Forças Armadas Portuguesas/Portuguese Armed Forces

Citation :

Portugal seeks to modernise its Leopard 2A6 MBTs

Victor Barreira, Lisbon - Jane's International Defence Review

05 December 2019


The Portuguese Army is to carry out a mid-life update project for its Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs) to extend the fleets’ life and modernise several subsystems, a source at the Army High-Staff's Forces Planning Division told Jane's.

The plan, in line with the country's Military Programming Law 2019–2030, is to carry out a EUR46.027 million upgrade from 2026 to 2030, comprising EUR2 million in 2026, EUR4 million in 2027, EUR12.027 million in 2028, EUR12.5 million in 2029, and EUR15.5 million in 2030.

The source said the project encompasses installing a driver’s passive thermal imaging camera suite to improve front and rear-view during manoeuvres; air conditioning unit to cool electronics in the turret and improve crew endurance; auxiliary power unit (APU) to deal with the increased power demand and deliver continuous power supply; new fire extinguishing system in the driver and combat compartments; ultracaps in the electrical suite to mitigate harmful electrical discharges; and an electric gun, turret control, and drive system with digital stabilisation.

https://www.janes.com/article/93033/portugal-seeks-to-modernise-its-leopard-2a6-mbts

Citation :

Portugal announces 2020 defence budget

Victor Barreira, Istanbul - Jane's Defence Weekly

19 December 2019


The Portuguese government released the country’s budget bill on 16 December, which includes EUR2,445.7 million (USD2,721.2 million) for defence, a 23.1% increase from EUR1,987.4 million in 2019.

EUR564.2 million will go to the army, EUR447.1 million to the air force, EUR485.8 million to the navy, and EUR142 million to the general staff. In addition, EUR315 million was allocated for procurement, EUR7.6 million for technical co-operation, EUR13.5 million for research, and EUR60 million for foreign military operations.

Among the aims of the 2020 defence budget is to prepare the armed forces for the next decade and to boost the defence industry through co-operative programmes, including the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in defence and the European Defence Fund.

https://www.janes.com/article/93309/portugal-announces-2020-defence-budget

ASTAN

Citation :

HELI-EXPO 2020


Safran signe un contrat de maintenance pour les moteurs des hélicoptères EH101 Merlin portugais Cyril Abad-Safran Helicopter Engines


 29/01/2020 18:19 | Antony Angrand

Safran signe un contrat de maintenance pour les moteurs des hélicoptères EH101 Merlin portugais


Safran Helicopter Engines a signé un contrat de 10 ans avec la Force aérienne portugaise (Força Aérea Portuguesa) pour réaliser la maintenance des moteurs RTM322 de ses hélicoptères EH101 Merlin. Un total de 38 moteurs va bénéficier du contrat de soutien Global Support Package (GSP) de Safran.

Cet accord répond aux souhaits de la Force aérienne portugaise garantissant ainsi une disponibilité optimale de ses moteurs, durant ses opérations sur le territoire national et à l’étranger. « Nous misons beaucoup sur ce contrat qui va garantir la disponibilité de nos moteurs durant nos opérations » a déclaré le général de corps d'armée Cartaxo Alves, de la Force aérienne portugaise.

Avec le contrat GSP, les opérateurs sont assurés de disposer de moteurs opérationnels quand ils en ont besoin, tout en ayant des garanties en matière de budget prévisionnel, de coûts fixes à l’heure de vol et de partenariat technique avec le constructeur.

GSP fait partie de la gamme EngineLife Services, les offres de services de Safran pour les moteurs d’hélicoptères.

https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/safran-signe-un-contrat-de-maintenance-pour-les-moteurs-des-hlicoptres-eh101-merlin-portugais-22485

Citation :

Portuguese Super Lynx Mk 95A helicopter performs first flight

Victor Barreira, Lisbon - Jane's Navy International

20 February 2020


The Portuguese Navy’s first modified Super Lynx Mk 95A shipborne helicopter has made its first test flight, the service announced
on 18 February.


The first test flight of a modernised Portuguese Super Lynx Mk 95A helicopter took place on 14 February. (Portuguese Navy)

Work to modernise and extend the lives of the navy’s fleet of five Super Lynx Mk 95 helicopters is being carried out by Leonardo
Helicopters at its facility in Yeovil, United Kingdom, under a contract awarded in July 2016 worth an estimated EUR69 million
(USD76.4 million).

