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SALIS’ Sibling: NATO’s C-17 Pool Inaugurates In-House Heavy Lift
30-Sep-2009 09:25 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, Boeing, Contracts - Intent, Europe - Other, Force Structure, Interoperability, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Policy - Procurement, Power Projection, Transport & Utility, United Technologies
SAC 01: Come to Papa!
(click to view full)
The long-range C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport aircraft remains the backbone of US Air Mobility Command inter-theater transport around the world, and its ability to operate from shorter and rougher runways has made it especially useful during the Global War on Terror. Recent buys by Australia, Britain, and Canada have broadened the plane’s its global use. Now NATO, who has relied on the SALIS arrangement and its leased super-giant AN-124s from Russia, is looking to buy and own 3 C-17s as NATO pooled assets with multinational crews. Participating countries will receive allocated flight hours relative to their participation, and thus far they include 12 nations: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States.
This order will not materially change the coming shut-down of C-17 production, but it does look like the inauguration of a pool that will fill a gaping hole in Europe’s defense capabilities – its complete lack of heavy airlift. This article covers NATO C-17 acquisition program, including its structure and ongoing announcements.
Program is now an adequate name, as NATO SAC has signed a contract, 2 of 3 aircraft have been delivered, and a SAC C-17 has completed its first operational mission to Afghanistan…
- The NATO C-17 Pool
- Contracts, Notifications & Key Events [updated]
- Additional Readings
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The UK’s FRES Transformational Armored Vehicles
09-Jul-2009 13:01 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, BAE, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, Electronics - General, Engineering Vehicles, Europe - E.U., FOCUS Articles, Force Structure, General Dynamics, IT - Cyber-Security, IT - General, IT - Networks & Bandwidth, IT - Software & Integration, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Lockheed Martin, Materials Innovations, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Other Equipment - Land, People, Policy - Doctrine, Policy - Procurement, Procurement Innovations, Project Methodologies, R&D - Contracted, Signals Radio & Wireless, Tanks & Mechanized, Thales, Transformation, University-related, Warfare - Trends
FRES-U finalists:
There can be… none?
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Many of Britain’s army vehicles are old and worn, and the necessities of hard service on the battlefield are only accelerating that wear. The multi-billion pound “Future Rapid Effects System” (FRES) aims to recapitalize the core of Britain’s armored vehicle fleet over the next decade or more, filling many of the same medium armor roles as the Stryker Family of armored wheeled vehicles and/or the Future Combat Systems’ Manned Ground Vehicle family. Current estimates indicate a potential requirement for over 3,700 FRES vehicles, including utility and reconnaissance variants. Even so, one should be cautioned that actual numbers bought usually fall short of intended figures for early-stage defense programs.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. The FRES program was spawned by the UK’s withdrawal from the German-Dutch-UK Boxer MRAV modular wheeled APC program, in order to develop a more deployable vehicle that fit Britain’s exact requirements. Those initial requirements were challenging, however, and experience in Iraq and Afghanistan led to decisions that changed a number of requirements, and raised the acceptable weight limit. The UK MoD has taken some criticism for its selection of wheeled APCs as its FRES-U infantry fighting vehicle finalists, and even more criticism for making the Boxer MRAV one of those finalists after spending all that time and sterling on FRES development. In the end, GD MOWAG’s Piranha V won the utility vehicle competition.
FRES-U is not the end of the competition, however, or the contracts. In fact, FRES has just seen the winning bidder’s preferred status revoked, and that entire phase will now take a back seat to the FRS-SV scout version. For which the MoD has now issued 2 Invitations to Tender…
EDA Gets Budget Boost as Europeans Make Pledges
20-Nov-2007 17:04 EST |
Related Stories: Alliances, Britain/U.K., Budgets, Europe - E.U., Europe - France, Europe - Other, Issues - International, Transformation
The EU’s European Defense Agency has been busy during its short lifetime, attempting to create more transparent competition with fewer set-asides in European defense spending, consolidate national programs into international ones, work to develop technology and standards for UAV civil certification, and get some level of agreement regarding future areas of defense investment. Now a deal reached on Nov 19/07 will see the EDA budget take a significant jump from EUR 22 million (2007) to EUR 32 million in 2008. France had pushed to give the agency a 3-year budget, but Britain vetoed the proposal. A Reuters report quotes a senior British official as saying that “We don’t back a budget without seeing what we are paying for….”
The ministers pointed to “existing gaps” in strategic transport (NATO C-17 and the delayed A400M programs), force protection, and intelligence (vid. AGS et. al.) as key focus areas they hope the EDA will pursue. The ministers also set a series of “collective but voluntary” pledges, as part of a “framework for a joint Strategy on Defence Research & Technology.” Pledges include grow spending on new equipment from 19.4% to 20%, growing spending on multinational programs from 21% to 35%, and growing spending on R&D from 1.2% to 2%, with collaborative R&D spending doubling from 10% of that to 20%. Even so, those pledges to “spend more, spend better and spend more together,” are only useful if they are backed by action. This is an issue that has been a complaint in other venues as well, amidst future projections that show overall spending dropping or holding steady over the next 7 years. EDA release | EDA head report to the Council [PDF format] | eu Council 2008 Guidelines for the EDA [PDF format] | EU Observer story | DID multi-link Spotlight Article: “EU Procurement Challenges & Defense Weakness Debated (updated)”.
