News Story: Sixth RAAF KC-30A arrives at Amberley

The sixth Airbus Defence and Space KC-30A MRTT for the RAAF arrived at Amberley, south-east Queensland on September 1.

The former A330-203 airliner saw service with Qantas and Jetstar as VH-EBH and first flew in 2007. It was converted to MRTT configuration by Airbus Defence and Space at Getafe near Madrid and arrived at Amberley, where it will enter service with 33 Squadron, wearing its Spanish test registration MRTT039.

The aircraft requires the completion of airworthiness directive (AD) and service bulletin (SB) work, Australian Defence Business Review understands, as well as hardware and software configuration upgrades to bring it up to a common standard with the RAAF’s five existing KC-30As before being accepted into service.

Read the full story at ADBR

News Story: Airbus Helicopters PHL in talks with military for chopper purchase

H145M military helicopter

By TED CORDERO

Airbus Helicopters Philippines Inc. is in talks with the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the latter's possible purchase of military choppers.

"There are ongoing talks between Airbus and the Philippine military for the purchase of helicopters," managing director Lionel de Maupeou told reporters in Pasay City on Wednesday.

Senior governmental sales manager Yves Poesy added that the company is discussing the potential chopper purchase deal with a technical working group from the armed forces.

"We have been doing some general presentations. Last October, we did a presentation of some of our helicopters and they're very interested [in] some of [them]," Poesy said.

"Nothing is signed up for now, but we have some hope," he added.

Read the full story at GMA News

News Report: India Floats Biggest Tender for Procurement of 234 Naval Helicopters

In a procurement that could be one of the biggest additions to India’s naval warfare capabilities in recent times, the Indian Navy intends to purchase at least 123 naval multi role helicopters (NMRH) with anti-submarine capabilities and light utility twin engine helicopters for offshore and shore based operations.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Hard pressed by operational inadequacies, the Indian Navy has made public its intentions to procure at least 234 aerial vehicles to serve in warships. A request for information (RFI) has been sought from six global manufacturers for an estimated deal of over $5 billion.

The Indian Navy has said 123 naval multi-role helicopters should have anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The requirement has been outlined keeping in mind the growing presence of foreign submarines in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Navy has also floated tentative requirements for light utility twin engine helicopters weighing about 4.5 tons to be used in both shore-based and offshore operations.

The procurement would be executed under the newly approved strategic partnership (SP) model that seeks to identify an Indian private firm as a strategic partner who would tie up with a shortlisted foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) to manufacture military platforms. The main criteria for the selection of OEMs would be the compatibility of their products with the Services Staff Qualitative Requirements (SQRs), and their commitment to provide technology and other assistance to enable their Indian partners to produce in India with maximum localization.

News Story: Defence firms eye billion-dollar chance for 'made in India'

By Megha BAHREE

India has drawn up a shopping list for tens of billions of dollars of foreign fighter jets, armoured vehicles, submarines and helicopters but it will only sign the cheques if they are made in India.

The world's largest defence importer has announced a new policy inviting foreign defence manufacturers to set up shop as minority partners in India. It initiated the bidding process for submarines in July.

Such deals would boost job creation and bring key defence technologies into India.

Foreign companies say the opportunity is too good to miss.

Europe's Airbus Group, angling to sell its Panther helicopters, has said that if it wins a contract worth several billion dollars and expected to span at least a decade, it would make India its global hub for the multi-purpose choppers.

The company currently builds them at Marignane in France.

Lockheed Martin says if its F-16 fighter jets are selected -- it will likely compete with Saab for that order of close to $15 billion -- it will "support the advancement of Indian manufacturing expertise."

Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and France's Naval Group are eager to compete for a contract of up to $10 billion to build submarines in the South Asian country.

Luring foreign defence companies to build in India would be a major and much-needed boost to the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with less than two years to national elections, is under intense pressure to create more jobs for the hundreds of thousands of people joining the workforce every month.

Growth in the first three months of 2017 slowed to 6.1 percent. Experts expect further disruption as businesses adjust to a new nationwide goods and services tax launched in July.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (16-Aug-2017)

Jack Viola, Eliza Chapman, Harley Comrie and Jacqueline Westermann

Sea state

It looks like the Russian government might have spoofed naval GPS in the Baltic Sea. A report from an American ship says that the GPS placed the ship at an airport 25 nautical miles from its actual position at the Russian port of Novorossiysk. GPS spoofing has been worrying experts for some time, but this is thought to be the first time the technique has been used ‘in the wild’. These technologies are of such concern that some countries, such as South Korea, have been developing alternative navigation systems in case of an attack on GPS.

