Iran says France, Germany help kill its nuclear scientists

 Iran (AP) — Iran’s spy chief is accusing French and German intelligence services of cooperating with the CIA to kill Iranian nuclear scientists. Heidar Moslehi said Friday that intelligence services in the region have also taken part in the campaign. He did not name other countries. In the past, Iran has blamed the US, Britain and Israel over the killing of five nuclear scientists. The last assassination was in January. The US. and Britain have denied involvement. Israel has not commented. Moslehi said Western intelligence agencies share sources and information in their operations against Iran. The West suspects Iran is aiming to produce nuclear weapons and demands limits on Iran’s program. Iran insists its nuclear development is aimed at peaceful purposes like power generation.

Read More.... 

French Air Force Pilot Abandons Rafale At Sea

After an air combat training session with an F-18 fighter from the American aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower off the Spanish Mediterranean coast went awry, the pilot of the Rafale ejected at sea.

The incident occured today at 14:04 French time and the pilot was recovered by an American helicopter and flown back to the French aircraft carrier, where he underwent medical treatment.

An inquiry has been opened to determine the exact circumstances and the causes of this accident. The aircraft carrier sailed from Toulon on May 30, the Charles de Gaulle and its escorts are currently training in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic, and will continue until July 5.

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net

Russia, France to Jointly Build Armored Vehicle

"Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets," Sevastyanov said

Russia and France will jointly build a new armored infantry vehicle in the next 18 months, the Rosoboronexport arms export monopoly said on Friday.
Speaking at the Engineering Technologies forum at Zhukovsky near Moscow, Igor Sevastyanov, the company’s deputy chief, said he was heading a working party incorporating new technology from both nations and that a model had been made.

"We have a project under the aegis of a Russian-French group for land forces, which I head," Sevastyanov said. "Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets.”

“The vehicle should appear in the near future, around 18 months. We have a draft design and a model has been made," he added.

He said France is also interested in co-production, with Russia, of an armored personnel carrier to be sold to third countries.
It may also be used by the French or Russian armed forces, he said, adding that the new vehicle would have to meet both Russian and NATO standards.
Previous media reports have suggested that talks have taken place between Russia and French military vehicle manufacturer, Panhard, on purchasing Panhard vehicles for Russia’s border guard service. The results of the talks have not been disclosed.
Sevastyanov also said Russia and the United States could cooperate in joint development of arms and military equipment. He did not mention any specific projects, only saying a “joint product” might be around in five to 10 years.
In addition, he said, all arms contracts previously signed with Egypt will be carried out.
“Egypt’s Defense Ministry confirmed that all contracts concluded with Russia will be implemented, possibly with some adjustments,” he said.
“Egypt is an excellent paying client.”
On Libya, Sevastyanov said the country’s authorities were interested in continuing military-technical cooperation with Russia and unfreeze the contracts that were put on hold after the revolution.
Last August, Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin put Russia’s “foregone profits” from the frozen contracts at $4 billion.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Russia, France to Jointly Build Armored Vehicle

"Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets," Sevastyanov said

Russia and France will jointly build a new armored infantry vehicle in the next 18 months, the Rosoboronexport arms export monopoly said on Friday.
Speaking at the Engineering Technologies forum at Zhukovsky near Moscow, Igor Sevastyanov, the company’s deputy chief, said he was heading a working party incorporating new technology from both nations and that a model had been made.

"We have a project under the aegis of a Russian-French group for land forces, which I head," Sevastyanov said. "Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets.”

“The vehicle should appear in the near future, around 18 months. We have a draft design and a model has been made," he added.

He said France is also interested in co-production, with Russia, of an armored personnel carrier to be sold to third countries.
It may also be used by the French or Russian armed forces, he said, adding that the new vehicle would have to meet both Russian and NATO standards.
Previous media reports have suggested that talks have taken place between Russia and French military vehicle manufacturer, Panhard, on purchasing Panhard vehicles for Russia’s border guard service. The results of the talks have not been disclosed.
Sevastyanov also said Russia and the United States could cooperate in joint development of arms and military equipment. He did not mention any specific projects, only saying a “joint product” might be around in five to 10 years.
In addition, he said, all arms contracts previously signed with Egypt will be carried out.
“Egypt’s Defense Ministry confirmed that all contracts concluded with Russia will be implemented, possibly with some adjustments,” he said.
“Egypt is an excellent paying client.”
On Libya, Sevastyanov said the country’s authorities were interested in continuing military-technical cooperation with Russia and unfreeze the contracts that were put on hold after the revolution.
Last August, Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin put Russia’s “foregone profits” from the frozen contracts at $4 billion.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

