Armée Britannique/British Armed Forces

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Citation :

Commercial Sale of Type 22 Frigates


(Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Dec. 17, 2012)



It is the Disposal Services Authority (DSA) intention to invite expressions of interest in tendering for the Type 22 Frigates (HMS Chatham, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Cumberland and HMS Cornwall) for the following:
•Further Use
•Sinking for an Artificial reef
•Recycling

At this stage the DSA does not require interested parties to specify which Vessel/s they wish to bid for.

It is the DSA intention to award at least one vessel to a UK Ship Recycler; this is in part to secure detailed knowledge of the UK’s capacity to recycle vessels. Any decision to award to a UK Ship Recycling company will be made in accordance with transparent and objective evaluation criteria which will be issued at the Invitation to Tender stage.

All interested parties should note that only Bidders that have completed and passed a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be sent an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the vessels and allowed access to view the vessel.

The vessels are moored at Portsmouth and will be sold from there.

The DSA are planning on hosting viewings 25th February - 15th March 2013.

As previously requested all bidders intending to undertake inspection of the vessels will be required to wear the correct PPE clothing i.e. steel toecap boots, high vis jackets (overalls optional). Please be assured that if you do not have steel toecap boots on arrival you will be refused access to the vessels.

Only Bidders that have received a copy of the ITT will be allowed access to inspect the vessels.

Bidders should not book travel until they have received a copy of the ITT and understood the requirements.

A copy of the PQQ can be down loaded from the bottom of this page or you can e-mail the DSA’s Commercial section requesting a copy at deslcsls-dsa-comrcl-3b@mod.uk

The closing date for returning the PQQ to the DSA and expression of interest is 17.00 GMT Wednesday 23rd January 2013.

-- HMS CUMBERLAND
formally a Warship Frigate F85 was built at Yarrow Shipbuilders, Glasgow UK in 1988 and is now lying at HMNB Portsmouth. The vessel ceased service on the 23rd September 2011 and is due to be tendered early 2013.
All interested parties should beware that only companies that have successfully completed a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be sent an invitation to tender for this vessel.

-- HMS CAMPBELTOWN
formally a Warship Frigate F86 was built at Cammell Laird ship yard Birkenhead UK in 1987 and is now lying at HMNB Portsmouth. The vessel ceased service on the 7th July 2011 and is due to be tendered early 2013.
All interested parties should beware that only companies that have successfully completed a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be sent an invitation to tender for this vessel.

-- HMS CHATHAM
formally a Warship Frigate F87 was built at Swan Hunters Shipbuilders in Wallsend UK in 1989, and is now lying at HMNB Portsmouth. The vessel ceased service on the 20th October 2011 and is due to be tendered early 2013.
All interested parties should beware that only companies that have successfully completed a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be sent an invitation to tender for this vessel.

-- HMS CORNWALL
formally a Warship, Frigate F99 was built at Yarrow Shipbuilders, Glasgow UK in 1988 and is now lying at HMNB Portsmouth. The vessel ceased service on the 20th October 2011 and is due to be tendered early 2013. All interested parties should beware that only companies that have successfully completed a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be sent an invitation to tender for this vessel.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/141126/uk-to-sell-off-four-type-22-frigates.html

Citation :

 Publiée le  3 févr. 2014  

Constantly on 'Very High Readiness' the Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter can be called to a 'Shout' at a moment's notice.

Apache has significantly improved the operational capabilities of ground troops.

It can operate in all weathers day or night and can detect and engage multiple targets with its arsenal of Hellfire missiles, rockets and 30mm cannon.

The helicopter has been in service since 2001 and the fleet is due for £430 mil upgrade to further increase its capabilities.

Citation :

British Army

9/12 Lancers deployed in Afghanistan (5 photos)

Soldiers of the 9/12 Lancers are part of the Brigade Recognisance Force (BRF) in Helmand Province. These images show them deployed on a recent operation.

The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's Regiment) is currently a formation reconnaissance regiment, attached to the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats.  