Navantia of Spain has submitted its response to the request for tender for Australia’s future frigate project. The proposed F-5000 anti-submarine warfare vessel is an evolution of Navantia’s Hobart-class guided missile destroyer, currently used by the Australian navy, and will draw on lessons from Navantia’s F-310 for Norway.

The Chinese navy has conducted a live-fire drill in the Yellow Sea, which separates China from the Korean peninsula. During the exercise, ‘various missiles, dozens of torpedoes and hundreds of shells’ were fired. China’s defence ministry claimed that the drill was a regularly scheduled military exercise, but some pundits believe it was a response to North Korea’s recent missile tests.

News Story: (Australian) Billion-dollar Tiger aircraft grounded

Following Airbus’ investigation into the fatal crash of a German variant of the armed reconnaissance helicopter, Australia’s Tiger aircraft have been grounded, barring emergency purposes.

Defence has grounded the fleet of 22 Tiger ARHs after manufacturer Airbus Helicopters (AH) announced that, "despite the missing information and considering a sudden failure, Airbus Helicopters declares unsafe condition for all Tiger versions".

"AH can neither identify the part, the failure of which would lead to the accident, nor the origin of the failure. Consequently, AH is not in a position to propose a protective measure," AH said.

Two German peacekeepers were killed last month when a German variant of the aircraft crashed in Africa. It is believed the crash was caused by blades falling off the German helicopter mid-flight.

This is not the first time the aircraft has faced troubles. The Tiger has been under fire since last year when an Australian National Audit Office report revealed the Tigers are not available in sufficient numbers to give pilots the mandated minimum 150 flight hours a year.

Entry to service was scheduled for 2009 but was delayed by seven years, and replacements of the aircraft are already set to begin in the mid 2020s, but Defence maintains there will be no capability void.

Read the full story at Defence Connect

News Story: Aussie attack helicopters declared unsafe by manufacturer

Australian Army Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH)

CANBERRA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government said on Sunday that it would "actively monitor" a situation involving its 22 Tiger attack helicopters, after the maker Airbus Helicopters declared all variants to be in unsafe condition.

After a German version of the attack helicopter crashed when its blades fell off the chassis in Mali last month, the manufacturer released a statement saying that safety was its main concern, and that as a result, the helicopters were not suitable for flying.

On Sunday, a defence department spokesperson said while Australia's fleet was still operational, the issue would be discussed in the Parliament in "due course."

News Corp newspapers quoted the spokesperson as saying that the government was "actively monitoring sustainment contract of the Tiger helicopter capability to ensure it achieves value for money."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: 'Surion' chopper to take anti-icing test again

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will put its "Surion" military helicopter to a formal test again on its anti-icing system within the next several months, the nation's arms agency said Thursday.

The multi-role KUH-1 chopper was once an icon of South Korea's fast-developing defense industry, developed in 2009 by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in partnership with Airbus Helicopters.

But it has become a source of public concern amid a series of reports of flaws including cracks in the airframe and a problem in the gearbox.

The country's Board of Audit and Inspection has questioned the airworthiness of the twin-engine helicopter.

The audit office even cited a water leakage issue, which the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) claimed later has been already resolved.

The DAPA said it's preparing for a test on Surion's anti-icing system in the United States. Surion failed the previous cold-weather test taken in 2015. It failed to meet 29 of the 101 requirements.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: Indian Navy launches hunt to acquire 110 helicopters in $5B deal

Kamov Ka-226T (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy has begun its process of acquiring 110 light utility helicopters after rejecting Russia's Kamov Ka-226T, which are being built for the Air Force and Army, according to a Ministry of Defence official. 

"The Kamov 226T does not have blade folding and cannot be fitted inside a ship's hangar. Moreover, it is not suitable to carry the torpedoes, which is the mandatory requirement," said an Indian Navy official. 

The light utility helicopters, or LUH, will be procured under the strategic partnership policy India's government approved last month, under which a private-sector defence company will be selected as a strategic partner, which, in turn, will tie up with an overseas original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, shortlisted by the MoD. 