French Army Exercise To Demonstrate Scorpion Capabilities

PARIS — The French Army is due June 29 to stage an exercise, dubbed demonstration of cooperative combat, to show how a future mechanized infantry unit would work under the Scorpion program, a procurement office spokesman said.
The exercise, to be held at the urban warfare training center at the Sissonne Army base, will be presented to officials from the Defense Ministry, including the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office.
The French Army is anxious to maintain the Scorpion modernization program as the government gets ready to cut spending to balance the budget over the coming years. Scorpion has been estimated at 10 billion euros ($12.4 billion) over a decade.
Some 250 soldiers in a combined unit in the blue force will go up against a 70-strong red force, with some 60 armored vehicles deployed including VBCI infantry fighting vehicle, AMX10 light tank, Leclerc heavy tank, VBL scout car and PVP small vehicle.
The exercise is intended to show how technology to be developed under Scorpion can improve acquisition and the updating of information and communications among soldiers plugged into a tactical network.
Firing beyond the line of sight and a VBCI with extensive onboard electronics are among the concepts and demonstrators in the exercise.
Much of the technology has come from Nexter, Sagem and Thales.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

French Army Exercise To Demonstrate Scorpion Capabilities

PARIS — The French Army is due June 29 to stage an exercise, dubbed demonstration of cooperative combat, to show how a future mechanized infantry unit would work under the Scorpion program, a procurement office spokesman said.
The exercise, to be held at the urban warfare training center at the Sissonne Army base, will be presented to officials from the Defense Ministry, including the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office.
The French Army is anxious to maintain the Scorpion modernization program as the government gets ready to cut spending to balance the budget over the coming years. Scorpion has been estimated at 10 billion euros ($12.4 billion) over a decade.
Some 250 soldiers in a combined unit in the blue force will go up against a 70-strong red force, with some 60 armored vehicles deployed including VBCI infantry fighting vehicle, AMX10 light tank, Leclerc heavy tank, VBL scout car and PVP small vehicle.
The exercise is intended to show how technology to be developed under Scorpion can improve acquisition and the updating of information and communications among soldiers plugged into a tactical network.
Firing beyond the line of sight and a VBCI with extensive onboard electronics are among the concepts and demonstrators in the exercise.
Much of the technology has come from Nexter, Sagem and Thales.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

France to Withdraw Sperwer UAVs From Afghanistan

      The French Army is withdrawing its interim tactical UAV fleet from Afghanistan following a dozen losses since its deployment in 2008.

      Manufactured by French company Sagem, eight aircraft were lost in flight during mission and four were damaged during landing.

      Aircraft from the Sperwer fleet have flown 770 missions and clocked in 2,100 flight hours.

      Including the six second hand aircraft bought from Canada, the Army has 30 Sperwer units in its inventory. The Army will continue using the Drac, a mini-UAV from EADS Cassidian in the Sperwer’s absence. France recently placed an order for 5 units at Eurosatory 2012 which will be delivered in 2013.

      Remotely piloted, the Sperwer can fly for five hours at altitudes of over 16,000 feet and can transmit images up to 150 kilometers from its operators. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

France to Withdraw Sperwer UAVs From Afghanistan

      The French Army is withdrawing its interim tactical UAV fleet from Afghanistan following a dozen losses since its deployment in 2008.

      Manufactured by French company Sagem, eight aircraft were lost in flight during mission and four were damaged during landing.

      Aircraft from the Sperwer fleet have flown 770 missions and clocked in 2,100 flight hours.

      Including the six second hand aircraft bought from Canada, the Army has 30 Sperwer units in its inventory. The Army will continue using the Drac, a mini-UAV from EADS Cassidian in the Sperwer’s absence. France recently placed an order for 5 units at Eurosatory 2012 which will be delivered in 2013.

      Remotely piloted, the Sperwer can fly for five hours at altitudes of over 16,000 feet and can transmit images up to 150 kilometers from its operators. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

FRUKUS 2012 Kicks Off in Russia

BALTIYSK, Russia (NNS) -- The multinational training exercise FRUKUS 2012 began with an opening ceremony held at the Baltic Fleet Headquarters in Baltiysk, Russia, where participating senior leaders from France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States discussed the exercise objectives, June 25.

