Friday, 6 December 2019

Saab Wants Control if It Wins $15 Billion India Jet-Fighter Deal

Gripen C - peter_brauns_aviation @IG

 Saab Wants Control if It Wins $15 Billion India Jet-Fighter Deal - BNN Bloomberg:

 (Bloomberg) -- Saab AB wants control of local manufacturing in India if it beats the likes of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. in the race for the world’s biggest warplane contract.

 The Swedish manufacturer is in the running to supply 114 Gripen fighters in a deal valued at more than $15 billion as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to modernize armed forces reliant on mostly Soviet-era equipment in the face of threats from China and Pakistan. At the same time, Saab faces a requirement that at least 85% of the planes be built locally in partnership with Indian firms.

 “If a company needs to take responsibility for quality, time, cost and capability that’s required by the Indian customer, I want to have some sort of control of that,” Saab Chief Executive Officer Micael Johansson said in an interview in New Delhi. It’s also important that Saab be able to export India-built Gripens to fulfill global demand, he said.

 Saab has teamed up with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on its bid, while Boeing has pitched its F/A-18 in partnership with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and MahindraDefence Systems Ltd. Lockheed has offered the F-21, specifically designed for the Indian bid and a close relation of the F-16, with conglomerate Tata Group, while the Eurofighter Typhoon and France’s Dassault Aviation SA Rafale are also in the mix.

 “We just need to find a mechanism and the sort of balance between investing and having some sort of control, and not to be liable for things that we cannot control in the Indian market,” said Johansson, who was took over as CEO in October and was in India as part of a Swedish royal delegation.

 India allows up to 49% of foreign direct investment in defense, though it could be possible to hold more with government approval and if the venture provides “access to modern technology.” The final details of the latest bid documents haven’t been published.

 “Normally we would say if we have a majority in a company, we have some sort of a reasonable control,” Johansson said. “I don’t have a number between 51 and 100 today.”

 Saab, which sealed a deal for 36 Gripen jets from Brazil in 2013, is in the running for 64 fighters from Finland, as well as a Canadian tender for 88 jets, where Eurofighter and Dassault have pulled out. It’s also looking at Croatia’s reopened pitch to replace outdated Mikoyan MiG-21s, and an order in Colombia. The company’s shares rose 1.4% Wednesday and are little changed this year.

 Under the Indian tender, the winner needs to deliver the first jet within three years of securing the contract. The country scrapped a long-awaited order with Dassault for 126 Rafales worth $11 billion in 2015, but has since bought 36 of the planes to speed replacement of older aircraft.

 Saab is looking at Indian partners in addition to Adani as it prepares to fight for the deal, Johansson said in the interview Tuesday. Tieups will be looked at on all levels, from the main company making the jets to suppliers, but Saab wants to control the entire system, he said.

 To contact the reporters on this story: N. C. Bipindra in New Delhi at nbipindra@bloomberg.net;Anurag Kotoky in New Delhi at akotoky@bloomberg.net

 To contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Will Davies, Christopher Jasper

 ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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Saab Gripen E/F: Details
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Thursday, 5 December 2019

Russian Helicopters expects to sign a large-scale long-term contract for supply of upgraded Ka-52M helicopters in 2020

KHMedia

 Russian Helicopters expects to sign a large-scale long-term contract for supply of upgraded Ka-52M helicopters in 2020 - News - Russian Aviation - RUAVIATION.COM

 The Russian Helicopters holding expects to sign a large-scale long-term contract for supply of upgraded Ka-52M helicopters to Russian armed forces, chief executive of the company Andrei Boginsky told TASS on Wednesday.

 "There is a new development work on the further upgrade, and we started performing it from this year. We hope we will achieve contracting the next year. We will endeavor from our side to make it like with Mi-28, so that we reach a long-term contract with upgraded Ka-52," the top manager said.

