FIRST EGYPTIAN NEWLY OPERATIONAL TYPE 209/1400 ATTACK SUBMARINE

The first submarine (S41) of a batch of four, arrived in Alexandria’s Ras El-Tin naval base on 19 April. The new submarine, manufactured by German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, sailed from the German city of Kiel at the end of March.

According to the Egyptian press, the Egyptian navy undertook exercises using the submarine on 18 April, ensuring its readiness to join the fleet.

Similar to the South African submarines, these submarines have a dived top speed of 21.5 knots. They are equipped to launch both missiles and torpedoes.

In May 2016, the US State Department agreed to sell to Egypt via a foreign military sales (FMS), twenty Harpoon UGM-84L Block-II encapsulated missiles at a cost of $143 million including services for five years. At the time, the DSCA (Defense Security and Defense Agency) indicated that these weapons were for supporting the Egyptian Navy’s Type 209 submarines.

Even if South African submarines are equipped with SUT 264 torpedoes, we could fairly think Egyptian boats might fire DM2-A3 torpedoes like Colombia, with its German Type 209/1200. Another option is the American Mk-48 torpedoe. Indeed, Egyptian Romero submarines have already Mk-48 Mod4M or Mk-48 Mod 6AT torpedoes in their inventory.

According to the German press, the second submarine (S42) is currently under trials. The agreement between Egyptian authorities and TKMS foresees that the two next units will be delivered from 2018 onwards.

Romero’s replacement program:

For over 15 years, Egypt has looked for replacing its Chinese Romero-class submarines delivered in 1983 and 1984.

Early in the 2000s, Egypt was keen to procure second-hand submarines. In December 2004, preliminary negotiations with Germany for the acquisition of Type 206A submarines Germany took place. Egyptian authorities were already interested to get up to four submarines. Other studied options included Greek Type 209/1100 submarines and even three Heroj-class submarines from Montenegro.

After several years of negotiations, due to the fact Germany already supplies Dolphin-class submarines to Israel, both governments reached an agreement in summer 2011 for 2+2 (2 and 2 in option) Type 209/1400 submarines for €920 million. In February 2014, rumours indicated that Egypt wanted to activate its option from TKMS for a cost of €500 million notwithstanding the alleged opposition of former Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel who vowed a much more cautious approach to licensing arms exports. In 2015, the German press unveiled the option was exercised.

Between 2011 and 2015, other rumours indicated Egypt was interested by Russian submarines into a wider package with aircrafts, artillery systems, etc.

Written by Julien Brugnetti for OIDA Strategic Intelligence

Japan seeks to win Thai air defense radar contract

By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo | TOKYO

Japan is seeking to win a contract to supply Thailand with an air defense radar system built by Mitsubishi Electric Corp, as it looks to counter growing Chinese influence in the Southeast Asian nation, according to four Japanese government officials and one industry source.

The effort is part of a wider push by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration to bolster its position in the region along with its U.S. ally. The Chief of Staff of Japan’s Air Self Defense Force, Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, traveled to Bangkok last month to discuss areas of possible cooperation.

Japan expects the Thai military government to begin accepting competitive bids as early as next year as it upgrades and adds to its existing U.S. and European radar systems, the sources said. It is unclear who else may be bidding.

The value of such a contract is unclear as the specifications for the system have not yet been released. Radar systems built by Mitsubishi and other companies for Japan can stretch to hundreds of millions of dollars depending on the complexity and coverage. The sources said Japan would look to offer a lower price system because of Thailand’s limited defense budget.

Japan’s push for stronger ties with Thailand, will benefit the U.S. given the growing tensions over China’s claims in the South China Sea, according to the sources. Japan, which until 2014 had a ban on arms exports, has not previously sold military equipment to Thailand.

Since the 2014 coup brought the current Thai government to power, the U.S. has had strained relations with its old ally, which served as a staging ground for American forces during the Vietnam War, offering access to strategic airfields and ports.

