2020s as the boats enter their construction phase.

Chalmers said that without a government commitment beyond 2020 to annual real increases in equipment spending, nuclear deterrent spending will create a “sustained squeeze on conventional force modernization.”

26/02/2013 Vincent Lamigeon, grand reporter à Challenges - Supersonique

Le scénario est déjà à peu près connu : EADS dévoilera demain à Berlin des résultats financiers 2012 en nette progression. Le consensus d'analystes de Bloomberg prévoit 55 milliards d’euros de chiffre d’affaires, contre 49,1 milliards d’euros en 2011, et un bénéfice avant impôts de plus de deux milliards, contre un milliard en 2011. On entendra donc les mots habituels : croissance, internationalisation, programme A350 en bonne voie mais « challenging », problèmes d’A380 réglés ou presque, l’augmentation des cadences de production comme principal défi, et une rentabilité vouée à augmenter régulièrement ces prochaines années, le tout sous l’œil bienveillant d’investisseurs rassérénés par le niveau de l’action (35 euros, soit le niveau de mars 2006 avant l’annonce des déboires de l’A380).

La présentation de résultats d’EADS serait-elle donc un non-événement ? Certainement pas. D’abord parce que le champion européen va quand même devoir rassurer sur ses grands programmes, notamment le long-courrier A350 et l’avion de transport militaire A400M. Les déboires des batteries lithium-ion du 787 de Boeing ont déjà forcé Airbus à revenir vers une technologie nickel cadmium plus mature pour son A350, prouvant qu’un programme reste un défi permanent. Ensuite parce que le patron du groupe Tom Enders devrait faire l’objet de questions insistantes sur sa stratégie, après le traumatisme de la fusion ratée avec BAE Systems. On doute qu’il y réponde à ce stade, mais avec Major Tom, on sait d’expérience que tout est possible.

De fait, EADS se retrouve face à un choix décisif. Première possibilité : ne rien faire. Airbus est porté par une conjoncture aéronautique porteuse, Eurocopter va bien, la filiale spatiale Astrium défend valeureusement ses positions. Seule la branche défense Cassidian pose vraiment question, à la fois du fait de l’échec d’une opération BAE qui devait la renforcer, et des coupes des budgets de défense européens qui la touchent. On peut continuer comme ça quelques années : en augmentant les cadences tranquillement et en gérant avec sérieux les programmes, la rentabilité augmentera, les effectifs et le cours de l’action aussi, et tout le monde sera content.

A l’autre bout du spectre, un autre scénario possible est de tout casser, ou en tout cas de revoir en profondeur l’organisation du groupe. Les idées ne manquent pas. Sortir carrément de la défense, en prenant acte du fait que Cassidian n’est pas assez armé pour ce secteur disputé ? EADS semble s’y refuser. Intégrer Cassidian à Airbus Military ? L’idée séduit certains. Mais la grande rupture serait plus ambitieuse : fusionner EADS et Airbus au sein d’un groupe unifié, à l’image de Boeing, qui serait composé du Airbus classique, d’un « Airbus Hélicoptères » (aujourd’hui Eurocopter), un « Airbus Espace » (Astrium), et d’un « Airbus Défense » qui pourrait rassembler Cassidian et Airbus Military comme évoqué plus haut. Et pourquoi pas, soyons fous, le missilier MBDA si EADS arrivait un jour à racheter les parts de BE et Finmeccanica.

Toutes ces idées sont actuellement scrutées à la loupe par les dirigeants du groupe, avec Tom Enders, Marwan Lahoud et Fabrice Brégier en première ligne. Une telle révolution aurait le mérite de la clarté. Mais elle pourrait aussi jouer des tours à des marques, comme Eurocopter, qui ont réussi avec leur propre nom et leur propre culture, y compris dans des régions où Airbus est à la traîne (Japon et dans une moindre mesure Etats-Unis).

EADS devra aussi, à terme, faire des choix sur sa présence dans des consortiums comme Eurofighter (chasseur Typhoon, avec BAE et Finmeccanica), le missilier MBDA(mêmes actionnaires) ou le constructeur d’avions turbopropulseurs ATR (JV à 50-50 avec Finmeccanica). Le groupe européen devra aussi, tôt ou tard, décider du sort de sa participation de 46% dans Dassault Aviation. C’est toutes ces questions, passionnantes, qui seront en filigrane lors de la présentation des résultats 2012 d’EADS. Pas sûr, malheureusement, que Tom Enders ait déjà lui-même toutes les réponses.

