Toekomst Europese defensie industie

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Germany to decide on drones purchase in 2012-source

BERLIN | Mon Nov 7, 2011 10:25am EST

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Germany will decide next year which drones to purchase for its Bundeswehr military forces, a senior defence source told Reuters, which suggests it is refusing to bow to pressure from EADS for a quick decision to order its Talarion product.

The source said the Bundeswehr would continue leasing Israeli Heron drones until 2014. It could decide to order the EADS Talarion drones but could also opt for another model already available on the market and with a proven track record, the source added.

A separate source familiar with the matter said last week EADS was pushing for a quick decision from Germany on ordering Talarion drones and offering to waive penalties for a cut to orders for the Eurofighter jet if it did so.

EADS has spent years developing the Talarion unmanned aerial vehicle at its own expense in the hope of winning an order from the project's instigators France, Germany and Spain. Yet the Talarion will likely only be operational from 2018.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/07/germany-drones-idUSB4E7LO00B20111107

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Strategisch zou het een enorme opkikker voor ze zijn als dat gebeurt. Immers een switch van f35 naar eurofighter, een klap voor de jsf, een klapper voor de ef.
Dus het zal wel kunnen, een mooie prijs, maar dan zou nederland die ook echt moeten willen, en met deze regering, no way dat dat gebeurt.

Ik vrees ook van niet... but it's a nice thought! 

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

EADS to ask Germany to order Talarion drones-paper

FRANKFURT | Wed Nov 2, 2011 3:03am EDT

Nov 2 (Reuters) - EADS is set to offer to waive any rights to damages from cuts to Eurofighter jet orders if some countries buy Talarion drones and sign maintenance deals, a German newspaper reported.

The Financial Times Deutschland on Wednesday cited two people familiar with the matter as saying that Stefan Zoller, head of EADS' defence and security unit Cassidian, will propose such a deal to German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

According to an internal document obtained by Reuters last month, Maiziere plans deep cuts to Germany's military orders as part of sweeping reforms to the Bundeswehr -- its armed forces -- including a reduction in Eurofighter orders.

The note detailed plans to cut by 37 to 140 the order for Eurofigher aircraft, to reduce an order for Puma tanks to 350 from 410 and to slash an order for Tiger combat helicopters to 40 from 80. De Maiziere also wants to reduce the number of NH-90 helicopters to 80 from 120.

EADS has spent years developing the Talarion unmanned aerial vehicle at its own expense in the hope of winning an order from the project's instigators France, Germany and Spain.

However, France's Dassault Aviation and Britain's BAE Systems have stepped up plans for their own drone under a Franco-British defence pact signed last year, provoking anger and frustration from EADS.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/eads-germany-idUSL5E7M205L20111102

Bovenstaande als goedmaker voor EADS tegen een productieverlies van 124 eurofighters (op 2 na de gehele Indiase order).... daarnaast zou je zeggen dat er bij een omzet/productieverlies op 124 EF  toch een leuk dealtje gemaakt zou kunnen worden door de BV NL.

Dapper EADS poging... of men hier in gaat trappen?

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

EADS to ask Germany to order Talarion drones-paper

FRANKFURT | Wed Nov 2, 2011 3:03am EDT

Nov 2 (Reuters) - EADS is set to offer to waive any rights to damages from cuts to Eurofighter jet orders if some countries buy Talarion drones and sign maintenance deals, a German newspaper reported.

The Financial Times Deutschland on Wednesday cited two people familiar with the matter as saying that Stefan Zoller, head of EADS' defence and security unit Cassidian, will propose such a deal to German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

According to an internal document obtained by Reuters last month, Maiziere plans deep cuts to Germany's military orders as part of sweeping reforms to the Bundeswehr -- its armed forces -- including a reduction in Eurofighter orders.

The note detailed plans to cut by 37 to 140 the order for Eurofigher aircraft, to reduce an order for Puma tanks to 350 from 410 and to slash an order for Tiger combat helicopters to 40 from 80. De Maiziere also wants to reduce the number of NH-90 helicopters to 80 from 120.

EADS has spent years developing the Talarion unmanned aerial vehicle at its own expense in the hope of winning an order from the project's instigators France, Germany and Spain.

However, France's Dassault Aviation and Britain's BAE Systems have stepped up plans for their own drone under a Franco-British defence pact signed last year, provoking anger and frustration from EADS.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/eads-germany-idUSL5E7M205L20111102

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Milliardenprojekte
DruckenBewertenAutor: C. Dierig, S. Meyer und A. Tauber|06:20.
Rüstungskonzerne zittern vor Bundeswehrreform

Deutsche Rüstungsfirmen fürchten die nächste Bundeswehrreform. Thomas de Maizières Sparpläne drohen die Branche hart zu treffen.

