UK Defence & Aerospace Industry - General News & Discussion

[The Armchair Soldier]

Following the creation of a dedicated forum for equipment made by the UK defence and aerospace industry (but not used by the British Armed Forces), this thread will now be used to discuss general topics that do not fit into the equipment section.

BMT Gets Research Grant for Aussie Sub

BMT Design and Technology, a BMT Group subsidiary, has secured a research grant in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) for Australia's next-generation submarine, as announced on 10 June.

[...]

Aidan Depetro, senior engineer, BMT Design & Technology, said: 'Australia's next generation submarine is likely to feature a combination of new and existing technologies which in turn, creates unexplored risks. The severity of those risks, potential mitigation measures and the effectiveness of any proposed controls are all unknown and there has been very little work carried out in this area.'

'This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap and build on our existing assurance, risk analysis and business case services. Importantly, it provides BMT with the opportunity to offer technical support to the SEA1000 programme which is the aspiration of many engineers within the Australian defence industry, none more than those at BMT.'

Read More: http://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defen ... ussie-sub/

[seaspear]

I certainly remember it was an interesting time at Australian Maritime Research Laboratories in the development of the Collins class

[R686]

I would imagine it would be mainly dealing with the Australian arm of BMT, but with a throwback on some technical areas back to the UK,Good to see anyway.



Edit
"BMT will work closely with DSTO and Victoria University"

[The Armchair Soldier]

Modular DART Trainer Aims to Hit Bullseye

Revealed exclusively to AEROSPACE on the eve on the show is this hitherto secret concept for a innovative modular advanced/basic military jet trainer from a small UK design team (Dart Jet) that has been working on the project since 2010. The DART would lower costs by using a common fuselage with a choice of engines and straight/swept wings for the basic/advanced trainer configurations - keeping costs low with common fuselage. Another innovative feature is a removable large-screen cockpit display to allow the pilot to plan, fly and debrief both in and out of the cockpit. Finally the team aim to reduce costs and development time by partnering with non-aerospace companies such as Formula One teams - experienced in rapid prototyping and composites.

The DART, which has been developed by a small team of aircraft designers, ex-RAF Fast Jet instructors and test pilots has also received support and expert input from the UKTI and Fielding Aerospace Consultants.

Read More: http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blo ... lery[m]/4/

[The Armchair Soldier]

NLAW has received another export customer, Finland.

http://saabgroup.com/Media/news-press/n ... ce-forces/

I wasn't sure whether to post this here. Didn't BAE and Thales Air Defence contribute to its development?

[ArmChairCivvy]

NLAW is going into the gap between the unguided French APILAS (720mm RHA) and the Spike, being more than a fifth heavier than APILAS and costing close to ten times as much... who is going to contribute the price multiplier for Spike?!
- I will just say that you can carry two APILAS with all the rest of your kit, but only one NLAW

Let's remember that we are talking about a conscription-based force here, with some mechanised brigades mixing with a force that is much less mobile. So, with the performance characteristics of the above mentioned three weapons being present in all force elements, that will keep the OpFor guessing when they decide on which open ground to enter.
- btw, the Soviet invasion force never made it to open ground in the winter war; after that they were not the best equipped armoured force in Europe any more, having shed around 2500 units of various protection levels

[The Armchair Soldier]

Britain Acts To Protect £25bn-A-Year Aerospace Industry

New strategy will concentrate on five main areas: wing design and manufacture, engines for large airliners, complex systems such as avionics, helicopter design and manufacturing, and new systems for civil aircraft.

A roadmap aimed at safeguarding Britain’s almost £25bn-a-year aerospace industry and boosting the country’s productivity will be laid out on Wednesday.

The Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI) new technology strategy sets out how UK companies can work together to ensure Britain retains its place as the world’s second-largest aerospace industry in a global market that is expected to be worth $5 trillion over the next two decades..

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... ustry.html

[The Armchair Soldier]

The UK could have some input in Turkey's upcoming fifth-generation fighter, TF-X.

Turkey To Select Foreign Partner for Fighter Program

ANKARA — In one of the most critical stages shaping its indigenous fighter jet program, the Turkish government plans to select a foreign partner by 2016, officials said.

The foreign partner would be expected to support the approximately four-year planned designing phase of the program dubbed F-X, the officials said.

One senior procurement official said the contract involving the foreign partner would be around US $1 billion.

Early in March, Turkey's procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), released a request for information (RFI) for the F-X program. A number of international aerospace manufacturers have replied to the RFI, the official said, including BAE Systems, Saab, China's Shenyang Aircraft Corp., Airbus Germany, Alenia and Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC)

"These potential bidders have expressed their interest to our request for information. There may be others that can come into the bidding picture at the request for proposal stage," said the official.

Read More: http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /28401665/

[ArmChairCivvy]

Interesting that Korea is not on the list. The co-operation on tanks has produced impressive results.
- or is it that Korea's ambition is more step-wise, not leaping to fighter jets straight away, but building scale, expertise and trust with their advanced trainer first?

[The Armchair Soldier]

AgustaWestland Wants New Anglo-Italian Military Helicopter

AgustaWestland is calling on the governments of the UK and Italy to back ambitious plans for the development of a next-generation military helicopter that could meet the future requirements of both nations.

