DEFESA Global

The first Thales Sea Fire radar for the French Navy’s FTI future medium-size frigates programme is now in production. The Sea Fire is fully solid-state multifunction radar with a four-panel phased array antenna. It is designed for roles ranging from ship self-defence to extended air defence, providing protection from conventional, asymmetric and emerging air and surface threats.

The French defence procurement agency (DGA) awarded the FTI contract to develop and build five 4000 tons frigates to Naval Group in April 2017. The first of these five vessels will be delivered in 2023 and will enter active service in 2025.

First radar will be installed for qualification testing at the DGA facilities in Saint-Mandrier in 2019. Thales will deliver the 4 panels of the first Sea Fire radar to Naval Group shipyard in Lorient in 2020 for the FTI program

(Sea Fire radar, Thales).

The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency has awarded Airbus a EUR40 million contract for the delivery of the first phase of the new NATO communications infrastructure project. The contract also includes options for future phases of the project, worth up to EUR50 million.

The project will replace a major part of the NATO General Communications System (NGCS), involving 72 NATO sites. It will provide a major upgrade of wide area network protected IP communications across the NATO command structure, NATO headquarters and NATO points of presence in NATO member nations.

The project covers the delivery of upgraded IP access and transport services across different security classifications with significantly increased capacity, quality of service and traffic engineering capabilities. It also covers NATO unclassified voice services through the replacement of old telephony switches by voice over IP telephony at 25 sites.

The design review is estimated to be completed in December 2018 while the first phase of implementation should be completed by the end of 2019.

Thales, BAE Systems and CGI have announced a strategic teaming agreement that will see the three companies bring together their collective expertise and proven United Kingdom industrial capability in electronic warfare, in order to respond to the opportunity to partner the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for the second phase of the United Kingdom Royal Navy’s Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP).

Saab Dynamics has received an order from the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) for deliveries of Carl-Gustaf ammunition. The order value amounts to SEK 110 million and deliveries will take place in 2018.

The order comes under the terms of Saab’s framework agreement signed with the NDMA in 2017 regarding Carl-Gustaf ammunition.

The framework agreement enables the customer to place orders for live and training ammunition rounds during the period 2017-2022. The ammunition will be used by the Norwegian Armed Forces, currently operating the Carl-Gustaf M2 and M3 man-portable shoulder-launched anti-armour weapon.

Saab Dynamics has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for deliveries of the Carl-Gustaf M4 portable, shoulder-launched multi-purpose weapon system.

Delivery will take place during 2018.

With Sweden as a new Carl-Gustaf M4 customer, Saab has signed contracts with five different nations since the system was launched to the market in 2014

The Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon is also compatible with future battlefield technology developments such as intelligent sighting systems and programmable ammunition.

Oshkosh Defense has been awarded two delivery orders, totaling USD235.2 million from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to recapitalize HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks) tactical vehicles and PLS (Palletized Load System) trailer systems.

The recapitalization process upgrades vehicles to the latest configuration.

Under the contract, Oshkosh Defense will recapitalize 410 vehicles as well as manufacture 680 new PLS trailers. Deliveries of the units will begin in 2019.

In total, Oshkosh Defense has recapitalized over 13,000 HEMTT and 3,000 PLS systems since 1995.

Naval Group performed a new launch of the F21 heavyweight torpedo system in the frame of the Artémis program led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement, DGA). In the medium term, the DGA aims to equip all the French Navy’s submarines with F21.

This launch was performed early May from a nuclear-powered attack submarine. The F21 was launched under the authority of the DGA in a DGA Missiles Testing’s underwater acoustic range off the Hyères coast.

The contract includes the development and delivery of a hundred of F21 torpedoes as well as their integration on the French submarines.

The Brazilian Navy has also selected the F21 to equip its submarines.

(F21 heavyweight torpedo, Naval Group).

MBDA’s Sea Venom/ANL helicopter-launched missile system has completed its second development firing from a French defence procurement agency (DGA, Direction Générale de l’Armement) Panther test helicopter at Ile Du Levant in southeast France.

The firing, which took place on 18 April 2018, highlighted Sea Venom/ANL’s lock on after launch capabilities. It also validated its aptitude for low-altitude, sea-skimming flight, the effectiveness of the data link between the missile and helicopter and Sea Venom/ANL’s autonomous guidance capability, using images from its infrared seeker.

In United Kingdom service the missile will be used from the AW159 Wildcat helicopter, while France will operate the missile from its future HIL (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger).

MBDA was awarded the production contract for Sea Venom/ANL in March 2014.

(Sea Venom missile, MBDA).

MBDA’s Land Ceptor mobile air defence system has successfully destroyed its target during an end-to-end system demonstration firing at the Vidsel Test Range in Sweden, an important milestone for the project prior to entry to service with the British Army. The truck-mounted weapon system was linked to SAAB Giraffe AMB radar system.

Land Ceptor utilises the CAMM (Common Anti-air Modular Missile) missile system currently in production and delivering a common stockpile to meet the air defence needs of both the British Army and the Royal Navy (as Sea Ceptor). In British Army service Land Ceptor will replace the current Rapier air defence system.

Land Ceptor with CAMM is the latest generation of air defence system, providing capability from very short ranges below 1 km into the medium range air defence tier beyond 25 km.

The demonstration in Vidsel coincides with the transition into production of the Land Ceptor weapon system, which will now undergo system-of-system integration and test as part of the British Army’s Sky Sabre air defence architecture.

(Land Ceptor mobile air defence, MBDA).

Iveco Defence Vehicles will unveil the new MUV (Military Utility Vehicle) 4×4 vehicle at Eurosatory 2018 defence industry exhibition.

The new MUV, on display in chassis cab and van version, is a purpose built military vehicle specifically designed to undertake a variety of roles, such as logistic support, in-land operations & training, humanitarian aid and homeland security missions.