French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told the French aerospace journalists’ press club that the deal would be sealed by “the end of 2012.”

That’s later than expected by industry and parliamentary [...]]]> France is offering the Heron TP as its contribution in kind to the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance program, but technical and financial problems related to adapting the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV to French standards are holding up a deal with Dassault and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), industrial and political sources said.

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told the French aerospace journalists’ press club that the deal would be sealed by “the end of 2012.”

That’s later than expected by industry and parliamentary sources, who had thought the controversial contract would be signed before the presidential elections starting in April.

Dassault is negotiating with IAI on the contract for the Heron TP, which the French company would then deliver to French authorities.

“There are many difficulties” on adapting the Heron TP, driving the cost above the 320 million euro ($408 million) budget, a parliamentary source said. An extra 150 million euros each for Dassault and Thales has been estimated for the modifications, the source said.

That would push the cost to 620 million euros, approaching the 700 million euro price tag of a previous Dassault offer of the Système de Drone MALE.

The Defense Ministry has asked Dassault to submit a technical-financial proposal on the Heron TP at the end of the month.

Among the key modifications are a satellite communications link and de-icing equipment, vital to plugging the UAV into the French – and NATO – network and fly in the northern European climate, the industry executive said.

Procurement officials are working hard to make progress on the UAV case, and one option might be to acquire the Heron TP with little or no modification, the executive said.

That might create problems of interoperability within NATO as Paris has offered the Heron TP as its asset contribution, instead of paying cash, toward maintaining the AGS system, the executive said.

Although 13 nations are acquiring AGS, based on the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk UAV, all 28 alliance members help maintain the system in return for access to AGS information.

“The AGS package is still being discussed at NATO,” an alliance press officer said. “It is a topic to be discussed in the February meeting of defense ministers.”

NATO has long sought to launch the AGS program, intended to provide commanders with a common operational picture.

France has had a troubled relationship with AGS, as Paris looked to gain a big technological role. The planned AGS system relies on five Global Hawks to provide radar and optical pictures of conditions the ground, and a network of transportable ground stations. The UAVs will be based at Sigonella airbase, Italy.

The choice of the Heron TP sparked resistance in the French Senate, which argued for acquisition of General Atomics’ Reaper on grounds of cost, performance and interoperability with allied forces.

Longuet defended the choice of the Israeli UAV as “a compromise between capability and a long-term interest for industrial policy,” he told the press club.

“We could have found a cheaper, more efficient, quicker solution, but at the [unacceptable] price of long-term dependence,” he said.

Longuet denied that most of the contract value would go to IAI, saying that air vehicle is the smallest part of the system, with communication and observation more important.

The government argues that adapting the Heron TP to French needs will help develop competences among about 10 domestic companies in high-value areas, particularly in communications. Critics of the choice say there would be more work for French companies on the Reaper, pitched by EADS and General Atomics.

“No proposition was made by Reaper, which did not want to share, nor to adapt to French standards,” Longuet said.

General Atomics did not make a formal offer because France did not send a letter of request, an industry executive said.

In 2010, the U.S. company signed a technical-assistance agreement with EADS detailing its offer, the executive said. The agreement listed modifications, including a communications link developed by French equipment firm Zodiac for the Harfang UAV flying in Afghanistan.

General Atomics also wrote in June 2011 to French Sens. Jacques Gautier and Daniel Reiner, setting out a $209 million offer for seven air vehicles, ground gear and service support.

The government, however, sees Dassault as holding a key position on a strategic roadmap intended to ensure interoperability in observation, surveillance, targeting and air power. That position stems from its work on the Rafale and Anglo-French cooperation, in the government’s view.

Longuet said risk-reduction work on the Heron TP would start in 2013.

Dassault and DGA were unavailable for comment.

On a proposed new MALE UAV to be developed with Britain, Longuet urged a pan-European rather than a strictly bilateral approach.

The project “should accept the construction of Europe,” he said. “We can’t ignore countries with industrial capabilities. We’ll probably have an Anglo-French project, which cannot avoid opening to other European partners.”

On the Anglo-French cooperation treaty, Longuet said, a new date for a summit meeting would be set for before his birthday on Feb. 24.

“There are no doubts on defense,” he said on relations between London and Paris.

EADS and Finmeccanica signed a deal in December to team on UAV development, reflecting wider discontent in Italy and Germany over the Anglo-French defense accord.