Besucher erkennen schnell, dass in diesem Hangar etwas Besonderes steht. Das Gebäude auf dem Manchinger Werksgelände der EADS-Rüstungstochter Cassidian ist frisch renoviert, vor den Fenstern sind Lamellen aus Stahl angebracht, wie man sie sonst nur von schicken Bürogebäuden kennt. Drinnen steht ein Flugzeug, um das Techniker und Soldaten in Tarnkleidung wuseln. Einige legen Schläuche an den Flieger, durch die kalte Luft geleitet wird. Denn das Flugzeug, die unbemannte Drohne namens Eurohawk, ist vollgestopft mit Elektronik, die am Boden viel zu heiß läuft. Erst im Einsatz kühlt die Außentemperatur die Maschine. Der Eurohawk fliegt in 20 Kilometer Höhe, also in eisiger Kälte.

Foto: PA/dpa Die Drohne Eurohawk im Landeanflug auf den Luftwaffenstützpunkt Manching in Oberbayern. Die Drohne ist eines der wenigen Prestigeprojekte mit vergleichweise sicherer Zukunft
Die Drohne ist das Vorzeigeobjekt der Bundeswehr. Im Juli war das unbemannte Flugzeug, das von der US-Firma Northrop Grumman gebaut wurde, in den USA gestartet und ferngesteuert nach Manching geflogen. Seither rüsten es die deutschen Techniker von Cassidian mit einer komplizierten Technik aus, die später einmal feindliche Funkverbindungen überwachen und Radarstationen orten soll.


Dass die Begeisterung für die Drohne so groß ist, liegt auch daran, dass solche teuren Projekte selten geworden sind. Die Bundeswehr unterliegt wie auch die meisten anderen Nato-Armeen einem strengen Haushaltsdiktat. Am 26. Oktober wird Bundesverteidigungsminister Thomas de Maizière (CDU) darüber informieren, wie er die Bundeswehr reformieren möchte. Klar ist bereits, dass die Anzahl der Soldaten sinkt. Die Öffentlichkeit wird deswegen vor allem die Frage interessieren, ob und welche Bundeswehrstandorte schließen müssen. Doch auch die Rüstungsunternehmen werden genau hinhören. Auf der Kippe stehen Milliardenprojekte.

Der Verteidigungsminister hat bereits angekündigt, bestehende Rüstungsprojekte zu hinterfragen. Er möchte so Geld für dringend notwendige Investitionen freisetzen. Derzeit wird etwa über eine Verringerung der Stückzahlen etwa beim Eurofighter, beim Schützenpanzer Puma, beim Kampfhubschrauber Tiger und beim Transporthubschrauber NH-90 spekuliert. Beim Transportflugzeug A400M ist die Sache bereits ausgehandelt: Von den ursprünglich bestellten 60 nimmt die Bundeswehr zwar noch 53 ab, betreibt aber nur 40 Flugzeuge selbst. 13 wird der Bund weiterverkaufen.

Die Umschichtungen im Verteidigungshaushalt bieten Chancen wie Herausforderungen für Deutschlands Rüstungsindustrie – und die Branche ist bedeutend. Dem Stockholmer Friedensforschungsinstituts Sipri zufolge ist Deutschland der weltweit drittgrößte Waffenexporteur hinter den USA und Großbritannien. Neben der EADS-Tochter Cassidian zählen Rheinmetall, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, ThyssenKrupp, Diehl, LFK Lenkflugkörpersysteme sowie der Kleinwaffenproduzent Heckler & Koch zu wichtigen Vertretern der deutschen Branche. Die meisten Unternehmen sind hoch spezialisierte Mittelständler, die der Öffentlichkeit kaum bekannt sind.

Regierungen wollen weniger in Rüstung investieren

Es ist nicht allein ein deutsches Problem. Die Bereitschaft zahlreicher Regierungen in Europa sowie in den USA sinkt, das in der Wirtschaftskrise ohnehin knappe Geld in die Rüstung zu stecken. Das Friedensforschungsinstitut Sipri ermittelte für das vergangene Jahr einen Anstieg der weltweiten Verteidigungsausgaben von lediglich 1,3 Prozent – noch nie in den vergangenen zehn Jahren waren die Ausgaben weniger stark gestiegen. In Europa sanken die Budgets gar um 2,8 Prozent.