Daniele Romiti, chief executive of the Anglo-Italian manufacturer, likens a potential future collaboration to the agreement that underpinned the development of the AW101 in the 1980s, which, although it has since gathered a number of export customers, was initially conceived as a project between the two countries.

[...]

Romiti is eyeing an emerging need from the Italian army to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters – the oldest of which were built in 1990 – and, on the UK side, a requirement for an eventual successor to the Royal Air Force’s inventory of 1970s-era Airbus Helicopters SA330 Puma HC2 transports.

Work on the new platforms would be equally shared between the company’s facilities in Italy and the UK, says Romiti. AgustaWestland’s parent company, Finmeccanica, is “willing to invest” in any development, he says, but “everyone wants to have clarity” on any proposals.

Read More: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... er-414553/

[~UNiOnJaCk~]

Can't say i have experienced that one openly all too often - a head of industry publically lobbying the government to come up with a capability initiative/requirement to keep his business...in business, i guess. Bit of a cheek to be honest with you...

[RichardIC]

Doesn't the AW149 pretty closely fit the criteria for a Puma replacement? If such a replacement were ever to be funded - which it probably won't be.

Seems like AW are trying to get a hand-out to fulfil a requirement which doesn't exist, at least as far as the UK's concerned.

[arfah]

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[The Armchair Soldier]

[The Armchair Soldier]

Japan Eyes British Help to Sink German Bid for Australian Submarine

A Japanese government team is in talks with at least two top British firms to help a Japanese consortium land one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts, sources in Tokyo said, a $50 billion (£32 billion) project to build submarines for Australia.

[...]

Two Japanese government officials and a company source in Tokyo said Babcock International Group and BAE Systems had approached the consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries with offers of help. Other British defence contractors may also be involved, they said.

All three sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Both Babcock and BAE declined to say whether they would work with the consortium, the builders of Japan's 4,000-ton Soryu diesel-electric submarine, on the Australian project.

Read More: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/07/2 ... F820150723

[The Armchair Soldier]

UK's GKN to Acquire Fokker Technologies

GKN Aerospace is to acquire the Dutch aerospace firm Fokker Technologies in deal worth more than €700 million ($775 million).

[...]

GKN describes the €706 million acquisition from Arle Capital as “compelling”, adding that it will combine two companies with “broad product portfolios” and “established positions” on key aircraft programmes.

“This acquisition strengthens GKN Aerospace’s position as a market leader, enhances its global manufacturing footprint and adds new technology,” says GKN Aerospace chief Kevin Cummings.

Read More: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... es-415080/

[The Armchair Soldier]

Defence Exports Could Get More Support after Typhoon Loses to France's Rafale

Britain is considering changing its tactics in the international defence market after losing out to rivals on big deals, with Government poised to take a bigger role.

[...]

Faced with Typhoon’s lack of foreign sales, a senior Government source said that ministers were “looking seriously at the three Rafale wins” and how the Paris authorities' involvement could have helped swing the deals.

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... afale.html

[The Armchair Soldier]

An article from The Engineer exploring whether the UK will ever make its own fighters again:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/aerospace/ ... 05.article

[The Armchair Soldier]

Malaysia To Buy Starstreak V-Shorads Missiles

Malaysia has signed a deal for procurement of Thales Starstreak V-Shorads, GM-K1 vehicles and light weight multiple launchers, radars and command and control systems from UK.

Read More: http://www.defenseworld.net/news/13597/ ... bntnvlVhBd

What does it mean by vehicles? Pinzgauer? Or does it mean Stormer?

[The Armchair Soldier]

'Son Of Concorde' Could Fly To New York In An Hour

The European aerospace giant Airbus has filed patents for a new supersonic jet that bears a strong resemblance to Concorde.

Dubbed the 'son of Concorde', it would be capable of reaching four times the speed of sound - or 2,500 mph.

That means a flight from London to New York would take just one hour - roughly the same as a train journey from London to Brighton in Sussex.

Airbus says the new aircraft would primarily be for "business travel and VIP passengers, who require transcontinental return journeys within one day”.

It also foresees the military using it for strategic reconnaissance and "ultra-rapid transport of high added-value goods or elite commandos".

Read More: http://news.sky.com/story/1530374/son-o ... in-an-hour

[marktigger]

I do find Jeremy Corbyn's atitude interesting he wants to promote manufacturing but wants to shut down Britains defence industry and divert its workers to socially more rewarding types of work.....what like building wind farms?
With a proper procurement and sustainment planning would make parts of the UK defence industry secure and might encourage investment in new products.

[jonas]

UK's 'rush of summer supply chain contracts' :-

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /31223931/

[The Armchair Soldier]

South Korea and United Kingdom Seek Enhanced Ties in Defense Industry

South Korea and Britain have agreed that they have great potential for partnerships in weapons development and trade, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, August 11. In their talks here this week, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his British counterpart Philip Hammond noted that two-way trade reached US$13.2 billion last year.

"They shared the opinion that bilateral economic cooperation is diversifying and potential is great for defense industry cooperation," the ministry said. It did not elaborate on plans for defense industry ties.

Read More: http://armyrecognition.com/august_2015_ ... 08152.html

[jonas]

Further orders of Typhoon by Saudi Arabia looking shaky:-

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns- ... story.html

[arfah]

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