France would not develop the EADS Talarion Advanced UAV, Longuet said.

One way of bringing a European dimension into the planned Anglo-French MALE UAV would be to integrate it into the European combat aircraft environment, dominated by the Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale aircraft, Longuet said.

“If we’re intelligent, we should say, ‘You British work on Eurofighter with Germany, Italy and Spain, and we’ll work on Rafale,’” he said. “It would be good if the MALE UAV were to be compatible with one and the other.”

Other Programs

France will buy the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) from Airbus “in 2013 for delivery four years later,” Longuet said, leaving Boeing out in the cold.

Longuet dismissed previous official denials that Airbus had been chosen as “semantic elegance.”

The U.S. Air Force’s $35 billion pick of Boeing over Airbus for its KC-X tender effectively shut the door on a French tender.

France is expected to order five to seven A330 MRTT units in a first-batch order that could total 14.

Paris had been considering leasing part of Britain’s A330 tanker fleet, but the Libyan air campaign led French authorities to decide they wanted their own aircraft.

On domestic consolidation, Thales would likely take a 10 percent to 20 percent stake in Nexter in exchange for handing over its TDA Armements mortar and munitions business to the land systems specialist, Longuet said.

Thales’ holding would be significant but would not leave Nexter “dependent,” he said.

Answering a question on anxiety at DCNS, where Thales is raising its stake in the naval company to 35 percent from 25 percent, Longuet said, “Thales is not the obligatory supplier of systems. DCNS can choose its systems.”

DCNS makes naval combat management systems, and executives fear Thales will impose its own products, relegating the company to being a platform maker.

Nexter and DCNS had to forge European alliances to compete with companies from emerging economies such as Brazil, but first they had to consolidate their domestic base, Longuet said. Nexter had to look to German partners, as that was where the land sector was strong, he said.

Asked about the health of French defense companies, Longuet said, “Thales is a company necessarily in more peril because it is innovative on creative subjects on a world scale. It is more difficult. It has to take risks and goes through periods of uncertainty.”

Regarding arms exports, the 2011 total for France would be around 6.5 billion euros, helped by an Indian contract for modernization of its Mirage 2000 fighters, Longuet said. That compared with 5.12 billion in 2010.

In October, procurement chief Laurent Collet-Billon had told lawmakers in October he expected 2011 export sales to reach 7.5 billion euros.

On export prospects for the Rafale, Longuet said a UAE decision to pick the Rafale would help sell the fighter to Kuwait and Qatar, which want to be interoperable with their neighbor’s Air Force.

“They are interested” but would not be the first to commit, he said. “If they think no decision is being made [by UAE], they will look elsewhere.”

Kuwait is looking at acquiring 18 to 22 jet fighters, with Qatar potentially 24, industry executives said, according to La Tribune.

The Defense Ministry appeared to harbor worries about Qatar raising its stake in Lagardère, the family-controlled company which owns 7.5 percent of EADS.

“There are fewer problems in football than in military aeronautics,” Longuet said. “It’s a subject.”

But the decision on Qatar’s shareholding in Lagardère was up to the Finance Ministry, not the Defense Ministry, he said.

A Qatari sovereign fund holds 10.07 percent of Lagardère stock, making it the largest single stockholder in the French company, and has asked for a seat on the board. Qatar bought 70 percent of the Paris Saint Germain football club for 30 million euros in May.

The satellites covered by the contract are the third and fourth on the program. Lockheed Martin received a similar contract in May 2008 for the first two GPS III satellites, with the opportunity to build 10 more. The first satellite  is scheduled to launch in 2014.

The [...]]]> Lockheed Martin’s Space System Co. in Newtown Township has been awarded a $238 million U.S. Air Force contract to produce two more satellites for the next generation Global Positioning System, also known as GPS III.

The satellites covered by the contract are the third and fourth on the program. Lockheed Martin received a similar contract in May 2008 for the first two GPS III satellites, with the opportunity to build 10 more. The first satellite  is scheduled to launch in 2014.

The GPS III satellites are bought and paid for by the military, but civilians will benefit, too, when they use their vehicle navigation systems and other devices.