Die Sorgen sind vor allem bei EADS groß. Wer die Fabriken der Rüstungstochter Cassidian in Manching besucht, erkennt schnell, dass der Eurofighter hier im Vordergrund steht. Immer wieder donnern Kampflugzeuge von einer drei Kilometer langen Start- und Landebahn in den Himmel. Meist sind es Eurofighter, die hier montiert und gewartet werden. Testpiloten sind überall auf dem Gelände zu sehen.

Am Standort herrscht Alarmstimmung. ,,Wir befürchten, dass es zu Einschränkungen bei den laufenden Programmen kommt", sagt Bernhard Stiedl, Beauftragter der IG Metall für EADS in Deutschland. Schon jetzt spürt man am Standort, wie die Bundeswehr spart. Immer weniger Flugzeuge treffen zur Wartung ein. Für 200 Mitarbeiter hat Cassidian im September Kurzarbeit angemeldet. Es könnten noch mehr werden, denn im Verteidigungsministerium wurde zuletzt auch über die Möglichkeit diskutiert, Flieger verstärkt durch eigene Soldaten warten zu lassen.

Noch keine Entscheidung für Eurofighter-Nachfolgeprojekt

Doch auch die Zukunft der Produktion steht infrage. Sofern keine neuen Aufträge kommen, wird das Unternehmen schon bald nicht mehr wissen, wie es seine Ingenieure und Arbeiter beschäftigen soll. Nach derzeitigen Planungen wird 2016 der letzte Eurofighter ausgeliefert werden. Zoller warnte bereits vor einem Ende der militärischen Luftfahrt in Deutschland, sollte sich die Bundesregierung nicht für ein Nachfolgeprojekt entscheiden.

Mit der Drohne Talarion hat Zoller bereits einen Vorschlag. Sie würde anders als der Eurohawk in Europa, nicht in den USA gebaut. 600 Mio. Euro steckte Cassidian in die Entwicklung des unbemannten Flugzeugs. Weitere 1,2 Mrd. Euro würde die weitere Entwicklung kosten – es ist Geld, das Zoller nun von einigen europäischen Regierungen anwerben möchte. Bislang ist das Interesse gering. Die Bundesregierung least derzeit zur Überwachung von Bodenzielen in Afghanistan israelische Drohnen – das ist bedeutend günstiger.

Das Problem könnte im kommenden Jahr an Dringlichkeit gewinnen. Dann werden die Mitgliedstaaten des Eurofighter-Konsortiums, das aus EADS, der britischen BAE Systems und der italienischen Alenia Aeronautica besteht, darüber entscheiden, ob sie wie eigentlich vorgesehen weitere 124 Kampfjets ordern. Großbritannien und Italien signalisierten bereits, dass sie die Bestellungen stornieren wollen. Die deutsche Bundesregierung zögert noch. BAE Systems strich auch wegen dieser Unsicherheit 3000 Stellen.

In Manching wird ein solcher Schritt vermieden, indem die Produktion gedrosselt wird – man möchte vermeiden, dass den qualifizierten Beschäftigten die Arbeit ausgeht. Bundesverteidigungsminister de Maizière steht vor einem Dilemma. Er muss entscheiden, was ihm wichtiger ist: Geld sparen oder mit teuren Investitionen dazu beitragen, dass es in Deutschland auch weiterhin eine moderne Rüstungsindustrie gibt.

De Maizière sucht den Kontakt zu Rüstungsfirmen

Der Minister geht das Thema offensiver an als sein Amtsvorgänger Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. Der CSU-Politiker hatte es lange vermieden, sich mit der Rüstungsindustrie zu treffen. In der Branche führte das zu einigem Kopfschütteln. De Maizière hingegen sucht den Kontakt. Nachdem er bereits im April ein Treffen mit den Vertretern der Branche einberufen hatte, wird er sie nochmals Mitte Oktober sprechen - rechtzeitig vor der Präsentation seiner Sparpläne.

Die größte Waffenhersteller der Welt (zie link)

Der Minister kann sich auf eine Menge Fragen gefasst machen, nicht nur von EADS. Auch die LFK Lenkflugkörpersysteme, ein Tochterunternehmen des europäischen Rüstungskonzerns MBDA, wartet auf Ansagen der Regierung. Das Münchener Unternehmen arbeitet seit Jahren fast ausschließlich an einem Projekt: dem Flugabwehrsystem MEADS. Mit 450 Beschäftigten sind mehr als ein Drittel der Angestellten in dem Projekt gebunden. Die USA haben bereits den Ausstieg verkündet, die Bundesregierung hingegen prüft noch, wie ein kostengünstigeres Folgeprojekt aussehen könnte.

