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 moves to help Saudis keep Tornados in service to 2025

Tim Ripley, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
01 July 2016

A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) officer is to lead efforts to help Saudi Arabia keep its Panavia Tornado strike aircraft in service until 2025.

The development was revealed by an advertisement posted on the RAF website on 9 June seeking an officer of group captain rank for the role of Tornado transition team manager at the UK Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) office. MODSAP oversees the delivery of government-to-government contracts to supply Saudi Arabia with UK defence equipment.

The officer, who is expected to be appointed in October, will be "responsible for leading a transition team to develop and implement a programme within MODSAP to support the continued operation of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Tornado force until 2025."

This will involve overseeing the development of a Future Operational Support Strategy (FOSS) that has to be ready for endorsement by all relevant stakeholders between December 2017 and December 2018, as well as assuring "UK contracts are awarded and aligned with the FOSS schedule".

Proposals will be developed with BAE Systems, other industry partners, the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), the RAF, and the RSAF "for the introduction of the optimal support framework to allow the RSAF Tornado Force to continue to operate until 2025 following the RAF's drawdown of the UK Tornado force".

A MODSAP "shadow organisation" to support the Saudi Tornado fleet is to be established and operating six months prior to the "final drawdown" of the RAF's Tornado fleet.

The retirement of the RAF's last Tornado GR4 gives the RSAF the opportunity to gain extensive access to spares stockpile and possibly purchase surplus airframes.

An RAF spokesman told IHS Jane's that "decisions on the detail of the future support strategy will be informed by the work of the [transition] team".

A BAE Systems spokesman said that "details and terms of the support we provide to our customers are commercially confidential.

Citation :: British Army looks again at future plans

Tim Ripley, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
01 July 2016

The British Army has launched a root and branch review of all its future plans, including force structure, equipment procurement, manpower requirements, and basing footprint, IHS Jane's has learned.

The review, dubbed 'Project Marble Arch', was ordered by the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, earlier this year after each of the UK armed services and the Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) civilian administration were ordered to come up with proposals on how they would contribute to GBP11 billion (USD14.7 billion) in savings mandated by the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

The SDSR said that any money saved from efficiencies in the MoD's existing spending plans would be re-invested on the new equipment announced in the review. One army source suggested that the savings required by the army over next five years "are in excess of GBP1.5 billion". Planners at the Army Headquarters in Andover are working on Marble Arch and are expected to report to Gen Carter in the coming months.

A senior army source told IHS Jane's on 28 June that the Marble Arch work is far ranging and is looking at every area of the army's current programme. "The main focus is on how the army delivers the Scout regiments, equipped with the General Dynamics Scout (Ajax) vehicles, and setting up the Strike Brigades," said the source. "The financial pressures are immense and nothing is sacrosanct, yet we have been mandated by the defence review to generate specific effects, including standing up the Strike Brigades."

One army officer close to Gen Carter described Marble Arch as an exercise to "refine Army 2020". He said this would including looking at which brigades would be converted into Strike Brigades and review the purchase of new vehicles that could operate alongside the Ajax vehicles.

How to set up five 'specialised' infantry battalions, which will be optimised for providing training to foreign armies, is also part of the Marble Arch study.

Citation :: An ill wind from the East: British Army contemplates avenues for expansion after decades of post-Cold War demobilisation

Rupert Pengelley, London - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
04 July 2016

Key Points
British Army is shifting its posture away from asymmetric warfare to take into account a resurgent Russia
Two new 'strike' brigades are to be formed
The days when the NATO alliance expected to be able to generate 70% of its total warfighting capacity within 12 hours and 95% within 30 days are long gone. Nonetheless, the UK government's watershed 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR 2015) document signalled what by contemporary NATO standards is a major expansion in deployable force capabilities.

It also left many questions hanging as to the future role and shape of the British Army, but the answers to these should become clearer by August 2016. So said Brigadier Roly Walker, one of two senior officers (respectively concerned with corporate and military strategy) who work for the new Army Strategy Director, established within Army Headquarters at Andover in 2015. His responsibilities are "to ensure that, while the core purposes of the army have not changed, we have the right force in the future", while "the other one-star's job is to make sure the Army is being used in the right way, today and tomorrow", he told IHS Jane's in an exclusive interview in May 2016.

Brig Walker singled out two principal drivers behind the change in defence policy enshrined in SDSR 2015, which was publicly released last November. "On the one hand you have this return of a state-based peer threat" (in the Baltics and Eastern Europe) "…and on the other you have the day-to-day reality, [manifested] as much at home as it is abroad, of transnational violent extremism playing out in all the domains - the information domain, all the way through to the physical and the cognitive. This means a constant competition where we can't just face one or the other; we have to face both at the same time".

Citation :: UK: “No Type 26 deal until there is value for money”

Last week’s decision for “Brexit” had its first effects visible on UK’s defence planning. During a discussion at the House of Commons regarding the Type 26 programme, Defence Minister Philip Dunne stated that the UK “will enter into a contract once we have established best value for the taxpayer and a delivery schedule that can be met by the contractor.”

http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :: Brexit May Delay $6 Billion UK Contracts for Apache, Poseidon
(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; published July 04, 2016)

By Giovanni de Briganti

PARIS --- Two major British defense contracts due to be awarded this summer to Boeing Co. may be deferred pending the appointment of a new Prime Minister, as their cost has increased by a combined £600 million because of the pound sterling’s post-Brexit drop on in value compared to the US dollar.