  

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Citation :

Le Taranis a bel et bien volé en 2013  

Le 05/02/2014 à 16:18   | Par Gabrielle Carpel



Le ministère de la défense du Royaume-Uni (MoD) et BAE Systems viennent de confirmer que le Taranis, démonstrateur de drone de combat, avait bien volé l'an dernier. Le premier vol, de 15 minutes, a eu lieu le 10 août 2013 et a été suivi par un certain nombre de vols afin de tester différentes vitesses et altitudes. Le plus long à ce jour a duré 1 heure.

Malgré la discrétion du MoD, l'information du premier vol avait filtré en novembre dernier par un rapport écrit remis au Parlement (Cf Air&Cosmos n2380 du 1er novembre 2013). Mais le ministère britannique avait ensuite annoncé qu'aucune information supplémentaire ne serait donnée avant la fin de la campagne d'essai.

Dévoilé en juillet 2010,Taranis a été financé par le MoD et des industriels britanniques à hauteur de 185 millions de livres (223M€). Il a été conçu afin de démontrer la capacité du Royaume-Uni à créer un système de drone de combat national.

Ce drone, nommé d'après le dieu celte du ciel et de l'orage, est un banc d'essais technologique qui doit permettre à la Grande-Bretagne de «prendre des décisions sur la composition future des avions pilotés et non pilotés et d'optimiser leur fonctionnement commun».



http://www.air-cosmos.com/industrie/le-taranis-a-bel-et-bien-vole-en-2013.html  

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Receives $60 Million Support Contract for UK Apache Targeting and Pilotage System

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 6, 2014 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $60 million sustainment and support contract from AgustaWestland for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system on the U.K.’s Apache AH Mk-1 aircraft.

The contract includes in-country repairs, spares and technical services, as well as integrated logistics, engineering and depot repair support. The effort is part of the overall Integrated Operational Support solution for the U.K. Apache fleet provided by AgustaWestland to the U.K. Ministry of Defence. Support under the contract will continue through March 2019.

“Working with AgustaWestland, we developed an M-TADS/PNVS product support strategy designed to optimize system readiness and mission effectiveness,” said Mike Taylor, Apache international programs director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This contract is a cost-effective support solution to ensure supply availability of M-TADS/PNVS on AH Mk-1 Apaches, providing U.K. soldiers with mission critical situational awareness and targeting accuracy.”

The M-TADS/PNVS system provides Apache attack helicopter pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities for mission success and flight safety in day, night and adverse weather missions. Work will be performed at Lockheed Martin facilities in Ocala and Orlando, Fla., LMUK-Ampthill and at the U.K. Wattisham Special Repair Activity Depot.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com

Citation :

Defense.gouv

L'exercice "Blue legionnaire" qui se déroulait du 13 au 24 janvier en Corse a permis au 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes de Calvi (2e REP) et au 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) de s'entraîner ensemble. L’armée de terre participera en 2014 à plusieurs exercices avec son homologue britannique dans le cadre de la coopération britannique. Celle-ci s’est considérablement renforcée au cours des 15 dernières années avec, en particulier, le traité de Lancaster House, signé le 2 novembre 2010. Sur le plan opérationnel, la France et la Grande-Bretagne se dotent d’une capacité de force de projection non permanente interarmées, la Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), dont la pleine capacité opérationnelle est attendue en 2016. Une série d’exercices permettent sa montée en puissance est organisée à l’image de Corsican Lion pour la marine et de Joint Warrior pour la composante air.

PHOTOS:

 ( Photos - Corporal Andy Reddy Army MOD)  

Citation :

 UK to spend £2.5bn on F-35 fighters

The UK is about to commit to the F-35 fighter project, a US-led effort to produce 3,000 aircraft which is set to cost more than £600bn globally.

The initial UK order for 14 F-35Bs will, with support costs added, cost about £2.5bn, Newsnight has learned.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the F-35B was an expensive plane, but one with an "incredible capability".

But critics have questioned Ministry of Defence suggestions that the jets will be combat capable by 2018.

The F35-B will be known as Lightning II in UK active service and is going to replace the already retired Harrier.