 The Russian Defense Ministry awarded a contract for delivery of 96 Mi-28NM attack helicopters by 2027 in August 2019. Conclusion of a similar contract for Ka-52 will benefit the company and the Defense Ministry, Boginsky noted.
Upgraded Ka-52 helicopter to get more capabilities against targets in the air and on the ground
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Expodefensa 2019: Saab says Colombia wants new fighters, in a break from past practice

Saab

 Expodefensa 2019: Saab says Colombia wants new fighters, in a break from past practice | Jane's 360

 Key Points
  • A Saab executive said that Colombia wants to buy new fighters to help reinvigorate its fleet
  • The nation has traditionally purchased used aircraft, which can come with sustainment issues

 The Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana: FAC) wants to procure new fighter aircraft to rejuvenate its fleet, a move that would break from past practices of procuring used fighters, according to an industry official.

 “The requirement and the will from the FAC, at this stage, is extremely clear,” Thomas Linden, Saab Colombia vice president, told Jane’s on 3 December at the Expodefensa trade show in Bogota. “They do not want to go back and buy used aircraft as they have done before a couple of times.”

 Linden said the FAC is taking a longer-term perspective and wants to improve its fleet based on new technology. He said that used aircraft procurement usually bring problems such as logistics and spares supplies.

 The FAC has 19 Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfir C10s and 3 Kfir TC12s, according to Jane’s World Air Forces .

 Saab offered 12 single-seat Gripen Es and three dual-seat Gripen Fs, the same models being built for Brazil and Sweden. He said Saab is offering 15 aircraft because this is the existing requirement, despite being fewer aircraft than the 22 Kfirs being operated by the air force.

 Linden said the FAC announced in August that it was looking at three contenders: the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Gripen, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. IAI told Jane’s at the Paris Air Show in June that it would offer a further enhanced Kfir NG that could be based on remanufactured FAC airframes, surplus Israeli Air Force airframes, or possibly even new-build ones depending on the requirements.
Saab offers Gripens to Colombia to replace Kfirs
Saab Gripen E/F: Details 
F-21 Kfir/Kfir Block 60: Details
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Saab flies first series-production Gripen E for Sweden

Saab

 Saab flies first series-production Gripen E for Sweden | Jane's 360

 Saab has flown the first series-production Gripen E aircraft for Sweden, the company announced on 3 December.

 An image of aircraft 6002 flying in a new splinter tri-tone grey camouflage pattern reminiscent of the Swedish Air Force's (SwAF's) green and brown scheme from the Cold War was released by the company.

 While 6002 was shown with SwAF roundels, a Saab representative was unable to say if it is the first aircraft that will be delivered to the service. This particular airframe might go to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for testing, and might remain with the organisation rather than being subsequently handed over to the SwAF. Saab also has three flying Gripen E prototypes in aircraft 39-8, 39-9 and 39-10, and it is unclear if some or all of these will remain Saab assets or if they will be refurbished and delivered to the SwAF/FMV ahead of 6002.

 Sweden is due to receive the first of 60 Gripen Es before the end of the year, with deliveries running through to 2026. The only international customer to date, Brazil, has ordered an initial batch of 28 Gripen Es and eight twin-seat Gripen Fs to be delivered between 2021 and 2024. Both countries have left open the option for further procurements.

 In terms of the wider production programme, manufacture of the first serial-standard aircraft began at Linköping in January. While similar concurrent testing and production has caused problems for other programmes, Eddy De La Motte, vice-president and head of Gripen E/F, said in June that he was not concerned that the Gripen E/F effort would encounter the same issues. "We have de-risked that element of the programme," he said. The line at Linköping is geared to turn out 24 aircraft per year.


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Expodefensa 2019: Sikorsky offers first company-qualified armed Black Hawk with sights on regional customer

Sikorsky

 Expodefensa 2019: Sikorsky offers first company-qualified armed Black Hawk with sights on regional customer | Jane's 360

 Key Points

  • Sikorsky is promoting its first company-qualified armed variant of its latest model Black Hawk aircraft
  • The company has pitched this armed Black Hawk to a regional customer

Sikorsky is promoting for the first time in Latin America its first company-qualified, fully integrated armed version of its latest S-70i Black Hawk utility helicopter with hopes of securing a regional military as the model's first customer.