The fact that both contracts -- one for nine Boeing P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft, and the other for 50 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters – were being kept on the back burner so they could be announced during next week’s Farnborough Air Show means that, post-Brexit, the UK can now postpone them, if it so decides, with no legal consequences.

Both contracts are also controversial in different ways; neither has been openly competed, and neither will generate offsets since they will be awarded through the Foreign Military Sales program, which allows none, so there will also be a political price to pay.

There financial price is already here. The post-Brexit drop in the pound’s exchange value means imported goods paid in US dollars are today 15% more expensive than they were on June 23. In sterling terms, this has added over £600 million to the combined cost of both contracts (from £4.1 billion to £4.7 billion), and this is likely to increase further if, as widely predicted, the pound continues to fall.

Nine Boeing P-8As for $3.2 Billion

The first contract, for nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and related services, is worth about $3.2 billion, according to a March 25, 2016 notification to Congress by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

This contract is “the United Kingdom’s highest priority unfunded requirement,” the DSCA noted at the time, because the abrupt cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 Maritime Patrol Aircraft program in 2010 left the UK without the capacity to patrol its own waters. Embarrassingly, the British government was several times forced to request help from its NATO allies in 2015 to hunt unidentified submarines cruising in its waters.

Even before the Brexit vote and Prime Minister David Cameron’s June 24 resignation, the British government appeared ambivalent about this purchase, as was clearly demonstrated in recent written answers to Parliamentary questions by Philip Dunne, the government’s defense procurement minister.

On June 28, he confirmed that “we intend to begin ordering P-8 Poseidon aircraft this summer,” confirming statements made by his boss, Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon, during a recent visit to the United States. He also confirmed that the aircraft “will be purchased through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the US Government, which allows us to get the capability we need within the required timeline,” i.e. urgently.

In a separate June 28 answer, however, Dunne said that “The main investment decision on the UK's Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme has not yet been taken by Ministers,” which suggests that it may now no longer be taken during the original time-frame.

Dunne also said that “the date at which the aircraft will be brought into service has yet to be determined,” simply saying that “at least three of the aircraft will be in place by the end of the current Parliament,” or 2020.

Interestingly, the Royal Air Force will not be able to refuel its P-8As in flight, as they are fitted for “boom and receptacle” refueling while RAF’s Voyager air tankers uses a different “probe and basket” configuration which is not compatible.

So, while they will belatedly restore the UK’s maritime patrol capability, and fix one of the most glaring mistakes made by Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government, British Poseidons will still be limited by their unrefueled range – a serious weakness when trying to patrol both the British coastline and North Atlantic with nine aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland.

50 Boeing AH-64E Apaches for $2.6 Billion

The second contract, worth about $3 billion according to the August 2015 Congressional notification by the DSCA, covers the remanufacture of 50 of the British Army’s current fleet of AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard.

The Ministry of Defence had decided it could save money by awarding this contract to Boeing, which by adding it to a similar Army contract could offer a lower price than the UK’s national contractor, Yeovil-based AgustaWestland (now Leonardo Helicopters), which built the original Apaches.

Giving the work to Boeing, however, would cost UK jobs at Leonardo-Yeovil, as British media have estimated 600 jobs depend on this contract out of the 3,700 people employed there.

The Ministry of Defence might now prefer to postpone the decision until a new government is appointed in September, which would also avoid taking work away from Yeovil at the very time Leonardo is deciding the future of its UK business.

The economic case for awarding the work to Boeing has now been upset by the drop in the pound’s exchange value, which has so far added nearly £300 million to Boeing’s price, making Leonardo’s offer that much more attractive.

The foreign exchange risk is especially significant if the Apache support contract, which will run for 25 years, goes to Boeing, but it immediately disappears if the contract goes to Leonardo, a British company paid in sterling.

A possible compromise would be to award the production work to Boeing while giving Leonardo the support contract, which over its lifetime will account for over two-thirds of the $3.2 billion total, but this requires a political will that may not be available in the present circumstances.

Boeing, however, is eager for the work and is lobbying hard to obtain it. A company spokesman told the Yeovil Western Gazette June 21 that "Any future UK contracts would be supported here in the UK with a significant, positive impact on the British economy and employment.”

He also noted that “Boeing has doubled its UK workforce and spending with the UK supply chain in the last five years to more than 2,000 employees and almost £2 billion a year respectively, supporting 12,700 jobs in the tier one supply chain in the UK. This growth continues in 2016 and beyond."

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/feature/5/175170/farnborough%3A-brexit-may-delay-%246bn-uk-orders-for-apache%2C-poseidon.html

Citation :: Thales Watchkeeper UAV to Be Full Operational By April 2017
(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted July 04, 2016)

PARIS --- Despite a three-month slippage of its Initial Operating Capability 2 milestone, previously scheduled for April, the British Army’s Watchkeeper UAV is still expected to reach Full Operating Capability by the target date of April 2017.

Answering a written Parliamentary question on June 28, British Minister of State for Defence Earl Howe said that “the Watchkeeper programme will declare Initial Operating Capability 2 standard by July 2016,” instead of April as previously scheduled.