The first modernised helicopter, which completed its initial test flight on 14 February, will be delivered to Portugal in early May,
with the fifth expected to be handed over in late 2021, the navy told Jane’s .

The modernisation package includes the replacement of the original Rolls-Royce Gem 42 engines with more powerful LHTEC
CTS800-4N turboshafts.
 

Citation :

Transfers of major weapons: Deals with deliveries or orders made for 2019 to 2019
Note: The ‘No. delivered’ and the ‘Year(s) of deliveries’ columns refer to all deliveries since the beginning of the contract. The ‘Comments’ column includes publicly reported information on the value of the deal. Information on the sources and methods used in the collection of the data, and explanations of the conventions, abbreviations and acronyms, can be found at URL .

Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
Information generated: 14 March 2020


Brazil
R: Portugal 5 C-390 Transport aircraft 2019 $920 m deal (incl 12 years support and production of components in Portugal); delivery planned 2023-2027

Denmark
R: Portugal 5 StanFex-300 Patrol craft 2014 2016-2018 4 Second-hand; EUR4 m deal (modernized in Portugal after deliverey for EUR28 m); Portugese designation Tejo

Finland
R: Portugal 12 W-12 Diesel engine (2002) 2010-2019 8 For 6 Viana do Castelo (NPO-2000) OPV produced in Portugal

Italy
R: Portugal 5 AW119 Koala Light helicopter 2018 2019 (2) EUR20 m deal; option on 2 more; from US production line; AW119Kx version; delivery planned 2019-2020

Spain
R: Portugal 139 VAMTAC BN3 APV 2018 2019 (50) EUR61 m deal; VAMTAC ST-5 version; delivery planned 2019-2020

United States
R: Portugal (3) F-16C FGA aircraft (2013) 2019 (1) Second-hand F-16A Block-15 version (incl 1 F-16B version) rebuilt to F-16AM (F-16C) in Portugal with kits from USA
RIM-162 ESSM Block-2 SAM (2014) For modernized MEKO-200 (Vasco da Gama) frigates; selected 2014 but probably not yet ordered by end-2018
(10) V2500 Turbofan (2017) For 5 C-390 transport aircraft from Brazil

En RCA!

Citation :

Exército Português

PHOTOS:

 

   

Citation :

Portugal seeks JLTVs

Victor Barreira, Istanbul - Jane's Defence Weekly

08 April 2020


The Portuguese Army is seeking to acquire 4x4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme starting in 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Manuel dos Santos Camilo, head of the capabilities branch of the army general staff's force planning division, told Jane’s on 3 April.


Portugal plans to procure 250 JLTVs. (Jane’s/Daniel Wasserbly)

The JLTV acquisition effort, which is currently in its initial phase, is for 250 air-transportable multi-role vehicles in troop transport and ambulance configurations.

EUR79 million (USD86 million) was allocated in 2019 to the revised Portuguese Military Programming Law for the acquisition of JLTVs by 2030 for further army modernisation.

However, the total number of vehicles to be procured is currently under review and a final figure is to be set up by June, with other vehicle configurations being considered, Lt Col Camilo said.

Portugal has already received price and availability information concerning a potential JLTV buy.

The JLTV is intended to gradually replace unprotected tactical 4x4s, such as the Land Rover Defender series and the Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ73LV.

Citation :

Victor Barreira / Defence 360°  ‏ @Defence360 · 19 mai  

The Special Operations Force (Força de Operações Especiais) of the Portuguese Army has received additional 5.56x45mm Heckler & Koch
HK416A5 assault rifles. The force previously received the weapon type in 16.5", 11" and 14.5" barrel length versions.



   

Citation :

FN Herstal Minimim Mk3 5.56mm light machine gun is now in service with Portuguese Army

Defense News August 2020 Global Security army industry
Posted On Monday, 17 August 2020 09:15

According to a Tweet released by Defence 360° on August 15, 2020, the Portuguese Army already took delivery of approximately 200 Belgian FN Herstal MINIMI Mk3 5.56x45mm light machine guns. A total of 830 MINIMI Mk3 5.56x45mm weapons were purchased in 2019 through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.


