Toekomst Europese defensie industie

Gestart door jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter), 13/06/2011 | 10:36 uur

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

EADS says Europe needs only one drone

By Victoria Bryan

LE BOURGET, France | Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:56pm EDT

(Reuters) - Europe needs to co-operate on the next generation of military drones or it will repeat costly divisions which led to rival combat jets competing for the same orders, aerospace group EADS warned on Sunday.

The warning on the eve of the Paris Air Show follows a decision by Britain and France to push other defense companies into working on an armed drone, which could leave an alternative project in which EADS (EAD.PA) is involved out in the cold.

"We are not pleased by the development that we have two potentially competing projects in Europe, where obviously Europe is not a position to come up with 300 million euros ($425 million) for the next few years to develop one project," Stefan Zoller, head of EADS' defense and security unit Cassidian, said.

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 (AVMD.PA) and Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L) have stepped up plans for their own drone under a Franco-British defense pact signed last year, provoking anger and frustration from EADS.

"Why abandon such a project... to redo it all again? From my perspective, it's ridiculous," Zoller told journalists.

"We are ready to go," he said. "It's a pity that what you see on the European side, again, is potential competition that will delay the execution of such programmes."

France pulled out of the Eurofighter joint fighter jet programme in 1985 to work on its own project -- the Rafale, built by Dassault. The two combat planes are competing head to head for an $11 billion contract in India.

Although EADS owns almost 50 percent from Dassault, inherited from the French government, it has no sway over the company and its fighters jets are fierce arms market rivals.

The Rafale was conceived as a purely French military project as a gesture of national sovereignty but France has since rejoined the NATO command and analysts say economic conditions mean no nation can now afford to build a fighter alone.

Current drone developments could pave the way for a future generation of fighter jets, which could be unmanned.

Zoller called on France, Germany, Spain and Turkey to come up with the 300 million euros that it needs to get a prototype of the Talarion in the air for 2014.

EADS has previously threatened to stop working on Talarion if would-be purchasers do not share some of the research costs.

Dassault said earlier this month its Telemos drone could be ready to enter service in 2016, provided French and British ministers authorize the start of the programme.

Zoller said once EADS's own protoype was running, there could be an opportunity for France and the UK to join in with the Talarion and that he could foresee a Talarion customised to British or even Anglo-French requirements.

However the Talarion has been criticised by military planners for its lack of weapons as European nations seek to fill a gap in capacity offered by U.S.-supplied Predators.

Zoller said the Talarion could be used in numerous missions. (Additional reporting by Cyril Altmeyer, Editing by Tim Hepher)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/18/us-airshow-eads-drones-idUSTRE75H2B820110618

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

EADS Group Eyes the Future as it Showcases Advanced Technologies, Broad Product Portfolio At Paris Air Show


17:50 GMT, June 14, 2011 Paris | EADS and its Divisions - Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter - will have a major presence at the 2011 Paris Air Show with a wide array of products, services and technologies on display that demonstrate the unrivalled capabilities of the aerospace and defence group.

From the EADS Stand (Hall 2A-A253) to the static and flying displays, visitors to the Paris Air Show - which takes place June 20-26 at Le Bourget - will clearly see how the group is preparing to meet future industry requirements. "As the world's largest aviation and space show, Le Bourget is a very important venue for the EADS Group to showcase its products and future technologies to trade visitors, the media and the general public," said Pierre Bayle, Head of Corporate Communications for EADS. "Visitors will see the group's broad portfolio of commercial, defence, security and space products and services on the ground, in the sky and at the stand. They will experience 'The Future, by EADS'," Mr Bayle said.

The EADS Stand will focus on the Group's future projects - under the motto 'The Future, by EADS' - while existing products and systems are displayed on the outdoor static area. Each Division will have their own display zones at the stand while EADS Innovation Works, which operates EADS' Corporate Research & Technology laboratories, will also be present.

On the stand, Airbus will provide an insight into how it sees the future of aviation while Cassidian will demonstrate its technologies in the fields of security, defence and services. Eurocopter will present a scale model of the high speed X3 helicopter demonstrator and highlight future helicopter innovations. Astrium will present a 3D digital mock-up of the Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution and demonstrate other future projects. EADS Innovation Works will present a number of projects including a conceptual study into more efficient and passenger-friendly airports.