 Sikorsky had a mockup armed Black Hawk display at the Farnborough Air Show in 2016 to show what the company had in development. This year, in January, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rolled it out and now that model has officially been qualified by Sikorsky.

 The company has a potential customer in the region and is promoting this fully-integrated armed S-70i for its versatility. Adam Schierholz, Sikorsky Latin America regional executive and product marketing director, told Jane's on 2 December at Expodefensa that this potential customer has two different defined needs for the future -one for utility aircraft and another for armed aircraft.

 "This is exactly what we have been looking for," Schierholz said. "The beauty of combining those two needs into one aircraft allows the customer to save a ton of money."

 The company is marketing this armed S-70i as an affordable option for militaries with smaller budgets such as those in the Latin America region. The aircraft, Schierholz told Jane's on 25 November ahead of Expodefensa, can be switched from utility to armed in three hours by adding the wings and weapons without requiring dedicated crew, training, and spares. This is the first time that Sikorsky has qualified its own armed Black Hawk.



S-70i Black Hawk: Details
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Lockheed Awarded $988M Definitive Contract for Hypersonic Weapon Prototyping Work

Rocketdyne

 Lockheed Awarded $988M Definitive Contract for Hypersonic Weapon Prototyping Work – GovCon Wire: 

 The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $988.8M modification to definitize a previous contract action for the design of a hypersonic weapon prototype.

 The company will support the service branch in critical design review, test and manufacturing readiness efforts under the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon program, the Department of Defense said Monday.

 USAF issued a $480M award last year for Lockheed's missiles and fire control business to commence work on ARRW, which is one of two ongoing hypersonic technology prototyping efforts at the service.

 According to DoD, the modification finalizes contract price, specifications and terms.

 The branch will initially obligate $23M in fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds. Work under the modification will take place in Orlando through Dec. 31, 2022.


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Defense Ministry completed preliminary tests of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles on the Boomerang platform

Vitaly Kuzmin

 Минобороны завершило предварительные испытания БТР и БМП на платформе "Бумеранг"

 Translated by google

 Preliminary tests of prototypes of the armored personnel carrier (BTR) K-16 and infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) K-17 on the promising wheeled chassis "Boomerang" are completed. This was reported by TASS with reference to a statement by the Director General of the company "VPK" Alexander Krasovitsky.

 According to him, preliminary tests of the latest armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles on the Boomerang platform were carried out jointly with the Ministry of Defense in accordance with the schedule for the Boomerang development. From the military department participated the Main Armored Directorate and research organizations.

 Krasovitsky emphasized that the APCs and BMPs on the Boomerang platform confirmed the specifications stated in the statement of work. Currently, the company has begun assembling new BTR K-16 and BMP K-17 samples, which will take part in state trials.

 (...) the assembly of new prototypes within the framework of the Boomerang R&D for conducting state tests has begun. (...) preparations were made for the production of armored hulls of a modified design. (...) a ready-made new armored hull is already located, on the basis of which a full-size mock-up of a combat vehicle will be assembled for ballistic tests and mine resistance tests
he declared.

 Earlier it was reported that the tests of the Boomerang combat platform are on schedule. After the preliminary testing stage, the car will go through the state and only then will it go into series. However, specific dates for the commissioning of machines based on the platform are not called, as this is classified information. At the same time, enterprises are called where the production of new machines will be launched: Nizhny Novgorod, Arzamas, Vyksa and Bryansk.

 To date, on the basis of the Boomerang platform, BMP K-17, wheeled BTR K-16 have been created, the option of creating a combat vehicle with heavy weapons (BMTV or "wheeled tank") is being considered. In the future, it is planned to create a whole family - BREM (armored repair and recovery vehicle), command vehicle, reconnaissance, anti-tank, depending on the request of the Ministry of Defense.



Bumerang 8×8 Armoured Personnel Carrier (K-16 APC: Details
Bumerang 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (K-17):  Details
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