Portuguese soldier with Minimi Mk3 5.56mm light machine gun.
(Picture source Defence 360°)


The 3rd generation of the Minimi light machine gun was unveiled the Belgian firearms company in November 2013 during the International Exhibition of Stae Security that was held in Paris, France. it is an upgrade version of the standard Minimi fitted with conversion kits.

Belgian firearms company FN Herstal offers a comprehensive and customized upgrade program to adapt the FN MINIMI 7.62 to new operational conditions. Various conversion kits are available and the modifications can be carried out in customers’ facilities. Some examples of conversion kits available: handguard/bipod conversion kit, buttstock conversion kit, cocking handle conversion kit, and caliber conversion kit.

The FN Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon or SAW developed by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Herstal based in Belgium. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more than 75 countries. The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN factory in Herstal, Belgium, and their U.S. subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC. The FN Minimi is available in 5.56mm and 7.62mm calibers.

The Minimi uses a gas-actuated long-stroke piston system. The barrel is locked with a rotary bolt, equipped with two massive locking lugs, forced into battery by a helical camming guide in the bolt carrier. The Minimi is fed from the left-hand side by disintegrating-link M27 ammunition belts (a miniaturized version of the 7.62mm M13 belt), from either an unsupported loose belt, enclosed in a polymer ammunition box with a 200-round capacity attached to the base of the receiver, or from detachable STANAG magazines, used in other NATO 5.56 mm assault rifles such as the M16 and FNC.

The modifications introduced on the FN MINIMI Mk3 result from feedback provided by users engaged in current operating theatres. Indeed, the demands of users have evolved over the past 10 to 15 years due to changes in the way the FN MINIMI machine gun is used in combat (increased use of accessories, evolutions in the soldier’s equipment, and changes in tactics such as shooting from all positions).

Main changes are:

· an ergonomic buttstock adjustable in length (5 positions) to allow compensation for body armor and load bearing equipment. The buttstock is adjustable for cheek rest height as well. The user can have his eye correctly aligned with the iron sights, or optical sights, while keeping his cheek properly positioned on the buttstock. It also integrates a folding shoulder rest and a hydraulic buffer that stabilizes the rate of fire and reduces felt recoil,
· a new handguard/bipod assembly that provides a comfortable handguard and three forward MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny accessory rails. The adjustable-height (3 positions) bipod, when folded back, integrates into the shape of the handguard even with an accessory on the lower rail,
· an ergonomically-shaped cocking handle that gives the user a better grip with the strong or weak hand,
· an improved feed tray with belt retaining pawls that hold the belt correctly in position during the loading procedure, which is most useful when the user is in the standing position,
· an optional heatshield that greatly reduces the risk of inadvertently touching the barrel,
- the convertibility of the FN MINIMI 7.62 to fire 5.56x45mm ammunition.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_august_2020_global_security_army_industry/fn_herstal_minimim_mk3_5.56mm_light_machine_is_now_in_service_with_portuguese_army.html

Commandos Portugais, engagée auprès de la mission de l'ONU en Centre Afrique, effectuent une opération de nettoyage d'un camp hostile.

Citation :

09 October 2020

First Portuguese modernised Super Lynx delayed to 2021

by Victor Barreira


The delivery of the first modernised Super Lynx Mk 95A helicopter to the Portuguese Navy has been pushed back to early January 2021.


Deliveries of all five modernised Super Lynx Mk 95 helicopters to the Portuguese Navy are now planned to be completed in 2021. (Victor Barrerira)


The helicopter was due to be received on 30 September but its delivery has been postponed due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese Navy told Janes .

Leonardo was awarded a EUR69 million (then USD76.45 million) contract in July 2016 to modernise the Portuguese Navy’s five Super Lynx Mk 95 aircraft. Under current scheduling, delivery of all five is expected to be completed in 2021.

The first modernised helicopter completed its maiden flight on 14 February at Leonardo Helicopters' facility in Yeovil, United Kingdom. Evaluation of the helicopter is scheduled for December as part of the certification of the type. Pilots are due to finalise their training in early December.

The modernisation package includes the replacement of the original Rolls-Royce Gem 42 engines with more powerful LHTEC CTS800-4N turboshafts.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/first-portuguese-modernised-super-lynx-delayed-to-2021  

Les portugais font un travail remarquable en centre Afrique ! Troupe de choque de l’ONU ils ne doivent pas chômer !