Feb 26, 2013 ASDNews Source : Thales Group

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has awarded Thales the contract for the manufacture and supply of ten sets of Sophie XF Type long-range cooled thermal imagers. The order also extends to logistical support, documentation and training. The agreed delivery date is for the autumn of 2013. Sophie XF is designed to complement around 100 previous systems used by the German Armed Forces.

Sophie XF is a hand-held, multi-functional thermal imaging device with laser range finder, daylight camera and position sensor (GPS receiver and digital compass). The continuous optical zoom makes the high optical performance capability very easy to utilise. The German Armed Forces will use this long-range imager for surveillance, target acquisition and identification and determining the coordinates of these targets at night and in adverse visibility conditions. What makes Sophie XF distinctive is its multitude of measurement and recording options, low-weight, longer-life batteries and reduced noise generation. "We are delighted with this follow-up procurement order, which will provide the user with an innovative, user-friendly device with a wide range of applications", said Holger Brandt, Vice President Defence & Security Systems Thales Deutschland, commenting on the contract.

Soldiers from 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery firing

105mm light guns during Exercise Steel Sabre

Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright

25 February 2013 Ministry of Defence

A live firing artillery exercise is preparing soldiers from regular, reserve and French units for contingency operations.

The two-week exercise in Otterburn, Northumberland, will test 1,600 soldiers from 18 British regular and reserve regiments alongside members of the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment.

 

The aim of Exercise Steel Sabre is to prepare units for future operations, including being part of contingency forces such as the Airborne Task Force or commando lead elements.

 

Commander Royal Artillery for the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division, Brigadier Simon Humphrey, has responsibility for co-ordinating the exercise’s activities. He said:

The exercise aim is to bring all the components of an effective artillery group together to train in its core business - delivering firepower on the battlefield.

 

This includes soldiers from different nations and from the regular and reserve parts of the British Army employing artillery guns, rockets, mortars, radars and unmanned aerial vehicles. It has been a huge success.

British and French soldiers on Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

The exercise is an indication of how the Army will operate in future, with reservists integrated more than ever alongside their regular counterparts and in significant numbers. Bombardier Sam Fletcher, a Territorial Army soldier from Newport, said:

As a reservist I operate the Desert Hawk, a hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle that can fly forward of the guns for unarmed surveillance of the area. I enjoy working with the Regular Army, everyone puts in the same amount of effort and we all get the same out of it.

Gunner Jamie Kettles is a reservist from 105 Regiment Royal Artillery. On working alongside his regular counterparts he said:

They have all been really good. I work as number two of a six-man team on the gun; I ram the shells and operate the breech. Everybody’s role is absolutely key to the functioning of the gun.

Bombardier Ben Wosik and Captain Victoria Flood, both from 26 Regiment Royal Artillery [Picture: Richard Watt, Crown copyright]

 

Regular soldier Gunner Samantha Lister of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, aged 17, has only been in the regiment for 2 weeks. She said:

It’s my first exercise and it’s been great to get to know all the guys. I just get treated like any of the other lads but because I’m new people keep an eye on me to make sure I’m OK and doing the right thing. I’m looking forward to getting more experience and taking part in the firing of the guns.

Following the declaration on defence and security co-operation between the UK and France announced in November 2010, there is a greater focus on joint training between the British Army and their French Army counterparts, and this is one of several joint exercises between the 2 nations running this year.

Staff Sergeant Thomas, from Toulouse in south-west France, said:

This is my first time in the UK and the first time I have worked with the British. The exercise has been hard work; having marched 7 kilometres into position in the early hours of the morning I am here to call in the fire from the guns.

 

It is very cold; I’m looking forward to inviting the British back to France when it is sunnier.

Soldiers from 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery firing 105mm light guns during Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

On the subject of the French involvement, Brigadier Humphrey said:

I’ve been impressed by the French soldiers working alongside the Brits. We enjoy them being here and judging by the smiles on faces they are happy to be taking part in this demanding and exciting training with us.

Soldiers from 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery preparing to fire a 105mm light gun during Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

26 Regiment Royal Artillery AS90 vehicles on the move during Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

British and French soldiers on Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

Soldiers co-ordinating operations on Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

A spent shell is ejected from a 105mm light gun during Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

Bombardier Sam Fletcher operates the Desert Hawk, a hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle, during Exercise Steel Sabre [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

British and French soldiers man an observation post as part of a Fire Support Team on a hill in the Otterburn Training Area [Picture: Sergeant Brian Gamble, Crown copyright]

22 Feb 2013by Craig Hoyle – FG

London - Sweden has placed its first contract with Saab linked to the introduction of 60 new-generation Gripen E fighters from 2018.

