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 :

UK Floats Idea of New Support Vehicle for Marines
By Dylan Vosman -  Aug 28, 2015







he Royal Marines could get a new fleet of amphibious all-terrain support vehicles if the Ministry of Defence pushes ahead with a program to replace the BAE-built BV206 machines currently used by Britain’s elite commando force.

The procurement plan for the new vehicle is in its formative stages but information released by the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) arm shows the Marines are considering buying some 233 machines at an expected cost of around £230 million (US $360.3 million).

The British are looking to field troop-carrying, mortar, ambulance, command, repair and logistic flatbed variants of the vehicle.

The aging BV206s currently undertake training, logistic support and other roles but the Marines have for a number of years used the vehicle’s better-protected and larger big brother, the BvS10 Viking, for front-line operations.





An MoD spokesman said the Future ATV (F/ATV) would likely be tasked to replicate the BV206’s current role.

Read more at www.defensenews.com

Citation :

HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier's S1850M Long Range Radar Tested by Tracking Aircraft

The crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth flashed up the new carrier's 'invisible eyes' as part of ongoing preparations to ready the leviathan for sea next year. The S1850M radar – the same as those fitted to Type 45 and Horizon destroyers – is a large black slab (over eight tonnes, 32 square metres) sitting on top of the carrier’s forward island.


It was lifted into place by the huge Goliath crane at Rosyth dockyard back in November 2013 – long before the ship was ‘launched’ by the Queen.

Since then the ever-growing ship’s company and engineers from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance have been toiling on the ‘setting to work’ phase of the 65,000-tonne warship’s constructions, preparing its myriad of complex systems for use.

The radar has not been switched to full power – with hundreds of people working on her daily there are power and safety limitations to bear in mind.

But even on ‘restricted duties’ the radar immediately began compiling an air picture, tracking aircraft on approach to Glasgow airport (40 miles to the west of Rosyth) a well as transatlantic traffic to and from the rest of the UK. (When the radar is turned all the way up to 11, it can track up to 1,000 aircraft simultaneously as far as 250 miles away from the ship.)

Central to getting the LRR – as it’s commonly abbreviated in the RN – going were weapon engineers PO Ian ‘Mac’ McDonald and LET Colleen Dunne.

“Having been a part of the long range radar programme since it was delivered to Rosyth back in October 2013, it’s very satisfying to see it ‘turning and burning’ – a milestone nearly two years in the making,” said PO McDonald.

“It shows both the progress of the ship’s radar section in conjunction with mission systems, and that (HMS) Queen Elizabeth is another step closer to becoming an operational warship.”





http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3051

Citation :

Defence Images a ajouté 9 nouvelles photos.

Images of 1 Yorkshire Regiment (1 York) Battlegroup conducting live firing during Exercise Prairie Lightning, September 2014.

The Battle group was made up of attachments from C Squadron Kings Royal Hussars (KRH), 26 Royal Engineers (26 RA) 8 Armoured Engineer
Squadron, Artillery Regiments from 19th, 5th,12th and 39th. The exercise took place at the British Army Training Area Suffield (BATUS), Alberta Canada.

PHOTOS:

Phots by Sgt Mark Webster RLC

Citation :

Dreadnought 2050: Here's what the Navy of the future could be sailing
Plastic ships that can become see-through, electro-magnetic weapons with a range of hundreds of miles and torpedoes that travel at 300 knots, just some of the ideas for warships of the future

Warships of the future could be built from ultra-strong plastic and graphene, armed with weapons that fire at the speed of light and operated by crews a fraction of the size needed by current vessels.
The proposals are just some of the ideas from naval architects and engineers who were tasked by the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence to imagine how the future fleet might look.
The challenge was issued by Startpoint, the new procurement group which brings together experts in naval defence from government, military and industry to provide advanced technology against a backdrop of tightening budgets.

Under the title “Dreadnought 2050” – a reference to HMS Dreadnought, the warship that entered Royal Navy service in 1906 whose revolutionary technology meant she outclassed all previous vessels – the project sought outside the box ideas about systems future warships would be equipped with.

Ideas included vessels built out of acrylic ultra-tough composites which are not only lighter than metal, but could be switched between being opaque to transparent by running an electric current through them. This would allow the crew to see through the hull, improving control of close-in battles and improved vision when manoeuvring.
Wonder material graphene could be used to increase the strength of ships, as well coating hulls to reduce drag, meaning they could sail faster and use less fuel.

Engineers also considered ballast tanks that could be filled with water so the ships sat much lower in the water, making them stealthy and smaller targets, when they were not being driven at high speeds by waterjets powered by fusion reactors.
Conventional masts could be abandoned for a drone carrying sensors such as radar. This would be connected to the ship by a tether made from cryogenically-cooled carbon nanotubes which would transmit power to aircraft’s motors and also energy weapons such as lasers, which could knock enemy missiles out of the sky.

Naval architects also suggested arming the ships with electro-magnetic “railguns”, which fire projectiles as far as today’s cruise missile fly, rows of missile tubes along the ship’s sides which launch hypersonic missiles at speeds of Mach 5-plus, and supercavitating torpedoes which travel at 300 knots because they are encases in a bubble of gas which reduces friction.
They also considered future systems inside ships, including the operations room, the nerve centre of warships and from which its weapons and sensors are controlled and co-ordinated. A holographic command centre would dominate this space, and commanders would be able to zoom in on areas and change the point, meaning they could focus on land, sea or air.