In the flying display, Airbus' flagship double-decker A380 will make a welcome return to Le Bourget while Airbus Military's A400M transport aircraft will be seen flying for the first time at the show. Airbus Military will also have a C295 on the static display. An Italian Air Force Eurofighter will take part in the flying display while Cassidian will have the DRAC/Tracker fixed-wing mini Unmanned Aerial System on the ground display as well as a full scale mock-up of the Talarion long-endurance aerial drone system. Eurocopter's X3 helicopter demonstrator and the new EC175 medium twin will both appear in the flying display. The static display will present new product evolutions such as the EC145 T2 while the Tiger, the NH90 and the EC725 will be present on the French General Directorate for Armament's (DGA) static display. The all electric Cri-Cri aircraft, which has been jointly developed by EADS Innovation Works, Aero Composites Saintonge and the Green Cri-Cri Association, will also take to the skies.

EADS, which plans to recruit more than 4,000 new employees in 2011, will be offering exclusive workshops on exciting careers opportunities available throughout the Group. Interested parties will be able to discuss opportunities with engineers and Human Resources managers.

For the media, the Group will hold a number of press conferences and events during the week. Accredited journalists are welcome to visit the EADS Press Chalet (Row A 366-368) throughout the week where representatives from EADS and its Divisions and Business Units will be on hand.
 

EADS N.V.

Company or Organisation Portrait:
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2010, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of nearly 122,000.

Company or Organisation Contact:
Alexander Reinhardt
Head of Corporate Media Relations
Tel.: +49 89.60 73 40 66
Fax: +49 89.60 73 40 67

Matthieu Duvelleroy
Media Relations France
Tel.: +33 1 42 24 24 25
Fax: +33 1.42 24 23 28

Rod Stone
International Media Relations
Tel.: +33 1.42 24 27 75
Fax: +33 1.42 24 23 28

Martin Agüera
Media Relations Finance
Tel.: +49 89 607-34735
Fax: +49 89 607-2743

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/25325/?SID=c3cafff014002a6df2899399682c71d2

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)


Can Franco-British UAS alliance beat the financial crisis?

DATE:14/06/11

SOURCE:Flight International

Can Franco-British UAS alliance beat the financial crisis?

By Craig Hoyle

Two years ago, the idea of France's largest defence contractor joining forces with its UK equivalent on a bilateral aerospace project would have been almost unthinkable, but a global economic crisis and political will have led to the creation of just such a pact between Dassault and BAE Systems.

To be in evidence at Le Bourget for the first time since French President Nicolas Sarkozy and UK Prime Minister David Cameron signed a cross-channel defence treaty late last year, the surprise co-operation includes the planned provision of a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air system. If the allies' plans hold firm, the type could be in frontline use with their armed forces as soon as 2015-20.

With objectives including sharing the costs of military-themed research and development, procurement, logistics support and some operations, the coming together has been driven not by industrial desire, but financial necessity. Describing the initiative as "practical, hard-headed co-operation between sovereign countries", Cameron last November said the treaty will "help us to maintain and strengthen our defences at a time when national finances are severely challenged".

JOINT TEAM

Dassault and BAE over the ensuing months looked beyond their traditional rivalry and into the possibility of jointly creating a next-generation unmanned system capable of performing persistent surveillance tasks. Progress was fast, and in February they signed an exclusive memorandum of understanding to work as a joint team. "We wanted to publicise the fact that we were in this together and that we were serious about taking this forward," says Ian Fairclough, BAE's programme director for strategic UAS.

"That decision to partner didn't happen by chance, and it wasn't a decision that both parties took lightly. We felt that we had a really compatible set of experience that had been developed nationally and that we would get huge benefit by combining that into a single industry team."

BAE's Mantis demonstrator has provided the basis for a bilateral feasibility study into an operational system to enter use after 2015

Conscious of the financial benefits of a collaborative venture, the UK Ministry of Defence had in 2009 begun to explore options for a bilateral European UAS programme. This was advanced last year to a feasibility study also involving France's DGA procurement agency, BAE and Dassault.

The process sought to compare the nations' individual requirements for a MALE system and balance these against demonstration work already performed by the intended partner companies. It also assessed the likely cost and schedule of a joint programme, plus manufacturing and final assembly considerations.

"We looked at the industrial aspects in terms of how UK and French industry could work together to deliver this, what sort of workshare arrangements we might have and how we would work out the supply chain," says Fairclough. "The conclusion was that a UK/French programme was something that was feasible, and something that industry could easily co-operate on. We also found that we could deliver a solution within the timescale and cost parameters."