In July, Thailand agreed to buy three Chinese-built submarines worth around $1 billion in a deal that illustrated Beijing’s willingness to fill the vacuum left by Washington. And last month, Thai and Chinese military planes performed acrobatic demonstrations together at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, around 260 km (161 miles) northeast of Bangkok, as a prelude to the first joint military drill between the nations’ air forces.

A company spokeswoman said Mitsubishi Electric does not discuss individual deals.

“While we are aware that Thailand is moving ahead with the deployment of air defense radar, we can’t comment on the activities of individual corporations, » a spokesman for Japan’s defense ministry said.

A Thailand Defense Ministry spokesman, Kongcheep Tantravanich, said that “many countries want to sell it to us but we have to see if the system fits.” Spokesmen for the Royal Thai Navy and the Royal Thai Air Force said they had no knowledge of a plan for a new system.

Washington has a statutory obligation to withhold aid to militaries involved in coups against democratically elected governments. That includes restricting its arms makers from selling military kit to the country. Japan does not face such restrictions in engaging with the Thai government.

Tokyo is worried that China’s wooing of Thailand could further split members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and blunt criticism of China’s island building in the South China Sea. Beijing has claimed most of the resource-rich waterway as its own, sparking protests from other claimants, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

The radar Japan proposes for the deal is a variant on Mitsubishi Electric’s fixed-position FSP-3 radar, an older generation system that has been used by Japan’s Self Defense Forces to detect air threats, the sources said.

Source : Reuters

 

La Pologne souhaite acquérir des missiles de croisière américains

30 nov. 2016 | Par Guillaume Belan

La Pologne a demandé à Washington l’achat de 70 missiles de croisière Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER).

Equipé d’un moteur turbopropulseur plus efficace et d’un volume de carburant plus élevé , la version ER du JASSM atteindrait une portée de plus de 930 km. A l’instar du missile français Scalp, le JASSM est un armement destiné à être utilisée contre des cibles protégées de haute valeur. Avec ce missile, la Pologne deviendrait capable de frapper le territoire russe.

Le contrat éventuel est estimé à 200 millions de dollars et inclut une mise à niveau des F-16C/D polonais.

Source: Air&Cosmos

La Norvège souhaite acquérir des P-8A Poseidon

Le ministère norvégien de la Défense a annoncé son intention d’acquérir cinq nouveaux avions de patrouille maritime du type américain P-8A Poseidon. Représentant un investissement de plus d’un milliard d’euros, les appareils devraient être livrés par Boeing en 2021 et 2022.

Ils sont appelés à remplacer les six vieux P-3C Orion de l’armée de l’air norvégienne, mis pour emploi au service de la marine, ainsi que les trois Falcon 20 utilisés pour des missions de guerre électronique.

En service dans l’US Navy, déjà vendu à l’Inde et également retenu par le Royaume-Uni, le Poseidon permettra à la Norvège de maintenir une capacité à long rayon d’action de lutte antinavire et anti-sous-marine, de surveillance maritime, de sauvetage et de renseignement. Les cinq nouveaux appareils contribueront en particulier à renforcer les moyens norvégiens face à la remontée en puissance de la flotte russe, à commencer par ses sous-marins, dont l’activité a repris de la vigueur ces dernières années. C’est dans cette perspective également qu’Oslo compte renouveler ses six sous-marins de la classe Ula. Dans cette perspective, un choix est attendu en 2017 entre les deux modèles en compétition : le Scorpene 2000 du Français DCNS et le type 212A de l’Allemand TKMS.

Conçu à partir de l’avion de ligne 737-800 de Boeing, le P-8A mesure 38.56 mètres de long pour 38.8 mètres d’envergure, sa masse maximale au décollage étant de 83.5 tonnes. Ce biréacteur est conçu pour la mise en oeuvre de missiles Harpoon et SLAM-ER, ainsi que de torpilles Mk50 et Mk54.