The aircraft - capable of vertical landing - will eventually be able to fly from new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The F-35 programme is central to the future of the Royal Navy and the military aerospace sector of the economy, but it has been plagued by development problems, is years late into service and the true cost to the UK is only just becoming clear.

At one stage, the US Marines had hoped to bring the F-35 into service in 2010, but they now hope to do so late in 2015. Many industry experts say this is hopelessly optimistic.

Number one risk'

Newsnight has learned that Britain originally intended its F-35s to enter service in 2012.

With 8.4m lines of software, it is by far the most complex fighter ever built, but a Pentagon inspector's report stated that by last summer only 2% of that code was fully up to standard. Much of the plane's software, including that needed to aim and launch weapons, remains to be proven in tests.

Aircraftmaker Lockheed Martin argues that 7.4m lines of the aircraft's software have now been tested, but one senior source familiar with Britain's F-35 programme says continuing software problems are "the number one risk" to the UK bringing it into service on time.

Former Royal Navy chief Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, who now works with Lockheed Martin, believes the new aircraft is vital to maintaining Britain's status as a serious international player.

"By the end of the decade, we are going to have a credible air capability," he said, adding that the Ministry of Defence's original commitment to buying 48 jets "will certainly not be enough".

Worries about risk - financial and technological - have kept the British government from committing to bigger numbers.

Newsnight understands that the first 14 aircraft will be bought for £58m ($96m) apiece. However, once spares, maintenance and initial support are included, the price will be much higher.
'Basic weapons range'

There is concern in the MoD that observers will simply divide the approximate £2.5bn cost of this stage of the project by the 14 planes being ordered, whereas this price tag includes certain support costs for the entire, eventual UK fleet.

One Pentagon estimate last year for an aircraft plus support costs for the first few years came out at £154m ($253m) each.

In planning its own buy, Britain has shown a little more caution than the hard-charging US Marine Corps.

It's planned that the 14 aircraft will form the first operational squadron in 2018, and that by 2020 they will be able to fly from HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Justin Bronk, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, said that even by then, they might be capable only of "going through the motions" - taking off and landing - and not using the more advanced weapons in the RAF inventory.
HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth

www.bbc.co.u

Citation :

Queen to launch HMS Queen Elizabeth II carrier in July




FIFE, Scotland, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Queen Elizabeth will launch the Royal Navy's super-carrier named for her in Scotland in the summer.

The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled for launch at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife in July.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, being built by a consortium of BAE Systems Surface Ships, Thales Group and Babcock Marine, will be the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of aircraft carrier, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy and capable of carrying up to forty aircraft.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is to be commissioned in early 2017, with full operational capability from 2020, the Daily Record reported on Wednesday.

Unlike most large U.S. Nimitz-class carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth is not fitted with steam catapults and arresting wires, so the vessel will be restricted to operating vertical takeoff and landing (V/STOL).

HMS Queen Elizabeth's air wing will consist of F-35B Lightning II fighter-bombers and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare. HMS Queen Elizabeth will cost $5.1 billion.

http://www.upi.com

Citation :

Le HMS « Daring » intégré au GAN « Charles de Gaulle »

Mise à jour : 15/02/2014 15:51

Actuellement dans la dernière phase de l’opération « Bois Belleau », le groupe aéronaval constitué autour du porte-avions « Charles de Gaulle » vient d’intégrer la frégate de défense aérienne de la Royal Navy le HMS « Daring ». Elle s’inscrit dans la montée en puissance incrémentale du Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF).



Quelques jours après le sommet franco-britannique entre le ministre de la Défense Jean Yves Le Drian et son homologue Philip Hammond, ayant notamment permis la conclusion de différents accords bilatéraux, la collaboration en matière de défense entre la France et le Royaume-Uni a encore une fois été mise en lumière de façon concrète. Cette intégration s’inscrit dans la perspective de la montée en puissance incrémentale du « Combined Joint Expeditionnary Force » (CJEF), dans sa composante maritime. Du 8 au 15 février, la frégate de défense aérienne type T45 de la Royal Navy « Daring »,de retour d’une mission de longue durée, a été intégrée au sein du groupe aéronaval placé sous le commandement du contre-amiral Eric Chaperon. De la Mer Rouge à la Méditerranée, en passant par le Canal de Suez, le rôle de cette frégate a été d’assurer aux côtés de la FDA « Forbin », la protection rapprochée du porte-avions « Charles de Gaulle ».