Russian navy Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov, commander, Baltic Fleet, welcomed the guests to Baltiysk and expressed his excitement about the upcoming training.

"I am glad to welcome all of our mutinational partners to the Baltic Fleet, which, for the first time, hosts this international cooperative naval xercise, FRUKUS 2012," said Chirkov. "I hope that all of the training events of the exercise will be conducted in a highly professional manner and that this event will become an important piece in international military cooperation and our nations' development."

During the event, the commanding officers of French destroyer De Grasse (D612), Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudriy (727), British destroyer HMS York (90), and guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) discussed the importance of the collaborative training events that will occur during this year's iteration of FRUKUS.

"We are very pleased to be participating in FRUKUS with our Baltic partners," said Capt. Kevin Hill, commanding officer of Normandy. "The events that will take place over the next several days will improve our cooperative capabilities in our efforts to continue maritime security cooperation throughout the Baltic region, and we look forward to getting started."

FRUKUS is an annual exercise aimed at improving maritime security through an open dialogue and increased training between the navies of France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.


Source :USNavy

FRUKUS 2012 Kicks Off in Russia

BALTIYSK, Russia (NNS) -- The multinational training exercise FRUKUS 2012 began with an opening ceremony held at the Baltic Fleet Headquarters in Baltiysk, Russia, where participating senior leaders from France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States discussed the exercise objectives, June 25.

Russian navy Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov, commander, Baltic Fleet, welcomed the guests to Baltiysk and expressed his excitement about the upcoming training.

"I am glad to welcome all of our mutinational partners to the Baltic Fleet, which, for the first time, hosts this international cooperative naval xercise, FRUKUS 2012," said Chirkov. "I hope that all of the training events of the exercise will be conducted in a highly professional manner and that this event will become an important piece in international military cooperation and our nations' development."

During the event, the commanding officers of French destroyer De Grasse (D612), Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudriy (727), British destroyer HMS York (90), and guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) discussed the importance of the collaborative training events that will occur during this year's iteration of FRUKUS.

"We are very pleased to be participating in FRUKUS with our Baltic partners," said Capt. Kevin Hill, commanding officer of Normandy. "The events that will take place over the next several days will improve our cooperative capabilities in our efforts to continue maritime security cooperation throughout the Baltic region, and we look forward to getting started."

FRUKUS is an annual exercise aimed at improving maritime security through an open dialogue and increased training between the navies of France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.


Source :USNavy

Turkey Ends Weapons Embargo Against France

ANKARA — Turkey has agreed to restore all military ties with France, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, and a senior procurement official said that the restored relations covers all arms deals between the two countries.
The deal effectively means that Eurosam, the European missile maker whose members include major French companies, may compete for Turkey’s Long-Range Air and Missile Defense Systems (Loramids) contract, worth about $4 billion.
Eurosam had never been officially excluded from that competition, but the earlier legislation made it unlikely the European missile would be selected.
Ankara canceled all economic, political and military meetings with Paris in December after France’s lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a draft law to make it illegal to deny that the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor in World War I, amounted to genocide.
France’s highest court overturned the law two months later but the Turkish measures taken against France, which included restrictions on French military aircraft and ships landing or docking on its territory, have remained in place.
Speaking on Turkish television, Davutoglu said Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had ordered the sanctions to be lifted after a positive meeting with France’s new president, Francois Hollande, at a world summit in Brazil.
Competitors in Turkey’s Loramids system include U.S. partners Raytheon and Lockheed Martin with their Patriot-based system; Eurosam with its SAMP/T Aster 30; Russia’s Rosoboronexport, marketing the country’s S-300 and S-400 systems; and China’s CPMIEC (China Precision Machinary Import and Export Corp.), offering its HQ-9.
Eurosam’s shareholders include MBDA — jointly owned by British BAE Systems, Italian Finmeccanica and pan-European EADS — and France’s Thales. These companies will work with Turkish partners.
Turkey’s top decision-making body on weapons procurement is expected to meet this month on the Loramids selection.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