Auch der Panzerhersteller Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) wird hinhören. Das Münchener Unternehmen hat sich durch den Bau des Leopard-Kampfpanzers einen Namen gemacht, verdient heute aber immer mehr Geld mit dem Bau leichter Fahrzeuge, die bei internationalen Friedensmissionen zum Einsatz kommen. Das achträdrige Transportfahrzeug Boxer etwa wurde gemeinsam mit Rheinmetall entwickelt. KMW hat allerdings jüngst auch ein lukratives Servicegeschäft für sich entdeckt, kümmert sich vom Feldlager aus um die Einsatzfahrzeuge der Bundeswehr.

Rüstungsfirmen müssen Abhängigkeit von Bundeswehr reduzieren

Sollte auch hier die Bundeswehr dazu übergehen, Wartung und Reparatur verstärkt selbst zu übernehmen, würde das den Panzerhersteller treffen – ob es dazu kommt, ist allerdings reine Spekulation. Egal, wie sich de Maizière auch entscheiden wird: Die Rüstungsunternehmen wissen selbst, dass sie ihre Abhängigkeit von der Bundeswehr reduzieren müssen.

Schon heute machen sie 70 Prozent ihres Geschäfts im Export, und dieser Anteil soll künftig kräftig steigen. ,,Wenn die Bundesregierung möchte, dass Spitzentechnologien für unsere Soldaten erhalten bleiben, dann muss sie die Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie im Export aktiv unterstützen", sagt Christian-Peter Prinz zu Waldeck, Geschäftsführer des Bundesverbands der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie (BDSV). Die Wachstumsmärkte sind vor allem schnell wachsende Länder wie China, Brasilien, Indien, Russland, Südafrika und die Türkei, die große Militärprogramme aufgelegt haben. Das weiß auch EADS. Das Eurofighter-Konsortium verhandelt derzeit unter anderem mit Indien über den Verkauf von 126 Kampfjets.

EADS stellt sich bereits darauf ein, dass mehr und mehr Aufträge außerhalb Europas gewonnen werden. Im Frühjahr kündigte Zoller die Streichung von 600 Arbeitsplätzen und eine Neuorganisation des Geschäfts an, womit binnen zwei bis drei Jahren 400 Mio. Euro eingespart werden sollten. Neue Arbeitsplätze hingegen sollen im Ausland aufgebaut werden.

Rheinmetall setzt stärker auf Exportgeschäft

Auch Rheinmetall arbeitet daran, sich von der Bundeswehr unabhängig zu machen. Aktuell stammen bereits gut zwei Drittel der Umsätze aus dem Exportgeschäft. Schon mittelfristig soll dieser Anteil nun sogar auf 80 Prozent steigen. Die Rheinländer haben daher zum einen ihren internationalen Vertrieb gestärkt. Zum anderen verschaffen sie sich durch Akquisitionen den Zugang zu neuen Märkte.

Nicht nur neue Märkte, sondern auch neue Produkte und Dienstleistungen sollen das Überleben in Zeiten knapper Verteidigungsbudgets sichern. Nahezu alle Rüstungsfirmen arbeiten daran, künftig verstärkt auch Geschäft im zivilen Bereich zu machen. Ganz hoch im Kurs steht dabei die Sicherheit von Computer-Netzwerken. ,,Cybersecurity ist für uns ein strategischer Zukunftsmarkt", sagt Cassidian-Chef Zoller. In den kommenden Jahren möchte er einen dreistelligen Millionenbetrag in dem Feld investieren.

Das bisherige Kerngeschäft möchte Zoller trotzdem nicht verlieren. Auch deswegen gibt der Manager keine Ruhe, wenn es darum geht, doch noch für ein europäisches Drohnenprojekt zu werben. In einem weniger schicken Hangar in Manching steckt bereits ein Fluggerät, das allein dazu dient, die Technik zu testen. Barracuda heißt das Flugzeug. Schon bald soll auch ein Demonstrationsmodell der Drohne Talarion entwickelt werden. Falls die Technik überzeugt – so ist man überzeugt – dann wird sich auch Minister de Maizière einen Ruck geben.

http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article13639396/Ruestungskonzerne-zittern-vor-Bundeswehrreform.html

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Inside Business
September 29, 2011 5:48 pm Share

French defence groups urged to join forces

By Paul Betts

Laurent Collet-Billon, the head of French arms procurement, recently let out a cri du coeur for his country's defence industry. Speaking to Le Monde, he urged French defence companies to merge if they wanted to remain competitive in a world of shrinking military budgets and new competitors from China, India and Brazil.