Au titre de cette mission primordiale, les marins britanniques ont multiplié les manœuvres aux côtés de leurs homologues français afin de renforcer leurs aptitudes à opérer au cœur d’un groupe aéronaval. Ainsi, plusieurs ADEX*, entraînements aussi utiles pour les pilotes de Super Etendard Modernisé et de Rafale Marine, que pour les marins chargés de la protection anti-aérienne des unités du GAN, ont été réalisés.

Le 15 février au matin, le HMS « Daring » a reçu « liberté de manœuvre » pour terminer son déploiement indépendant. Cette intégration au cœur de la « French Navy Gobal Strike Force » conforte l’utilité d’une coopération pragamatique et incrémentale entre ces deux marines, les deux premières en Europe. Le Combined Joint Expeditionnary Force (CJEF) maritime en sera le couronnement.


* Air Defense Exercise

Sources : Marine nationale

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/a-la-une/le-hms-daring-integre-au-gan-charles-de-gaulle

Citation :

Royal Marines

Royal Marines practice winter survival skills in Norway

Hundreds of Royal Marines have been learning to survive in the harsh winter climate of northern Norway as part of an annual exercise called Cetus 14. The Marines from 3 Commando Brigade – along with their attached Royal Naval personnel – are being taught how to survive, move around on skis and also fight in the difficult conditions.

They must ski across the mountains while carrying weapons and 70lb bergens, construct makeshift shelters from brushwood, and build fires to keep warm and cook their dinner.Food is usually chicken, which they must kill themselves, and vegetables which they are taught how to prepare with only basic equipment.

Read the full story: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2014/February/17/140217-RM-Norway


  

PHOTOS:

Images by PO(Phot) Sean Clee
 

Citation :

Royal Air Force

Rarely seen internal view of the rotodome of an 8 Squadron E-3D Sentry at RAF Waddington. The Sentry's radar allows it to detect, identify
and track airborne threats and friendly forces. [Photo: SAC Blake Carruthers]

Citation :

Tranche 2 Typhoons pass Red Flag test

The UK Royal Air Force has debuted its latest standard of the Eurofighter Typhoon at a Red Flag-series exercise at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Flown by 6 Sqn pilots from RAF Leuchars in Scotland, the Tranche 2-standard aircraft, plus support personnel from the unit and the RAF's 1 Sqn, took part in the Red Flag 14-1 exercise between 27 January and 14 February. The Typhoons were operated in the air-to-air role.



As 2014 progresses, the Tranche 2 Typhoons of the Leuchars wing will progressively work with the multirole P1E upgrade, which includes the addition of capabilities with the Rafael Litening III targeting pod and Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bomb. The aircraft will also be relocated to RAF Lossiemouth.

The RAF also sent Tranche 1 Typhoons from its 11 Sqn to participate in a Red Flag exercise last year, and intends to return to Nellis in early 2015 for a full test of its Tranche 2 capability.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Queen to name new Scottish-built aircraft carrier in July ceremony




The Queen will officially name the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier at a ceremony at Rosyth dockyard this summer.

The traditional champagne christening will be held at the Fife yard to mark the completion of HMS Queen Elizabeth. The dock will be flooded in July to allow the ship to be floated.

Thousands are expected to turn out for the event on July 4, including members of the ship's crew and workers who helped to build it.

The 65,000-tonne ship is Britain's biggest ever carrier and said to be the most complex warship built in the UK.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "This will be a proud and historic day, not just for the Royal Navy but for the entire nation. It is great news that Her Majesty will officially name the first aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

"This occasion will mark a major milestone in regenerating the UK's aircraft carrier fleet and its power projection capability, with the first Lightning II aircraft due to begin flight trials off the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2018."

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas said: "The Royal Navy is delighted that Her Majesty will name this great ship - the first of a class that will return fast-jet carrier operations to our nation's war fighting credibility.