The operations room would have superfast data connections to the rest of the fleet and aircraft, along with headquarters, meaning operations could be commanded from thousands of miles away.
Using such advanced technology is expected to cut the number of crew required from about 200 on a contemporary warship to as few 50.

Commander Steve Prest, the Royal Navy’s fleet robotics officer said: “We welcome a project that allows some of Britain’s best and brightest young engineers to come up with ideas on what a warship might look like or be equipped with in 2050. We want to attract the best new talent to sea to operate, maintain and develop systems with this level of ambition.”

Muir Macdonald, a Startpoint senior executive said: “While some of these technologies push today’s boundaries in science and engineering, there is no reason why elements could not be incorporated into future designs.
“The country needs visionary, innovative thinking and these concepts point the way to cutting-edge technology which can be acquired at less cost and operated with less manpower.”

Source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/11833043/Dreadnought-2050-Heres-what-the-Navy-of-the-future-could-be-sailing.html

Citation :

British Army a ajouté 4 nouvelles photos.

Ajax Squadron, The Royal Tank Regiment, has conducted its first day of live firing with Challenger 2 tanks on exercise Prairie Storm in Canada.




Photographer: Corporal Jimmy McAllister; Crown copyright.
 

Citation :

UK receives second Airseeker ISR aircraft

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

04 September 2015


The second of three Boeing RC-135W Airseeker ISR aircraft for the RAF arrives at Mildenhall on 3 September.
Source: Crown Copyright


The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has received into service the second of three Boeing RC-135W Airseeker intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 September.

The aircraft arrived at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk the day before the announcement and is set to be deployed on operations "within a matter of weeks", the MoD said. This delivery is seven months ahead of schedule, with the final aircraft set to arrive in the UK by the end of 2017.

Operated by 51 Squadron at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, the RC-135W has been temporarily relocated while the runway at its homebase is resurfaced. The Airseeker, which until recently was known by its US Air Force moniker of Rivet Joint, has been deployed on operations over Iraq and Syria since July 2014.

Since delivery of the first Airseeker in 2014, over 60 improvements have been incorporated into the second aircraft, ranging from upgrades to the mission systems to engine improvements providing increased fuel efficiency and durability. The first aircraft will be retrofitted with these enhancements at a later date.

augusta a écrit:

Citation :

UK Ministry of Defense Orders Additional Giraffe AMB Radar System from SAAB.
Defence and security company Saab has received orders from the UK Ministry of Defence for additional Giraffe AMB radar systems plus upgrades of the existing systems and associated equipment. The order value is approximately SEK 610 million. Deliveries will start during the second half of 2015 and continue until 2018.

he Giraffe AMB radar provides a full 360° update of the air situation out to 120 km every second. It can operate in challenging environments such as mountains, complex coastal regions and wind farm areas. The upgrade will take the UK’s existing systems to the same production-build standard as the new Giraffe AMB, enhancing the primary radar’s performance and capacity. It also keeps the UK’s radars in line with the Giraffe product roadmap. This, in turn, will enable the addition of a unique capability to spot small UAS vehicles and the capacity to screen out difficult radar ‘clutter’, such as birds.

“We are delighted to have agreed this significant expansion and upgrade of the Giraffe AMB fleet with the UK MoD. We are looking forward to supporting both potential mission deployments and further system evolutions based on our spiral development plan for Giraffe,” says Micael Johansson, head of Saab business area Electronic Defence Systems.




The multi-mission Giraffe AMB surveillance radar system was first acquired by the United Kingdom in 2008 as part of the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) programme. Since deliveries started in 2010 it has been used to provide the real-time air picture in support of airspace management on deployed operations and at major events in the UK. It has also made a vital contribution to force protection through the detection and prediction of impact of incoming rockets, artillery shells and mortars.

The Giraffe AMB is part of Saab’s Giraffe product family that includes high-performance air and sea surveillance and target indication radars, covering very short to long ranges. The Giraffe also has essential command and control for ground based air defence and sense-and-warn applications.

http://www.armyrecognition.com/august_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/saab_receives_uk_orders_for_giraffe.html

Article pour les francophones )))))

Citation :

Le Dreadnought 2050 préfigure l’avenir de la marine britannique
Posté dans Forces navales, Technologie par Laurent Lagneau Le 05-09-2015

Lancé en 1906, le cuirassé HMS Dreadnought marqua une rupture technologique dans le domaine naval étant donné qu’il fut le premier grand navire de guerre à être propulsé par des turbines à vapeur. En outre, son architecture passait pour révolutionnaire à l’époque.

En souvenir de ce navire et de ce qu’il a représenté, les ingénieurs de Startpoint, un collectif d’entreprises de l’armement soutenu par le ministère britannique de la Défense et la Royal Navy, ont imaginé le Dreadnought 2050, un bateau futuriste qui, intégrant des technologies encore émergentes pour la plupart, préfigure ce que seront les frégates et autres destroyers de demain.

L’objectif de Startpoint est de fournir des systèmes à la pointe de la technologie dans un contexte de budgets contraints. En clair, il s’agit de disposer du meilleur pour pas cher.