Although it is still early days in the partners' journey towards introducing the planned OUAS capability, the collaboration between what have traditionally been fierce rivals is unprecedented. It also comes at a time when they are facing up to one other in a $10 billion-plus dogfight to meet the Indian air force's 126-unit medium multirole combat aircraft requirement. Dassault is offering its "omnirole" Rafale against the Typhoon produced by Eurofighter consortium partners Alenia Aeronautica, BAE and EADS.

Despite this clash, the partners will signal their new collaboration at the show by exhibiting a representative model of the proposed OUAS on Dassault's stand. This will be based heavily on BAE's Mantis Spiral 1 vehicle, which was flown for the first time in October 2009 under a technology demonstration programme for the UK MoD.

"On the feasibility study we started from a hypothesis that was based on the Mantis for the air vehicle side," says Yves Robins, an adviser to Dassault executive vice-president Eric Trappier. "All the experience from the Mantis will be used."

Developed within 19 months and flown at the Woomera test range in South Australia, Mantis demonstrated aspects including rapid prototyping, ground control and mission system equipment, sensors and autonomy.

"The challenge was to design, develop, build and then put into flight trials a prototype vehicle aimed at developing a suite of capabilities in the UK," Fairclough says. "We successfully proved that we have the capability within Europe to develop this class of vehicle." Partners on the programme included GE Aviation, Meggitt, Qinetiq, Rolls-Royce and Selex Galileo.

The success with the R-R RB250B-17-turbo­prop-engined Mantis followed BAE's previous work with unmanned systems including the Corax, Herti and Raven. With its flight campaign completed, the more than 20m (65.6ft) wing span aircraft is parked up at the company's Warton site in Lancashire, and is not scheduled to be flown again.

EADS could offer an X-UAS version of its Talarion if a competitive process is  pursued

Dassault also has valuable past experience, having flown the AVE-D demonstrator and investigated a previous SDM MALE concept for France. It is now leading Europe's Neuron unmanned combat air system demonstration programme, which should achieve first flight with the stealthy type during 2012.

"We are happy to be able to work with BAE," says Robins, "and for this project we are happy to see them having the lead."

The jointly funded OUAS project is now in its assessment phase while the defence ministries work towards issuing a formal requirement within the next few months. A joint programme office has been formed at the MoD's Abbey Wood site in Bristol, England.

SURVEILLANCE TASKS

Although primarily intended for persistent surveillance tasks, the aircraft could have wider uses. "It's not just about going out and seeing things, it's potentially about targeting and deploying weapons as well," says BAE.

Fairclough says a variety of programme options are being considered, but that while the nations have expressed their desire to proceed with a direct procurement, European competition law could thwart such a strategy. If a contest is conducted, this could be of interest to EADS company Cassidian, which is trying to launch its Talarion programme. A version of the turbofan-powered design has previously been touted to the UK as the "X-UAS".

"The UK and French governments have invested heavily in developing capability in unmanned systems around BAE and Dassault. Getting the programme launched early will help us sustain that capability within industry," says Fairclough. "The sooner we get started the lower the risk of delivering that capability and the more maturity we can get into the product. We believe we're ready to start the programme now.

"We've got real flight trials information on a representative MALE vehicle, so we're really well positioned to come up with a concept that's going to work very quickly."

The prospect of building probably only tens of OUAS platforms for the two nations places the transition in scale from the manned fighter business to unmanned activities into clear focus. The UK has recently estimated the purchase and through-life support costs of its future MALE system at around £2 billion ($3.27 billion). But if advanced, the link between Dassault and BAE could lead to further collaboration beyond their respective Neuron and Taranis technology demonstrations, as their main customers look towards acquiring unmanned combat platforms to enter use from around 2030.

"If we can get this [OUAS] programme off the ground on a UK/French basis, it certainly gives us options and opportunities to look at how you might evolve that into a UCAS programme in the future," says Fairclough.

Such a development would represent a generational advance over the companies' experience in the fighter sector. After all, their current rivalry in India's MMRCA contest would never have happened had they not gone their separate ways in developing the Eurofighter and Rafale after a once joint set of requirements drifted dramatically apart.