“An initial set of release to service recommendations for the Watchkeeper system at Equipment Standard 2 should be provided by March 2017,” he said in his written answer to Lord Moonie, adding that “This will provide sufficient clearance for the Army to fly the Watchkeeper system in that configuration, and support delivery of Full Operating Capability by the target date of April 2017.”

Watchkeeper, developed for the British Army by Thales and Israel’s Elbit Systems, has had its share of technical hitches, but now appears to be back on track. As of late June, it had logged over 2,000 flight hours and 1,000 sorties, a Thales spokeswoman said June 30, including both flight trials activity and Army flying.

Regarding the Watchkeeper £80 million support contract awarded June 29, she said it is “a flexible support contract providing a range of services to the Army including spares, repair activity, integrated logistics, engineering, deep storage maintenance and training support for Watchkeeper,” and has a duration of 38 months.

As those services “are sized to meet an indicative level of Army flying training [and] also sustain the readiness of the Army to meet potential operational commitments, the indicative flying hour profile within this contract is less relevant” than with standard availability-based contracts.

A joint investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Guardian revealed that, “despite taking delivery of dozens of Watchkeeper, the British Army only had 6 trained pilots for the 33 Watchkeeper aircraft delivered by the autumn of 2015,” British Forces TV reported Oct. 6, 2015, adding that “most are now boxed up, sitting in storage.”

The pilot shortage is one reason why, since January 2014, Watchkeeper has only logged 400 sorties and 1,000 flight hours, after a still-unexplained suspension of flight activity between September 2013 and January 2014.

The Guardian story added that, “despite the gloomy statistics, the forecast is more promising. The Army is set to begin the first operational conversion courses to train Watchkeeper pilots later this year, with 24 pilots due to complete it in two years' time, rising to 100 pilots before the project’s Full Operational Capability deadline arrives in 2017,” which is the date confirmed by Lord Howe.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/175201/thales-watchkeeper-uav-to-be-fully-operational-by-april-2017.html

Citation :: Lockheed Martin Details How F-35B Will Work With Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers Ski Jumps

For more than 30 years, the UK has used the ski jump for carrier operations as an alternative to the catapults and arresting gear used aboard U.S. aircraft carriers. The shorter UK carriers feature an upward-sloped ramp at the bow of the ship. Curved at its leading edge, a ski-jump ramp simultaneously launches aircraft upward and forward, enabling takeoffs with more weight and less end-speed than required for an unassisted horizontal launch aboard U.S. aircraft carriers.

http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :: UK returning Chinooks to Falkland Islands

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
05 July 2016

The United Kingdom has returned to the Falkland Islands one of the two Boeing Chinook heavy-lift helicopters that were withdrawn in 2006 for operational service in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told IHS Jane's on 4 July.

Prior to 2006 the United Kingdom had a pair of Chinooks permanently detached to the South Atlantic islands. With combat operations in Afghanistan having concluded in December 2014, the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon, announced in March 2015 that the Chinook force would return to this baseline strength.

According to the MoD, the first helicopter arrived back in the Falkland Islands in June after having been transported by ship, and is now flying. The second helicopter will join it at the end of the third quarter of this year, and will begin flying operations about one month after arriving.

These two Chinooks and approximately 40 personnel will be permanently assigned to the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI). The MoD noted that the return of the Chinooks and their personnel will not represent an increase in the United Kingdom's military presence on the islands, as they will be offset by the withdrawal of the Westland Sea King search and rescue helicopters and their crews.

Citation :: UK Lightning II visits future homebase at RAF Marham

Alan Warnes, RAF Marham - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
05 July 2016

The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) paid a visit to its future homebase of Royal Air Force (RAF) Marham in Norfolk on 1 July, ahead of its appearances at both the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and Farnborough International Airshow later in the month.

Speaking to IHS Jane's during a media event to mark the occasion, Lightning Force commander Air Commodore Harvey Smyth noted the work being done to put in the necessary infrastructure ahead of the jet's 2018 arrival date.

"As part of Project 'Amble', we are rebuilding 90% of the base - there will be new runways, taxiways, and buildings. We have already announced GBP300 million [USD398 million] of investment here, and two more contracts will be awarded by the end of the year," he said.

A new main 2,740+ m (9,000+ ft) runway will be constructed, and a secondary runway not currently in use will be modernised. A strip is being built to practice short landings while pilots prepare for ship-borne operations or for flying from austere sites. In the middle of the airfield, three new concrete vertical landing pads measuring 18.5 m² each will enable pilots to practice their short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) skills.

The first UK F-35B unit - 617 Squadron 'Dambusters' - is expected to move into RAF Marham in April 2018 with four jets, with the unit reaching full strength of nine by the first week of August. The officer commanding (designate) 617 Sqn, Wing Commander John Butcher, who is also the current Lightning Force chief of staff, told IHS Jane's : "I go out to MCAS [Marine Corps Air Station] Beaufort in South Carolina [where UK pilots are trained] in August 2017, and the squadron will stand up in January 2018. We will then finalise the plans in the spring and bring them home."

Citation :: British Army a ajouté 4 photos.

Soldiers of 1 PWRR - The Armoured Tigers lead a battlegroup-level exercise on the Canadian prairies.