Ainsi, pour la coque, l’idée est d’utiliser des matériaux très résistants à base d’acrylique et de graphène afin de pouvoir la rendre invisible ou transparente au besoin en faisant circuler un courant électrique. L’avantage est que cela permettrait à l’équipage d’avoir un meilleur aperçu d’une situation tactique et de faciliter les manoeuvres.

L’utilisation du graphène améliorerait également les performances du navire en augmentant sa vitesse sans demander pour autant plus d’énergie. Aussi, ce navire futuriste, propulsé par des moteurs électriques silencieux à jets d’eau et des turbines à très haut rendement, pourrait naviguer à une vitesse de 50 noeuds.

La forme du Dreadnought 2050 étant celle d’un trimaran, une autre idée consiste à le doter de ballasts pour qu’il puisse s’enfoncer dans l’eau, ce qui le rendrait moins facilement détectable. Qui plus est, il n’aura pas de mât : il disposera d’une sorte de quadcopter qui, muni d’une série de différents capteurs, serait relié au navire par un câble constitué par des nanotubes de carbone.

À l’arrière, le Dreadnought 2050 disposerait d’un grand pont extensible et d’un hangar pour mettre en oeuvre des drones aériens, pouvant être construits à bord par des imprimantes 3D, ainsi qu’un hélicoptère de taille moyenne.

Côté armement, l’artillerie « classique » serait abandonnée au profit d’un canon électromagnétique qui permettrait de frapper une cible située jusqu’à 200 nautiques à un coût relativement faible comparé à celui des missiles. Le Dreadnought en 2050 en emportera également, de même que des torpilles à supercavitation, plus rapides et donc plus difficiles à contrer.


Quant à la salle des opérations du navire, elle sera tout aussi révolutionnaire, avec des tableaux de commandes utilisant l’holographie 3D et des connexions de données ultra-rapide vers le reste de la flotte et les états-majors.

Bien évidemment, l’automatisation sera poussée à l’extrême. Ce qui fait que le Dreadnought 2050 (155 m de long pour 37 de large) aurait besoin d’un équipage de seulement 50 marins, contre plus de 200 pour les frégates et destroyers actuels.

« Bien que certaines de ces technologies sont à la limite de la science et de l’ingénierie, il n’y a aucune raison pour que ces éléments ne soient pas intégrés dans des conceptions futures », a expliqué Muir Macdonald, un responsable de Startpoint.




http://www.opex360.fr/

Citation :

Upgraded Merlins To Boost Royal Marines' Air Mobility
By Andrew Chuter 3 p.m. EDT September 6, 2015



LONDON — The first of 25 AW101 Merlin helicopters being modified for use by the Royal Marines is about to be released to service, signaling a first step toward a major uptick in the capabilities of Britain's elite commandos.

"Modification work on the ex-Royal Air Force Merlin is complete and we are waiting for release to service in the next four or five weeks," a spokesman for contractor AgustaWestland said Aug 27.

With a new helicopter poised to start improving air mobility compared with the ancient Sea King Mk4 machines they will replace, the Royal Marines are setting out to boost land mobility and, longer term, possibly sea maneuver capabilities as well.

Last month, the MoD's procurement arm revealed it was evaluating a program to replace part of the commando's fleet of all-terrain vehicles while the Marines themselves are studying the balance of investment across most of the surface craft they employ for amphibious operations.

For the moment, the immediate focus is on the upgraded rotorcraft soon to be handed over to the Commando Helicopter Force, which moves troops and stores from amphibious warfare vessels to the shore as well as transporting them around the battlefield.

It's the first of seven Merlins undergoing an interim modification with a folding rotor head and minor communications and other changes being rushed into operation between now and the second quarter of 2016 as a stop-gap measure as the long-serving Sea Kings are finally pensioned off next year.

Once deliveries are complete, the change will greatly improve the capabilities of British Marines, according to Doug Barrie, the air analyst at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"Merlin's a helicopter which is two generations on from the Sea King, it's a significantly more capable machine," he said.

"It carries more, goes further and gets where it's going faster. With three engines it can continue to undertake a mission even if it losses one of the engines. It's also much more comfortable for the troops," said Barrie.

The Ministry of Defence signed a £330 million (US $504.9 million) deal last year with Merlin-builder AgustaWestland to navalize 25 machines that had previously seen service with the RAF as battlefield support helicopters in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Merlins transited from the RAF to the Marines in June and their move to the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton is due to be completed next year.

The first Merlin scheduled for the full-up modification fit, including an extensive avionics update, folding tail and rotor heads, a stronger undercarriage and other changes  was delivered to AgustaWestland's Yeovil factory ahead of upgrading to the Merlin Mk 4/4a standard, said the company spokesman.

The initial operating capability of the fully configured commando Merlin is set for 2018 but the final aircraft is not scheduled for delivery until 2022 — a lengthy process dictated more by budget requirements than the lift needs of Britain's 7,000 strong commando force.

The seven interim aircraft will eventually be updated to the full configuration as part of the deal.

With the helicopter program buttoned down, the Royal Marine equipment focus shifted recently to the land where work is underway on a possible purchase of a new fleet of amphibious all-terrain support vehicles to replace the BAE Systems'-built BV206.

The BV206, with its two linked tracked units, is highly regarded for its mobility, including an amphibious capability that allows it to swim ashore from Royal Navy amphibious assault ships if required.

The MoD described the BV206s as "obsolete" and in need of replacing.