Source : Met et Marine

F/A-18: Le Koweit s’approche d’une décision

28 nov. 2016 | Par Guillaume Belan

Il en était question depuis plusieurs mois, la nouvelle s’approche doucement d’une décision : le Koweit s’apprête à commander 28 F/A-18 Super Hornet. C’est ce qu’a confirmé le General Lafi al-Azemi, responsable des acquisitions militaire du Koweit. Le marché devrait dépasser les 5 Mds de dollars. Les F/A-18 de Boeing viendront remplacer les F-18 vieillissants. Des F-18 que Boeing s’est engagé à reprendre selon le général al-Azemi. Le Koweit en dispose de 39.

Il y a quelques semaines le département d’état américain avait accordé son feu vert pour cette vente. A noter que le le Koweit s’est récemment porté acquéreur de 28 Eurofighter Typhoon (lire ici). L’émirat s’apprête donc a gonfler considérablement ses capacités de chasse et de bombardement, à l’instar du Qatar, qui, outre le Rafale, souhaiterait acquérir jusqu’à 72 F-15 (lire notre article ici). Des besoins apparus avec la montée en puissance des tensions régionales (Yémen, Syrie, Irak, Iran…) qui provoque une certaine course aux armements dans la région. Le Koweit vient également de commander des hélicoptères H225M (relire ici).

Source: Air&Cosmos

Armement : encore un succès de la France (Thales) en Australie

Par Michel Cabirol  |  24/11/2016, 10:00  |  572  mots

Le contrat de modernisation obtenu par Thales vise à doter les systèmes sonars des sous-marins australiens de la classe Collins des meilleures performances mondiales en matière de détection sous-marine (Crédits : ministère de la Défense australien) Thales a signé un contrat de conception et de pré-production avec le ministère de la Défense australien pour moderniser les six sous-marins de la classe Collins de la Marine royale. Un premier contrat de 70 millions d’euros.

Et encore un succès de la France en Australie dans le domaine de l’armement. Thales a signé un contrat de conception et de pré-production avec le ministère de la Défense australien pour moderniser les six sous-marins de la classe Collins de la Marine royale. Le montant de ce contrat s’élève à 100 millions de dollars australiens (soit 70 millions d’euros) mais il pourrait atteindre plusieurs centaines de millions d’euros si l’électronicien obtient les prochaines tranches concernant la production et l’installation des sonars.

Le gouvernement australien devrait donner en 2018 son feu vert définitif au programme de modernisation et les contrats devraient ensuite se succéder sur une dizaine d’années en fonction des besoins de la marine australienne, a précisé le vice-président des systèmes de lutte sous la mer de Thales, Alexis Morel lors d’une conférence téléphonique. Il estime que cette modernisation doit permettre « à la marine australienne de maintenir sa supériorité sous les mers dans la région ».

Meilleures performances mondiales en matière de détection

Thales aura pour mission de remplacer les antennes des sous-marins entrées en service au milieu des années 90 par des systèmes de sonars plus performants. Dans un contexte d’évolution permanente des menaces, ce contrat vise à doter leurs systèmes sonars des meilleures performances mondiales en matière de détection sous-marine, estime le groupe d’électronique.

Premier fournisseur de technologies sonars à l’Australie, Thales s’appuiera sur une forte expertise locale et internationale pour moderniser les antennes cylindriques, les antennes de flanc et leur traitement à bord. Ainsi, les antennes cylindriques seront remplacées par des antennes cylindriques modulaires (MCA), élaborées par Thales au Royaume-Uni. L’actuelle antenne de flanc sera, elle, remplacée par une antenne de dernière génération développée par les équipes Thales en France.

Dans ce cadre de la modernisation des Collins, Thales Australia engagera des sociétés australiennes comme Sonartech Atlas et L3 Oceania en vue de préparer ce programme, a précisé le ministère australien de la Défense dans un communiqué. « C’est un exemple clair de notre engagement à renforcer le potentiel d’innovation de l’industrie militaire australienne », fait observer le ministre de la Défense, Christopher Pyne. Les travaux d’intégration des systèmes de sonars s’effectueront sur le site de Thales à Rydalmere, à côté de Sydney.

