Quantcast
Channel: Europe Defence News
Viewing all 1116 articles
Browse latest View live

Greece; F-16 upgrade program award

0
0

Lockheed Martin announced that it will launch the upgrade of 85 Greek F16 fighter jets to the Block 70/72 Viper configuration next Monday.

 Image result for GREEK F-16

While the value of the contract was not mentioned, an earlier US DoD announcement of a foreign military sale approval of F-16 upgrade to Greece had quoted a figure of US$ 2.404 billion.

The upgrade of the 85 warplanes to Vipers “will provide the Hellenic Airforce with an entirely new aircraft, as the only element we shall keep is the fuselage.

In October 2017, the US state department had approved a US$2.4 billion project to upgrade Greek F-16s to the Block 70/72 Viper configuration which among other enhancements includes an APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that significantly enhances the aircraft’s ability to identify and engage enemy aircraft.


Netherlands; Apache helicopter $1.2Bn. upgraded program

0
0

The Netherlands on Friday signed a letter of offer and acceptance for the upgrade of its fleet of 28 Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters at a cost of $1.19 billion.

Image result for DUTCH APAC HE

On September 14, Ambassador Hoekstra joined Principal Director of Security Assistance at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Michèle Hizon, and Dutch State Secretary for Defense Barbara Visser at Gilze-Rijen Air Base for a signing ceremony.

The current Apaches have become technically and operationally out of date after 20 years of service. During the overhaul, the fleet will receive new hulls, transmissions, and rotor blades. In addition, the power of the engines will be increased and they will be better able to fly in bad weather conditions. Other countries that use the Apache are also carrying out this modernization, which makes international cooperation easier.

The first aircraft will be modernized beginning in 2021. By mid-2022, the first modernized Apaches will be reintroduced to the fleet.

Spain; Marines Piranha upgrade contract

0
0

The Spanish company Santa Bárbara Sistemas will work during the next three years in the update of 18 Pirañha combat vehicles of version 1 of the Marine Infantry received between 2003 and 2004. The contract has a budget of 9.9 million euros , taxes included.

The award details that the company and the Navy will sign a framework agreement for the execution of "the actions of maintenance of half life of these vehicles". Repairs, maintenance and associated services will be extended until the end of 2021.

 Image result for SPAIN MARINES PIRANHA

Serbia; Chinese attack drones order

0
0

Serbia is eyeing to acquire sophisticated weapons and military technology for integrating complex systems into unmanned aircraft from China.

 תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪ch-3 armed uav‬‏

“Serbia will acquire combat drones, which will have the ability to scout, discover targets during the day and at night, as well as to shoot with laser-guided bombs and missiles,” Nenad Miloradovic, Deputy defense minister was quoted as saying in Beijing by B92 web portal Tuesday.

The transaction comprises two platoons with 3 UAV each. It has been agreed that remaining five systems will be manufactured by Serbia itself, using Chinese technology.  

Spain; Army delegation assesses Brazilian Astros-2000 MLRS

0
0

A Spanish Army delegation visited Brazil between September 10 and 13 to learn about the Astros 2020 system of the Avibras Industria Aerospace company and exchange experiences with the Brazilian Army. The delegation was led by the Director of Acquisitions of the Army Logistics Support Command (MALE), Division General Fernando García and Garcia de las Hijas.
The visit toured the headquarters of the Military Command of the Southeast in Ibirapuera and the factory of the Brazilian company in Sao Jose dos Campos. Subsequently, the military moved to the Sixth Missile and Rocket Group in Formosa where they attended a real test of the launch and operation of the system.

תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪astros-2000 avibras‬‏

Poland; Trump considers permanent US military Presence

0
0

U.S. President Donald Trump has said his administration was considering a request for a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland.

Trump made the comments in Washington on September 18 before a meeting at the White House with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

"Poland is willing to make a very major contribution to the United States to come in and have a presence in Poland, and certainly it's something we'll discuss," Trump said, adding that "we're looking at it very seriously."

Poland has requested the deployment several times and has offered up to $2 billion in funding for a base. U.S. forces currently serve in Poland as part of NATO's back-to-back rotation program.

Slovakia, Czech Rep: Possible mutual defense acquisitions

0
0

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his Slovak counterpart, Peter Pellegrini, have announced the two countries will cooperate on joint purchases of weapons and military equipment.

Speaking at a joint session of the two cabinets in the Slovak city of Kosice, Babis noted the Czech Republic produces armored vehicles and Slovakia makes howitzers, owing to which their armed forces could perform joint acquisitions of this gear.

France’s Nexter Group and Czech vehicle-maker Tatra Trucks jointly produce the Titus six-wheel drive armored vehicle. Slovakia’s DMD Group makes the Zuzana 2 155mm self-propelled howitzer.

