News Report: Rolls-Royce Opens Service Center for Defense Forces in India

Rolls-Royce has opened a new defense service delivery center in Bengaluru. The first-of-its-kind center, outside the US and the UK, will provide localized engineering support and solutions for the Indian defense forces and public sector enterprise Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

New Delhi (Sputnik) – The center was officially inaugurated by Dominic McAllister, British Deputy High Commissioner, Bengaluru, with the senior leadership of Rolls-Royce from the region and the wider Asia-Pacific region present.

“We put our customers at the heart of our business, and the opening of our first Service Delivery Centre in India demonstrates our commitment to be closer to our customers to ensure they get the best possible aftermarket support and outstanding customer service which they have come to expect from us,” Lee Doherty, Senior Vice-President- Defence, Asia-Pacific at Rolls-Royce, said in a statement.

Rolls-Royce is looking to improve capability and provide faster front-line support for over 750 engines in a range of aircraft used by the defense as well as commercial aircraft such as the C-130J, Hawk advanced jet, Embraer and Jaguar, among others.

News Story: UK to promote 'Make in India' policy

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India and the U.K. have decided to enhance defense ties based on the joint development and production of weapons at Indian facilities under the 'Make In India' policy. This was decided during a meeting here on Thursday between the visiting U.K. secretary of defense, Michael Fallon, and his Indian counterpart, Arun Jaitley. 

"The renewed engagement will place capability and technology development at its core and seek to harness the complementary strengths of both nations in defense manufacturing and use the combined strengths of their respective private and public sectors to develop defense solutions for use in both home and shared export markets," according to a joint statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Defence. 

A senior MoD official pointed out that the two countries are devising a mechanism to identify defense projects that could be jointly developed and produced and even exported; however, no blueprint has yest been crafted. 

The fate of the Advanced Hawk trainer aircraft, for which the state enterprise Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is the prime supplier for wings, avionics and multifunction display systems, is uncertain, as the Indian Air Force has not committed to ordering the aircraft. 

BAE Systems and HAL signed a memorandum of understanding in 2015 to fund the development and production of the trainer with a combat role capability. The aircraft was to be marketed for both the domestic and export market, and it even debuted at the Aero India 2017 show in Bangalore in February. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Malaysian Hawks To Be Upgraded

RMAF BAE Hawk 208 (Image: Wiki Commons)

by Chen Chuanren

BAE Systems will partner with Malaysian MRO company Airod to upgrade the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Hawk 208 single-seat light attack aircraft and ensure its continued operational availability. AIN understands that the upgrade will include a new radar warning receiver, electronic countermeasures and a digital video recorder. New  mission-planning software will also be provided, and possibly also a new radar.

The renewal of partnership and memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on March 22 at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition. A previous MoU between the two companies, signed a year ago, did not state which variant of the Hawk the RMAF will upgrade. The RMAF flies six two-seat Hawk 108s and 12 single-seat Hawk 208s.

Read the full story at AINonline

News Story: South Korea Orders Two Daegu-class FFX-II Frigates Ahead of Schedule to Support Shipbuilder

South Korea's defense procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) placed an order with Hyundai Heavy & Industries (HHI) on Tuesday to build two Daegu-class FFX-II frigates ahead of schedule to support the ailing local shipbuilding industry.

The two FFX-II vessels will be the third and fourth in the series. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) launched the lead ship of the new Daegu-class FFX-II (also known as FFX batch II) frigate for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) on June 2, 2016. Key updates of the Batch II over the ASW-focused Batch I include VLS and full electric propulsion system, as well as a larger hangar that can accomodate a 10-ton helicopter.

Read the full story at Navy Recognition

News Story: Australian-French Sub Deal Signals Appetite For Defense Uptick Down Under

By: Pierre Tran

PARIS – Defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is due to sign Tuesday an intergovernment agreement with his Australian counterpart, Maryse Payne, on cooperation on the AU$50 billion ($36 billion) Australian Future Submarine Program, Australian defence industry minister Christopher Pyne said. 

That signing in Adelaide, South Australia, will be “the next milestone” in working with DCNS, the boat builder, and Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office, Pyne said after giving a Dec. 15 keynote speech to IHEDN, the Institute for Advanced Studies in National Defense, at the war college, here. 

Pyne added that he and the Australian prime minister would attend the signing and that Australia and France had already signed a security agreement in the week of Dec. 5. 

The program to build 12 ocean-going, diesel-electric submarines is the single biggest item in the Australian defense budget, he told a lecture theater packed with IHEDN students, officers and industry executives. 

DCNS will build the diesel-electric boats, with Lockheed Martin supplying the combat integration system. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: BAE Systems targets Australian companies for possible Type 26 supply chain roles

Type 26 Global Combat Ship for Australia's SEA 5000

BAE Systems has declared that it intends to open up the supply chain for the UK’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship program, with 150 Australian companies set to pitch their products and services.

BAE Systems together with 20 of its major suppliers, including Rohde & Schwarz, Rolls-Royce, David Brown Santasalo, L-3 and Babcock, will be in Canberra to meet Australian SMEs over the next two days.

As well as having an opportunity to meet with BAE Systems and its suppliers, SMEs will hear from companies that have been successful in securing global defence contracts and learn more about what it takes to be part of a global supply chain, BAE Systems Australia stated.

Read the full story at Australian Defence Business Review << UK Type 26 Variant Pictured

Industry: Rolls-Royce secures milestone contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries for first naval Environship

Rolls-Royce has secured a milestone contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to provide a concept design based on the Rolls-Royce Environship Leadge Bow. This marks the first reference for the award-winning wave-piercing hull form in the naval sector. Rolls-Royce will also equip this new 23,000t Polar-class logistics support vessel, which will replace the New Zealand Defence Force’s 30-year-old tanker HMNZS Endeavour.

The prime contractor HHI will undertake detailed design and build the vessel as part of the NZDF’s Maritime Sustainment Capability (MSC) project, using the Rolls-Royce Environship concept design under licence.

AUS: Government continues with its reform of the naval ship repair sector

Adelaide Class Frigate (Wiki Info - image: Wiki Commons)

Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly AM MP today announced the release of the Group Maintenance Contract Request for Tender for the Navy’s Adelaide Class frigate (FFG) fleet. 

“This is the second of the grouped-asset, long-term, performance-based contracts for the repair and maintenance of the Navy’s major surface ships,” Dr Kelly said.

“It demonstrates the Government’s commitment, through the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), to transform the naval ship repair sector and apply innovative contracting practices to get the best outcome for the Navy, for industry and for every Australian taxpayer.

“The DMO has now received all the technical clearances necessary to release the tender documentation to the three ‘short-listed’ companies: BAE Systems, Rolls Royce/KBR and Thales Australia.”

The contract will be for an initial five-year period, with the potential for rolling year-on-year contract extensions if contracted quality and service level requirements are met and efficiencies are achieved, up until the life-of-type of the Adelaide Class of ships.

News Story: Aussies to improve C-130 fuel consumption

Australian C-130 (File Photo)

LONDON, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Australian air force aims to improve fuel efficiency of its C-130 aircraft fleet and has contracted Rolls-Royce to help in the effort.

Under the one-year agreement, Rolls-Royce will analyze fuel usage to improve consumption and reduce the aircraft's environmental effects. It will do so using techniques developed for use by commercial airlines by Optimised Systems and Solutions Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary.

"We are looking for innovative solutions to the challenges that we face and we hope that working together with Rolls-Royce on this trial will identify some real opportunities to make significant savings on a very large element of any defense budget -- fuel," Air Marshal Geoff Brown, chief of the Australian air force said.

Read the full story at UPI