“The government has mapped an extremely sensible acquisition strategy for GPS III and we are focusing on executing the program to deliver these much-needed capabilities to billions of users around the word,” Mark Valerio, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Surveillance and Navigation Systems line of business, said in a statement. “As we produce more GPS III satellites, we aim to continually reduce the cost and cycle time of each space vehicle to ensure we deliver the greatest value to the Air Force.”

The ten-year contract, known as MAESTRO, is a renewal of the current through-life support contract and broadens the scope of responsibility to ensure that Thales works more closely with operational personnel to guarantee fleet availability.

Under the terms of the contract, Thales is responsible for [...]]]> The French defence ministry’s integrated structure for through-life support of aeronautical equipment (SIMMAD) has awarded Thales the contract to support its equipment on board the Rafale aircraft in service with the French Air Force and French Navy.

The ten-year contract, known as MAESTRO, is a renewal of the current through-life support contract and broadens the scope of responsibility to ensure that Thales works more closely with operational personnel to guarantee fleet availability.

Under the terms of the contract, Thales is responsible for supporting the Rafale’s phased array radar, electronic warfare system, avionics (displays, on-board computers, etc.), optronics (OSF front-sector optronics, cameras, etc.) and communication systems.

To guarantee fleet availability, Thales will optimise replacement parts management, logistics management and information flows between government agencies and Thales services, streamline equipment repair processes and deploy technical and logistics advisers to work directly with users on French military bases.

The fixed-price availability contract represents a major innovation in through-life support delivery and coincides with an increase in Rafale flight hours and the need to comply with tougher military airworthiness standards.

Merry Michaux, Vice-President, Military Aerospace Customer Support and Services Managing Director at Thales said: “Thales is particularly proud to have been awarded this new contract, which we see as a sign of renewed confidence in a trusted partner and an endorsement of our continuing commitment to drive efficiency gains in aeronautical equipment support. The innovative concepts and collaborative working methods that we are putting in place on military bases and shared platforms will make a significant contribution to optimising availability of the Rafale fleet and bringing down the aircraft’s cost per flying hour.”

Complied by the Pentagon’s chief operational tester J. Michael Gilmore, the review confirms Air Force Times’ July 25, 2011, report that toxins entering the cockpit of the Raptor had caused more than a dozen incidents that resembled [...]]]> A report from the Pentagon’s top tester released Friday said the Air Force grounded its F-22 Raptors last year “due to suspected contamination problems associated with the aircraft environmental control system and associated onboard oxygen generation system form later April through late September 2011.”

Complied by the Pentagon’s chief operational tester J. Michael Gilmore, the review confirms Air Force Times’ July 25, 2011, report that toxins entering the cockpit of the Raptor had caused more than a dozen incidents that resembled hypoxia.

Since the grounding was lifted in September, the Raptor has flown more than 6,000 times. More incidents have occurred, despite Air Force precautions that include installing charcoal-based filters and having pilots wear pulse-oximeters to alert them of problems.

“There have been approximately 90 events of interest and 15 are being investigated for potential physiological incidents -— 8 involving pilots and 7 involving aircraft maintenance personnel,” said Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Ferrau. “This translates to a 1.8 percent event rate since the return to flight in September.”

The Air Force categorizes these occurrences into “events of interest” and “physiological incidents.” An event of interest is an aircraft indication, system malfunction or a data point that has not caused symptoms of hypoxia, but is noteworthy for data collection and further analysis, Ferrau said.

“Any event involving hypoxia-like symptoms may be categorized by Air Force Instructions as a physiological incident following an investigation,” she said.

A Scientific Advisory Board quick-look study ordered last year by Air Force secretary Michael Donley should be finalizing its report either in late January or early February.

Sources say the service investigators have not found any single explanation for the Raptor’s woes. The problem can’t be duplicated on the ground, nor do the hypoxia-like incidents occur during any consistent altitude or phase of flight—if in fact the cause happens in the air.

The delivery follows the DGA order for the BPC Dixmude vessel in April 2009 as part of an economic stimulus package. The vessel was developed at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire in cooperation with DCNS. The keel was laid in January 2010 and launched in late 2010, with commissioning scheduled to take place [...]]]> The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has taken delivery of the third Mistral-class projection and command (BPC) ship, Dixmude, three months ahead of the initial contract schedule.

The delivery follows the DGA order for the BPC Dixmude vessel in April 2009 as part of an economic stimulus package. The vessel was developed at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire in cooperation with DCNS. The keel was laid in January 2010 and launched in late 2010, with commissioning scheduled to take place later in 2012.

