Mil News Western Europe Military News

[Gaz]

UK news -

For the first time ever, a warship will bear the name King George VI – as the fourth new Dreadnought-class submarine is named.
Just hours before the nation honours the men and women involved in upholding the UK’s most important military mission, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones revealed the title of the fourth boat which will carry the next-generation nuclear deterrent alongside HMS Dreadnought, Valiant and Warspite.
The unveiling of the name of George VI – father of the Queen and a former naval officer who was mentioned in dispatches for his actions at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 – comes as his great grandson prepares to lead tributes at Westminster Abbey to those involved in 50 years of the Continuous At Sea Deterrent.

Royal name for new submarine as deterrent crews take centre stage | Royal Navy

For the first time ever, a warship will bear the name King George VI – as the fourth new Dreadnought-class submarine is named.

www.royalnavy.mod.uk

 

[BelgianWaffle]

Belgium approved for SkyGuardian

Belgium's planned procurement of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has taken a step forward after the US State Department announced on 26 March that it had approved the deal.


Announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the approval for the Foreign Military Sale covers four SkyGuardian medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and two fixed ground control stations (GCSs), as well as sensors, ancillary equipment, training, and a five-year support package.


As noted in the approval, Belgium plans to use the SkyGuardian for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) in support of national, NATO, United Nation-mandated, and other coalition operations. "The current fleet of Belgian Air Component aircraft have proven insufficient to support sustained and persistent ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] operations," the DSCA said. The country did not request weapons as part of its buy.


The estimated cost of the planned procurement is about USD600 million. With the granting of State Department approval, the deal must now be confirmed by Congress before being signed off.


Jane's has previously reported that Belgium is looking to procure two SkyGuardian UAS', and so this DSCA notification for four aircraft likely covers two additional options to be exercised at a later date. Deliveries are planned for 2022-24, with a full operational capability being reached in 2025.

Janes | Latest defence and security news

Janes | The latest defence and security news from Janes - the trusted source for defence intelligence

www.janes.com

France:
Nexter Group - Scorpion Programme : Griffon 6X6 Armoured Vehicle & Jaguar 6X6 IFV

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Belgium will acquire 382 griffons and 60 jaguar to replace the piranha IIIC,dingo II and pandur I of the land component .

 

[Fish&Chips]

Belgium will acquire 382 griffons and 60 jaguar to replace the piranha IIIC,dingo II and pandur I of the land component .

The Dingos should be only about 10 years old, so what's the issue with them to have them replaced?

 

[AAR Galileo]

UK: HMS Talent Submarine equipped with Wake detection system like the russian/soviet subs?

Royal Navy Sub Appears In Gibraltar Equipped With A Wake Detection System

This non-acoustic sensor could supplement the boat's sonar when hunting for especially quiet enemy submarines.

www.thedrive.com

 

[bdpopeye]

Looking ahead – US Marine Corps aircraft to embark on board HMS Queen Elizabeth

Follow this link ^^ for the full Monty..

Last week the US Marine Corps formally announced what had been known for some time, that their F-35B jets will join the 2021 Carrier Strike Group (CSG21) operational deployment on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. Here we look at the implications and benefits of this joint operating arrangement.

Exercise Crimson Flag will be held at RAF Marham in Autumn 2020 which will see USMC and UK F-35Bs conduct synthetic live combat training together. RN helicopters will also participate as the ‘CV Wing’ starts to come together. (The CVW was formerly referred to as the ‘Tailored Air Group’ but has since been Americanised). USMC jets are also likely to spend some time aboard QE in 2020 before the operational deployment the following year.

When HMS Queen Elizabeth sails for CSG21, expect to see 24 F-35Bs and rotary wing assets on board. 12 aircraft from 617 Squadron will be joined by 12 US Marine Corps aircraft, probably from either VMFA-211 or VMFA-122. (Full strength USMC squadrons will typically number 16 aircraft, but may deploy in smaller numbers as needed – the Wasp class LHD assault ships normally embark between 6 – 9 F35s.). The USMC says it plans to eventually permanently designate one of its squadrons to provide aircraft for deployment on Royal Navy carriers.

 

[Mokordo]

Spain pulls frigate from U.S. Gulf mission amid differences over Iran

Spain has withdrawn a frigate from a U.S.-led naval group in the Gulf because it was now focusing on alleged threats from Iran rather than an agreed objective to mark an historic seafaring anniversary, the Spanish government said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Chazman]

Looking ahead – US Marine Corps aircraft to embark on board HMS Queen Elizabeth

Follow this link ^^ for the full Monty..

Last week the US Marine Corps formally announced what had been known for some time, that their F-35B jets will join the 2021 Carrier Strike Group (CSG21) operational deployment on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. Here we look at the implications and benefits of this joint operating arrangement.

Exercise Crimson Flag will be held at RAF Marham in Autumn 2020 which will see USMC and UK F-35Bs conduct synthetic live combat training together. RN helicopters will also participate as the ‘CV Wing’ starts to come together. (The CVW was formerly referred to as the ‘Tailored Air Group’ but has since been Americanised). USMC jets are also likely to spend some time aboard QE in 2020 before the operational deployment the following year.

When HMS Queen Elizabeth sails for CSG21, expect to see 24 F-35Bs and rotary wing assets on board. 12 aircraft from 617 Squadron will be joined by 12 US Marine Corps aircraft, probably from either VMFA-211 or VMFA-122. (Full strength USMC squadrons will typically number 16 aircraft, but may deploy in smaller numbers as needed – the Wasp class LHD assault ships normally embark between 6 – 9 F35s.). The USMC says it plans to eventually permanently designate one of its squadrons to provide aircraft for deployment on Royal Navy carriers.