Turkey Ends Weapons Embargo Against France

ANKARA — Turkey has agreed to restore all military ties with France, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, and a senior procurement official said that the restored relations covers all arms deals between the two countries.
The deal effectively means that Eurosam, the European missile maker whose members include major French companies, may compete for Turkey’s Long-Range Air and Missile Defense Systems (Loramids) contract, worth about $4 billion.
Eurosam had never been officially excluded from that competition, but the earlier legislation made it unlikely the European missile would be selected.
Ankara canceled all economic, political and military meetings with Paris in December after France’s lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a draft law to make it illegal to deny that the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor in World War I, amounted to genocide.
France’s highest court overturned the law two months later but the Turkish measures taken against France, which included restrictions on French military aircraft and ships landing or docking on its territory, have remained in place.
Speaking on Turkish television, Davutoglu said Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had ordered the sanctions to be lifted after a positive meeting with France’s new president, Francois Hollande, at a world summit in Brazil.
Competitors in Turkey’s Loramids system include U.S. partners Raytheon and Lockheed Martin with their Patriot-based system; Eurosam with its SAMP/T Aster 30; Russia’s Rosoboronexport, marketing the country’s S-300 and S-400 systems; and China’s CPMIEC (China Precision Machinary Import and Export Corp.), offering its HQ-9.
Eurosam’s shareholders include MBDA — jointly owned by British BAE Systems, Italian Finmeccanica and pan-European EADS — and France’s Thales. These companies will work with Turkish partners.
Turkey’s top decision-making body on weapons procurement is expected to meet this month on the Loramids selection.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

French uranium plant in Central Africa attacked

Photo: EPA

Gunmen have attacked a uranium plant operated by French nuclear power company Areva next to the city of Bakouma in the Central African Republic.

A group of attackers attempted to storm the site but was resisted by troops who forced them back.

Source :http://english.ruvr.ru

French uranium plant in Central Africa attacked

Photo: EPA

Gunmen have attacked a uranium plant operated by French nuclear power company Areva next to the city of Bakouma in the Central African Republic.

A group of attackers attempted to storm the site but was resisted by troops who forced them back.

Source :http://english.ruvr.ru

Lockheed Martin’s future in France looks promising following positive feedback and interest

Lockheed Martin’s outlook in France is looking promising as sources in the French Army are giving overwhelmingly positive feedback on the Javelin missile and a number of French defense industries are expressing an increased interest in the American global defense and advanced technology company’s weapon systems. Here is what we learned during Eurosatory which was held in Paris June 11 to 15. At the French Minister of Defense exhibit, a couple of French soldiers (who wished to remain anonymous) whom recently came back from a tour in Afghanistan accepted to comment on their unit’s use of the Javelin missile in operational conditions as well as the general feeling on the missile system among French forces. The soldiers explained to us that over a one year period, about a dozen missiles have been fired in combat situation with 100% accuracy and success rate. The majority of the targets consisted in caves and Taliban’s fortified compounds.
French Army sharpshooters and Javelin operators on patrol in Afghanistan (Picture: French Army)
Our sources insisted on the quality of the fire control unit’s integrated day and thermal imaging sights: French forces use them constantly for observation and detection. Finally, the soldiers explained they were very happy with the system and the general feeling amongst French forces deployed in Afghanistan was just as positive as far as they knew. But French Soldiers were not the only ones showing enthusiasm for the Javelin missile. A source at Nexter (a French Defense company) reported a meeting was scheduled during Eurosatory with the Javelin Joint Venture (Lockheed Martin and Raytheon) to discuss the possible integration of Javelin missiles on their future 40 CTAS (Cased Telescoped Armament System) turret.
Nexter 40 CTA turret at Eurosatory
Our source praised the qualities of the Javelin missile and explained that its performances could be increased even more if associated with a turret like the 40 CTA by Nexter. Our source also insisted on the fact it would make economical sense for the French Army to integrate the most modern anti tank missile available in its inventory on a future turret rather than let the Javelins sit in storage (which seems likely with the now official pullout of French Forces from Afghanistan). Questioned on this matter, a Lockheed Martin official confirmed a meeting was going to be held and added that any Javelin integration work on a turret would be conducted in the United States. Nexter was not the only French defense company eager to cooperate with Lockheed Martin. Panhard General Defense, working in collaboration with Lockheed Martin UK, has continued to develop its Sphinx medium 6x6 armored vehicle concept to address French Army and potential overseas requirements. First unveiled in 2010, the Sphinx incorporates the best adapted technologies and solutions to fulfill operational needs within today’s budgetary constraints. Lockheed Martin has been working alongside Panhard to enhance the Sphinx through its proven turret technology utilized in the UK Warrior and Scout SV programs.
Panhard Sphinx with Lockheed Martin turret armed with CTA 40mm cannon
« Within an aggressive budgetary environment, Panhard has offered an affordable EBRC solution to the French Army, as it significantly reduces development costs by putting forward a reliable and qualified asset. A weight in combat configuration of about 16 tons enables us to offer a vehicle with a lower procurement cost in comparison with much heavier conventional solutions. In line with the 2012 Lancaster Treaty on Anglo-French cooperation, we have been working in collaboration with Lockheed Martin in the United Kingdom to further develop the shared programs,” Christian Mons, Chairman and CEO said.
“The Lockheed Martin turret perfectly meets the French Army’s requirements. And, together, we are already considering the integration of future common equipment coming from Scorpion in order to complete the perfect adequacy of this turret to the French requirements.” Eric Hervet, Panhard Development Manager added. Richard Muir, Business Development Director at Lockheed Martin UK highlighted the advantages of Lockheed Martin UK’s low risk approach. He commented: “Our EBRC CT40 turret is based on our proven integration of the CT40 cannon on the UK’s Warrior and Scout programs. We take a modular approach to our turret design. That means we get a lot of commonality and re-use between different solutions, which is particularly important on critical parts of the design where you don’t want to reintroduce risk. We’re also able to minimize our design and development costs.” Last but not least, at Eurosatory 2012, officials from Lockheed Martin exclusively showed us a model of VBCI with two notional configurations: - One of the configuration had a 40 mm Turret with two ATGM canisters similar in concept to the Scout SV or Sphinx turret. - The other configuration consisted in a 8x Hellfire/DAGR launcher turret
Lockheed Martin DAGR
Regarding the DAGR, Lockheed Martin officials told us that the French Army are showing interest in the system: - For operational use (because of its smaller warhead compared to those found on larger missiles) - Because of its lower cost - As a Hellfire missile training round (DAGR is Plug-and-play compatible with HELLFIRE systems) Source :http://www.armyrecognition.com