The 199m-long BPC Dixmude has a displacement capacity of 21,500t, can cruise at a speed of 19 knots and can accommodate 450 troops and 16 heavy helicopters, including options for one or more landing craft and armoured vehicles. The Dixmude Mistral-class ship is designed to replace the navy’s Foudre landing craft transport vessel and will be used as a training ship for the French Navy’s Jeanne d’Arc mission in 2012.

The frigate, equipped with a high-performance communications suite, 3D surveillance radar and a Senit 9 combat management system (CMS), also supports large-scale humanitarian missions. STX France constructed the hull and installed shipboard equipment while co-contractor, whereas DCNS integrated and tested the combat system, including communication and navigation elements.

BPC Dixmude successfully completed sea trials to validate its combat capability in July 2011. The French Navy received the first two Mistral-class force projection and command vessels, BPC Mistral and BPC Tonnerre, in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The Mistral and Tonnerre replaced the L9021 Ouragan and L9022 Orage, which were built at Brest Naval Dockyard and entered service in 1965 and 1968 respectively.

According to a ministry statement, prototype aircraft ZZ402, a Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR) variant Lynx Wildcat, will undergo a series of flying and deck-handling trials aboard the Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke (F 234) in the English [...]]]> The maritime variant of the AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter has made its first landing aboard a frigate at sea, marking the start of a month-long series of trials off southern England, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 12 January.

According to a ministry statement, prototype aircraft ZZ402, a Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR) variant Lynx Wildcat, will undergo a series of flying and deck-handling trials aboard the Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke (F 234) in the English Channel.

The trials have been timed to take place during the winter to test the helicopter “over the full envelope of operations”, the MoD said.

The Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm is to receive 28 SCMR-variant helicopters, with the Army Air Corps due to begin operating the first of 38 battlefield reconnaissance helicopter variants in 2014.

Delivery of the new frigate follows the US Navy’s initial $199m contract awarded to VT Halter in 2006 and the ship had been under construction since August 2008. VT Halter laid the keel for T-AGM 25 in June 2008 and the vessel was christened in June 2010. USNS Howard’s [...]]]> The US Navy has received the missile range instrumentation ship USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM 25), which is slated to replace the existing USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23) ship, from VT Halter Marine.

Delivery of the new frigate follows the US Navy’s initial $199m contract awarded to VT Halter in 2006 and the ship had been under construction since August 2008. VT Halter laid the keel for T-AGM 25 in June 2008 and the vessel was christened in June 2010. USNS Howard’s design is based on a pair of navy survey ships built in the mid-1980s and provides high-quality, dual-band radar data in support of ballistic missile treaty verification.

The 12,575t, 534ft-long ship can accommodate a crew of 88 sailors and civilian mariners and will be operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC) and conduct missions sponsored by the air force. The ship is equipped with a Raytheon-built dual-band radar suite, which consists of X and S-band phased array sensors, a common radar suite controller and other related mission equipment.

The frigate is intended to carry the Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) radar, a key sensor used in treaty monitoring and verification for ballistic missile issues. The CJR radar will replace the ageing 1970-built Cobra Judy system, which is due to be decommissioned in 2013, and will be used to improve the missile efficiency and accuracy of the ship.

The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen completed acceptance trials in November 2011 and will undergo radar installation, integration and testing at Kiewit Offshore Services, Texas, US. Initial operational capability is scheduled to be achieved in 2013.

In March 2011, BAE Systems announced that it had just rolled its one millionth SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) – the forerunner of the company’s XSBI technology. Like the original SAPI, XSBI is intended to supply warfighters [...]]]> The US Army has awarded BAE Systems a $15.8m contract for the manufacture and supply of XSBI hard body armour technology. XSBI plates are placed inside troop vests and boost the level of protection supplied to beyond that achievable through just wearing soft armour.

In March 2011, BAE Systems announced that it had just rolled its one millionth SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) – the forerunner of the company’s XSBI technology. Like the original SAPI, XSBI is intended to supply warfighters with ballistic protection across a wide stratus of conditions encountered on the frontline.

The SAPI plate first emerged in 1998 and, since then, been continually upgraded as a result of repeated contracts awarded by the US Department of Defense.