"We have a great journey ahead, in close partnership with the Royal Air Force, to create and sustain the best that our shipbuilding, engineering, technology and people can deliver. And we are proud to have the chance to show what we can do."

Work is under way on the carrier's sister ship, the Prince of Wales, which is to be assembled in Rosyth dockyard later this year.

http://news.stv.tv

Citation :

Armée française - opérations militaires OPEX (page officielle)

Gabon : les Royal Marines s'entraînent au CAOME (6 photos)

Du 3 au 21 février 2014, les militaires britanniques du commando 40 des Royal Marines se sont entrainés au combat en milieu équatorial au Centre d’aguerrissement outre-mer et étranger (CAOME) de Libreville au Gabon.
Cet entrainement, qu’ils ont enduré dans des conditions climatiques parfois extrêmes, s’inscrit dans le cadre de la coopération franco-britannique et avait pour objectif de les préparer au module d’alerte opérationnel britannique qu’ils prendront en mai 2014.


  

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Crédits : EMA / armée de l'Air
   

Citation :

UK receives full complement of Reaper UAVs




The United Kingdom (UK) has received into service its final five General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, and will be transporting them into theatre "in the near future", a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told IHS Jane's on 21 February.
The delivery brings to 10 the number of Reapers fielded in Afghanistan by the UK Royal Air Force (RAF), with the type expected to remain in-country as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform following the cessation of combat operations at the end of 2014.
These final Reapers were ordered in 2010 and were due to have been handed over in 2013. However, delays in clearing engineering modifications to the aircraft set this back by several months. The MoD declined to comment on the nature of these modifications.
The RAF has flown five Reapers out of Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan since 2007. Initially operated by 39 Squadron out of Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, these platforms are now also controlled out of RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire by 39 Squadron and the newly re-constituted 13 Squadron.
In December 2013 the MoD released its latest weapon-release statistics for the Reaper. In the six years' of operations, the RAF's Reaper force had flown 54,000 hours, and had dropped or launched 459 precision weapons. While the MoD did not break down the figure in terms of the number of AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles fired or Paveway laser-guided bombs dropped, Armed Forces Minister, Andrew Robathan, disclosed in 2012 that six Hellfires had been fired for every Paveway dropped to that date.
Despite being unmanned, the UK's Reapers are governed by the same rules of engagement as those applied to manned combat aircraft.

http://www.janes360.com/article/34434/uk-receives-full-complement-of-reaper-uavs

Citation :

£1bn HMS Dauntless abandons training exercise after technical trouble
One of the Royal Navy's most advanced warships lost power and had to return to port for repairs



One of Britain’s newest and most expensive warships had to abandon a training exercise last week and head back to port for emergency repairs after losing power.

HMS Dauntless cut short an exercise by two days in the latest technical problem to strike the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 destroyers.

The six vessels cost more than £1 billion each and are described as the most advanced ships Britain has ever built.

The 8,000-ton air defence destroyers have a crew of 190 and are designed to shield the rest of the fleet from air or missile attack with Sea Viper missiles that can knock down targets at a range of 70 miles. They will play a vital role in defending Britain’s new aircraft carriers when they are completed.

But experts say their innovative power and propulsion system, which sees the ships’ shafts and the rest of its systems powered by the same gas turbines, has struggled with “teething problems”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Meurtre d'un soldat en mai à Londres : prison à vie pour le principal coupable   http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/meurtre-d-un-soldat-a-londres-prison-a-vie-pour-le-principal-coupable-26-02-2014-3626223.php

Citation :

British Army to start Watchkeeper flights in April



The British Army is within weeks of performing its first training flights from Boscombe Down in Wiltshire with the Watchkeeper unmanned air system, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

“Significant recent progress has been made on the Watchkeeper programme to satisfy the regulatory authorities that the system will be safe to fly,” says armed forces minister Mark Francois. The type “should commence flying from Boscombe Down in early March 2014”, he said on 27 February in response to a parliamentary question.

Asset Image

Thales

The first flights from the MoD/Qinetiq flight test centre will be conducted in association with the Thales UK/Elbit Systems joint venture responsible for developing the tactical UAS.