« C’est très bien pour Thales en Australie : cela permet de renouveler des compétences et des emplois et nous maintient dans une position importante dans le pays », estime Alexis Morel.

Une étape importante pour Thales

Avec ce contrat obtenu en Australie, Thales a en ligne de mire un contrat que le groupe pourrait décrocher courant 2017. Un contrat de plus d’un milliard d’euros en vue d’équiper de sonars de nouvelle génération les 12 futurs sous-marins que DCNS et Lockheed Martin (système de combat) doivent construire pour la marine australienne (34 milliards d’euros au total). « Dans le contexte du grand contrat sur les futurs sous-marins, c’est évidemment une étape très importante pour nous », estime Alexis Morel. « On ne vend pas la peau de l’ours mais on aborde les choses avec confiance », affirme-t-il toutefois.

« Aujourd’hui, nous avons l’assurance que la confiance du gouvernement australien dans Thales pour moderniser ses sous-marins actuels est renouvelée », assure-t-il, en précisant que le processus de sélection pour ce contrat n’est pas encore défini.

Source: La Tribune.fr

Purchase of Chinese Subs by Bangladesh ‘An Act of Provocation’ Toward India

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi, November 23, 2016

NEW DELHI — Ever since Bangladesh took delivery of Chinese submarines on Nov. 14, analysts in India have expressed increasing concern over a deepening of China’s footprint in India’s friendly neighbor.

The arrival of the submarines comes as Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar prepares to visit Dhaka on Nov. 30 to upgrade defense ties between the neighboring countries.

Bangladesh took delivery of the first of the two submarines purchased from China at a cost of $203 million. The Type 035G diesel-electric submarines, armed with torpedoes and mines, are capable of attacking enemy ships and submarines.

Analysts say the sale of the subs is part of a strategy meant to encircle India.

« Given Bangladesh’s economic situation and the fact that it is surrounded on three sides by India, the acquisition of submarines is not only illogical but actually an act of provocation as far as India is
concerned. Submarines are offensive weapons of sea denial and their only use would be to pose a threat in being for India and to complicate the latter’s maritime security paradigm, » said Arun Prakash, a retired Indian Navy admiral and former service chief.

« Obviously this transfer is a step further in China’s strategy of encircling India with its client states, » Prakash added.

However, Bharat Karnad, a research professor at the India-based think tank Centre for Policy Research, disagreed.

« No, it is just a good, economical deal Dhaka could not pass up, » Karnad said. « But the Modi government will have to ensure it does not fetch Beijing strategic benefits. »

« It is difficult to fathom why Bangladesh, which does not encounter any conventional maritime-military threat, has inducted submarines in its navy. The maritime disputes between Bangladesh and two of its only maritime neighbors — Myanmar and India — were resolved through international arbitration in 2012 and 2014, respectively, » said Gurpreet Khurana, an Indian Navy captain and executive director of the National Maritime Foundation.

Swaran Singh, a professor for diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said: « Bangladesh Navy has always been [the] beneficiary of Chinese transfers, but [the] transfer of submarine means major upgradation of their defense cooperation and would contribute to South Asia becoming a far more contested space infested with new weapon systems. »

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Bangladesh in October 2016, Bangladesh and China agreed to elevate their relationship from a  » comprehensive partnership of cooperation » to a  » strategic partnership, » which « raises concern here, » said an Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) official.

Diplomats of the Bangladesh High Commission here were unavailable for comment.

China has emerged as a major supplier of arms for the Bangladesh Army but also a destination for its officers to receive training.

Bangladesh is modernizing it armed forces and procuring weapons from overseas. « The delivery of the first Chinese submarine will make the country (Bangladesh) dependent for more arms from China, » a senior Indian Army official said.

India is also boosting its defense ties. Parrikar, during his two-day visit to Bangladesh next week, is likely to « upgrade its bilateral defense cooperation, » the MoD official said. India is contemplating supplying offshore patrol vehicles with an easy financial package to Bangladesh as part of the defense cooperation, the official added.