Citation :: 08.07.2016

Le MoD britannique lève l'interdiction pour les femmes de combattre en première ligne

L'armée britannique lèvera cette année l'interdiction pour les femmes de combattre en première ligne. Cette annonce fait suite à une étude qui visait à déterminer si les femmes étaient physiquement assez fortes pour servir dans l'infanterie et si leur présence représentait un risque pour la cohésion des unités.

A partir de novembre, les femmes pourront rejoindre le Royal Armoured Corps.

D'ici la fin 2018, l'infanterie, les Royal Marines et un régiment de l'armée de l'Air spécialisé dans la défense des aérodromes seront accessibles aux femmes.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2016/07/08/le-mod-britannique-leve-l-interdiction-pour-les-femmes-de-co-16525.html

Citation :: L’avenir de la dissuasion britannique bientôt scelléPosté dans Forces navales par Laurent Lagneau Le 11-07-2016

Pendant longtemps, la question de savoir s’il fallait trois ou quatre nouveaux sous-marins nucléaires lanceurs d’engins (SNLE) a été posée outre-Manche. L’ex-Premier ministre travailliste Gordon Brown avait ainsi proposé, en septembre 2009, de réduire la composante océanique de la dissuasion nucléaire britannique d’une unité, ce qui aurait remis en cause sa permanence à la mer et donc, in fine, sa crédibilité.

L’arrivée au 10 Downing Street, en 2010, du conservateur David Cameron n’avait pas levé les doutes sur ce sujet, ses alliés d’alors, les libéraux-démocrates, plaidaient pour des « solutions alternatives » à la dissuasion nucléaire, jugée trop coûteuse.

Mais, après les élections législatives de 2015 et la publication d’une nouvelle Strategic defence and security review (SDSR), l’importance de la dissuasion britannique fut confirmé, de même que sa modernisation.

Cela étant, le débat sur le nombre de SNLE n’a pas empêché le lancement du programme « Successor », qui vise à remplacer les sous-marins de la classe Vanguard, qui resteront en service au sein de la Royal Navy jusqu’en 2028. Ainsi, BAE Systems Maritime et Rolls Royce ont décroché plusieurs contrats de plusieurs centaines de millions de livres pour mener à bien les études préliminaires.

Quoi qu’il en soit, l’avenir de la dissuasion britannique devrait être scellé le 18 juillet prochain, à l’issue d’un vote au Parlement britannique.

« La dissuasion nucléaire demeure à mon avis essentielle, non seulement pour la sécurité de la Grande-Bretagne, mais, comme nos alliés le reconnaissent ici aujourd’hui, pour la sécurité globale de l’Otan », a ainsi affirmé David Cameron, le 9 juillet, en marge du sommet de l’Alliance atlantique, à Varsovie.

« C’est un engagement de notre programme [du parti conservateur, ndlr], pour avoir un dispositif complet afin de remplacer les sous-marins », a expliqué M. Cameron, qui quittera ses fonctions en septembre. « Il est logique de tenir ce vote maintenant (…) pour que nos planificateurs militaires puissent aller de l’avant avec cet investissement qui est nécessaire ». a-t-il ajouté.

« Évidemment, le parti conservateur tout entier le soutient (…) je ne pense pas que cela doive être pris dans la course pour la direction du parti et nous le ferons le 18 juillet », a encore continué le Premier ministre britannique.

Le coût du programme Successor est estimé à 31 milliards de livres (39 milliards d’euros). Il concernera 850 entreprises et pourrait générer, à terme, plus de 6.000 emplois d’ingénieurs et de techniciens. Les successeurs des SNLE de la classe Vanguard seront, selon le ministère britannique de la Défense (MoD), les navires les « plus grands et les plus avancés » de la Royal Navy et leur « conception ainsi que leur construction seront technologiquement les plus complexes de l’histoire du Royaume-Uni. »

La mise au point de ces 4 SNLE se fera en collaboration avec les États-Unis, l’US Navy devant également acquérir 12 SSBN-X afin de remplacer ses 18 sous-marins de la classe Ohio. Les navires britanniques et américains partageraient ainsi le même compartiment « missiles » étant donné que les uns et les autres disposeront de missiles balistiques Trident.

http://www.opex360.com/2016/07/11/lavenir-de-la-dissuasion-britannique-bientot-scelle/

Citation :: UK Reaches $2.3Bln Deal With US on 50 New Apache Helicopters Purchase

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a $2.3 billion deal to secure 50 of the latest generation Apache attack helicopters for the British Army, according to official statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) reached a deal worth $2.3 billion with the United States on procurement of 50 advanced Apache AH-64E helicopters, the ministry's press service said in a statement Monday.

"The Ministry of Defence has today announced a $2.3 billion deal to secure 50 of the latest generation Apache attack helicopters for the British Army," the statement said.

he first batch of the UK's AH-64E helicopters are expected to be produced by 2020 and would enter service with the British Armed Forces in 2022, the ministry added.
According to the statement, the purchase of the cutting-edge helicopters, built by Boeing, will bring benefits for both US manufacturers and UK companies involved in the global Apache supply chain.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160711/1042767793/uk-helicopters-apache-deal.html

Citation :: Farnborough 2016: UK orders P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft

Nicholas de Larrinaga, Farnborough - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
11 July 2016

The United Kingdom has ordered nine Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on 11 July at the Farnborough International Airshow 2016.