Lockheed Martin’s future in France looks promising following positive feedback and interest

Lockheed Martin’s outlook in France is looking promising as sources in the French Army are giving overwhelmingly positive feedback on the Javelin missile and a number of French defense industries are expressing an increased interest in the American global defense and advanced technology company’s weapon systems. Here is what we learned during Eurosatory which was held in Paris June 11 to 15. At the French Minister of Defense exhibit, a couple of French soldiers (who wished to remain anonymous) whom recently came back from a tour in Afghanistan accepted to comment on their unit’s use of the Javelin missile in operational conditions as well as the general feeling on the missile system among French forces. The soldiers explained to us that over a one year period, about a dozen missiles have been fired in combat situation with 100% accuracy and success rate. The majority of the targets consisted in caves and Taliban’s fortified compounds.
French Army sharpshooters and Javelin operators on patrol in Afghanistan (Picture: French Army)
Our sources insisted on the quality of the fire control unit’s integrated day and thermal imaging sights: French forces use them constantly for observation and detection. Finally, the soldiers explained they were very happy with the system and the general feeling amongst French forces deployed in Afghanistan was just as positive as far as they knew. But French Soldiers were not the only ones showing enthusiasm for the Javelin missile. A source at Nexter (a French Defense company) reported a meeting was scheduled during Eurosatory with the Javelin Joint Venture (Lockheed Martin and Raytheon) to discuss the possible integration of Javelin missiles on their future 40 CTAS (Cased Telescoped Armament System) turret.
Nexter 40 CTA turret at Eurosatory
Our source praised the qualities of the Javelin missile and explained that its performances could be increased even more if associated with a turret like the 40 CTA by Nexter. Our source also insisted on the fact it would make economical sense for the French Army to integrate the most modern anti tank missile available in its inventory on a future turret rather than let the Javelins sit in storage (which seems likely with the now official pullout of French Forces from Afghanistan). Questioned on this matter, a Lockheed Martin official confirmed a meeting was going to be held and added that any Javelin integration work on a turret would be conducted in the United States. Nexter was not the only French defense company eager to cooperate with Lockheed Martin. Panhard General Defense, working in collaboration with Lockheed Martin UK, has continued to develop its Sphinx medium 6x6 armored vehicle concept to address French Army and potential overseas requirements. First unveiled in 2010, the Sphinx incorporates the best adapted technologies and solutions to fulfill operational needs within today’s budgetary constraints. Lockheed Martin has been working alongside Panhard to enhance the Sphinx through its proven turret technology utilized in the UK Warrior and Scout SV programs.
Panhard Sphinx with Lockheed Martin turret armed with CTA 40mm cannon
« Within an aggressive budgetary environment, Panhard has offered an affordable EBRC solution to the French Army, as it significantly reduces development costs by putting forward a reliable and qualified asset. A weight in combat configuration of about 16 tons enables us to offer a vehicle with a lower procurement cost in comparison with much heavier conventional solutions. In line with the 2012 Lancaster Treaty on Anglo-French cooperation, we have been working in collaboration with Lockheed Martin in the United Kingdom to further develop the shared programs,” Christian Mons, Chairman and CEO said.