Announced in mid-February, the development forms part of a potentially SKr47.2 billion ($7.4 billion) deal to field the single-seat combat aircraft, which has design features including extended-range performance, an active electronically scanned array radar and internally carried weapons.

Saab has received an initial SKr2.5 billion development order from Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covering activities in 2013-14, with a further SKr10.6 billion award also due in the first quarter of this year. A main deal covering the modification of 60 C-model Gripens to the new operating standard should be concluded by the end of 2013, the company says, with a support contract linked to an initial batch of aircraft likely to be signed by late 2014. Final deliveries are due during 2026 under the agreement.

The Swedish parliament recently approved plans to proceed with the Gripen E programme, with their action also important with regard to a planned Swiss air force purchase of 22 new-build examples. The total SKr47.2 billion programme includes the projected purchase and support costs for the Swiss fighters. However, Saab notes: "The agreement also includes sections regulating the conditions should Switzerland decide not to acquire Gripen E", and also for the FMV "to fully or partly make cancellations", with compensation clauses attached.

"We are proud to continue to deliver a world-leading fighter aircraft to the Swedish air force," says Saab president and chief executive Håkan Buskhe. "This next step also creates more opportunities in the export market for many years to come." Current Gripen operators could also use elements of the E-model package as part of future upgrades, he adds.

Meanwhile, Saab says its two-seat development aircraft for the Gripen E programme has now accumulated more than 250 flight hours, including deployments to India, Switzerland and the UK.

Separately, the FMV on 19 February placed a SKr140 million order with Saab linked to the Swedish air force's existing Gripen C/Ds. The work includes a modification to add lighting to the aircraft's in-flight refuelling probe to assist in night-time operations with tankers, and acquiring equipment linked to its reconnaissance pod and small diameter bomb.

(de g. à dr.) Jean-Marie Halsdorf, ministre de la Défense;

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, ministre néerlandaise de

la Défense; Pieter De Crem, ministre belge de la Défense

21-02-2013 Communiqué par la Direction de la défense

Les ministres de la Défense des pays du Benelux ont signé le 21 février 2013 le mandat révisé du comité directeur Benelux, qui avait été établi en 1987 dans le cadre de la coopération militaire entre les trois pays.

Après l'adoption au mois d'avril 2012 de la déclaration ministérielle Benelux relative à une coopération renforcée dans le domaine de la défense, une nouvelle méthode de travail a été mise en place afin de mettre en œuvre les projets nommés dans la déclaration et d'identifier de nouveaux domaines de coopération. Le comité directeur Benelux, composé de hauts représentants des ministères de la Défense et des états-majors, fournira l'orientation politico-militaire nécessaire à la poursuite des travaux.

L'objectif de la coopération est de renforcer les synergies entre les forces armées des trois pays, notamment dans le domaine de la formation et de l'entraînement, de la logistique et de la maintenance, de l'acquisition et de l'exécution de tâches militaires. Elle constitue un exemple concret des initiatives de partage et de mutualisation et de la défense intelligente au niveau régional. Le haut niveau de niveau de coopération qui sera atteint entre les forces armées ainsi que leur capacité d'opérer ensemble correspond pleinement à l'initiative de l'OTAN sur les Forces interconnectées.

Des premiers résultats sont attendus pour 2013, notamment dans le cadre de la formation et de l'entraînement conjoints.

Le Luxembourg assure actuellement la présidence de la coopération Benelux.

Information Superiority

22 February 2013 army-technology.com

Three QinetiQ-led consortia and Niteworks have secured research contracts to support the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) information superiority for contingent operations (ISCO) research programme.

Awarded by the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in collaboration with Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation, the £10m contract covers delivery of ISCO support for the next two years.

The consortia include Enabling Secure Information Infrastructure (ESII), ISTAR Concepts & Solutions (ICS) and Command Inform and Battlespace Management (CIBM).

Managed by Dstl, the ISCO programme aims to develop and supply cost-efficient solutions to support the MoD's information superiority (IS) capabilities within a five-year timeframe to help provide a decisive advantage to UK armed forces in the battlefield.

ISCO leader George Barlow said the industry scientists, engineers and academics, along with Dstl and DE&S, would provide the best approach to support the challenging and agile programme that will eventually deliver real benefits to future deployed forces.

QinetiQ C4ISR Division managing director Jeremy Ward said the team would initially provide the MoD with rapid access to a broad spectrum of potential solutions.