BAE Systems Body Armour

This latest BAE Systems body armour order is linked to an earlier contract award made in September 2010. Worth $15.8 million, it takes the overall contract value to over the $50m mark. The XSBI plates will be pieced together at BAE Systems facility in Phoenix, Arizona, and delivered between now and the end of February.

“We look forward to producing and delivering additional XSBI plates to the Army”, BAE Systems Protection Systems’ warfighter equipment director, Greg Kraak, explained in a 12 January press release. He added: “These plates offer increased protection on the battlefield, and will help protect the lives of the brave men and women serving our country.”

US Army Body Armour Plates

BAE Systems is one of the foremost suppliers of solder protection equipment to the US military, with a significant amount of the US Army’s body armour plates, combat helmets and tactical vests worn by its troops being the company’s in origin.

At the end of 2010, as reported by Armed Forces International, BAE Systems was contracted to provide the US Army with 60,000 IOTVs (Improved Outer Tactical Vests) which are fully compatible with the firm’s SAPIs, ESAPIs (Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts) and ESBIs (Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts).

As the Ministry of Defence confirmed details of the second tranche of a painful redundancy programme, Philip Hammond also claimed the new cuts would not affect operations in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the MoD revealed it was looking to shed 2,900 posts from the army, around 1,000 from the RAF and [...]]]> The defence secretary has justified the decision to axe a further 4,200 jobs from the armed forces by insisting he had “no choice” because of the appalling state of military finances.

As the Ministry of Defence confirmed details of the second tranche of a painful redundancy programme, Philip Hammond also claimed the new cuts would not affect operations in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the MoD revealed it was looking to shed 2,900 posts from the army, around 1,000 from the RAF and 300 from the Royal Navy.

The total is higher than the first round of the process last year, and there are expected to be more compulsory redundancy notices this time.

The MoD announced it was looking to shed approximately 400 Gurkhas – one in eight of the brigade. Approximately 500 infantry privates with more than six years service will also be axed.

The senior ranks of the army have not been spared. Eight brigadiers and 60 lieutenant colonels are expected to go.

The Royal Navy will lose five Commodores and 17 Captains. Nineteen Royal Marine officers will be shed, but no one from the ranks.

The RAF will lose up to 15 air commodores and 30 group captains. The MoD believes that by slowing recruiting, and not replacing those who leave, the navy and the RAF will be able to achieve the cuts they need without a “tranche 3″ of redundancies. The army needs to shed almost 20,000 jobs over the next eight years and will continue to make cuts for years to come.

The Gurkhas were thought particularly vulnerable to army cuts because the MoD believes the brigade has over recruited in recent years.

However, Labour has questioned the need to target the Gurkhas and asked whether the UK’s national security could remain resilient with so many job losses.

“David Cameron talked a lot in opposition about his pride in the Gurkhas, so many will be surprised they are now bearing the brunt of his rushed defence review,” said Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary.

He added: “Mass service redundancies at a time of economic hardship and significant security threats will be of deep concern up and down the country. If Labour were in government we would be taking tough decisions and we have been upfront about the need for cuts to the defence budget. The most important baseline, however, is national security and we worry these cuts are wrong-headed and rushed. We need to know the full military impact of losing such important capability.

“Ministers must do more to convince that they are looking after families, all service leavers and those on the frontline.”

The MoD made clear some people were exempted from the process this time round. There will be no redundancies among RAF pilots, and personnel serving in Afghanistan will not be affected by the process, unless they fit one of the criteria and want to leave voluntarily.

Under the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the RAF and Navy had to shed 5,000 posts each by 2015. The army is in a much more difficult position. The defence review, which was published in 2010, demanded 7,000 job losses, but that figure more than doubled last year as the MoD struggled to contain its ballooning budget. The army has to shrink by 20,000 within eight years. This latest announcement is likely to reflect this pressure.

Hammond said: “Difficult decisions had to be taken in the [Strategic Defence and Security Review] to deal with the vast black hole in the MoD budget. The size of the fiscal deficit we inherited left us no choice but to reduce the size of the armed forces, while reconfiguring them to ensure they remain agile, adaptable and effective.

“As we continue with the redundancy process we will ensure we retain the capabilities that our armed forces will require to meet the challenges of the future. The redundancy programme will not impact adversely on the current operations in Afghanistan, where our armed forces continue to fight so bravely on this country’s behalf.”