Once these have been completed, Francois says “an initial release to service is expected to be authorised by the Chief of the General Staff to allow the first military flights by the army from Boscombe Down from early April 2014”.

Following its approval for service use, the Watchkeeper system will initially be used to support activities on the nearby Salisbury Plain training area. Air vehicles will cover the short distance from Boscombe Down via the use of temporary blocks of restricted airspace.

Acquired via a more than £1 billion ($1.67 billion) programme, the army’s Watchkeeper system will eventually comprise 54 air vehicles, 15 ground control stations and associated equipment.

Earlier plans for the delayed project had called for flight activities from the Wiltshire site to commence before the end of 2011.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

La Royal Air Force se prépare pour l’Atlas



Beaucoup en Europe croyaient les Britanniques opposés à l’Airbus A400M. Ils avaient tort. La Royal Air Force a commencé à communiquer sur son futur avion de transport, l’Atlas C Mk-1. Il devra dans quelques années remplacer les plus anciens des Hercules. Une communication qui passe autant par le texte que par l’image. Et dans ce dernier cas les infographistes britanniques ne semblent pas en reste.

Sur cette vue d’artiste on distingue très clairement deux Atlas, puisque la RAF a décidé elle aussi de retenir le même nom de baptême que l’Armée de l’Air et la Luftwaffe, volant de conserve à basse altitude. Il faut dire qu’Airbus Military devra optimiser ses avions pour les opérations spéciales, c’est une demande insistante du Royaume-Uni.
Lorsque la Royal Air Force sera enfin en dotation de ses 22 A400M Atlas, on pourra vraiment se dire que l’Europe de défense sera sur la bonne voie. Tout du moins dans le domaine de la projection de forces. Les premiers avions sont attendus sur la base de Brize-Norton cet été. La présentation du premier d’entre eux à Farnborough serait un joli clin d’œil.

http://www.avionslegendaires.net/2014/02/actu/la-royal-air-force-se-prepare-pour-latlas/

Citation :

British Army

Welsh Cavalry treated to early St David's Day royal visit

Happy St David's Day

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has paid an early St David’s Day visit to soldiers from 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry) on the Castlemartin military ranges in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, yesterday.

Troops from the regiment were training as part of Exercise Pashtun Tempest, involving more than 100 soldiers from C Squadron and its attached arms. This exercise is conducted in preparation for a potential six-month tour to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), starting later this year.

His Royal Highness, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the QDG, was shown how soldiers train to counter the threat posed by IEDs (improvised explosive devices) using various types of detection equipment.

In biting cold winds the soldiers displayed how they would respond to life-threatening scenarios, subsequently carrying out first-aid training under combat conditions.

Lt Col William Davies, Commanding Officer for the QDG, said: “Today we’ve been really lucky to have our Colonel-in-Chief visit us on the cusp of St David’s Day. Some of the troopers were quite wide eyed to meet the future monarch and it’s a real morale boost, not least because we are preparing for a potential deployment to Afghanistan in the coming months. Should that be the case this would be a fantastic way to send us off.

“You can see the enthusiasm he has for meeting the soldiers and he spends time finding out about their preparations and roles. What delights me is the fact so many of the troops got a chance to have a chat with him because you get a feeling they take a lot away from it."

During the exercise soldiers from the regiment and its attached arms also fire Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs), Grenade Machine Guns (GMGs) and General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) from a number of vehicle platforms including the new Husky and Foxhound armoured vehicles.


  

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Images by Cpl Barry Lloyd; Crown copyright
 

Citation :

Crédit : Richard Seymour

Le ministère de la Défense britannique autorise la mise en service du système Watchkeeper de Thales


mer, 05/03/2014

Le ministère britannique de la Défense (MoD) et l’Autorité de l’aviation militaire (MAA) du Royaume-Uni viennent d’autoriser la mise en service du Watchkeeper, drone développé par Thales pour l’armée britannique.