Should be interesting.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Another German submarine runs aground in Norwegian waters

The German Navy’s newest Type 212 submarine, the U36, reportedly came into contact with the sea bottom as it was departing the Royal Norwegian Navy base Haakonsvern. German news site Der Spiegel first reported the accident, citing navy officials. Video footage of the damage is currently being...

navaltoday.com

Class 212A boat U36 has reportedly hit the ground while leaving the Norwegian naval base Haakonsvern.

 

[Navor]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Dutch have bought 2 Leopard 2 driver training tanks.
According to the sequence of tweets,this might be the first step towards re-introducing a proper tank unit(currently they only have one tank squadron within a German Batallion) ,mlrs and upping the numbers of Boxer and PzH2000.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Wow. That might become a total turnaround in terms of MBTs. Interesting news.

 

[The Dane]

Not excactly news, but important since I think, it's just the beginning of a larger deployment to the region(Sahel).
We're sending 2 Merlin transport helicopters with support to the French led Operation Barkhane.

Denmark plans to back anti-jihadist force in Sahel

Denmark announced Thursday that it plans to send materiel and some troops to Africa to help support the French operation combatting jihadist groups in the Sahel.

www.thelocal.dk

 

[muck]

@All Krauts, particularly veterans of TheMess.net

Have we ever discussed the so-called Bühler paper in earnest?

Dutch have bought 2 Leopard 2 driver training tanks.
According to the sequence of tweets,this might be the first step towards re-introducing a proper tank unit(currently they only have one tank squadron within a German Batallion) ,mlrs and upping the numbers of Boxer and PzH2000.

This news raises an interesting question, one that'll also become relevant again come the planned reintroduction of self-propelled anti air guns into the German Army: Is it really less expensive to ditch a weapon's system for a couple of years and reintroduce it afterwards, than to just to operate it over the same period of time? I have my doubts. I wouldn't be surprised if we and the Dutch ended up having to pay extra.

 

[Fish&Chips]

On that note, are there still Gepards somewhere in storage or have they all been scrapped or sold off?

 

[Junglejim]

You guys arent planning to pull a China, are you?

Latest News & Current Event Updates | Yahoo News Singapore

Discover the latest news and headlines on breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with photos and videos from trending hot topics to viral news.

ph.news.yahoo.com

 

[muck]

On that note, are there still Gepards somewhere in storage or have they all been scrapped or sold off?

As far as I know, they have been transferred to the manufacturer. Some have been sold to Romania and Brazil, most were earmarked for the scrapyard though. A couple of them have been retained for tests and other purposes.

KMW still has the Gepard 1A2 in its sales portfolio. However, it's possible they do not maintain a full-fledged production line anymore. I might be wrong, though. During the early twenty-tens, they had a new variant under active development that could act as both a manned SPAAG as well as a semi-autonomous CIWS for field camp protection.

I never understood why we didn't buy those instead of the stationary Mantis. The Leopard 1 platform's age alone cannot possibly have been the reason. It's going to see continued use for quite a while still.

You guys arent planning to pull a China, are you?

Latest News & Current Event Updates | Yahoo News Singapore

Discover the latest news and headlines on breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with photos and videos from trending hot topics to viral news.

ph.news.yahoo.com

Why yes, the gloriously retarded "decolonialization" committee at its best. I would've loved to see their faces when the news came in that New Caledonia wanted to remain French.

 

[Fish&Chips]

I never understood why we didn't buy those instead of the stationary Mantis. The Leopard 1 platform's age alone cannot possibly have been the reason. It's going to see continued use for quite a while still.

Yep, the Mantis seems like yet another procurement fail to me. In terms of mobile systems, there's also Rheinmetall's Skyranger, but imho this cannot compete with a Gepard-like vehicle either. Skyranger needs at least two vehicles namely search radar plus the AA platform (35 mm gun or missile launcher) whereas the Gepard is/was a two-in-one solution.

 

[muck]

The reason why I mentioned the "Bühler paper" earlier is that Germany reported to NATO that it would reintroduce a mobile close range air defense platform during the 2020s. The way I understood it, Skyranger is indeed the system the Army wishes to procure.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Ok, well at least there will another mobile solution if this goes through. The LeFlaSys alone doesn't seem to do the job. Spending one or two Stingers on a target would certainly be more expensive also than a couple rounds of AA shells.

 

[BravoZulu]

Norway:

Norway is set to write-off the damaged Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate KNM Helge Ingstadafter a report found that repairing the salvaged ship would cost more than buying a new-build replacement.
Released on 15 May, the analysis prepared by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell) estimated that repairs would cost NOK12-14 billion (USD1.4-1.6 billion) and take more than five years. The cost of purchasing a new similar vessel is estimated at NOK11-13 billion, with a similar time to completion.
Commissioned into the Royal Norwegian Navy in September 2009, Helge Ingstad was severely damaged on 8 November 2018 after colliding with the tanker Sola TS in waters just outside Ågåtnes oil terminal in Hjeltefjorden.
https://www.janes.com/article/88637/norway-set-to-write-off-salvaged-frigate

 

[AAR Galileo]

France:

The new medium helicopter H160M / HIL has been named : Le Guépard (the cheetah).
It will equip the 3 branch of the french force

Airbus Helicopters H160 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Army version

Navy

Air force