Multiple actors, he argued, had become a handicap for French companies. They now needed to follow the example of the US and other European countries that had consolidated their defence sectors around a small number of industrial champions with deeper financial pockets. "French defence companies must group together because the investments they have to make are colossal. And the state will not be able to provide for all their needs," he warned.

This is becoming all the more pressing given the latest proposals to cut defence spending in countries such as the UK where French contractors, especially Thales, are now significant suppliers. For years, different governments have tried to push their fragmented defence industry to rationalise its activities. The companies themselves, many of which the state either controls directly or in which it holds a significant stake, have also paid lip service to these calls for consolidation. But in practice, very little has happened – and when it does it seems to take forever.

Indeed, the latest example of industry rationalisation took nearly a decade to complete. This involved the acquisition this year by the Safran aerospace and defence group of the propellant unit of the state SNPE explosives company to combine it with Safran's rocket business. In the past, the government has also pushed Safran and Thales to rationalise their respective optronics and inertial navigation systems.

The two companies have again been in talks this year but so far have failed to reach an asset swap agreement. This would basically see Thales acquire Safran's optronics activities to give it the necessary scale to compete with Raytheon of the US, the industry leader in this sector, in exchange for Safran taking over the inertial navigation activities of Thales. As Mr Collet-Billon puts it: "We cannot go on financing two sources of identical technologies ... and we cannot take the risk any longer of having two French companies competing in the same market."

Mr Collet-Billon would also like to see Nexteer, the state-owned builder of tanks and armoured vehicles, combine with Thales which has terrestrial arms activities in Australia and the UK. But perhaps the most glaring example of duplication is in combat aircraft. Here Dassault with its Rafale competes directly on export markets against EADS, the Franco-German aerospace group involved in the rival Eurofighter Typhoon, notwithstanding the fact that EADS owns 46 per cent of Dassault. The trouble is that, strange as it may seem, EADS, under current arrangements, has absolutely no say in the affairs of Dassault.

The dogfight between Dassault and EADS is even more fraught when it comes to unmanned combat air vehicles or drones. Policymakers and defence industry experts all broadly concur that the development of the next generation of fighter aircraft will no doubt be a drone. Dassault and BAE Systems of the UK certainly think so and have already started co-operating in this sector with the support of their respective governments.

The BAE-Dassault partnership has in turn alarmed EADS. It fears that if it is not included in the drone venture, it risks falling behind in the development of next generation combat technology. And in the past months, Louis Gallois, the EADS chief executive, has been lobbying hard to join the Anglo-French partnership. But Dassault has so far told EADS in no uncertain manner that it was not interested in expanding its BAE drone venture to other European defence groups.

All this shows that, for all Mr Collet-Billon's latest calls for urgent rationalisation of the French defence industry, it is not going to be either easy or swift – at least not until the current ownership structure of the sector evolves. Although the state is a significant shareholder in the country's big defence companies, real control remains tied up either with the family dynasties behind these groups (Dassault and Lagardère, for example) or with political appointees.

The problem is that these respective dynasties simply won't let go and in so doing are standing in the way of everything else – not least allowing market forces to play their role. Take Arnaud Lagardère, for example. His father, the late Jean-Luc Lagardère, was one of the principal architects of EADS. But Arnaud Lagardère now wants to concentrate on his media interests and has long flagged his intention eventually to sell his EADS stake. Yet he also confirmed this month his intention of becoming chairman of EADS next year. Plus ça change ....

paul.betts@ft.com

Paul Betts is a senior FT correspondent based in Paris.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011.

[Elzenga]

Zolang er maar geen meerderheidbelang buiten Europa ontstaat.

Gaat ook om beeldvorming...zeker als het om wapenindustrie gaat. Die les zouden we toch sinds 1979 al moeten hebben geleerd...maar ja...money money money...hoezo principes? nee die zijn alleen voor mooie dragende toespraken... vol loze woorden...waarvan men nog steeds de illusie heeft dat de burger die gelooft en slikt (althans die burgers die zich er nog voor interesseren..)...wie houdt men voor de gek?!

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Lijkt me geen strak plan....EADS moet in Europese handen blijven wat mij betreft.

