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Canadian sonar site to be expanded - Digital Battlespace

Canadian sonar manufacturer invests in centre of excellence.
Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems intends to transform an existing facility in Novia Scotia into a global sonar centre of excellence, the company announced on 16 March.
The Dartmouth facility will be significantly modernised, ‘reconfigured for expanded capacity, and networked to Ultra’s other sonar sites in the United Kingdom and Australia’, Ultra added, as it seeks to develop export sales to its Five Eyes alliance customers.
The investment plan, potentially costing C$20 million ($16 million), follows recent contract awards for Ultra to provide its hull-mounted and variable-depth sonars for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme.

Australia , Australian , Australian-defence , Us-army , Hellenic-navy , Hellenic-navy-command , Australian-defence-force , Ultra , Sonar , Csc , Canadian-surface-combatant

NATO figures indicate healthy spending levels in 2020 - Defence Notes

All bar three NATO allies saw defence spending growth last year
Most NATO member states increased defence spending last year despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to provisional figures for 2020 released by the alliance on 16 March.
Albania, Norway and Turkey cut defence spending in 2020 but Bulgaria saw the most significant decrease (50%).
Estimated overall spending of almost $1.03 trillion in 2020 represented a 2.7% increase on 2019, with the US naturally accounting for the vast majority ($717 billion).
Eleven of the 30 member states met a NATO baseline requirement by spending 2% of GDP on defence in 2020: the US (3.73%). Greece (2.68%), Estonia (2.33%), UK (2.32%), Poland (2.31%), Latvia (2.27%), Lithuania (2.13%), Romania (2.07%), France (2.04%), Norway and Slovakia (2% apiece).

China , United-kingdom , Argentina , Argentine , Spacex , United-launch-alliance , United-kingdom-integrated-review , Integrated-review , Foreign-policy , Command-paper , Weekly-defence

Office of Naval Research addresses cyber-secure UAS - Unmanned Vehicles

SME Secmation to develop modular cyber-secure UAS platform — with potential applications for unmanned maritime systems as well.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has chosen Secmation to develop a modular, cyber-secure UAS platform called SecMUAS.
The US-based SME received a $1 million Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research contract in January 2021 but only announced it on 16 March.
‘While this ONR project includes testing with unmanned aerial systems/drones, the methodology is applicable to a variety of unmanned platforms including unmanned maritime systems,’ Secmation added.
The company noted that SecMUAS incorporates a US-designed and US-manufactured secure control unit with advanced security and performance features, as well as an integrated development environment that provides a rapid UAS software development capability that automatically incorporates security features.

Office-of-naval-research , Small-business-innovation-research , Naval-research , Business-innovation-research , Premium-news , Secmuas , Onr , Cyber , Secmation , Shephard , அலுவலகம்-ஆஃப்-கடற்படை-ஆராய்ச்சி

McKean supports USN Future Surface Combatant - Naval Warfare

McKean Defense leads team to provide hull, electrical, mechanical and other services for Future Surface Combatant.
Hull, mechanical and electrical controls in the USN Future Surface Combatant programme will be supported by a team led by McKean Defense Group, under a $20.1 million contract from Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD).
The five-year deal, announced by McKean Defense on 16 March, covers machinery, electric plant, propulsion, auxiliary, damage control, and ship control system programmes.
Work also includes navigation, interior communications domain networks, condition based monitoring, voyage data recorders, and digital video surveillance system engineering.
Joseph Carlini, CEO of McKean Defense, said the company has assembled a team ‘ready to support the complex Future Surface Combatant design solutions’ which are essential for the future US programme.