Premier drone à obtenir une autorisation de mise en service, Watchkeeper est également le seul de sa catégorie à avoir la permission de voler dans l’espace aérien britannique. Il remplit les critères de sécurité et de navigabilité très stricts requis pour l’exploitation du système par l’armée britannique. Il appuiera les opérations militaires du Royaume-Uni à l’étranger, en étant habilité à effectuer des vols d’entraînement dans l’espace aérien britannique.

Watchkeeper est un drone multi-capteurs tout temps très performant, capable de voler pendant plus de 16 heures pour mener à bien une même mission. Ce drone tactique sera déployé par l’armée britannique lors de missions de surveillance et de renseignement pour la protection des troupes en appui des opérations militaires et n’est pas armé.

Soulignons que Watchkeeper est certifié au même niveau de sécurité que les avions pilotés.



Avec cette autorisation de mise en service, le programme Watchkeeper achève sa phase d’essais et d’évaluation – menée par les opérateurs de Thales depuis le centre d’essais de Parc Aberporth, à l’ouest du Pays de Galles – et entame sa phase d’entraînement au vol, destinée cette fois aux opérateurs de l’armée britannique.

Cette annonce suit celle du 24 février selon laquelle l’armée britannique débutera prochainement ses vols d’entraînement à Boscombe Down (Wiltshire).

Cette autorisation de mise en service permettra aux équipages de l’armée d’effectuer des sorties dans un espace aérien réservé, en s’associant aux exercices militaires réalisés à Salisbury Plain.


Le lieutenant-colonel Craig Palmer de l’armée britannique indique : « Pour Watchkeeper, la barre a été fixée très haut. L’ensemble du système a subi des revues et des essais détaillés qui ont amplement prouvé la maturation rapide de ce drone, permettant d’ étayer une recommandation de mise en service . »


« L’obtention de cette autorisation et des autres certifications requises pour Watchkeeper fera date, non seulement pour Thales, mais aussi pour le MoD et le MAA », précise Victor Chavez, CEO de Thales UK. « Toutes les parties prenantes ont beaucoup travaillé afin de décrocher cette certification exigeante et complète. Le résultat est à la hauteur de nos efforts collectifs : Watchkeeper est le premier drone tactique autorisé à voler dans l’espace aérien du Royaume-Uni. »


« C’est un moment crucial de l’histoire des drones au Royaume-Uni, et également dans le monde. Watchkeeper est plus qu’un avion. Au cœur du dispositif, le capteur révolutionnaire du radar, développé par les ingénieurs de Thales au Royaume-Uni et en France, offre des performances sans précédent pour sa taille et son poids. Nous sommes impatients de voir l’armée britannique utiliser ce système de pointe dans des conditions opérationnelles. »

Pierre Eric Pommellet, Directeur général adjoint de Thales chargé des activités systèmes de mission de défense.

Points clés
- Watchkeeper est le 1er drone à obtenir une autorisation de mise en service intégrale de la part du MoD britannique.
- Il est certifié au même niveau de sécurité que les avions pilotés.
- L’armée britannique pourra ainsi effectuer des vols d’entraînement dans l’espace aérien du Royaume-Uni.

https://www.thalesgroup.com/fr/worldwide/aeronautique/press-release/le-ministere-de-la-defense-britannique-autorise-la-mise-en

Citation :