The purchase of some 233 new machines is in the early planning stage. The MoD's Defence Equipment & Support arm reckons the cost will come in around £230 million.

The upcoming strategic defense and security review planned for release by the government in the fourth quarter could impact equipment plans but for now selecting a winning contractor remains some 30 months away.

Under the current schedule, the MoD is aiming for a service entry date of September 2021 and full operating capability by March 2024.

The Swedish-built BV206s fulfill training, logistic support and other roles with the Marines deploying the vehicle's better protected and bigger brother, the BvS10 Viking, for front-line operations.

"Its role will likely be to deliver troops and equipment to the front line as the BV206 has done in the past. Viking moves troops and equipment round the battlespace in a hostile environment," said an MoD spokesman.

Troop-carrying, mortar, ambulance, command, repair and logistic flatbed variants are on the procurement list.

Some details of the requirement could start to emerge at a stakeholder day planned to take place on the sidelines of the DSEi defense exhibition, which opens in London Sept. 15.

The MoD spokesman did not rule out other solutions but said the British would likely retain a two-unit configuration for its future all-terrain vehicle.

"The most likely solution is a two-car variant. The new capability needs to interface with in-service equipment such as the landing platform dock and landing craft utility Mk10," he said.

That's likely to put BAE in a head-to-head competition with rival Singaporean all-terrain vehicle supplier ST Kinetics, which already supplies its Warthog machine to the British Army.

Air and land mobility improvements may be underway but for the time being there are no plans to increase mobility on the sea.

A scheme to acquire new high-speed landing craft to take troops and up to five all-terrain vehicles from ship to shore is on hold.

The possible replacement of the LCU MK10 has been talked about for years, with companies like BMT Defence Services and QinetiQ offering designs able to move men and vehicles at speeds in excess of 30 knots instead of chugging around at between 8-10 knots as the current Royal Marine vessels do.

A spokesman for the Royal Marines said plans to take forward other technologies like fast-landing craft are deferred pending future capability priorities.

"There is work ongoing to determine future requirements for the landing craft which will inform equipment replacement funding allocation. We can't be more specific on that at this stage," he said.

The Marines are, however, also looking at other craft in the surface maneuver sector as part of force development activity to ensure they have the balance of investment right.



The Griffon 2400TD hovercraft, inshore offshore raiding craft, inflatable raiding craft and the LCUP Mk5 landing craft are all reckoned to be part of the study, although the LCU Mk10 falls outside the work.

"We can't be more specific on this at present but a study of Royal Marines surface maneuver is being conducted," said the spokesman.

Email: achuter@defensenews.com





http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/marines/2015/09/06/uk-royal-marines-poised--arrival--first-upgraded-merlin/71634872/

Citation :

La Royal Air Force a effectué une première frappe ciblée en Syrie
Posté dans Forces aériennes, Moyen-Orient, Terrorisme par Laurent Lagneau Le 07-09-2015


L’annonce que vient de faire le Premier ministre britannique, David Cameron, risque de braquer les parlementaires d’outre-Manche, dont certains s’étaient déjà offusqués d’apprendre, en juillet, que des pilotes de la Royal Air Force et de la Royal Navy, affectés au sein d’unités américaines dans le cadre d’échanges, avaient mené des missions au-dessus de la Syrie alors que la participation britannique à la coalition anti-État islamique (EI ou Daesh) doit se limiter uniquement à l’Irak.

Ainsi, ce 7 septembre, M. Cameron a révélé que deux ressortissants britanniques membres de l’EI, Reyaad Khan et Rahul Amin, ont été tués à Raqqa (Syrie) par une frappe réalisée par un drone MQ-9 Reaper de la RAF.

« Aujourd’hui, je peux informer la Chambre que, dans un acte de légitime défense et après une planification méticuleuse, Reyaad Khan a été tué par une frappe aérienne effectuée le 21 Août par un drone de la RAF alors qu’il circulait dans un véhicule dans la zone de Raqqah, en Syrie », a ainsi affirmé M. Cameron.

« En plus de Reyaad Khan qui était la cible de la frappe, deux combattants de l’EI ont également été tués, dont l’un, Ruhul Amin, a été identifié comme étant un ressortissant britannique. (…). Nous avons mené cette action parce qu’il n’y avait pas d’alternative », a-t-il poursuivi.

Ainsi, selon le locataire du 10 Downing Street a expliqué que Reyaad Khan avait planifié des attaques terroristes sur le sol britannique, notamment contre des commémorations, nombreuses à l’occasion du 75e anniversaire de la Bataille d’Angleterre et des 70 ans de la fin de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. En août, The Mail on Sunday avait fait été d’une menace spécifique contre la reine Elisabeth II pour le VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day, victoire sur le Japon).

Cette frappe est aussi inédite dans le sens où il s’agit de la première à cibler spécifiquement des ressortissants britanniques dans un pays étranger, en l’occurrence la Syrie.

Et M. Cameron a prévu qu’il pourrait y en avoir d’autres « s’il y a une menace directe pour le peuple britannique que nous pouvons arrêter en prenant des mesures immédiates ». Et d’ajouter : « En tant que Premier ministre, je serai toujours prêt à prendre ce type de mesure, que la menace vienne de Libye, de Syrie ou d’ailleurs ».