"We have today signed the contract for nine new P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF), underlining the UK's commitment to spending on vital defence", Cameron said.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) the cost of the P-8 will be GBP3 billion "over the next decade".

The P-8s are being purchased for the RAF to fill a UK capability gap created after the UK's Nimrod MRA4 project was cancelled in 2010. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered to the UK in 2019, UK defence minister Philip Dunne said at Farnborough, with all eight then delivered within the following 24 months.

The P-8 is a Boeing 737 civil airliner missionised with sensors, weapons bays and other elements to enable it to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search and rescue (SAR) and other roles. The type was originally developed for the United States Navy and is now also operated by India (as the customised P-8I Neptune) and the Royal Australian Air Force.

The nine P-8s will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, which will have an additional 400 personnel deployed to the base to operate and support the aircraft. Some GBP100 million is set to be invested at RAF Lossiemouth in order to provide support and training at the base.

The decision to buy the P-8 was the highlight of the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) of 2015. The SDSR made the decision for an off-the-shelf purchase of the P-8 over running a formal competition or developing a sovereign or bespoke MPA capability.

The head of the UK's defence procurement agency (the DE&S), Tony Douglas, said on 11 July that "the P-8A aircraft was the best solution to fill our maritime patrol aircraft capability gap; it is tried, tested and can be delivered in the timeline we need."

http://www.janes.com/article/62159/farnborough-2016-uk-orders-p-8-poseidon-maritime-patrol-aircraft

Citation :: Leonardo-Airbus Team Wins Mode 5 IFF Contract
Tom Kington and Andrew Chuter, Defense News 4:18 a.m. EDT July 12, 2016

FARNBOROUGH, England — A Leonardo-Airbus team has been downselected to equip the British military with the latest Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) capability, according to Mauro Moretti, the CEO of the Italian firm.

The exact value of the deal has not been released yet but the Leonardo boss told reporters attending a company briefing on the opening day of the Farnborough air show July 11 that it could be worth “hundreds of million of euros.”

Leonardo is expected to formally announce its selection this week.

Company officials said beating the rival Raytheon/Thales team to a deal to introduce Mode 5 IFF across land, sea and air platforms was a “big win.”

The two teams have previously been working on one year assessment phase for the MoD. It’s the second time in quick succession Leonardo has beaten Raytheon and Thales to MoD selection.

The Leonardo-Airbus team has supplied IFF systems to the British previously, including Typhoon fighters. But their rivals are generally seen as the incumbent provider of equipment here.

Adoption of Mode 5 is part of a NATO wide requirement to introduce a new generation of IFF systems over the next few years.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/show-daily/farnborough/2016/07/12/iff-leonardo-airbus-farnborough/86979036/

Citation :: Royal Air Force to Acquire Certifiable Predator B
(Source: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; issued July 11, 2016)
FARNBOROUGH International Air Show --- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, today announced that the UK Ministry of Defence has selected the Certifiable Predator B (CPB) RPA system, with some specific modifications, to fulfill the country's future armed Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) requirements.

"GA-ASI is proud to offer CPB, the next-generation Predator B, to the Ministry of Defence to satisfy its emerging requirements for a Reaper replacement certified so that it will be capable, subject to developments in regulatory framework, to operate within unsegregated controlled airspace," said David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. "Featuring enhanced safety and reliability systems, CPB will meet European airworthiness certification standards."

The Ministry of Defence's selection of CPB follows the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review and the Prime Minister's announcement of the government's intention to replace Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper.

CPB has been down-selected as the only viable option capable of meeting the UK PROTECTOR programme's key user requirements, including operations in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

The UK's CPB procurement will occur through a hybrid Foreign Military Sales/Direct Commercial Sale agreement with the U.S. government.

GA-ASI is undertaking an Independent Research and Development (IRAD) effort to design, develop, and produce CPB, a variant of its Predator B RPA that is fully compliant with NATO's UAV System Airworthiness Requirements (STANAG 4671).

Construction of CPB has begun, with fuselage integration currently underway, followed by wings and tails integration planned for late summer 2016. Flight testing of the CPB airframe is scheduled for late 2016.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/175439/royal-air-force-to-acquire-certifiable-predator-b-uav.html

Citation :: VR Helicopter to Help UK Armed Forces Deal With Real Life Emergencies

Source: sputnik

Citation :: The Importance of the Trident Decision (excerpt)
(Source: BBC News; published July 17, 2016)
As MPs consider the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent, James Jinks, an expert on the history of the submarine service, examines the prospects for a replacement to Trident.

Early in any new premiership, a new prime minister is asked to write "the last resort letters".

This is a set of instructions for the commanding officers of the Royal Navy's four Vanguard class ballistic missile carrying submarines, which are only to be opened in the event that the prime minister is wiped out in a nuclear attack.

"It's a very big moment," admitted Theresa May's predecessor, David Cameron, in an interview with me and my colleague Peter Hennessey.

"It's the oddest in a way. You've seen prime ministers drive up to Buckingham Palace. You've seen them walking through the door of No 10.

"You can't really believe you're doing it yourself, but that bit in your office, writing out the letters... it is such an extraordinary thing to have to do, you can't really imagine it until you do it."