« Bangladesh is our neighbor, and its strategic importance cannot be understated in any way. Such events as the purchase of submarines by Bangladesh greatly enhances the mistrust between the countries and
steps must be taken to reduce this gap and prevent Bangladesh from playing the China card repeatedly, » said Probal Ghosh, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, an organization dedicated to leading political and policy discussions in India.

Though India and Bangladesh have very cordial relations under the ruling dispensation in Dhaka, the two countries have yet to settle on a water-sharing treaty, which has proven to be a major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh ties.

Source: defensenews.com

New Zealand Considers 2030 With $14B Defense Capability Plan

By: Nick Lee-Frampton, November 22, 2016

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Following the delayed defense white paper released last June, New Zealand’s minister of defense, Gerry Brownlee, on Nov. 16 released the Defence Capability Plan (DCP) 2016, detailing the $14.3 billion investment in capability needed out to 2030.

Five areas have been selected for capability investment, according to the DCP, including cyber protection and support, intelligence support, littoral operations, operations in the Antarctic Ocean and southern bodies of water, and air surveillance.

Barely was the ink dry on the entire DCP, however, when a 7.8 earthquake resulted in the closure of the New Zealand Defence Force headquarters in Wellington as well as the evacuation of the government’s national cyber defense center, which is under the purview of the Communications Security Bureau.

Intelligence support has long been encouraged; there was concern expressed by Air Force personnel to Defense News more than eight years ago that intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities — particularly of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s P-3K2 Orion air surveillance capability — were in excess of the capacity to process, analyze and distribute such information.

With Boeing upgrading the Orion’s underwater ISR « to better detect and deter underwater threats, » the potential flow of data merely increases even as consideration is given to replacing the Orions when the six-aircraft fleet retires in the 2020s, having entered service in the 1960s.

Replacement platforms may not be like for like, as ‘investment in remotely piloted aerial systems is also under consideration,’ the DCP noted.

By 2030, there will be either a surface combatant capability in service or under procurement to replace the Navy’s two Anzac-class frigates, the DCP said.

Meanwhile, there are plans to add a third ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to the Navy’s OPV fleet, with upgraded communications and sensors by 2027 to extend the fleet’s life into the 2030s. New torpedoes are due by 2028.

Source: defensenews.com

Romania to Award Armored Vehicles Deal to Germany’s Rheinmetall

By: Jaroslaw Adamowski, November 18, 2016

WARSAW, Poland — Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has announced that the country’s Defence Ministry is planning to award a contract for the delivery of armored personnel carriers (APC) to Germany’s Rheinmetall Defence. The company is to team up with a state-run Romanian manufacturer and launch a plant in Romania that will produce the APCs.

« There will be a partnership, a Romanian-German joint venture, which will allow Rheinmetall to obtain the contract from the Ministry of Defence and build an armored personnel carrier that will be first supplied to the Romanian military, » Ciolos told local broadcaster Europa FM in an Nov. 17 interview.

Under the plan, the new APCs will replace Romania’s TAB vehicles, which are a locally built variant of the Soviet-designed BTR-70. The amount of the planned acquisition was not disclosed, but the Romanian Armed Forces is planning to replace about 1,500 such vehicles in the coming years.

« A portion of the funds will stay in Romania and allow to create new jobs here, » Ciolos said.

According to the prime minister, the country’s Defense Ministry is seeking to conclude similar deals with foreign manufacturers for other military procurements. This includes the planned acquisition of new corvettes for the Romanian Navy, according to Ciolos.

The prime minister said that for 2017, the Romanian government is aiming to allocate a maximum of 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product to defense expenditure.

Source: defensenews.com

Embraer Responds to New Zealand RFI for Airlift, Surveillance Aircraft

By: Nigel Pittaway, November 17, 2016

 

MELBOURNE, Australia — Embraer has responded to a recent New Zealand request for information (RFI) for a Future Air Mobility Capability (FAMC), with an offer for five KC-390 multimission transport aircraft.