Depuis l’attentat de Sousse (Tunisie), revendiqué par l’EI et au cours duquel de nombreux touristes britanniques perdirent la vie, Londres envisageait d’étendre les missions de la RAF à la Syrie.

Il est « illogique » de « se limiter à l’Irak quand nous savons que l’EI est dirigé depuis le nord de la Syrie », avait expliqué, à l’époque, Michael Fallon, le ministre britannique de la Défense. S’il avait précisé que le Parlement serait saisi de cette question, il avait aussi affirmé qu’il pourrait être « court-circuité » dans le cas où « l’intérêt national supérieur britannique serait menacé ou pour prévenir une catastrophe humanitaire ».

http://www.opex360.com/2015/09/07/la-royal-air-force-effectue-premiere-frappe-ciblee-en-syrie/

Citation :

La marine britannique admet avoir failli couler un chalutier
Posté dans Forces navales par Laurent Lagneau Le 08-09-2015



L’incident rappelle la thèse des familles de l’équipage du chalutier « Bugaled Breizh », coulé au large du cap Lizard en janvier 2004. En avril dernier, Paul Murphy, eut la frayeur de sa vie quand son bateau de pêche, le « Karen », fut entraîné par l’arrière à une vitesse de 10 nœud alors qu’il naviguait au large de l’île de Man.

Quand l’équipage comprit ce qu’il se passait, il libéra immédiatement le chalut qu’il avait mis à l’eau. Le « Karen » put ensuite rejoindre son port d’origine, à Ardglass (Irlande du Nord). Les dégâts causés au bateau (coque éraflée, câbles endommagés, filets perdus) furent estimés à plusieurs dizaine de milliers de livres sterling.

Entraîner un chalutier avec une telle force ne peut être que le fait d’un sous-marin. En outre, il s’agissait du second incident de cette nature en quelques semaines. Un mois plus tôt, le capitaine de l’Aquarius, un chalutier écossais, avait connu la même mésaventure alors qu’il pêchait la lotte au large des Hébrides. Et un porte-parole de la Royal Navy affirma qu’il n’y avait aucune activité sous-marine britannique ou de l’Otan dans le secteur au moment des faits.

S’agissant du Karen, le ministère britannique de la Défense (MoD) n’avait pas souhaité faire de commentaires, expliquant qu’il n’avait pas à communiquer sur l’activité des sous-marins de la Royal Navy pour des « raisons de sécurité ».

Mais la presse d’outre-Manche ne tarda pas à y voir la responsabilité d’un sous-marin russe dans cet incident, la base de Faslane, qui abrite notamment les SNLE (sous-marins nucléaires lanceurs d’engins) britannique, se trouvant plus au nord. L’hypothèse d’une telle implication fut même avancée de bonne foi par Dick James, le président de la Nothern Ireland Fish Producers.

« Vous ne pouvez pas toujours éviter ce type d’incident. Mais quand il y a un qui se produit, les procédures de la Royal Navy disent que le sous-marin doit immédiatement faire surface pour vérifier la santé de l’équipage du navire » éperonné, avait-il dit. Or, celui qui a entraîné le Karen ne l’a pas fait. Donc, « il est possible que ce soit un sous-marin russe », avait-il estimé dans les colonnes du Daily Mirror.

Il aura fallu attendre plus de 4 mois pour avoir le fin mot de l’histoire. Minitre délégué aux forces armées, Mme Penny Mordaunt a reconnu, le 7 septembre, qu’un sous-marin de la Royal était bel et bien impliqué dans l’affaire du chalutier nord-irlandais.

« La Royal Navy confirme qu’un de ses sous-marins a été responsable de l’accrochage des filets du Karen. L’incident, le retard dans l’identification, le traitement des événements ce jour-là et leurs conséquences sont profondément regrettés », a ainsi indiqué Mme Mordaunt dans une déclaration écrite adressée au Parlement britannique.

« La politique du ministère de la Défense exige de ne pas commenter en détail les opérations sous-marines mais, exceptionnellement, je peux dire que cet incident a eu lieu parce que le sous-marin n’a pas identifé correctement le Karen comme un navire de pêche avec des filets dans l’eau », a expliqué Mme Mordaunt.

Apparemment, le submersible concerné ne serait pas rendu compte de l’incident, ce qui expliquerait la raison pour laquelle il n’a pas fait surface après avoir accroché le chalut du Karen.

Selon M. Mordaunt, l’affaire du Karen est la première du genre impliquant un sous-marin britannique depuis l’adoption, par la Royal Navy, de procédures spécifiques de navigation près des côtes. Ce qui laisse en suspens une question : quel submersible a manqué d’envoyer l’Aquarius par le fond?


http://www.opex360.com/2015/09/08/la-marine-britannique-admet-avoir-failli-couler-chalutier/

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British Army

Soldiers from the Queen’s Gurkha Signals received the Freedom of the City of York today to mark their 200th anniversary.

More than 160 soldiers were on parade consisting of 40 members of the Queen’s Gurkha Signals and 120 soldiers from 2 Signal Regiment based at Imphal Barracks in Fulford.

The troops marched through the city with bayonets fixed and to the music of the Band of the Queen’s Division. In addition, the Gurkhas carried Kukris in their belts.

While the soldiers exercised their Freedom of the City, the guests and public were entertained by a traditional Gurkha Kukri dance featuring dancers wielding the Nepalese sharp knives for which they are famous and accompanied by four Gurkha pipers and a drummer.