Europe’s Air Transport Command Agreement
25-May-2007 05:38 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Europe - E.U., Europe - France, Europe - Other, Interoperability, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Transport & Utility
Airbus A400M concept
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One of the driving forces behind Airbus’ A400M military transport program, and of “pool” programs like NATO’s SALIS with Russian AN-124s or its recent SAC C-17 pool, is Europe’s shortage of transport aircraft to support military missions. This shortage will not be fixed any time soon. In the interim, NATO pools are about to be augmented by a more local partnership.
As the Netherlands struggled over proposed defense cuts in 2007, its Ministerie van Defensie signed an agreement with Germany, France and Belgium to create “European Air Transport Command” (EATC) as a coordination pool for their own military transports…
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EDA to Launch New European Procurement Code on July 1, 2006
31-May-2006 14:35 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Britain/U.K., Europe - E.U., Europe - France, Europe - Other, Helicopters & Rotary, Industry & Trends, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Legal, Lobbying, Policy - Procurement
In our October 2005 article “EU Defense Ministers Take Initial Steps to Open Up Arms Competition,” DID pointed to the EU’s European Defense Agency, its radical push for greater integration in Europe’s defense industry, and its less radical approach to greater cooperation on transnational European defense procurement programs. DID covered the issues of stricter European Commission enforcement, narrowed exemptions from open European defense contracts under EU Article 296 ‘national security interests’ clause, the local political interests that will make this a difficult row to hoe, the offsetting role lower defense spending is playing in fostering integration, and the underlying rivalry with NATO that cannot entirely be hidden.
A recent EDA release notes that the new European defence equipment market will be launched on 1 July, with the participation of all but three of the 25 EU Member States….
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Franco-Italian FREMM Multi-Role Frigate Project Formalized
21-Nov-2005 03:50 EST |
Related Stories: Alliances, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Awards, Europe - France, Europe - Other, Finmeccanica, Issues - International, Issues - Political, MBDA, Missiles - Anti-Ship, Missiles - Precision Attack, Missiles - Surface-Air, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Power Projection, Surface Ships - Combat, Thales
FREMM drawing
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DID has covered the roles of the various organizations active in European defense integration efforts, from the EDA (EU’s European Defense Agency) to the OCCAR (The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). We also covered the multi-role Franco-Italian FREMM frigate program’s recent troubles and subsequent narrow escape.
Now OCCAR has awarded France’s DCN and Thales (Armaris) and Italy’s Fincanteri and Finmeccanica (Orizzonte Sistemi Navale) the first phase of contracts for developing and building the multi-role warships. MBDA will also be a major participant, as the FREMMs will mostly be equipped with its missiles. Up to 27 frigates are currently planned, making it one of Europe’s largest-ever warship programs; Armaris has also signaled a strong desire to sell the FREMM frigates abroad. With respect to this contract…
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Nick Whitney on the EDA and the USA
02-Nov-2005 02:04 EST |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Conferences & Events, Europe - E.U., Industry & Trends, Issues - International
DID has covered European Defense Agency (EDA) Chief Executive Nick Whitney’s efforts toward greater European defense industry integration for some time now. In a recent speech at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, the EU official attempted to outline what the EDA is and isn’t, and why he believes its success is certain. He also covered how the EDA’s initiatives in armaments cooperation et. al. related to transatlantic defense trade, the current barriers that are leading Europeans to develop their own weapons, and America’s long-term interests. Read the transcript of his speech here.
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Whitney & the EDA React to CSIS Report on European Defense Industry
31-Oct-2005 16:12 EST |
Related Stories: Alliances, Budgets, Europe - E.U., Industry & Trends, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Think Tanks
The EU’s European Defense Agency (EDA) has an ambitious agenda to rationalize Europe’s defense industry and open up arms procurement, even as observers note Europe’s steadily-declining military capabilities that are trending toward a crisis point of relevance.
DID recently covered a major defence-related report from the transatlantic CSIS think-tank, and EDA head Nick Whitney’s response to that report helps underline the overall thrust of his agency’s efforts. As he noted, in the midst of a generally positive reaction to CSIS’ document:
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EU Defense Ministers Take Initial Steps to Open Up Arms Competition
17-Oct-2005 07:01 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Britain/U.K., Budgets, Europe - E.U., Europe - France, Europe - Other, Events, Industry & Trends, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, People, Policy - Procurement
Back on July 7, 2005, DID covered the ongoing efforts of the EU’s European Defense Agency head Nick Whitney to create a radical push for greater integration in Europe’s defense industry, and greater cooperation on transnational defense procurement programs. Today’s story covering the FREMM frigate program may appear to be a cautionary tale; nevertheless, our updated story covering the flurry of European defense integration studies and proposals clearly indicates the political-bureaucratic interest in the general concept.
Now, European Union defence ministers have agreed on a new plan that appears to advance Whitney’s aims on the bureaucratic front. Discussions will begin on Nov. 21, 2005 re: attaching a code of conduct to this agreement – and that’s precisely where things are likely to get interesting.
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EDA Striving for Common Defense Market, But Success Still Years Away
07-Jul-2005 09:47 EDT |
Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, Britain/U.K., Budgets, C4ISR, Europe - E.U., Europe - France, Europe - Other, Industry & Trends, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Partnerships & Consortia, Policy - Procurement, Tanks & Mechanized
Nick Whitney, chief executive of the EU’s European Defense Agency, is calling for a radical overhaul of how member states spend their defense budgets, stressing interoperability and the need to avoid duplication. He believes there is a growing awareness by the 25 member states that their combined EUR 180 billion, or USD $218 billion annual defense expenditures could be used more efficiently. Strategic airlift, logistics, and communications are seen as particular weaknesses.
According to the International Herald Tribune, Whitney, a former senior official at Britain’s Ministry of Defense who now works under EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, has set four main tasks for the Union:
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