"We will support Dstl's evaluation of their potential to make a step change in the capability of our front-line troops as they plan, initiate and sustain contingent operations," Ward added.

Niteworks programme lead Alasdair Campbell said the company would initially seek to identify and implement the best practice from a range of global civil and military communities as part of the programme.

ISCO will improve the MoD's communication and information systems (CIS) capabilities, processes and training to support soldiers entering an operational theatre, enhance interoperability with allies, simultaneously reduce size, weight, power consumption and equipment-based solutions costs.

IS is required by troops to acquire, verify and gather the information required to conduct operations and neutralise enemy forces in the battlefield.

Feb. 21, 2013 - by PIERRE TRAN – Defense News

Paris — France’s procurement chief praised the “excellent file’’ prepared for a proposed Anglo-French helicopter-borne anti-ship missile, but a delay by the French defense minister in approving the program could leave a new U.K. helicopter scrambling for a missile capability.

“Everything’s fine. We have an excellent dossier, which we will propose to the defense minister, who will decide what he wants to do,” Laurent Collet-Billon, chief of France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office, told a press conference about the DGA’s activities in 2012.

European missile maker MBDA has pinned an industrial reorganization on a launch decision by Paris and London on the proposed missile, dubbed Anti-Navire Leger (ANL) missile in France, and Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) (Heavy) in Britain.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, however, postponed a decision to sign up for the cooperative missile program when the ministerial investment committee met on Feb. 11, business daily Les Echos reported Feb. 14.

The DGA and the military do not see ANL as a priority, but MBDA has proposed a rescheduling of other missile production to help launch the Anglo-French project, the paper reported. The reorganization, branded One Complex Weapons, would put into effect the concept of “mutual dependence,” as MBDA would close sites in Britain and France, a company executive said.

MBDA has said it would create centers of excellence in Britain and France to develop and build the new missile, estimated at 400 million euros ($538 million). France, however, has delayed committing, as the government draws up a white paper on defense and national security.

Continuing delay on a decision over the FASGW(H) is causing considerable concern in London, where France’s failure to move the program forward means the missile will not be ready to go into service onboard Royal Navy AW159 Wildcat helicopters in 2015.

The British MoD approved the business case for the weapon in January last year and even tried to make the French decision easier by offering to fund the early development in return for Paris funding the back end of the program.

The British now face the embarrassment of fielding the helicopter without a missile.

One of the options under consideration is equipping the Wildcat earlier than planned with the

FASGW(Light) missile being developed by Thales UK to give the helicopter at least some form of missile capability.

Cooperation goes beyond ANL, Collet-Billon said. He and his British counterpart signed an agreement last July on work on a future unmanned combat aerial vehicle. That will bring together BAE Systems, Dassault, Rolls-Royce, Snecma and Thales, he said.

French troops are training in Wales on the Watchkeeper tactical UAV, which is due to come to the Istres test site, southern France, next month.

Other cooperative missile projects include a midlife upgrade on the Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missile, and work on a future Anglo-French cruise missile, Collet-Billon said.

A program office has opened in the Paris suburbs for cooperation in mine warfare, with Collet-Billon describing warships equipped with unmanned undersea vessels for anti-mine operations.

The ANL would restore a capability for the French Navy, which operated the Aerospatiale AS12 anti-ship missile on Lynx and Alouette 3 helicopters until the 1990s.

With budget cuts looming, the Navy is keen to save funds for the FREMM multimission frigate and Barracuda submarine programs rather than a missile, the executive said.

Separately, German government officials have told their French counterparts clearance has been given for Mercedes to send chassis to land weapons maker Nexter and the privately owned Lohr group — the latter teamed with missile firm MBDA — that allows them to honor two arms deals with Saudi Arabia, a French defense official said.

Because the German government failed to give clearances, Mercedes missed deliveries to Nexter on Oct. 15, and to Lohr, the French integrator for the MBDA Multi Purpose Combat Vehicle, on Sept. 15.

The Saudi orders total 347 vehicles, with 279 Nexter Aravis highly protected armored vehicles, and 68 MPCVs, an air defense vehicle armed with Mistral 2 missiles.

France exported about 5 billion euros worth of equipment in 2012 compared with 6.5 billion euros the previous year. That figure is “far from excellent,” with an ideal figure being closer to the annual 10 billion euros spent in domestic orders, he said.

Le Drian was due in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 16, ahead of the Idex trade show, scheduled to open the following day.

_____________

Andrew Chuter contributed to this report from London.