On Monday, Mrs May will ask the House of Commons to approve a motion on the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent and to support a "decision to take the necessary steps required to maintain the current posture by replacing the current Vanguard-class submarines with four successor submarines".

The debate will mark the culmination of a process that started in December 2006, when Tony Blair's cabinet met and agreed, without a single dissenting voice, to sustain the nuclear deterrent over the period 2020 to 2050 and beyond, by building four new submarines. That's the minimum number required to ensure one submarine is always at sea, providing what is known as continuous at sea deterrence.

The decision was endorsed by parliament in 2007, and in two Strategic Defence and Security Reviews (SDSR) in 2010 and 2015.

The scale, complexity and cost of the acquisition programme is vast. (end of excerpt)

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/175595/british-mps-vote-today-on-ssbn-replacement.html

Citation :: GB: le Parlement vote sur le renouvellement de l'arsenal nucléaire

Londres, 18 juil 2016 (AFP) -

Le Parlement britannique vote lundi sur le renouvellement des quatre sous-marins nucléaires Trident du pays, pour un coût d'au moins 41 milliards de livres (49 milliards d'euros).

A l'occasion de son premier discours devant les parlementaires, la Première ministre Theresa May a défendu le renouvellement du programme nucléaire, qu'elle a qualifié d'"assurance ultime" pour la sécurité du pays.

"Il est impossible de dire avec certitude qu'aucune menace extrême n'émergera dans les 30 ou 40 prochaines années, menaçant notre sécurité et notre mode de vie", a fait valoir Theresa May, après l'ouverture du débat parlementaire peu après 15H00 GMT.

Pressée par un député écossais du SNP de dire si elle était prête à utiliser une arme qui pourrait tuer 100.000 personnes, Theresa May a répondu "oui".

"Tout l'intérêt d'un système dissuasif est que nos ennemis sachent que nous sommes prêts à l'utiliser", a-t-elle ajouté.

"Nous devons envoyer le message sans équivoque à tout adversaire que le coût d'une attaque contre le Royaume-Uni ou nos alliés sera toujours beaucoup plus grand que tout ce qu'il pourrait espérer gagner d'une telle attaque", a-t-elle encore dit.

Le vote, prévu dans la soirée, devrait être remporté sans difficulté, les conservateurs ayant la majorité au Parlement et une partie du Parti travailliste y étant favorable malgré les positions pacifistes de son leader Jeremy Corbyn.

"Je ne prendrais pas une décision qui tuera des millions d'innocents. Je ne crois pas que la menace de meurtres de masse soit un moyen légitime de mener les relations internationales", a déclaré lundi Jeremy Corbyn.

Le chef du Labour, en butte à une fronde d'une majorité des députés travaillistes depuis que les Britanniques ont voté pour quitter l'Union européenne le 23 juin, a cependant décidé de les laisser voter comme ils l'entendent sur ce dossier.

Plusieurs d'entre eux ont confirmé, lors des débats, leur intention de soutenir le renouvellement des sous-marins nucléaires lors de ce vote.

Le Royaume-Uni est l'une des trois nations de l'OTAN possédant l'arme nucléaire avec la France et les Etats-Unis.

La flotte nucléaire vieillissante est basée à Faslane, dans l'ouest de l'Écosse. Elle doit être remplacée par des submersibles "Successor", pour une entrée en service au début des années 2030.

Un des quatre sous-marins britanniques est en permanence en mission quelque part dans le monde, deux sont au port prêts à partir et le quatrième est en maintenance.

En février, plusieurs dizaines de milliers de manifestants avaient défilé à Londres pour protester contre le renouvellement du programme Trident, à l'appel de mouvements anti-nucléaires.

Lundi, la Campagne pour le désarmement nucléaire a affirmé que le programme Trident allait en réalité coûter 205 milliards de livres du fait des coûts associés au programme. Jeremy Corbyn a lui évoqué le chiffre de 179 milliards de livres.

http://www.marine-oceans.com/actualites-afp/13196-gb-le-parlement-vote-sur-le-renouvellement-de-larsenal-nucleaire

Citation :: 18/07/2016

Nouveaux Apache dotés du Brimstone pour les Anglais !

MBDA a révélé avoir mené avec succès une série d'essais d’intégration du missile « Brimstone » sur l’hélicoptère Boeing AH-64E « Apache ». L’idée d’adapter le missile sur l’Apache date du milieu de l’année dernière. Cette option avait été préconisée à l’époque en vue de modernisation des WAH-64D « Apache » anglais.

Pour les anglais, il s’agit notamment de simplifier l’approvisionnement en missiles avec une uniformisation du Brimstone I,puis le II, déjà en service sur le Tornado et le drone MQ-9, l’intégration prochaine de celui-ci sur l’Eurofighter « Typhoon II ».

Le missile offre la possibilité d'un double mode. Le missile pouvant être utilisé contre des objectifs blindés mobiles, ainsi que des navires, mais également dans le cadre de la traque aux terroristes.