“The Lockheed Martin turret perfectly meets the French Army’s requirements. And, together, we are already considering the integration of future common equipment coming from Scorpion in order to complete the perfect adequacy of this turret to the French requirements.” Eric Hervet, Panhard Development Manager added. Richard Muir, Business Development Director at Lockheed Martin UK highlighted the advantages of Lockheed Martin UK’s low risk approach. He commented: “Our EBRC CT40 turret is based on our proven integration of the CT40 cannon on the UK’s Warrior and Scout programs. We take a modular approach to our turret design. That means we get a lot of commonality and re-use between different solutions, which is particularly important on critical parts of the design where you don’t want to reintroduce risk. We’re also able to minimize our design and development costs.” Last but not least, at Eurosatory 2012, officials from Lockheed Martin exclusively showed us a model of VBCI with two notional configurations: - One of the configuration had a 40 mm Turret with two ATGM canisters similar in concept to the Scout SV or Sphinx turret. - The other configuration consisted in a 8x Hellfire/DAGR launcher turret
Lockheed Martin DAGR
Regarding the DAGR, Lockheed Martin officials told us that the French Army are showing interest in the system: - For operational use (because of its smaller warhead compared to those found on larger missiles) - Because of its lower cost - As a Hellfire missile training round (DAGR is Plug-and-play compatible with HELLFIRE systems) Source :http://www.armyrecognition.com

Four Countries to Hold FRUKUS-2012 Joint Exercise in Baltic

The FRUKUS-2012 four-lateral naval exercise will take place in the Baltic Sea since June 24 through July 1.

The participants are Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry, British destroyer HMS York, American cruiser USS Normandy, and French destroyer De Grasse.

The FRUKUS-2012 exercise will be held in three phases. The first phase will imply headquarters work in Baltiysk Naval Base, Russia.

The second phase will be carried out under way from Baltiysk to St. Petersburg; the ships will suppress "attacks" of small-size targets and air attack assets, practice joint maneuvering, perform gun firings, ship examination activities, rescue of people at sea and assist a ship "in distress".


At the final stage, when the ships arrive in St. Petersburg and hold all protocol activities, the heads of delegations will summarize the FRUKUS-2012 exercise.

Servicemen participating in the exercise will attend sport and cultural activities.

Source :rusnavy

Four Countries to Hold FRUKUS-2012 Joint Exercise in Baltic

The FRUKUS-2012 four-lateral naval exercise will take place in the Baltic Sea since June 24 through July 1.

The participants are Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry, British destroyer HMS York, American cruiser USS Normandy, and French destroyer De Grasse.

The FRUKUS-2012 exercise will be held in three phases. The first phase will imply headquarters work in Baltiysk Naval Base, Russia.

The second phase will be carried out under way from Baltiysk to St. Petersburg; the ships will suppress "attacks" of small-size targets and air attack assets, practice joint maneuvering, perform gun firings, ship examination activities, rescue of people at sea and assist a ship "in distress".


At the final stage, when the ships arrive in St. Petersburg and hold all protocol activities, the heads of delegations will summarize the FRUKUS-2012 exercise.

Servicemen participating in the exercise will attend sport and cultural activities.

Source :rusnavy

U.K., French UAV Contracts May Be Signed at Farnborough

The maiden flight of the British Taranis has been put back again until 2013. Taranis was originally due to fly in 2011 but was delayed until late this year for technical and other issues. (Tom Fillingham / BAE Systems)

WARTON, England — Britain and France could sign contracts next month at the Farnborough International Airshow kick-starting early work on development of an unmanned combat air system (UCAV) and a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV, according to one of the companies involved in the work.