See more coverage on the unmanned air systems sector

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/14/357617/can-franco-british-uas-alliance-beat-the-financial-crisis.html

Elzenga

Citaat van: dudge op 13/06/2011 | 14:44 uur
Citaat van: Jooop op 13/06/2011 | 14:13 uur
Europa wordt ingehaald door landen als Korea, Brazilie, Turkije. Ze zijn ons nog niet voor maar schieten al aardig op. Zelfs de goalkeeper is niet meer een Nederlands product, (was het al niet meer door overname van Thales en nu al helemaal niet meer) het is verkocht met al zijn rechten aan een Koreaans bedrijf. Als we nieuwe goalkeepers willen hebben moeten we ze bestellen bij de Koreanen.
Moeten we dan niet gewoon een nieuwe goalkeeper ontwikkelen?
In Europees verband...oeps...is al een alternatief voorhanden dat inmiddels in verschillende varianten breder wordt ingevoerd nu...Oerlikon Millennium 35mm kanon..

Hoewel het met vallen en opstaan gaat vind ik het een goede zaak dat de Europese samenwerking weer flink is opgeschud door het Frans-Britse initiatief. Er moeten flinke stappen in worden gemaakt om in de volgende rondes tot een grotere mate van standaardisatie te komen. Zoals dat er nu uitziet in Europa is echt not done en ook niet langer vol te houden.

KapiteinRob

Citaat van: dudge op 13/06/2011 | 14:44 uur
Moeten we dan niet gewoon een nieuwe goalkeeper ontwikkelen?

Is-ie niet goed (genoeg) meer dan?

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: dudge op 13/06/2011 | 14:44 uur
Citaat van: Jooop op 13/06/2011 | 14:13 uur
Europa wordt ingehaald door landen als Korea, Brazilie, Turkije. Ze zijn ons nog niet voor maar schieten al aardig op. Zelfs de goalkeeper is niet meer een Nederlands product, (was het al niet meer door overname van Thales en nu al helemaal niet meer) het is verkocht met al zijn rechten aan een Koreaans bedrijf. Als we nieuwe goalkeepers willen hebben moeten we ze bestellen bij de Koreanen.

Moeten we dan niet gewoon een nieuwe goalkeeper ontwikkelen?

Why not.... het is een prima basis voor een doorontwikkeling waarmee de (Nederlandse) industie nationaal en internationaal een leuke omzet kan genereren.

Ik weet niet wat er sinds medio jaren tachtig aan de GK is verbeterd maar toen deze net in bedrijf werd genomen keken veel marines, waar onder de USN, met een jaloerse blik naar de geavanceerde mogelijkheden.

Jooop

Europa wordt ingehaald door landen als Korea, Brazilie, Turkije. Ze zijn ons nog niet voor maar schieten al aardig op. Zelfs de goalkeeper is niet meer een Nederlands product, (was het al niet meer door overname van Thales en nu al helemaal niet meer) het is verkocht met al zijn rechten aan een Koreaans bedrijf. Als we nieuwe goalkeepers willen hebben moeten we ze bestellen bij de Koreanen.

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Anglo-French Deal Upsets Neighbors

Germans, Italians Warn of '2-Tier Europe'

By TOM KINGTON
Published: 12 June 2011

ROME - Italy's defense industry has launched a fight against a France-U.K. deal on defense cooperation that it believes is weakening European industrial integration, and it has won backing from Germany's industrial association.

"Everyone is worried that the Anglo-French deal will lead to a two-tier Europe," said Remo Pertica, the chairman of AIAD, the Italian defense manufacturers' association. AIAD is promoting a raft of new European research and development programs that it hopes will rival the Anglo-French effort.

In November, France and the United Kingdom signed a wide-ranging defense accord, envisioning bilateral cooperation on a range of technologies, from missiles to UAVs.

Alarm bells immediately rang in Rome over the perceived threat to future joint European programs in which Italy could participate.

Addressing the Italian Senate's defense commission May 18, Pertica said the deal between Paris and London is "an unsustainable threat to Italian industry, which we need to react to quickly and efficiently." He said he had therefore proposed the creation of "parallel initiatives" to the European nations sidelined by the deal.

Pertica, an executive at Italy's Finmeccanica group, said his country had already proposed several joint development programs, including small satellites launched from aircraft and tilt-rotor helicopters.

Germany's defense industry association is backing the initiative, although it has yet to propose its own parallel programs.

"I am not happy about the Anglo-French accord," said Prince Christian-Peter zu Waldeck, the director of the Federal Association of the German Defense and Security Industry.

"We wrote to Italy's AIAD last week to continue the discussion; we should let the CEOs of individual firms talk to each other, and then something could happen," he said.

"It would be helpful if the German and Italian [defense ministries] backed this initiative, too," Waldeck said. "The German government sees the Anglo-French deal as focusing on nuclear weapons and [aircraft] carriers, but I believe it will go much further and create problems for programs like the Franco-German EADS UAV Talarion."