Lieutenant Colonel Niall Stokoe, Commanding Officer of 30 Signal Regiment and Commander of the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, said: “Today marks a singular honour as Queen’s Gurkha Signals, for today is our day where we are recognised by the people and the city of York and granted the Freedom of one of this country’s most historic cities.

“It is a singular honour for me as Commander of Queens Gurkha Signals to receive this Freedom and it will be an honour for this Regiment as we march through the city.”

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Citation :

Le ministère britannique de la Défense veut évaluer le drone stratosphérique Zephyr 8


Posté dans Technologie par Laurent Lagneau Le 10-09-2015



Fin 2014, un rapport parlementaire invitait le ministère de la Défense à s’intéresser aux drones stratosphériques, susceptibles d’avoir de nombreuses applications militaires, en particulier dans les domaines du renseignement et des transmissions.

« Bien que toutes les difficultés technologiques soient loin d’être résolues aujourd’hui, la France aurait ainsi l’opportunité de devenir leader sur ce secteur innovant, et de ne pas être en retard une fois encore », plaidait le document.

Et cela d’autant plus que pour le pôle de compétitivité « Pégase » d’Aix-en-Provence, les drones stratosphériques, qualifiés de « chaînons manquants entre l’aéronautique et le spatial », représenteraient un marché potentiel de 2 milliards d’euros par an.

Outre-Manche, on fait plus que de s’intéresser à ce type de drone. En effet, le ministère britannique de la Défense (MoD) va évaluer le Zephyr 8, un appareil dont le développement a d’abord été mené par Qinetiq avant d’être poursuivi par Airbus Defence & Space.

« Le MoD veut tester les capacités opérationnelles du Zephyr sur une période de trois mois », a indiqué Steve Whitby, chef du développement des affaires pour le Zephyr au sein d’Airbus Defence & Space, rapporte le site spécialisé Shephard Media. Il est ainsi question de les utiliser comme relai de communication et d’établir une liaison de données entre eux.

Pour cela, trois Zephyr 8 seront conçus pour répondre à cette demande. Le premier devrait être livré au ministère britannique de la Défense en 2016.

Conçu en fibres de carbone et doté de panneaux solaires et d’une batterie Li-S (lithium et soufre), le Zephyr détient le record d’endurance après être resté en l’air pendant 336 heures et 22 minutes, à une altitude de 21.562 mètres. L’enjeu pour Airbus, qui continue le développement de cet engin dans le cadre de son programme HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite ou pseudolite à haute altitude), est d’augmenter la charge utile qu’il pourra porter tout en améliorant encore ses performances.

« Les principaux avantages du Zephyr sont qu’il est relativement peu coûteux à fabriquer et que ses coûts d’exploitation sont nettement moins élevés par rapport aux autres drones », a fait valoir Steve Whitby.

http://www.opex360.com/2015/09/10/le-ministere-britannique-de-la-defense-veut-evaluer-le-drone-stratospherique-zephyr-8/

Citation :

British Army a ajouté 5 nouvelles photos.

AS90s live fire on Exercise Tartan Dagger

The British Army has deployed AS90s to Salisbury Plain Training Area, Wiltshire, for Exercise Tartan Dagger.

Crews manning the self-propelled guns will be launching close to 3000 rounds during the training. The AS90 is fitted with a 155mm, 39-calibre gun barrel.

An automated loading system enables the gun to fire with a burst rate of three rounds in fewer than 10 seconds.

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Citation :

Airbus to provide crypto key management for RAF A400Ms


Peter Felstead, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

10 September 2015

The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to Airbus Defence and Space to supply the cryptographic key management solution for the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fleet of A400M military transport aircraft, the company has disclosed.

The initial contract, worth GBP3.3 million, will see Airbus design, develop, manufacture, accredit and deliver the A400M Local Crypto Key Management System (ALCKMS) over a 15-month development phase. An additional range of options could extend the support of the solution and provide post-design services up until 2020.

ALCKMS will protect encrypted data on the RAF's A400Ms and prevent any compromising of that data that could threaten the safety and security of their missions.

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BAE Systems completes Meteor firings for Typhoon P2E upgrade

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
13 September 2015



BAE Systems has successfully completed guided firing trials of the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) launched from a Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, IHS Jane's was told on 14 September.

During the trials, which took place at the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Hebrides range, aircraft IPA6 launched Meteor missiles against real air targets in pre-planned scenarios as part of the wider Typhoon Phase 2 Enhancements (P2E) flight test campaign. According to BAE Systems test pilot Nat Makepeace, the missile separated cleanly and guided successfully towards its target while maintaining a data link with the aircraft.

The flight trials were conducted by BAE Systems with support from QinetiQ, MBDA, and Selex, and form part of a NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) contract to fully integrate the Meteor missile onto Typhoon by the end of 2016.

This Meteor firing follows earlier ones conducted by IPA1 in December 2014. Those first firings were carried out to test the missile itself, while this latest round of tests was concerned with integrating the weapon onto the latest standard Typhoon and testing the missile's interaction with the radar.

Speaking to IHS Jane's in July, BAE Systems said that the Meteor firings were the first phase of a 150-flight trial campaign for the P2E capability enhancement across the international test fleet. In the coming weeks, the single-seat IPA6 aircraft will be joined in the campaign by a twin-seat Typhoon that BAE Systems has loaned back from the MoD (BT017), as well as by aircraft provided by the other Eurofighter consortium nations of Germany, Italy, and Spain.