Switzerland; Government lobbies to ensure support for Defense acquisition programs

0
0

As it waits for industry responses to its initial request for proposals for new combat aircraft, the Swiss government is laying the groundwork to ensure that the current process is not shot down by a public referendum, as were the two previous attempts to buy new fighters.

The government in March opened a consultation allowing the cantons (counties), political parties, associations as well as other stakeholders to state their opinion on the plan to replace Switzerland’s jet fighters and surface-to-air missiles. The consultation will close on Sept. 22, and if it receives sufficient support the government will submit its planning order (arrêté de planification) to Parliament in late November.

 he government’s plan is for the Upper House to debate the planning order during the spring, with the Lower House to follow during the summer, Ambassador Christian Catrina, the government’s point man on Air 2030, said in a Sept 7 interview with military magazine ASMZ.

Air 2030 is the government’s plan to fully replace Switzerland’s combat aircraft and its ground-based air defenses by 2030, for which it has earmarked 8 billion Swiss francs.

 The planning order is a Swiss peculiarity which allows parliament to give preliminary approval to a government decision, which is then presented to all national stakeholders along with the proposed process and criteria for its implementation. Once approved, the planning order can be submitted to an official referendum if the government so decides.


UK; Navy orders Shallow Water swimmer delivery subs

0
0

The United States state department has approved a Foreign Military Sale of three SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDV) MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles (SWCS) for an estimated cost of $90 million to the United Kingdom.

 תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles‬‏

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on September 19, 2018.

The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has requested to buy three SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDV) MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles (SWCS). Also included are spares; handling equipment; test equipment; operator manuals and technical documentation; US Government and contractor engineering, training, technical, and logistical support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.

Austria; 155mm HE artillery shells order

0
0

American Ordnance has won $56.8 million modification foreign military sales (Austria and Lebanon) contract for 155mm HE projectile M795 TNT. Work is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2021, the United States department of defense said in a statement Saturday.

The M795 155mm projectile is the US Army and Marine Corps standard 155mm high explosive projectile for howitzers.

The high-fragmentation steel body is filled with 23.8 lb (10.8 kg) of high explosive, giving the approximately 103 lb (47 kg) bursting round fragmentation and blast effects.

Spain; Army CH-47 confirms modernization programs

0
0

The Council of Ministers has approved the award of a contract to modernize the Chinook helicopter fleet, from model 'D' to model 'F', for an estimated value of 819,229,270.00 euros.

 תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪ch-47 spain‬‏

The purpose of this agreement is to ensure the availability of the Army’s heavy transport helicopters beyond the year 2020.

The modernization program will increase the operational capability in all theaters of operations, increase the safety of the occupants during the execution of the mission, and ensure the necessary interoperability with allied armies. Likewise, maintenance costs will be reduced in the short, medium and long term, as it is estimated that the new 'F' version will require approximately 56% fewer maintenance hours per flight hour. The modernization activities will begin in 2018, which will enable the reception of the first upgraded helicopter in 2021, and will be completed in 2025.

Switzerland; Long Range SAM tender

0
0

Switzerland Armasuisse Issues RFQs For Ground-based Missile Defence Systems To Three Foreign Manufacturers

The Swiss government has issued the request for tender for a new long-range surface-to-air defense system through its defense procurement agency, Armasuisse, for the country’s Air 2030 program.

Under its Air2030, Switzerland is aiming to procure new combat aircraft and ground-based defences in a programme valued at CHF8 billion ($8.1 billion).

On the basis of the requirements published by the Ministry of Defence on 23 March, 2018, the first request for tenders for a new long-range air defense system (DSA) is issued to three manufacturers: the Eurosam consortium’s SAMP/T system; the David’s Sling missile shield from Israel; and Raytheon’s Patriot system.

Armasuisse expects the offers by the end of March 2019.

 

Poland; Air Force requests AARGM anti-radiation missiles

0
0

The Polish Ministry of Defence has planned a procurement of the AARGM anti-radiation missiles. The Ministry recently told Defence24.pl that a Letter of Request for Price and Availability, has been sent to the US Government, with regards to both the AARGM missile, as well as to its Extended Range (AARGM-ER) variant.

 תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪aargm‬‏

The decision assuming that Poland would acquire the AGM-88E AARGM missile would mean that the Polish F-16 jets would be yet another platform in Europe capable of utilizing this weapon. The Italian Air Force has been the sole user of this missile in Europe so far, as Aeronautica Militare has been one of the AARGM project participants, alongside the US Navy. Germany, on the other hand, has expressed its interest in potential acquisition of the missile in question.

Meanwhile, the US Navy asked the Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems company (formerly known as Orbital ATK) to develop a new AARGM-ER variant of the missile. It is planned that its range will be doubled, comparing to today’s AARGM. Furthermore, the missile is to fit inside the weapon bays of the fifth-generation aircraft. All of the above means that the AARGM programme is being continuously developed.