In the next two months, an expression of interest will be given to domestic companies, including Bharat Forge, Reliance, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Aerospace and Tata Advanced Systems. The domestic companies will partner with overseas OEMs to compete for the contract worth $5 billion. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Textron company eyes Australia in wake of Tiger helo critique

AH-1Z Viper (Left), UH-1Y Venom (Right) [Click Image to Enlarge]

By: Pierre Tran

LE BOURGET, France — Bell Helicopter, a Textron unit, is keen to pitch to Australia in response to reported criticism of the Airbus Helicopters Tiger attack helicopter, said Richard Harris, vice president for international military sales. 

“Sure it’s a market, you bet,” he told Defense News on the first day of the Paris Air Show, when asked if Bell would pursue an order from Australia. 

Bell is also competing in two competitions in Europe, with the results expected within six months, assuming stable political factors, he said, while declining to disclose those countries. 

Poland and the Czech Republic are reported to be holding tenders to acquire new helicopters, with the latter looking to order 12 light multi-role units. 

Harris was confident the design of a sealed rotorhead on its AH-1Z attack and UH-1Y combat utility helicopters could overcome maintenance problems arising from sand and harsh conditions, such as that found in Australia. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Airbus proposes upgrade for Australian attack helicopters

By: Nigel Pittaway

LONDON — In the lead up to the 2017 Paris Air Show, European giant Airbus has revealed details of its two-stage proposal to upgrade the Australian Army’s Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter.

The managing director of Airbus Group Australia Pacific, Tony Fraser, said Airbus Helicopters is proposing an interim upgrade based on the Tiger Mark 2 development being mulled by European operators, including France. Beyond that, Fraser says a Mark 3 variant now on the drawing board will form the basis of a future armed reconnaissance helicopter, or ARH, replacement program flagged by the Australian government for the middle of the next decade. 

Australia has 22 Tigers and was to undertake an extensive capability assurance program, or CAP, to keep the fleet relevant in the coming years. However, the ARH program has been mired in controversy since the first helicopters were delivered at the end of 2004, suffering a lower-than-expected rate of effort and a higher-than-desired cost of ownership to the commonwealth.

Australia's 2016 Defence White Paper and the associated Integrated Investment Program singled the helicopter out from all Australian Defence Force platforms for criticism, describing the program as "troubled."

Most recently, a 2017 report by the Australian National Audit Office, or ANAO, into the ARH program was scathing of the helicopter, which only achieved final operational capability last year, despite being in operational service for more than a decade.  

The program is now seven years late, and although it hasn’t reached planned levels of availability and reliability, recent remediation efforts by the Australian Army; the Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group of Australia's Defence Department, or CASG; and industry continue to improve performance indicators to the point where the Tiger’s cost of ownership has dropped by almost a third since 2012.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Navy’s warship to patrol Benham, says AFP chief

BRP Tarlac (File Photo)

By Jaime Laude

MANILA, Philippines - Vessel (SSV) BRP Davao del Sur will be deployed to patrol Benham Rise once the vessel is delivered by the Indonesian defense contractor next month, Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año said.

The BRP Davao del Sur will be the second SSV of the Navy. The military is also expecting the delivery of two missile-firing Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) by November.

“BRB Lanao del Sur will also be deployed in Benham Rise. With our naval assets we could now conduct regular maritime security patrols,” Año said.

Aside from the two ships, additional fast crafts and other assets are being planned for the Navy, part of the ongoing AFP Modernization Program.

The BRP Davao Del Sur is now undergoing sea trial.

The vessel is the sister ship of the BRP Tarlac that is currently the Navy’s largest operational warship.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: French, Indonesian naval firms extend submarine study

Scorpene class Submarine

By: Pierre Tran

PARIS — French naval defense specialist DCNS and Indonesian shipyard PT PAL have extended cooperation on studies for a potential order and local assembly of submarines for the Asian nation, the French president’s office said. 

“The memorandum of understanding (MoU) covers the extension of an existing agreement (which expired in December 2016) between PT PAL and DCNS on an industrial cooperation with a view to an Indonesian acquisition of submarines,” the Elysée office said March 29.  

The agreement was among those signed during a visit to Jakarta by the French head of state, François Hollande. DCNS Chairman Hervé Guillou and PT Pal director Firmansyah Arifin signed the memorandum.  

Other agreements included a letter of intention on defense cooperation, signed by the respective defense ministers, and a letter of intent signed by Airbus Defense and Space and local partner PT Pelita to study an order for the A400M airlifter.  