Wildcat to enter service without claws




Delays to the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) programme mean the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) new Wildcat helicopter will be in service without a surface attack missile capability for more than five years.
The Wildcat HMA.2 is due to achieve an initial operating capability with the RN in early 2015. However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has now admitted that the FASGW programme will not deliver to the front line until late 2020.
With the legacy Lynx HMA.8 - equipped with the Sea Skua anti-ship missile - due to retire in March 2016, the delay to the FASGW programme leaves the RN with the prospect of a significant gap in its littoral anti-surface warfare capability through the latter part of the decade.
Designed to replace Sea Skua, FASGW embraces two distinct programme strands. FASGW(Light - L), designed to counter small boat and fast inshore attack craft threats, is based on exploitation of the laser-beam-riding variant of the Thales Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM). In the FASGW(L) application, LMM weapons will be carried in five-round launchers, and a laser transmitter integrated within the Wildcat's L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical/infrared nose turret will support laser-beam-riding guidance.
FASGW(Heavy - H), to address larger targets up to corvette size, is to be delivered by MBDA under the French/UK Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy)/Anti-Navire Léger (FASGW(H)/ANL) programme. Assessment phase activities have defined a 110 kg-class high-subsonic-speed missile incorporating an imaging infrared seeker (with provisions for an additional semi-active laser guidance channel), a datalink for operator-in-the-loop control, and a 30 kg warhead.
The MoD has sought to harmonise the introduction of FASGW(L) and FASGW(H) on the Wildcat HMA.2 through the award of a single integration contact to AgustaWestland. However, while both FASGW variants concluded assessment phase activities at the end of 2011, demonstration and manufacture (D&M) contract awards to Thales and MBDA, plus the parallel Wildcat integration contract to AgustaWestland, remain to be placed.
Thales had anticipated a D&M contract for FASGW(L) by the middle of 2013 to cover the production of platform-installed equipment, integration, and final qualification. However, the award was subsequently pushed back to late 2013 and has since been further delayed.
Approval for FASGW(H) to proceed into D&M was given by the MoD's top-level Investment Approvals Committee in January 2012, subject to the conclusion of negotiations with France. Planning at that time was for FASGW(H) to enter service in January 2018.
However, France's failure to commit full development funding had left the FASGW/ANL programme stalled for the past two years. This impasse was finally resolved at the French/UK summit in late January 2014, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding paving the way for the award of a D&M contract to MBDA.
In a statement to IHS Jane's , the MoD said: "FASGW contracts will be awarded as soon as is reasonably practicable in order to support a planned in-service date [ISD] of late 2020. The integration programme will integrate and qualify the [FASGW] Light and Heavy variants concurrently, leading to a coincident ISD of both."
The National Audit Office in its 2012 Major Projects Report noted: "Failure to provide a Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapons capability synchronous with [Wildcat's] initial operating capability will mean significant elements of attack capability will not be available in several mission scenarios. These core attack missions are dependent upon the ability to deliver a proportional and autonomous attack capability for which [FASGW(L) and FASGW(H)] are fundamental."

http://www.janes.com/article/34879/wildcat-to-enter-service-without-claws

Citation :

UCAV et diplomatie britannique

Industrie et matériels  7 mars 2014

En contrepartie du lancement par le ministère de la Défense, du missile antinavire léger (ANL) jugé vital pour la Royal Navy, le MoD s’est engagé, à l’issue de négociations particulièrement tendues, à consacrer 145 mil­lions d’euros sur deux ans, afin de financer la première phase de développement du futur drone de combat franco-britannique FCAS.

Bien que timide, cet accord permettrait, pour la première fois depuis le Concorde, à des indus­triels aux intérêts souvent diver­gents, de travailler ensemble sur les futurs systèmes critiques de combat aérien. En effet, si Dassault et BAe restent les leaders du projet, Thales et Selex pour l’électronique ainsi que Safran et Rolls Royce pour la propulsion devraient coo­pérer de concert.

Or, quelques jours plus tard, et à la stupéfaction des négociateurs français, le ministre britannique en charge des Equipements et des Technologies de Defense, Philip Dunne, signait avec son homologue américain, Franck Kendall, un accord de coo­pération scientifique stratégique portant notamment sur les plates-formes de combat devant succéder au JSF… Cet accord n’est en fait que le prolongement d’une coopé­ration qui remonte au début des années 90, et avait donné nais­sance au premier prototype de drone furtif, le Dark Star.

C’est sur la base de ces travaux que BAe réalisera en 2004 son premier prototype d’UCAV, le Corax, puis l’actuel Taranis. Les mois à venir devraient nous per­mettre de savoir si le gouverne­ment Cameron considère les plates-formes UCAV comme stratégiques, au point de mener deux projets en parallèle, afin de réduire les risques industriels, ou de renouer avec une certaine tradition qui consiste à agiter le spectre gaulois pour faciliter les transferts de technologies américaines.  

http://www.ttu.fr/ucav-et-diplomatie-britannique/

.....................2eme solution.
Il n'y a rien a attendre de l'Anglais.