Nu is 7,5% geen ramp (er zullen ook vast Amerikaanse aandeelhouders in EADS zijn) maar het garandeerd vrijwel zeler dat Qatar voor de Eurofighter gaat en dat is ook wel weer iets waard.

Waar had het Gadaffi-regime ook al weer aandelen in? gaat men nog wat leren van het drama daar of gewoon maar door op dezelfde weg? business as usual...ach ja..van oorlogen moet men het hebben....zowel politiek als hun vrienden in de industrie...dat is ook zo

Zolang er maar geen meerderheidbelang buiten Europa ontstaat.

[Elzenga]

Lijkt me geen strak plan....EADS moet in Europese handen blijven wat mij betreft.

Nu is 7,5% geen ramp (er zullen ook vast Amerikaanse aandeelhouders in EADS zijn) maar het garandeerd vrijwel zeler dat Qatar voor de Eurofighter gaat en dat is ook wel weer iets waard.

Waar had het Gadaffi-regime ook al weer aandelen in? gaat men nog wat leren van het drama daar of gewoon maar door op dezelfde weg? business as usual...ach ja..van oorlogen moet men het hebben....zowel politiek als hun vrienden in de industrie...dat is ook zo

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Lijkt me geen strak plan....EADS moet in Europese handen blijven wat mij betreft.

Nu is 7,5% geen ramp (er zullen ook vast Amerikaanse aandeelhouders in EADS zijn) maar het garandeerd vrijwel zeler dat Qatar voor de Eurofighter gaat en dat is ook wel weer iets waard.

[Elzenga]

Lijkt me geen strak plan....EADS moet in Europese handen blijven wat mij betreft.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Qatar eyes Daimler's EADS stake - report

(Reuters) - The Gulf state of Qatar is interested in buying a 7.5 percent stake in European aerospace and defense company EADS (EAD.PA) from Daimler (DAIGn.DE), a German magazine reported.

It said members of Qatar's government had met with German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler two weeks ago, Der Spiegel reported on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for Germany's economy ministry said she could not comment on ongoing negotiations. A spokesman for Daimler declined to comment.

Any move by a foreign investor to take a stake in EADS would come as a surprise because maintaining a fragile internal power balance between French and German interests in EADS has been a sensitive topic ever since the group was created.

EADS' defense portfolio includes France's nuclear weapons and German fighters, and its Airbus subsidiary guarantees about 55,000 civil jobs.

One of the founding shareholders of EADS, Daimler aims to cut its stake and has urged the German government to find a solution, but reports have said that Berlin is having trouble finding an investor who would maintain the balance of power.

Daimler owns 15 percent of EADS and has voting rights for a further 7.5 percent of its shares held by a consortium of financial investors.

Sources have said German state development bank KfW may have to take on EADS shares from Daimler, a solution unpopular with some politicians in Berlin who oppose state intervention in the economy.

Last week, Berlin denied a report it was preparing to take a stake in EADS after failing to find a domestic private investor for part of Daimler's holding in EADS. [nL5E7K50WO]

Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said this week that talks about the German car maker selling a stake in EADS were progressing, without elaborating.

A ministry source said that while interest from Qatar shows that EADS is highly attractive, any potential purchase of a stake by a sovereign fund would have to be examined very critically because of the company's strategic importance.

Qatar is no stranger to major investments in Germany, having bought a 9.1 percent stake in Germany's biggest builder Hochtief (HOTG.DE) last year, and a 10 percent stake in Porsche Automobil Holding (PSHG_p.DE) for $9.9 billion a year earlier.

(Reporting by Birgit Mittwollen and Stefanie Huber; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by David Hulmes)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/18/us-eads-qatar-idUSTRE78H0VU20110918

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

EADS Pushes Full Prototype of Talarion UAV

LONDON - EADS wants to build a "full-fledged prototype" of its Talarion advanced UAV for 2015 as part of its bridge approach to keeping design capabilities alive, said Stefan Zoller, chief executive of the Cassidian defense and security division.


Cassidian estimates some 300 million to 400 million euros ($408 million to $544 million) is needed over the interim period for that prototype phase, Zoller told journalists ahead of the Defense & Security Equipment International show, which opened Sept. 13.

If three or four countries each agreed to contribute 100 million euros, which would provide funds to move the project ahead, he said. Given current budgetary difficulties, a teaming of two or even three nations would not provide the funds to develop a new European UAV, Zoller said. A fully European program was needed, or Europe would be "out of the game," leaving the UAV market to America and Israel, he said.
EADS is struggling to find a place in the UAV market in Europe.