Germany; Air Force orders C-130J

0
0

Germany will spend $1.14 billion to buy six C-130 Hercules Transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin.

The budget committee of the Bundestag lower house of parliament gave the green light for the procurement of the aircraft, Reuters reported quoting an unnamed source as saying Wednesday.

The package includes the procurement of spare parts, maintenance of the aircraft in the first three years and the initial training of technical and aviation personnel.

Finland; Green light for final tenders for €400M future Corvettes program

0
0

The logistics command of the Finnish Defence Forces has received permission from the Defence Ministry to request the final tenders for new state-of-the-art military ships for the Finnish Navy. The 400-million-euro Squadron 2020 combat system will include four new ice-breaking missile corvettes, along with various weapons, sensors, and integrated command and control systems.

The final tender requests are the result of process that began last summer, when three suppliers were chosen from a field of eight to participate in the final bidding: Sweden's Saab, Germany's Atlas Electronik, and Canada's Lockheed Martin Canada.

The combat systems on the ships will include surface-to-surface missile systems, torpedoes, guns and sea mines. The Ministry of Defence announced in July that it had decided to purchase the Israeli Gabriel missile system after a round of competitive bidding. The torpedoes will be ordered from Saab, in Sweden.

The ships will eventually be fitted out with new surface-to-air missile systems, which will be ordered later.


Russia; MLRS launched UAV tests

0
0

Russia’s new drone, to be launched atop projectiles of the Smerch multiple launch rocket system, will be able to pierce the adversary’s air defenses more easily.

 

Russia’s Tecmash defense enterprise, which specializes in development and production of ammunition for the Russian armed forces, announced on Saturday that it started flight tests of a new UAV, propelled by Smerch rockets. The drone, which replaces the rocket’s warhead, can cover the distance of up 90 kilometers atop the rocket, then separate from it and continue its flight independently.

 תמונה קשורה

The main advantage of such a drone as compared to other low-speed UAVs is the higher chance of penetrating the adversary’s air defense systems. The drone will cross antimissile barriers inside a projectile of the multiple launch rocket system, which, due to its speed on one hand the possibility of being launched in a salvo of ordinary projectiles on the other, will make it a difficult target for missile defense systems.

Bulgaria; Four contenders in future fighter jet tender

0
0

Italy, Sweden and the US have submitted bids to sell fighter jets to Bulgaria's ailing air force, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

A NATO member since 2004, the Balkan country is obliged to keep at least one squadron of jets ready for action, but the number of its ageing Soviet-built MiG-29s has progressively dwindled to just seven, prompting repeated alerts about drastic shortages in pilots' flying hours.

In response, the US made two bids – for new Boeing F-18s and F-16s by Lockheed Martin, while Sweden offered new Gripen fighters and Italy proposed second-hand Eurofighter jets, Bulgaris’s Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said as the proposals were unveiled.

Leonardo Offers Italian Air Force Eurofighter Jets to Bulgaria

0
0

Italian Government and Leonardo submitted their offer to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence on October in response to the recent Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of eight fighter aircraft to replace their ageing Mig fleet.

The Italian offer is based on the supply to the Bulgarian Air Force of used Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoons from the Italian Air Force and includes also the option for the delivery of newly built aircraft as requested by Bulgaria.

The proposal covers aircraft acquisition as well as training, three years in service support and weapons.

Spain; Army orders Israeli UAVs

0
0

Israeli Aeronautics has won Spanish MoD contract  to supply of two RPAS Orbiter 3 systems for deployment in operations abroad. The contract is valued at  3.1 million euros.

תמונה קשורה

Spain; Air Force to upgrade KEPD-350 cruise missiles

0
0

The Spanish Ministry of Defence and TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG) signed a contract for an upgrade of the operational capability of the TAURUS KEPD 350 Weapon System used by the Spanish Air Force.

 תמונה קשורה

The TAURUS KEPD 350 has been in the inventory of the Spanish Air force for 10 years. It is today operated on the EF-18 fighter Aircraft. The advanced stand-off missile TAURUS KEPD 350 provides, with its very long range and a unique intelligent warhead, an important strategic and tactical advantage to the Spanish Armed forces.

It is optimized for attacking deep buried bunkers, infrastructure and aerial targets even in anti-access and area denied environments.

As part of the contract signed on 26th of September in Madrid, the operational capability of the Spanish TAURUS will be updated by robustification and improvement of the navigation system. The contract value is just below 30 million Euros.

This will increase the survivability considerably beyond the original configuration. With the update, the Weapon System is prepared for highly defended modern scenarios and joint operations environments. The project will start immediately.

Viewing all 1116 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images