The memorandum for naval studies also covered Indonesia’s interest in acquiring warships, under the Indonesian-French defense dialogue, DCNS said. 

“Indonesia wants to reinforce its naval capacity and is discussing with France to explore projects of submarine and surface ships to be built in Indonesia with a high level of local industrial content, through Indonesian-French long-term cooperation,” the company said in a March 30 statement. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Malaysia signs 35 defense deals at LIMA 2017

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia’s Defense Ministry has signed a total of 35 agreements valued at 3.8 billion RM (860 million USD) at the 14th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition 2017.

They include 12 Memoranda of Understanding, seven Letters of Agreement, five Letters of Intent, and 11 contracts.

Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the value of the agreements increased by 81 percent from 2.04 billion RM in 2015 to 3.8 billion RM.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

News Story: Australian Helicopter Needs Discussed at Avalon Show

Australian Tiger ARH

by Mike Yeo

Australia’s search for a new armed reconnaissance helicopter to replace the Army’s troubled Airbus Helicopters Tiger fleet was a major topic at the Avalon Airshow, held near Melbourne from February 28 to March 5. The show also featured—as expected—the first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and Boeing EA-18G Growler. The RAAF’s Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Leonardo C-27J battlefield airlifter also made their Avalon debuts.

The country’s 2016 Defence White Paper stated that the 22 Tigers should be replaced starting around 2025. Boeing brought a factory-fresh AH-64E Apache to the show, while Bell Helicopters had an AH-1Z Viper cockpit simulator at its stand in the exhibition hall. The Apache conducted demonstration flights throughout the week, and Boeing emphasized that AH-64 production will run until 2026 based on current orders. Bell disclosed that it had made an unsolicited offer of the AH-1Z as a Tiger replacement.

Bell’s is also offering the UH-1Y Venom for Australia’s Special Forces light helicopter program, which is expected to kick off in 2018 and cost A$2-3 billion (U.S.$1.5-2.3 billion). This machine is required to “insert, extract and provide fire support for small teams of Special Forces undertaking tasks ranging from tactical observation through to counter-terrorism missions, or hostage recovery.” It must be rapidly deployable by the RAAF’s C-17 airlifters three or four at a time. This could be a problem for Bell as it acknowledges only two Venoms can be carried in a single C-17. Other possible contenders for the program include the Boeing AH-6i Little Bird and the Airbus H145M.

Read the full story at AINonline

Industry: Royal Australian Air Force and Airbus partner on KC-30A future capability roadmap

A RAAF KC-30A in-flight refueling an F-35 via the Boom

Melbourne, 2 March 2016: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Airbus today signed a research agreement to further develop the RAAF KC-30A’s capabilities.

The agreement strengthens the industrial partnership between Airbus and Australia’s defence force, and will help to define the evolution of the KC-30A fleet as it reaches operational maturity and expand its capabilities.

This will result in the KC-30A’s core transport and refuelling capabilities supporting the RAAF’s transformation into a fully integrated force, capable of tackling complex contemporary defence and security challenges.

The agreement’s first milestone is the joint development of the automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) concept, which represents a major step forward in in-flight refuelling.

News Story: Australian tankers to get automatic midair refueling capability

A RAAF KC-30A MRTT mid-air refuels a F-35 via it's Boom

By: Nigel Pittaway

AVALON, Australia — The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) signed a research agreement with Airbus Defence and Space to develop an automatic air-to-air refueling capability for its KC-30A multirole tanker transport aircraft.

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Leo Davies signed the agreement with Airbus DS boss Fernando Alonso at the 2017 Australian International Airshow at Avalon on Thursday.

The agreement will see an RAAF aircraft involved in the testing of the system, which has been under development by Airbus DS for some time.

Davies also used the opportunity to announce that the Australian government had signed off on final operational capability for the KC-30A.

“A lot of hard work has gone into the development of this capability, and we are now able to go into the next phase,” he said. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

AUS: Final operational capability for KC-30A MRTT

A RAAF KC-30A MRTT refueling a RAAF E-7 Wedgetail

The Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today congratulated Royal Australian Air Force on the achievement of Final Operational Capability (FOC) for the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft fleet.

Minister Payne said the KC-30A was a significant capability multiplier for our Air Force, which has proven itself over Iraq as part of Operation OKRA.

“This is a significant milestone for the fleet, which is now able to refuel a range of aircraft from our Air Force and our international partners,” Minister Payne said.