The KC-390 is under development against a contract for 28 aircraft to replace the Brazilian Air Force’s fleet of Lockheed C-130H Hercules, with first deliveries beginning in 2018. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer said it also holds letters of intent, for a further 32 aircraft, from five different countries and is actively marketing the aircraft to potential customers in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.

The New Zealand proposal marks the company’s first opportunity for the KC-390 in the Asia-Pacific region, and the bid is supported by Boeing defense products division under the terms of a teaming agreement announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s FAMC program seeks to acquire a fixed-wing transport capability to replace the country’s five C-130Hs and two Boeing 757s, either with two new aircraft or a single type able to meet essential requirements in both strategic and tactical airlift roles.

Delivery of the first aircraft is required by February 2020 and for initial operational capability (IOC) to follow in February 2021. Final operational capability (FOC) is required no later than February 2024. The first replacement aircraft for the 757 fleet is required to arrive in New Zealand before Feb. 1, 2025, and IOC declared by Feb. 1, 2026.

“We are very positive that we can provide the best solution for New Zealand for the mission requirements that they have presented to us (and) I think they are very interested in the KC-390. But we understand and respect that this is a competition and we will fulfill all the required steps of the process,” Embraer Defense & Security President and CEO Jackson Schneider said at the company’s corporate headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil, last week.

The KC-390, shown here, is under development against a contract for 28 aircraft to replace the Brazilian Air Force’s fleet of Lockheed C-130H Hercules, with first deliveries beginning in 2018. Photo Credit: Nigel Pittaway/Staff
“We are in advanced talks with New Zealand (but) we are not negotiating contracts at the present time. The process is advanced, but it is a competition and we’re not the only bidder,” he said.

Schneider said that the only other manufacturer with a product in the same class as the KC-390 currently in production is US giant Lockheed Martin, with the C-130J Super Hercules.

He also revealed that Embraer is negotiating with what he considers a global civil customer for the KC-390, which will be certified to US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency airworthiness requirements, but declined to provide specific details.

“There is one specific discussion with a global company for a fully civil application. It will not require too much customization for the specific mission that they are talking to us about,” he said.

Another senior Embraer executive also revealed that the manufacturer is considering the development of a maritime patrol version of its new E190-E2 commercial airliner at the invitation of the New Zealand government to meet a forthcoming RFI for a Future Air Surveillance Capability.

The RFI will canvas proposals to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s recently updated Lockheed P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft in the mid-2020s, for an FOC planned sometime between 2023 and 2025.

Embraer Defense & Security’s commercial senior vice president, Fernando Ribeiro de Queiroz, said the company will develop a maritime patrol version of the 190-E2, the latest version of its successful commercial « E » jet family, if required by the customer, but he also suggested that a KC-390 configured for the maritime patrol role might provide greater synergy with the FAMC response if New Zealand’s requirements are not inflexible.

“We are responding to the maritime patrol requirement with the -E2, because the requirements that New Zealand has asked for fits better with that platform. But our proposal for the tender is that, if they are able to adjust some of the requirements a little bit, we are able to support it with the KC-390,” he said.

“For example New Zealand wants the airplane to achieve M0.82, but if this speed is not a strong requirement we can support them with the KC-390, which is capable of M0.80,” he added.

Embraer is proposing to modify the KC-390 with a 360-degree surface search radar installed in the nose, similar to the configuration offered to Canada in that country’s long-range search-and-rescue competition, together with a palletized maritime patrol mission system.

“A palletized mission system and radar equipment in the nose and other equipment would fulfill the requirements for maritime patrol, but it does not compromise the other missions that the aircraft is already capable of performing,” de Queiroz explained.

“You can take out the mission system and fly with cargo, passengers, medevac, etc., so it would be a single fleet with perhaps two aircraft capable of being configured for maritime patrol and five dedicated to air mobility. It is how we can show synergy between both projects, but at the same time we have a solution that is 100 percent dedicated to maritime patrol with the E190-E2.”

Source: defensenews.com