Ireland , India , United-kingdom , Irish , Irish-naval-service , Naval-service , Dynamics-electric-boat , Usn , Mckean-defence , Future-surface-combatant , Us-navy

VICTS evolves into smaller footprint - Digital Battlespace

New antenna design offers flexible installation options for special-purpose aircraft.
ThinKom Solutions has developed a new variant of its Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) antenna for the government and military BLoS SATCOM markets.
Limited low-rate production of the new VICTS antenna product is under way for a US government customer. Initial units are currently going through integration, with formal qualification scheduled to start later in 2021.
The company claimed on 16 March that the new development enables more flexible installation choices for satellite communication antennas and ‘smaller distributed and embedded phased-array applications’ on platforms such as special mission aircraft.
The new variant integrates the VICTS antenna, antenna control unit (ACU) and power supply (PS) electronics into a single low-profile, small-footprint package. This eliminates the need for a separate line-replaceable unit for the ACU/PS.

Canada , Canadian , Us-army , Hellenic-navy , Navy-command , Victs , Thinkom , Antenna , Satellite-communications , Satcom , Shephard

Demonstration blends Stinger and Javelin capabilities - Land Warfare

Lightweight command launch unit offers reconnaissance capability as well as control for Stinger and Javelin missiles.

United-kingdom , France , French , British , French-army , Army-futures , British-army , Us-army , House-of-commons-defence-committee , Integrated-review , Commons-defence-committee

Lockheed Martin confirms Dutch are buying extra F-35As - Air Warfare

Nine Lot 16 production F-35As to be delivered in 2023-2024.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) will acquire additional F-35A aircraft for $1.1 billion, manufacturer Lockheed Martin has confirmed, bringing its total to 46.
Nine Lot 16 production aircraft will be delivered in 2023-2024, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told
Shephard.
They will equip a third RNLAF F-35 squadron.
The Netherlands ordered 37 F-35As in 2008 for about $5 billion, with scheduled deliveries between 2014 and 2024.
Planned procurement of the additional nine aircraft was announced in October 2019.
The Shephard Defence Insight database shows a total of 15 F-35As are currently in service with the RNLAF.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.

Germany , Poland , United-kingdom , Us-state-department , Us-army , Lockheed-martin , Bombardier-global , F-35a , Royal-netherlands-air-force , Shephard , ஜெர்மனி

UK deploys vehicles to Mali after off-road mobility upgrade - Land Warfare

Mastiff and Ridgeback upgrade was led by NP Aerospace to meet an Urgent Capability Requirement for the British Army.

United-kingdom , British , Army-futures , British-army , Us-army , House-of-commons-defence-committee , Integrated-review , Commons-defence-committee , Futures-command , Np-aerospace , Mastiff

Intracom enhances Hellenic Navy surveillance capabilities - Digital Battlespace

Hellenic Navy Command gains surveillance stations with long-range radars and other sensors.
Greek company Intracom Defense Electronics (IDE) announced on 16 March that it has completed a maritime surveillance programme for the Hellenic Navy.
IDE delivered integrated surveillance stations with long-range radars and other sensors to enhance the operational effectiveness and rapid reaction capability of the Hellenic Navy Command.
‘This capability will contribute to the national defense and security, providing increased maritime situation awareness to targeted areas of interest in the Mediterranean Sea,’ the company noted in a statement.
The solution for the Hellenic Navy employs the iDefender C2 platform for information management and distribution of data from the surveillance stations data to designated C2 sites.

Australia , Israel , Australian , Australian-defence , Us-army , Australian-defence-force , Idefender , Intracom , Hellenic-navy , Isr , Maritime-surveillance

Germany requests five P-8As - Air Warfare

FMS of five P-8As to Germany has been approved by the US State Department.
The US State Department has approved a potential $1.77 billion FMS of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and related equipment to Germany.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 12 March delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the deal.
‘The proposed sale will improve Germany’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing critical capabilities to coalition maritime operations,’ the DSCA noted.
Germany is requesting five Poseidon aircraft plus nine Multifunctional Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems 5, as well as commercial engines; EO and IR sensors; radar; electronic support measures; missile warning sensors; navigation systems (including GPS and inertial navigation); spare parts; training; software support; and engineering and logistics technical assistance.

Denmark , Poland , United-kingdom , Danish , First-royal-danish-air-force , Us-army , Lockheed-martin , Royal-danish-air-force , P-8a-poseidon , Fms , Boeing