Britain and France have agreed to work on a joint medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV under a bilateral defense treaty. BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation have teamed up, with BAE as prime contractor to bid for the Anglo-French program.

That bilateral drive risks sidelining EADS, which has invested some 500 million euros over a decade in UAV technology.

France recently announced it would negotiate with Dassault on provision of the Heron TP UAV from Israel Aerospace Industries for an interim solution. A defense executive said President Nicolas Sarkozy was responsible for the selection of Dassault for the interim solution.

When asked about how the UAV decision would be made, a second defense official effectively confirmed that process, saying that France is a highly centralized country.

EADS is spending its own money on the Talarion project, with some 250 people working on the UAV, Zoller said. There was "no deadline" for cutting off company funding for the project, he said.

Germany is expected to decide soon "one way or another," on a development contract for the Talarion, Zoller said. Turkey and Spain are prospective partners if France and Germany sign a deal, he said.

EADS would draw on existing areas of expertise, such as the work done on the Watchkeeper tactical UAV being developed for the British Army, Zoller said.

On the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, Zoller said the four partner countries - Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain - agreed "before the summer break" to develop an advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, although no contract has been signed.

That commitment "will have enough substance to comfort the Indian customer," Zoller said.

The Eurofighter is short-listed in a fighter competition in India, alongside the French Rafale. India has requested an AESA radar.

France has ordered an AESA radar from Thales, which is due to deliver the first unit in the next batch of Rafales.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7665943&c=AIR&s=TOP

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Russia: Flush with new business but fighting for the spoils

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/805575da-d7e8-11e0-a5d9-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1XkUENnOF




By James Boxell in Paris






When Peter Luff, the UK's defence equipment minister, spoke to business leaders this summer about the Anglo-French military treaty, the most closely followed part of his speech concerned the future of drone-aircraft.

Indeed, the most eye-catching industrial development to emerge from the treaty is an alliance between the UK's BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation of France, the two countries' fighter jet manufacturers.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a next-generation "medium-altitude, long-endurance" unmanned aircraft, which could be used eventually by the French and British armed forces to provide surveillance and so-called "situational awareness" on the battlefield.

The choice of name for the new programme, Telemos, reflects the task the aircraft will need to perform. In Greek mythology Telemos was the prophet who warned the cyclops Polyphemus about an attack by Odysseus.

An assessment phase is planned to start this year, once the two countries' defence ministries complete the delicate diplomatic task of sketching out an initial agreement. Roughly €50m ($70m) of funding has been set aside for the work, though the eventual cost of a full development would run into the billions. The ministries need to make a final procurement decision, but delivery would be expected between 2015 and 2020 if all goes to plan.

However, the flurry of excitement around the BAE/Dassault tie-up – and hostility from companies not invited to the party – goes beyond the potential creation of a new surveillance drone. Some believe that the partnership could provide the building blocks for the much more ambitious project of developing the countries' next generation of fighter jets, which are expected to be unmanned.

In the most interesting part of his speech, Mr Luff drew the attention of the assembled executives to the fact that both France and Britain were assessing what to do when their home-built fighter jets (the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon) leave service by about 2030.

The present combat fleets are expected to be the last piloted variants built.

As a result, he said, the BAE/Dassault collaboration – if successful – could offer the best way for the two countries to hold on to their jealously protected fighter jet building expertise at a time when their governments' spending is becoming ever more constrained.

The fact that the stakes are potentially so high explains why rival companies appear so miffed. EADS, Europe's biggest aircraft maker, is particularly annoyed that the French and the British appear to have chosen to ignore its efforts in the unmanned air vehicle (UAV) field, namely the Talarion medium altitude, long-endurance aircraft.

There is also unhappiness that the Franco-British plan leaves allies such as Spain, Italy and Germany out in the cold. EADS is threatening to produce a rival aircraft. This could mean Europe has two competing fighters again, as it does now with the Typhoon and Rafale (three if you include Sweden's Gripen). Dave Kershaw, the strategy director for UAVs at BAE, says his company would be "open to working with more partners, if the two governments wanted to further share costs".

However, the British Ministry of Defence has decided to take a strictly "bilateral" approach after the unhappy experiences of broad multi-country European collaborations such as Eurofighter, or the contract negotiations for the A400M military airlifter.

Defence officials on both sides of the English channel also point to the fact that Britain and France together account for half of defence spending of European members of Nato, and 65 per cent of the research spending.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how easily Dassault and BAE will be able to work together. Both companies are fiercely proud of their importance to the manufacturing landscape of their home countries, and neither are exactly known for their willingness to give ground to partners.