Together, the contracts are expected to be worth up to 40 million pounds ($62.8 million) to industry partners BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation, the companies leading the unmanned vehicle effort.

The Anglo-French deals are expected to involve a risk-reduction phase for the proposed Telemos MALE system and a demonstration preparation phase for the UCAV, according to Tom Fillingham, the director of future combat air systems at the British company’s Military Air & Information business.

The work on both programs is expected to last 18 months.

The early UCAV phase will allow the two sides to jointly prepare for future combat air system development, said Fillingham.

A large model giving an idea of what the new UCAV demonstrator might look like will be displayed outside the BAE exhibition area at the air show, which takes place July 9-13.

Fillingham said the model would give an indication of the shape and size, but not the actual design.

Britain and a French-led consortium of nations are working on separate UCAV concept demonstrator programs.

The French Neuron vehicle is expected to fly later this year but the maiden flight of the British Taranis has been put back again until 2013. Taranis was originally due to fly in 2011 but was delayed until late this year for technical and other issues. That maiden flight has now been pushed back to early next year.

Part of the reason for the delay is that the U.K. Ministry of Defense has asked for further radar cross-section tests to corroborate what Fillingham described as the “very promising” data now being analyzed by Government scientists.

BAE allowed visiting reporters to view from a distance the now gray-painted Taranis in its hangar at Warton.

This is the first time Taranis has been seen publicly since it was unveiled in 2010. The machine was painted black at that time.

Fillingham said the program was in “good shape for a rejigged first flight in early 2013.”

New UAV and UCAV programs are critical to the sustainment of defense aviation skills and capabilities in Europe beyond the current generation of manned Gripen, Rafale and Typhoon jet fighters.

The BAE executive also told reporters during a briefing at the company’s Warton military aviation headquarters in northwest England that it was restarting its Mantis MALE technology demonstration program and had shelved work on the smaller Herti tactical UAV.

BAE Systems and Dassault have been working for months on progressing the two deals, which emerged as a result of the Anglo-French defense treaty signed by the two governments in 2010.

“We have done everything we can. It’s now up to the two governments to sign,” said Fillingham.

It’s hoped the signing of the early phase program work could take place during the air show, he said.

The risk-reduction work, formally known as a technology maturation phase, is expected to cost 30 million pounds with funding split equally between BAE and Dassault.

The duration of the UCAS demonstration preparation program is set at 18 months. The cost is expected to be between 8 million and 10 million pounds.

The Anglo-French bilateral agreement on unmanned vehicles sparked controversy when it was announced as it left German and Italian industries out in the cold. For the moment, the initial phases of work remain exclusively Anglo-French, but economic, political, defense budget and other issues appear to be pushing the programs toward a wider European alliance, said one industry executive.

The June 14 signing of a letter of intent by France and Germany on procurement cooperation, including looking at opportunities in the MALE sector, signals a willingness by the new socialist government in Paris to continue the policy of the Sarkozy administration to move to a trilateral or even multilateral program, a move the British have reservations about.

French and German defense ministers are scheduled to meet in Berlin on June 22 when cooperation issues are expected to be on the agenda.

Fillingham said the initial conversations on cooperation were U.K.-French only and wider cooperation was a question for the two governments.

The Anglo-French MALE was baselined on the Mantis but the actual vehicle will feature new engines and airframe design.

Fillingham said the company will spend up to 5 million pounds of its own money this year and further sums beyond that to resume the Mantis concept technology demonstrator program, which came to a close at the end of 2009.

The autonomously controlled, twin-turboprop powered Mantis is expected to start taxi trials at the end of this year ahead of resuming test flying in 2013. Some of the technology being tested on Mantis could find its way on to the Telemos program.

Discussions are underway with the U.K. Ministry of Defense about selection of a site to conduct the test flight work.

The BAE executive also revealed the company had closed down its efforts to further develop and sell the Herti tactical UAV it first flew in 2004.