Les récent tirs, ont démontrés la possibilité d’engager le « Brimstone II » sur une cible navale située au milieu de bâtiments amis. Le missile arrive à sélectionner un objectif spécifique, indépendamment de la vitesse de la cible et à manœuvrer, même dans un environnement congestionné. La cible a été détruite et coulée avec un seul coup et ceci sans causer de dommage collatéraux pour les navires amis. Cette réussite est due au «Dual Mode» du « Brimstone II » et de son mode semi-actif laser et son radar actif à ondes millimétriques (MMW) qui travaillent en tandem, pour fournir une capacité unique à engager sélectivement un objectif spécifique.

Tirs de vérification :

Un certain nombre de tirs de missiles de télémétrie sans tête ont été entrepris par MBDA. Ces essais ont permis d’explorer les variables du modes de guidage du missiles (semi-actif laser, radar millimétrique-ondes et bi-mode) et ceci à différentes altitudes de libération, les vitesses et les attitudes. Les tests ont également permis de travailler sur les différentes sources de désignation (système MTADS de l'AH-64 et radar de contrôle de tir, et laser tiers.

MBDA développe une nouvelle version du « Brimstone » destinée pour l'Apache, surnommé FAHW (future arme d'hélicoptère d'attaque). Le FAHW est une étape dans le développement qui améliore les capacités du « Brimstone » indépendamment de la plate-forme.

Achat de 50 AH-64 E « Apache » :

Au final, le Royaume-Uni ne modernisera pas sa flotte actuelle d’hélicoptères WAD-64D « Apache » mais procédera à l’achat de 50 nouveaux modèles de type AH-64 E« Apache » BlockIII équipé du missile Brimstone II qui viendront remplacer la flotte actuelle. Le contrat est estimé à près de 2,3 milliards de dollars.

Photos : 1 AH-64 E Apache Block III @ Boeing 2 Tir d’un Brimstone depuis un Apache @ MBDA

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2016/07/18/nouveaux-apache-dotes-du-brimstone-pour-les-anglais-861789.html

Citation :: British Parliament Votes to Renew Trident Nuclear Arms Program

With a vote of 472 to 117, British lawmakers approved the modernization of the country's aging nuclear weapons system and will add four new nuclear submarines to its fleet.

The 205 billion-pound initiative is seen as a requirement for the United Kingdom to remain a world power, particularly in the wake of the Brexit referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union.

The modernization essentially means that the UK will be able to keep atomic weapons at sea continuously.

"We cannot outsource the grave responsibility we have for keeping our people safe, and we cannot abandon our ultimate safeguard out of misplaced idealism," newly appointed-Prime Minister Theresa May said ahead of the vote. "That would be a reckless gamble."

The proposal saw stiff opposition from the Scottish National party, as well as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

"What is the threat we are facing that a million people's deaths would actually deter," Corbyn told MPs, arguing for nuclear disarmament. "I make it clear today, i would not take a decision that kills millions of innocent people. I do not believe the threat of mass murder is a legitimate way to deal with international relations."

While parliament technically agreed to renew the program in 2007, Monday's vote makes it official.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160719/1043240902/trident-renewal-approved.html

Citation :: NEWS
British Navy Plans To Let ScanEagle Drone Go Next Year

Andrew Chuter, Defense News
42 minutes ago

Britain's Royal Navy is set to follow through with plans to let a deal with Boeing expire next year that had the company operate its ScanEagle surveillance drone from aboard warships.
LONDON — Britain’s Royal Navy is to lose its only remotely piloted air systems capability when the current arrangement with Boeing to operate the ScanEagle platform expires next year.

The US defense contractor has been operating the vehicle off the deck off a small number of British warships since June 2014, first to help operations in the Arabian Gulf but more recently to provide anti-piracy and anti-smuggling surveillance.
“ScanEagle will go out of service as planned in late 2017. ... No decisions on future systems have yet been taken,” a spokeswoman for the Royal Navy said.
The Boeing platform is the only RPAS currently in use by the Royal Navy, and as yet there is no planned replacement.

It’s hoped the 50 or so vehicles, sensors and systems scheduled to demo at the Unmanned Warrior exercise, set to take place off the coast of Scotland in October, will help crystallize thinking. Officials recognize, though, the RPAS systems are not at the top of the list when it comes to priorities in a very tough for equipment budget for the navy.
“The Royal Navy continues to develop concepts and experience with unmanned air systems (UAS), Unmanned Warrior being a significant and important part in this roadmap to a future capability," said the spokeswoman. "UAS acquisition is competing against other very high-priority options, and decisions are made annually on what is taken forward, based on capability audits and other balance of investment studies.”

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2016/07/19/british-navy-plans-let-scaneagle-drone-go-next-year/87294144/

Citation :: Maritime: collision entre un navire et un sous-marin nucléaire près de Gibraltar
Par Le360 (AFP) le 21/07/2016 à 16h19 (mise à jour le 21/07/2016 à 16h25)

L'Espagne a réclamé jeudi des explications "urgentes" à Londres au lendemain de la collision entre un sous-marin nucléaire britannique et un navire non identifié au large de Gibraltar ayant entraîné une halte non programmée du submersible dans ce territoire disputé.
"Le ministère des Affaires étrangères a demandé des explications urgentes sur la nature de l'avarie survenue et toute information utile en lien" avec l'incident, a annoncé le ministère dans un communiqué.

La collision entre le HMS Ambush et un navire de commerce "n'a entraîné que des dommages externes" au submersible et "son réacteur nucléaire n'a subi absolument aucun dommage", avait de son côté assuré le ministère britannique de la Défense mercredi soir.

