BAE Systems Maritime Submarines has been awarded a £328 million contract by the United Kinkdom´s Ministry of Defence procurement agency DE&S for the design of the Royal Navy’s next generation of submarines. The fleet is intended to replace the Vanguard Class submrines HMS “Vanguard”, HMS “Victorious”, HMS “Vigilant” and HMS “Vengeance”. Industrial partners of BAE Systems Maritime Submarines comprise Rolls-Royce and Babcock.
The first submarine is due to be delivered in 2028.
Continue readingThe Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) signed a contract with Airbus Military (of EADS) for the acquisition of eight C-295M aircraft, five of them configured as tactical transport aircraft and three as maritime patrol aircraft. They will be delivered from 2013.
Two CN235 transport aircraft are already operated by the Royal Oman Police
Continue readingAs we previously announced here, French Renault Trucks Defense (RTD) will unveil at Eurosatory 2012 a new 6×6 armoured vehicle.
Togheter with ACMAT Defense, Volvo Defense, Mack Defense, Volvo Penta and Volvo Construction Equipment, RTD will show a total of 40 vehicles including the brand new VAB Mark III 6×6 armoured vehicle, Sherpa Light APC Police and the VLRA 2 range of 4×4 light tactical trucks.
At Eurosatory 2010, RTD presented the VAB Mark III in both 4×4 and 6×6 configurations. The company is upgrading important quantities of French Army´s VABs.
Continue readingIveco Defence Vehicles will show at Eurosatory 2012, one of the first production Iveco Veículos de Defesa VBTP-MR (Viatura Blindada de Transporte de Pessoal-Média de Rodas) Guarani amphibian weeled armoured vehicles.
Later this year, the Brazilian Army is to receive the first vehicles of 2044 units procured to Iveco Defence Vehicles Latin America in several variants.
(Iveco Defence Vehicles).
On next 30/31 May, French company Thales will present to international press several of its brand new products for land sector developed by its subsidiaries.
These systems in the fields of communications, C4ISR, training & simulation, optronics and air defence are going to be officially unveiled at next month Eurosatory 2012 event to be held in Paris, France.
On a round of visits to four of its facilities near Paris, Frances, the company will highlight vetronic integration, latest communication systems, electronic warfare, C4ISR capabilities with integration in a multinational environment, innovative military training and simulation solutions, such as an advanced virtual simulation system for combat staff training and a compact and immersive 3D visual display system, a scalable open-architecture command and control solution for air C4I including integrated air and missile defence capabilities and as well as land optronics systems, from soldier equipment to surveillance and from vehicle local situation awareness to weapon sight.
Continue readingThe Indian Navy (IN) received its 15 MiG-29K naval combat aircraft from the Russian aerospace manufacturer Russian Aircraft Corporation “MiG” (RAC).
These aircraft will operate from INS “Vikramaditya” aircraft carrier which is planned for induction in late 2012.
A contract has been concluded to acquire an additional 29 aircraft. India placed an order for 16 MiG-29K aircraft in 2004 to Russias´s state agency JSC Rosoboronexport. A single aircraft crashed during trials.
A repeat order was placed in 2010 to purchase the 29 additional aircraft.
India is also looking to procure a new type and is considering different designs including Dassault Aviation Rafale and Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH Typhoon.
Continue readingAt the ITEC exhibition and conference to be held in London, United Kingdom between 22 to 24 May 2012, MASA Group a developer of artificial intelligence based modeling & simulation software for the defense, public safety, emergency management and serious games markets, will launch SWORD 5.0 automated, aggregated constructive simulation software for efficient training and analysis.
SWORD has been designed to help users develop and deploy advanced and highly realistic scenarios, in particular for the training of decision-makers in commanding posts and crisis centers, and for the analysis of military doctrines and emergency procedures.
The new version features new missions, behaviors and models, expanding the scope of operations to include Operations Other Than War (OOTW), Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) crisis management, low density conflicts such as counter terrorism, natural disasters, and the management of resource networks.
SWORD 5.0 interoperates with operational C2 (Command & Control) and C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems.
Several companies use MASA’s products including Amper Programas, CAE Inc, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW), SAAB AB and Thales.
Continue readingCTA International (CTAI), a joint venture between Nexter Systems and BAE Systems Global Combat Systems is to complete qualification of its CTAS (Cased Telescoped Armament System) 40mm weapon system by mid 2013.
The system is currently being trialed at French procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) Land Systems facility of Bourges, France.
It comprise elements such as the canon, ammunition handling system, controller, elevation and azimuth drive motors from MOOG, encoders, gyroscopes and accelerometers, electronic control unit from Ultra Electronics, power and control cables and the gun mount.
The ammunition range comprises APFSDS-T (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot-Tracer), GPR-PD-T (General Purpose Round-Point Detonating-Tracer), GPR-AB-T (General Purpose Round-Air Burst-Tracer), TP-T (Target Practice-Tracer) and TPRR (Target Practice Reduced Range) rounds.
CTAS was selected by the UK´s Ministry of Defence materiel organization DE&S (Defence Equipment & Support) to equip British Army´s General Dynamics European Land Systems ASCOD SV Scout vehicles procured to General Dynamics UK Ltd as part of its FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) programme and as well 380 Warrior tracked armoured infantry fighting vehicles to be upgraded by Lockheed Martin UK Ltd and its partners to the WCSP (Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme) configuration. It will also fit the T40 turret for the future French Army´s 292 EBRC (Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance et de Combat) combat reece armoured vehicles which is a programme part of SCORPION (Synergie du COntact Renforcé par la Polyvalence et I’InfovalorisatiON) modernization programme. EBRC is intended to replace in service AMX-10 RCR and ERC-90 Sagaie wheeled combat vehicles.
The CV21 family of lightweight tracked armoured vehicles recently unveiled by BAE Systems Global Combat Systems includes a reconnaissance variant equipped with a turret which could be armed with the CTAS system.
Thales propose a truck mounted self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system (SPAAG) which comprises a modified version of CTAS´ 40mm cannon installed on a 6×6 chassis truck mounted turret. The turret includes as well a fire control suite. In 2010, Thales unveiled the MGS (Gun Missile System) mobile air defence system concept which feature a turret mounted in wheeled or tracked armoured vehicle, armed with six ready-to-fire Starstreak short-range surface-to-air high-velocity missiles, the 40mm gun and a multi-sensor fire control package combining a tracking radar, gyro-stabilized sensor head and fire control computer systems. Both systems can be linked to Thales Air Systems Ground Master 60 (GM 60) ground based mobile search radar.
The U.S. Navy (USN) awarded U.S. company Raytheon a US$57.8 million contract to overhaul and upgrade nine Phalanx MK15 close-in weapon systems, and manufacture two SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense systems. The agreement also includes the purchase of 20 radar upgrade kits.
Phalanx MK15 is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems.
SeaRAM weapon system uses Phalanx MK15 Block 1B sensors and replaces the gun with an Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) guide. SeaRAM weapon system is aboard the USS “Independence” (LCS 2) and USS “Coronado” (LCS 4), and will soon be in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Continue readingGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI), along with SELEX Galileo SpA and Cobham Aviation Services demonstrated a new open payload architecture during the Sovereign Payload Capability Demonstration (SPCD) held in Palmdale, California in the United States (U.S.).
The event included a live flight demonstration over the Pacific Ocean of a Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system fitted with a Seaspray 7500E airborne surveillance radar and showcased the radar’s ability to track targets on land, in the littoral and maritime environments, and from air-to-air.
(GA-ASI).
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