P2E flights are expected to run through to the end of the year, and will include trials of the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile (including firings in the United Kingdom by Italian aircraft), and testing of new additional cockpit interface enhancements and other general P2E development work.

Assuming that the test campaign is successful, the P2E configuration should be ready for fielding before the end of 2017.



http://www.janes.com/article/54194/bae-systems-completes-meteor-firings-for-typhoon-p2e-upgrade

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BAE Systems Taranis to make final flights this year
By Dylan Vosman - Sep 15, 2015



Britain’s top secret stealth drone will complete its third and possibly final round of test flights later this year, the Ministry of Defence has said.The £200 million Taranis programme, making the most advanced aircraft ever built by British engineers, will have achieved all its objectives if this year’s trials go well, officials said. No decision has been made on further tests.The remotely-piloted drone, constructed by BAE Systems, is a “combat vehicle demonstrator” to test and develop technology for future generations of fighters and unmanned vehicles.Though unarmed it is expected to provide the basis for future fleets of supersonic stealth drone bombers that can attack deep into enemy territory, while evading sophisticated defences. Tests on the unmanned aircraft named after the Celtic god of thunder have included “simulated weapon release”.Taranis has already completed two sets of test flights and officials have released film of it flying from but an unnamed location, believed to have been in Woomera, Australia.Details of what it can do have been closely guarded. Officials say while it is controlled by a pilot in a distant base, it has “a degree of automated capability”.Tests have looked at its stealth technology, its control systems and its sensors. The Ministry of Defence declined to say where the next round of trials would be.Once the tests are finished engineers will spend months going over the data which will be used to decide how drones could be used in the future RAF fleet.Lessons learnt from the drone will one day help in producing a replacement for the Typhoon and F35 fighters, Philip Dunne, the minister for defence equipment, has said.Britain is also collaborating with France to devise future combat drones.The growing importance of unmanned military aircraft was highlighted last week when David Cameron acknowledged that an RAF Reaper drone had carried out a targeted killing of a British jihadist inside Syria.A forecast last week predicted naval operations would be dominated by “networks of unmanned surface and underwater vessels” within 15 years. Naval drones could be used to hunt for mines or submarines and distribute humanitarian aid to disaster zones, the forecast by defence firm Qinetiq.A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said: “The most technologically advanced demonstration aircraft ever built in the UK, Taranis took its maiden flight in 2013, with further flight trials planned to complete by the end of 2015. In addition to helping influence the next generation of military aircraft, the investment will benefit the wider UK economy and help achieve long-term growth”

Read more at: http://defence-blog.com/news/bae-systems-taranis-to-make-final-flights-this-year.html

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UK MoD To Revise Profit Guidelines on Non-Compete Bids
7:07 p.m. EDT September 14, 2015

ONDON — Regulations spelling out how much defense contractors can make on non-competitive contracts with the Ministry of Defence are set for a radical shake-up with different types of work attracting different profit levels instead of the current one-size-fits-all approach, the chief executive of the new Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) will say Sept 15.

“We will propose that there should be different baseline profit rates for different types of work. The current approach provides a single baseline profit rate for every type of defense work. However, defense contracts are increasingly varied in nature, complexity and risk,” SSRO CEO Marcine Waterman will tell a conference at the DSEI defense show.

Setting profit rates depending on the type of work is one of a number of proposals the SSRO will be putting out for an eight-week public consultation period starting Sept 25.

Waterman is also expected to outline how the SSRO intends to update the basket of companies used to arrive at an annual baseline profit rate for the defense industry.

Under the old Yellow Book regime a review panel recommended a profit margin based on the average profit made by a basket of UK companies weighted by their market capitalization. A number of sectors, like finance, natural resources and foreign companies, were excluded.

That’s set to change. Waterman is expected to tell the conference that while the SSRO’s intention is to retain a system that uses a basket of different companies to arrive at a profit rate, the make-up of the industries it uses will change.

“We intend to make sure those companies operate in comparable sectors. We will also look internationally, not just at companies headquartered in the UK, as at present,” she will say.

The SSRO was set up by the government last year to set new rules and regulate a scheme for contractors looking to secure a slice of Britain’s single source defense business. Around £5.4 billion (US $8.3 billion) of non-competitive contracts were placed by the MoD last year.

MoD spending on existing and new single source contracts last year totaled £8.3 billion, over 40 percent of the total procurement and support budget.

That figure is set to rise steeply if the Successor program replacing Britain’s nuclear missile submarine fleet is approved by Parliament next year. The Type 26 frigate program is expected to get a production go-ahead in 2016. Both programs are led by Britain’s biggest defense contractor, BAE Systems.

Waterman will tell business leaders and others at DSEI that the new regime lowers the “risk of moving the goalposts in contracts and delivers greater certainty to suppliers, including clarity of what costs the MoD will meet,” she will say.

The CEO will say the SSRO wants to “foster a regime that enables the British defense industry to prosper and remain competitive in national and international markets."

The SSRO, which is independent of the MoD, replaces what was known as the Yellow Book, a set of contractor rules largely unchanged since the scheme was set up at the end of the 1960s. Scrapping the outdated Yellow Book regulations is part of a series of procurement reforms implemented by the previous government to get better value for money out of the defense budget.