Le ministère n'a pas donné d'informations sur le cargo, précisant uniquement qu'il n'avait pas été endommagé.

Le HMS Ambush, un sous-marin de 97 mètres de long qui peut être équipé de missiles Tomahawk, s'est ensuite rendu à Gibraltar pour qu'il y soit procédé à des vérifications supplémentaires.

L'incident a fait réagir l'ONG de défense de l'environnement Ecologistes en Action, qui a dénoncé jeudi un manque d'informations.
"Nous ne savons pas où s'est produite la collision, où est le navire (de commerce), s'il s'agissait d'un cargo, d'un pétrolier, s'il a une fuite", s'est plaint un porte-parole, Antonio Muñoz. Il a précisé ne pas savoir non plus s'il existait un risque de fuite radioactive.

En 2000, un autre sous-marin britannique, le HMS Tireless, avait dû faire une escale non programmée à Gibraltar, après la détection d'une fissure dans le système de réfrigération de son réacteur nucléaire, entraînant de vives inquiétudes sur le "Rocher" et dans la région.

Sa présence avait provoqué des manifestations et un regain de tensions entre Madrid et Londres.
L'Espagne réclame depuis des décennies le retour sous sa souveraineté de Gibraltar, territoire rocheux de 7 km2 à l'extrême sud de la péninsule ibérique qu'elle a cédé aux Britanniques en 1713.

Citation :: UK Defense Minister: NATO 'Absolute Commitment' Required
Aaron Mehta, Defense News 5:42 p.m. EDT July 21, 2016

WASHINGTON – The United Kingdom’s defense minister called collective defense of NATO nations an “absolute commitment” Thursday, following comments from US presidential candidate Donald Trump that called into question the candidate’s support for the military alliance.

In an interview released Wednesday night, Trump told the New York Times that he would consider whether to defend NATO allies on a case by case basis and not automatically come to their aid, as is required under the terms of the NATO alliance.

In particular, Trump said that if Russia attacked the Baltic States he would decide to come to their aid based on whether those countries “have fulfilled their obligations to us.” His comment set off rapid condemnation from foreign policy experts, foreign leaders and supporters of Trump's democratic opponent Hilary Clinton, as well as defense hawks within the Republican party.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense-news/2016/07/21/uk-defense-minister-nato-absolute-commitment-required/87408470/

Citation :: MOD Denies Money Shortage Causing Delays on the Clyde In the Construction of Navy Frigates (excerpt)
(Source: Herald Scotland; posted July 21, 2016)
It now appears that, whether for lack of funds or design delays, the construction of the Royal Navy’s new frigate class, the Type 26, will be put off for up to three years, risking a loss of jobs and of technical know-how at BAE’s shipyards. (BAE image)
The Ministry of Defence has denied that a shortage of money is behind delays in the construction of eight new Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy.

Former first sea lord Admiral Lord West last month told the House of Commons Defence Committee that cutting steel on the new ships on the Clyde had been put back from 2016 because "there's almost no money available this year, and we are really strapped next year".

But the MoD's chief executive for equipment Tony Douglas told the committee on Wednesday that no start date had yet been set because design of the warships was only 60% complete.

And defence minister Harriett Baldwin denied that suppliers involved in the £8 billion programme had been told to "mothball" their contributions for up to three years.

Defence committee chairman Julian Lewis warned that delays in getting the state-of-the-art warships into service could end up costing money, as the operating life of the Type 23 craft they are replacing may have to be extended.

"It's hardly best value for money to penny-pinch now and then end up spending something like 50-60% more on the project later, as happened with the aircraft carriers," said Dr Lewis.

Industry insiders and experts had told the committee that there was a shortfall of around £750 million in the sums needed to press ahead with construction, he said, adding: "We believe that if the money was there, this programme could start very soon."

But Mr Douglas said that cash was not the issue, as the MoD was still negotiating with BAE Systems over the final design of the ship's communications systems and computer networks.

Some £1.8 billion had already been committed to long lead-time elements of the project, he said.

"If you were building an extension on the back of your house, you wouldn't get it priced if it was only 60% designed," he said.

"We are in a good place right now, but with 60% design fixity, this is about driving it to closure, which is the road we are on."

Mr Douglas declined to say when the Government would be in a position to name a start date for construction, but said it should come in "the relative short term". (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on the Herald Scotland website.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Despite MoD’s denials, it is clear that its acquisition plans, whose funding base has been questioned since the release of the latest defense review in December 2015, are being further disrupted by the post-Brexit 15% drop in the pound sterling’s exchange value.
This makes all equipment bought in the United States 15% more expensive, despite claims of sufficient currency hedging by former defense procurement minister Philip Dunne, as hedging is cost-effective only in the short term, while most defense contracts take over 5-6 years from signature to delivery.
The contracts for AH-64E Apache helicopters and P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft awarded July 11 by the Conservative government, two days before it resigned, will cost at least $5.5 billion – and an extra £550 million in sterling terms.
Also increased by 15% are the UK government’s annual payments to the F-35 program, which are due to increase substantially as the next order will cover eight aircraft.
This points to a cash shortage to MoD, whose most likely victims are programs that have not yet been launched, like the Type 26 frigate.)

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