Pertica said Italy was taken by surprise by the Anglo-French deal.

"At the time, we were preparing a list of cooperation deals ahead of a meeting between the French and Italian ministers of defense, including the export of FREMM frigates, satellites and above all, MALE [medium-altitude, long endurance] UAVs" and unmanned combat aerial vehicles, or UCAVs, he said.

"We are concerned about the future of European industry when Eurofighter, Rafale and Gripen [fighter jet] production ends," Pertica said. "The Eurofighter nations alone have 35,000 people working on the program, and we are talking about 2014, which is effectively tomorrow."

The four countries that produce the Typhoon combat jet through the Eurofighter consortium are Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. The Rafale is built by France's Dassault Aviation, while the Gripen is built by Sweden's Saab group.

The French response to Italy's proposed cooperation deals "was 'No,' because of the pending deal with the U.K.," Perttica said. "We were told that France and the U.K. would decide on products before holding an international competition to involve other countries in, let's say 15 percent of the work, with BAE Systems and Dassault taking the best part of the work, I imagine."

Drawing Up Lists


In December, Pertica contacted the Letter of Intent (LOI) group: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

"Without excluding the U.K. and France, we then asked for innovative programs that could be developed in a multilateral way, with the overall cost over five years and the cost the country would be prepared to put up," he said.

With a green light from Italy's defense procurement office, Italian officials presented a list in April - making it the only country so far to do so - that includes micro-satellites launched from aircraft, a concept being developed by the Italian Air Force.

In addition, Italy's Iveco has proposed work on an unmanned tactical ground vehicle. The list also includes proposals on missiles, cybersecurity systems, and a combat tilt-rotor aircraft based on the tilt-rotor being developed by Italian helicopter maker AgustaWestland.

"If any programs get underway, they would be headed by the European Defence Agency," Pertica said.

An official at TEDAE, Spain's defense industry association, said he was against the Anglo-French deal, but was unsure whether anything could be done to stop it.

"We are not particularly happy about the accord, but if the LOI countries account for about 90 percent of the European defense industry, France and the U.K. account for about 80 percent of that," he said. "It is sad, but we understand that they wanted to move, since nothing was moving.

"I could agree with the Italians, but it is another thing to try to get official support," the TEDAE official said. "The Spanish government is studying ways of developing cooperation in Europe, but Madrid may well say Brussels comes first, and the matter should be handled through the EU.

"But will a protest be made to the EU? That would be a good idea, but since it has not happened yet, I doubt it will."

Britain and France have already aligned themselves on programs to develop an air-to-surface missile and a MALE UAV system, with the prospect of further cooperation to come. Britain has not ruled out deals involving several international partners, but U.K. officials have said they prefer bilateral deals.

In December, Peter Luff, the U.K. defense procurement minister, said the Italian relationship is of huge importance to Britain, as there are so many areas of overlap, commonality and shared views.

Rees Ward, the CEO of ADS, the British defense industry association, said the Anglo-French deal is not exclusive.

"It is an attempt by the two major defense nations in Europe, who, between them represent 50 percent of procurement and 75 percent of R&D, to give a renewed impetus to collaboration and cooperation," Ward said. "It will be for the two governments to decide, but, in principle, depending on the program itself, my understanding is that these joint programs would be open for other nations to join.

"The LOI group of trade associations has discussed concerns about the Anglo-French accord, and has received reassurance from the U.K. and French trade associations," Ward said. "The group appreciated the reassurance and agreed to wait and see. While I understand our Italian colleagues' concerns, I believe they are unfounded."

Ward said the British and French initiative has won support from the European Union.

"At the high-level conference on defense and security called by the European Commission ... on May 23, in response to a call by Italy for the commission to intervene, the European Commission commented that the cause of European collaboration was better served by bilateral cooperation than by single nations acting alone," the ADS chief said.

Neuron's Cloudy Future


Pertica said he understands the British belief that European defense programs tend to get bogged down over differing requisites.

"It is true the A400M [military cargo plane] went over schedule and budget, but often it is because militaries are not capable of aligning their requirements," he said.

But Pertica warned that one program, the Neuron UCAV, is facing extinction because of the Anglo-French accord. The Neuron program involves France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

"Neuron is blocked," Pertica said. "I understand the French have said that after the development stage, the program will go nowhere."

In Paris, Dassault's international director, Eric Trappier, denied that.

Pierre Tran contributed to this report from Paris.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=6792075