Eventually, all single source contracts over £5 million will be subject to the new rules. That excludes US Foreign Military Sales and government-to-government deals where the SSRO rules have no jurisdiction — a ruling that irks some executives here.

The SSRO rules are expected to be in place for the start of the next financial year.

The proposals come just months after the SSRO shook up the regulations governing the costs industry is allowed to charge the MoD.

Taken together, the changes could have a substantial impact on contractor profits earned from non-competitive contracts in the UK, SSRO Chairman Jeremy Newman says in an interview with Defense News.

Newman reckons that the shake-up in allowable costs for industry has the potential to be a bigger issue than the profit margin.

“Profit is a smaller element of the total contract value than the allowable costs but it's also more visible. Some of our guidance on cost may have a substantial impact but it’s likely to be hidden because people won’t necessarily know what would have been charged in different circumstances," he told Defense News.

“There is, though, a potential profit impact in our allowable cost guidance. We are preventing contractors passing items up through the food chain and adding a profit margin each time. Now we are saying you can only take a profit on that once. The cost guidance in the long run will have the biggest impact, it is potentially quite far reaching,” said Newman.

Few dispute that the rules governing single source contracts were in need of an overhaul. Defence Procurement Minister Philip Dunne told members of Parliament during committee hearings into the Defence Reform Bill in 2013, which resulted in the creation of the SSRO, that some contractors were making between £100 million and £200 million from inappropriate charges a year.

Dunne listed £24,000 for ceremonial mugs and £2,000 for a children’s party as among inappropriate costs being charged to the taxpayers. The government reckons the SSRO regulations could save it £200 million.
Email: achuter@defensenews.com





http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/show-daily/dsei/2015/09/14/uk-mod-revise-profit-guidelines-non-compete-bids/72263504/

Citation :

UK May Extend Puma Out-of-Service Date
By Andrew Chuter 3:16 p.m. EDT September 14, 2015

LONDON — Britain's Joint Helicopter Command wants to extend the out-of-service date of its Puma helicopter fleet to harmonize with the expected withdrawal of the Merlin, according to Maj Gen Richard Felton, the force's commander.

"It would be nice when defense looks at future medium lift if we could right across the piece look at replacing the Puma and Merlin at the same time. We would like to extend the 2025 [out-of-service date] to 2030 or 2030, Felton told reporters following a speech at a rotorcraft conference at London's Excel Centre where the DSEI defense show opens Tuesday.

See DSEI Coverage Here

The British operate medium-lift Pumas alongside a fleet of Merlin helicopters now starting to be converted from a battlefield support role to amphibious lift for Royal Marine commandos. The British also operate a large fleet of Chinooks.

Airbus Helicopters secured a contract in 2009 to substantially update British Puma helicopters in a £250 million (US $385.7 million) program adding new engines, glass cockpit and other modifications to 24 machines.

Pumas are now deployed in Afghanistan supporting Britain's training effort and doing a fantastic job, Felton said.

The JHC commander's remarks followed a speech where he said that a study looking at air maneuver capability out to 2045 and beyond was drawing to a close.

Felton told the audience of military and industry personnel that the capability study is due to go to a four star governing board in the next couple of months

"In terms of medium lift what we would like to do is look at what we have in defense including Merlin and see if we can harmonize our capability so that when we introduce a replacement there is some sort of synergy," he said.

Felton said the capability study would allow the JHC to better understand the future rotor craft requirements and options and provide insights and ultimately choices for rotary wing choices beyond 2045.

Part of the work is focused on "determining future opportunity and decision points such that current capabilities can be sustained but managed appropriately to be replaced by alternatives that better meet future needs," he said.

Email: achuter@defensenews.com



http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/show-daily/dsei/2015/09/14/uk-may-extend-puma-out--service-date/72265056/

Citation :

New BVS10 Beowulf all-terrain vehicle debuted at DSEI 2015

By Dylan Vosman - Sep 15, 2015





The new vehicle, called “Beowulf,” is based on the Company’s revered Viking BvS10 fighting, troop-carrying and logistics vehicle that was initially designed in Sweden for the UK Royal Marines. Beowulf has a payload capacity of eight tonnes and built-in flexibility with special role cabins in the rear car to carry a combination of personnel and cargo. The vehicle can traverse through water, swamps, snow and soft sand; and climb 45-degree slopes. Beowulf features increased crew comfort and visibility, and is easy to maintain and support, resulting in reduced operational costs. “We know from more than 40 years of all-terrain vehicle experience that there is a need for an unarmoured vehicle that can reach places other systems cannot, carry a high payload and do it around the clock regardless of weather conditions,” said Tore Akser, platform manager at BAE Systems Hägglunds, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc. in the United States. BAE Systems sees Beowulf as a successor to its Bv206. More than 12,000 of the glass-fibre bodied vehicles were built and the majority are still in service with military and emergency services in more than 40 countries around the world. Beowulf is well placed to meet a recently declared requirement from the UK Royal Marines for approximately 230 vehicles, in a range of variants to replace the Marines’ 350 Bv206s. Though aimed primarily at the military market, Beowulf is also expected to attract interest for carrying out civilian missions in areas difficult to access. www.baesystems.com

Read more at: http://defence-blog.com/army/new-bvs10-beowulf-all-terrain-vehicle-debuted-at-dsei-2015.html