“The KC-30A has been an outstanding asset over Iraq on Operation OKRA, having offloaded over 74 million pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft, including Australia’s F/A-18A Hornet and E-7A Wedgetail aircraft. It is on the front line, making sure the Hornets can take the fight to Daesh effectively.

“Just one KC-30A can support the deployment of four fighter aircraft over 5000km, with 50 personnel and 12 tonnes of equipment. It is an extremely versatile aircraft that is suited to the long ranges of the Australian continent.”

The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies said FOC for our KC-30A MRTT is a critical component of our aviation capability.

News Story: Indonesian Air Force Review Clears AW101 Helicopter Purchase

EH101/AW-101 Merlin

by Chris Pocock

Leonardo's recent delivery of an AW101 helicopter to the Indonesian air force (Indonesian acronym TNI-AU) has sparked a public controversy in that country. Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, the current TNI-AU commander, told the Indonesian news agency Antara on February 8 that he was investigating the purchase of three AW101s that was made in late 2015 by his predecessor, Marshal Agus Supriatna, who has since retired. But nine days later, Hadi told Antara that the purchase was in order.

Leonardo did not announce the sale. A spokesman for the company told AIN that there were several AW101 contracts “where the customer does not want us to perform any publicity.”

Until this acquisition, helicopters for the Indonesian armed forces had been exclusively supplied by the state-owned Indonesian Aerospace company (Indonesian acronym PTDI, previously IPTN) from its factory at Bandung. PTDI has a long-established industrial collaboration agreement with Airbus Helicopters. By the end of 2016, PTDI had delivered 34 Airbus Puma/Super Puma/Caracal helicopters to the TNI-AU that were completed at Bandung. It had similarly completed and delivered 63 Bell 412s for the Indonesian Army.

In an earlier report on the AW101 acquisition on December 3, 2015—shortly after it was agreed—Antara quoted chief cabinet secretary Pramono Agung as saying that Indonesian President Joko Widodo did not approve of the purchase. Pramono’s comment came after a meeting to discuss defense equipment in the president’s office. Pramono told Antara then, that the AW101s were intended for use as VIP transports.

 The cabinet secretary added that the AW101’s “price was considered too high”, and that the helicopters in current use by the Indonesian air force for VIP transport were adequate. These are NAS-332 Super Pumas from the Bandung factory. The AW101s would be costing $55 million each, it was said.

Read the full story at AINonline

News Story: ‘Make In India’ Was the Key Focus of Aero India Show

Embraer EMB-145 AEW&C with DRDO Radar

by Chris Pocock

The 11th Aero India show at Bangalore last week was bigger than ever, as foreign manufacturers vied to offer attractive “Make In India” proposals to meet the country’s substantial defense needs. Meanwhile, the country’s own long-established aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) showed the Advanced Hawk jet trainer that has been co-developed with BAE Systems, and proposed an Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH). Neither project has official backing in the form of a firm requirement or orders, but at the show HAL did sign a memorandum of understanding with the government for a large new helicopter testing and production facility in the state of Karnataka.

India’s fighter requirements were, as expected, high on the agenda. Saab made an aggressive pitch for the Gripen E, that included the proposed maritime version that could meet the Indian Navy’s requirement for 57 multi-role carrier-borne fighters. Kent-Ake Molin, commercial manager, said that Saab has “mobilized a robust global supply chain for India. We are not doing a copy and paste…the facility we will set up here will be new. Besides, we will bring in capabilities India has been wanting, such as superplastic forming and integration and use of software.” During the show, Saab Aeronautics head Ulf Nilsson told an Indian business daily that the Swedish company is talking about an Indian partnership to the Adani Group, which wants to build a 200-acre aerospace factory at Mundra. 

A Gripen took part in the flying display, and so did an F-16, another candidate for the Indian Air Force’s yet-to-be-fully-defined requirement for a new, possibly single-engine fighter to be produced in-country. But concerns about possible changes in U.S. technology transfer policy clouded Lockheed Martin’s pitch for Indian-based production of the F-16V version of the Fighting Falcon. The American company issued a statement noting that its current proposal “was supported by the Obama administration as part of a broader cooperative dialogue with the government of India…we understand that the Trump administration will want to take a fresh look at some of these programs and we stand prepared to support that effort to ensure that any deal of this importance is properly aligned with U.S. policy priorities.”

Read the full story at AINonline