The UAV has failed to find any customers, but some of the technology developed on Herti will be migrated to the Mantis demonstrator.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

U.K., French UAV Contracts May Be Signed at Farnborough

The maiden flight of the British Taranis has been put back again until 2013. Taranis was originally due to fly in 2011 but was delayed until late this year for technical and other issues. (Tom Fillingham / BAE Systems)

WARTON, England — Britain and France could sign contracts next month at the Farnborough International Airshow kick-starting early work on development of an unmanned combat air system (UCAV) and a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV, according to one of the companies involved in the work.

Together, the contracts are expected to be worth up to 40 million pounds ($62.8 million) to industry partners BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation, the companies leading the unmanned vehicle effort.

The Anglo-French deals are expected to involve a risk-reduction phase for the proposed Telemos MALE system and a demonstration preparation phase for the UCAV, according to Tom Fillingham, the director of future combat air systems at the British company’s Military Air & Information business.

The work on both programs is expected to last 18 months.

The early UCAV phase will allow the two sides to jointly prepare for future combat air system development, said Fillingham.

A large model giving an idea of what the new UCAV demonstrator might look like will be displayed outside the BAE exhibition area at the air show, which takes place July 9-13.

Fillingham said the model would give an indication of the shape and size, but not the actual design.

Britain and a French-led consortium of nations are working on separate UCAV concept demonstrator programs.

The French Neuron vehicle is expected to fly later this year but the maiden flight of the British Taranis has been put back again until 2013. Taranis was originally due to fly in 2011 but was delayed until late this year for technical and other issues. That maiden flight has now been pushed back to early next year.

Part of the reason for the delay is that the U.K. Ministry of Defense has asked for further radar cross-section tests to corroborate what Fillingham described as the “very promising” data now being analyzed by Government scientists.

BAE allowed visiting reporters to view from a distance the now gray-painted Taranis in its hangar at Warton.

This is the first time Taranis has been seen publicly since it was unveiled in 2010. The machine was painted black at that time.

Fillingham said the program was in “good shape for a rejigged first flight in early 2013.”

New UAV and UCAV programs are critical to the sustainment of defense aviation skills and capabilities in Europe beyond the current generation of manned Gripen, Rafale and Typhoon jet fighters.

The BAE executive also told reporters during a briefing at the company’s Warton military aviation headquarters in northwest England that it was restarting its Mantis MALE technology demonstration program and had shelved work on the smaller Herti tactical UAV.

BAE Systems and Dassault have been working for months on progressing the two deals, which emerged as a result of the Anglo-French defense treaty signed by the two governments in 2010.

“We have done everything we can. It’s now up to the two governments to sign,” said Fillingham.

It’s hoped the signing of the early phase program work could take place during the air show, he said.

The risk-reduction work, formally known as a technology maturation phase, is expected to cost 30 million pounds with funding split equally between BAE and Dassault.

The duration of the UCAS demonstration preparation program is set at 18 months. The cost is expected to be between 8 million and 10 million pounds.

The Anglo-French bilateral agreement on unmanned vehicles sparked controversy when it was announced as it left German and Italian industries out in the cold. For the moment, the initial phases of work remain exclusively Anglo-French, but economic, political, defense budget and other issues appear to be pushing the programs toward a wider European alliance, said one industry executive.

The June 14 signing of a letter of intent by France and Germany on procurement cooperation, including looking at opportunities in the MALE sector, signals a willingness by the new socialist government in Paris to continue the policy of the Sarkozy administration to move to a trilateral or even multilateral program, a move the British have reservations about.

French and German defense ministers are scheduled to meet in Berlin on June 22 when cooperation issues are expected to be on the agenda.

Fillingham said the initial conversations on cooperation were U.K.-French only and wider cooperation was a question for the two governments.

The Anglo-French MALE was baselined on the Mantis but the actual vehicle will feature new engines and airframe design.

Fillingham said the company will spend up to 5 million pounds of its own money this year and further sums beyond that to resume the Mantis concept technology demonstrator program, which came to a close at the end of 2009.

The autonomously controlled, twin-turboprop powered Mantis is expected to start taxi trials at the end of this year ahead of resuming test flying in 2013. Some of the technology being tested on Mantis could find its way on to the Telemos program.

Discussions are underway with the U.K. Ministry of Defense about selection of a site to conduct the test flight work.

The BAE executive also revealed the company had closed down its efforts to further develop and sell the Herti tactical UAV it first flew in 2004.

The UAV has failed to find any customers, but some of the technology developed on Herti will be migrated to the Mantis demonstrator.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com