BAE insists that it has a good record of collaboration on the Typhoon project and has worked with the French before, on the old Jaguar fighter jet.

The two companies have been running separate projects for unmanned combat aircraft, Taranis at BAE and Neuron at Dassault, but some of the technology and knowledge will be shared on the joint programme.

Mr Kershaw says that the technology that will set the new aircraft apart from rival projects in the US, Israel and elsewhere, will be its ability to fly in normal air traffic.

He says the system will also be genuinely autonomous, meaning the aircraft "can look after itself" while the ground operator processes the surveillance information from the drone.

The UK is attempting to set itself up as a world centre in autonomous unmanned flight.

The BAE executive says it will be up to the two governments to decide whether the programme morphs into a full-blown combat drone.

But, he adds, perhaps ominously for EADS: "From the point of view of industrial sustainability and a sensible use of the two countries' capabilities, an evolution would be a logical conclusion."

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Is Typhoon the end of history for UK aerospace?

By Philip Ewing Monday, August 22nd, 2011 1:00 pm
Posted in International

No question about it — the Brits have given the world some classic combat aircraft: The Spitfire. The Harrier. The Fairey Gannet. The Buccaneer. Their joint ventures with European partners have also been successful, including the Jaguar, the Tornado and most recently, the Eurofighter Typhoon. But the outgoing boss of UK aerospace supplier GKN warns that with the realities of the defense world today, the Typhoon could be Britain's last fighter — and it's only a portion British to begin with.

GKN CEO Kevin Smith tells Defence Management that for all the Typhoon's success and its futre prospects as an export fighter in India and elsewhere, the UK and Europe have nothing in the hopper. The Typhoon is the payoff of decisions made years ago, Smith argues, and unless Euro-leaders get something going now, it could be the end of the British defense aerospace industry, at least, if not all of Europe's.

Here's how Smith put it to Defence Management's Anthony Hall:





When asked how easy it would be in his opinion to raise technology in the UK back up to the highest level, Smith is less than optimistic: "I think we have lost a lot. When I worked in the Military Aircraft Division at British Aerospace in the 1990s, we were producing the two variants of the Tornado – the IDS and the ADB – in collaboration. We had Sea Harrier incorporated in production and we had the AV8 in collaboration with the US Marine Corps, which then went back into the Royal Air Force for the GR7 and the Harrier TMK10. We had the 60, 100 and 200 series Hawk and the T45 Hawk collaboration for the US Navy, and we were doing the early phases of development of Eurofighter. Then in the latter part of the 1990s, we moved into the Nimrod programme. A lot of the capability to do that has gone, and continues to disappear. We don't make a whole aircraft anymore and have probably lost that capability as a nation."

While stressing that collaboration is important, and that sustaining the capability to develop advanced systems and weapons systems across Europe is key, he concedes that nationally, once the UK loses its own capability, it cannot be rebuilt: "It goes, and I think that is demonstrated by how the aerospace industry, although it still has a strong position globally, is substantially based on decisions that were made a long time ago."

Once again, the Eurofighter/Typhoon provides a pertinent example. Launched in the late 80s and early 90s, it is viewed today by most of those outside the UK aerospace industry as its defining aircraft. However, this owes little to current practices, Smith explains: "The industry we have today is not a product of what's happened over the last two or five years. It's a product of what happened 10 years ago. The decisions we take or don't take now affect the ability to sustain the industry in the next 10–15 years. The Typhoon could be the last hurrah."

This is why a new European aircraft programme is so important, he says. "In the US, you have the JSF Programme, which is just starting to come into production, and behind that, they have programmes that they're demonstrating technology on today, which are going to be the production programmes in 10 or 15 years' time." The concern, he says, is that the UK isn't developing a demonstration phase.

Britain isn't even sure it'll be able to afford all the F-35C Lightning IIs it wants for its new aircraft carriers, to say nothing of building its own new next-generation fighter. What's more, although you can say what you want about the problems with the F-35 program, it will provide Britain with its first stealthy, most advanced fighter — such a leap past the Typhoon that it would be a major challenge for the UK or a Euro-consortium to trump it anytime soon.

What Britain and Europe must count on is their ability to continue exporting Typhoons as long as possible, and hope their economies improve enough to start thinking about the next big thing.


Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/08/22/is-typhoon-the-end-of-history-for-uk-aerospace/#ixzz1Vn0lyK00
DoDBuzz.com