Defence

Turkey is first operator to complete deliveries of A400M

pIvanova — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 09:38:40 +0000

Defence 28 September 2022

Turkey is first operator to complete deliveries of A400M

The Turkish air force (THK) has received its 10th and final Airbus A400M, completing deliveries of the type to the 12th Air Transport Main Base Command in Erkilet, Kayseri in Central Anatolia.

The unit, MSN118, is the first Batch 7 aircraft, the final production standard, and the first of nine aircraft expected to be delivered during 2022. It was flown to Turkey by a THK crew after completion of acceptance testing at the Airbus facilities in Seville, Spain.

The aircraft was a replacement for MSN23, written off in a fatal pre-delivery test flight in May 2015. Its crew was honoured at the formal acceptance of MSN118.

The first THK A400M (MSN9) was delivered to Turkey on April 4, 2014, and deliveries were originally scheduled for completion in 2018.

The A400M project was managed by the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), and is expected to see the delivery of 170 aircraft to seven nations. The A400M customers are France (50), Germany (53), Spain (27), Turkey (10) and the UK (22) with eight for Belgium and Luxembourg.

Turkish Aerospace (TUSAS) forms a vital element in the industrial consortium building the A400M, together with Airbus Defence and Space, BAE Systems, Belgium's Flabel and a host of other companies.

TUSAS is responsible for the front-mid fuselage, tail cone, and rear fuselage upper panel, fins/speed brakes, paratroop and emergency exit doors, as well as wiring, lighting, and water/waste systems.

Turkey’s A400Ms have already been busy, operating a controversial air bridge between Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Unity, and airlifting materiel to Ukraine in the run-up to Russia’s invasion.

Jon Lake

Jon is defence editor for both Arabian and African Aerospace magazines.

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Paramount secures orders and customer deliveries for the Mwari

eNethersole — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:53:40 +0000

The Mwari is the advanced reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision strike aircraft.

The orders for nine new Mwari’s represent an important milestone in its commercial success and have resulted in full levels of production at Paramount Group’s state-of-the-art aircraft factory, in meeting increasing global demand for the aircraft’s unique capabilities.

Coinciding with Africa’s largest defence expo, Africa Aerospace & Defence Expo (AAD 2022), the company further revealed that deliveries to an undisclosed customer are underway.

Mwari addresses a key global security requirement from air forces around the world, of any size, for advanced ISR and precision strike capabilities, in doing so, performing missions that previously required several different aircraft. It integrates design concepts from helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft with the ability to carry multiple systems, such as surveillance radar and electro optic sensor systems.

Ivor Ichikowitz, Paramount Group Founder said: “Mwari is a game changer for Air Forces. It’s purposefully designed for the kind of asymmetrical warfare that modern military forces across the world are today being asked to conduct. The aircraft has a critical role to play in the connected battlefield, providing forces on the ground and in the air with a force multiplier competitive advantage.”

Unique to the Mwari is its Interchangeable Mission Systems Bay (IMSB), located in the belly of the aircraft, providing near-endless sensor and payload options which can be integrated and be swapped out in less than two hours to take advantage of its innovative ‘plug-and-play’ mission system. The modular pod allows this single platform to perform a multitude of roles without any aerodynamic or ordinance penalties.

Mwari offers advanced onboard sensors, weapons and real-time data analysis that can undertake a wide range of missions, in austere and remote environments with very little logistical support. The aircraft is further purpose-built to be infinitely reconfigurable, allowing the application of Mwari in multiple roles and missions in response to diverse customer requirements around the world.

Ichikowitz added: “This is a proud moment for Paramount and our continent’s aerospace industry. The development and deployment of Mwari underscores the strategic importance of a world-class, indigenous African aerospace industry, one that can quickly and collaboratively address the increasing security threats, conflicts and insurgencies which Africa presently faces.”

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Wed, 21/09/2022 - 12:00

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Paramount Aerospace Industries has secured orders from multiple Air Forces for its revolutionary ‘Mwari.’

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JV pushes the lines of MRO expertise in Morocco

pIvanova — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 09:46:29 +0000

Defence 21 September 2022

JV pushes the lines of MRO expertise in Morocco

A joint venture, Maintenance Aero Maroc (MAM), has been formed by a strategic partnership between Morocco, Lockheed Martin and the Orizio Group, formerly Blueberry.

The industrial partnership is designed to support the requirements of the Royal Moroccan Air Force while fostering Orizio's international development.

MAM will build a maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) centre for military aircraft and helicopters at Benslimane airport, bringing high-tech jobs to the country and enhancing technical capabilities in Morocco.

It is the first achievement under a new law enabling Morocco to develop an indigenous military and defence industry .

The partnership is another milestone for the Belgian group, which changed its name from Blueberry this year. It has been operating in Morocco since 2012 through its subsidiary Sabca Morocco.

Stéphane Burton, Orizio chief executive, said it will leverage the group's combined know-how and expertise on the Lockheed Martin C-130 and F-16 and world-class service to extend its MRO network in the region.

Danya Trent, Lockheed Martin vice-president, F-16 Programme, said: “The significant cooperation is the result of several years of evaluation and discussion that will ensure the Kingdom of Morocco receives the best possible industrial facility, equipment, training and certification."

Last year, Pilatus and Orizio Group company Sabca signed a contract for the assembly of PC-12 fuselage and wing structures at its new facility in Casablanca.

Anuradha Deenapanray

Anuradha is a francophone editor for African and Arabian Aerospace magazines.

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Turkish Aerospace continues promotional activities in Africa

eNethersole — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 09:20:34 +0000

The company will bring its platforms, which has developed with national sources, and will make contacts with the delegations from the regional geography in order to develop regional business models.

Turkish Aerospace will add a new international promotional activity, and participate in the African Aerospace and Defense Fair, which will be held at Waterkloof Air Base in the Pretoria region of South Africa.

Turkish Aerospace President and CEO Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil said: “Under the umbrella of Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye Defense Industry Agency, at the fair where Turkey will be represented within the framework of national participation, we will bring together the advanced technologies of our country in the field of defense and aviation industry with delegations from the African region and from different countries of the world. We are glad to meet the delegations within the scope of the fair to describe our aerial and space platforms as well as next generation business models.”

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Tue, 20/09/2022 - 12:00

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Turkish Aerospace will participate in the Africa Aerospace and Defence fair, which will take place in South Africa on September 21-25, 2022.

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Saab trains UAE Nationals for defence and security jobs

eNethersole — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 09:20:20 +0000

Four Emiratis gained global experience through a six-month internship at Saab in Sweden, across several of the world’s most advanced industrial facilities. SEEDS joins the company’s local partnership programmes to increase its Emiratisation rate across multiple departments.

Anna-Karin Rosén, managing director of Saab in the UAE, said: “We are proud to welcome the inaugural cohort of SEEDS trainees as full-time employees at our facilities in Abu Dhabi. As a leading defence and security company, Saab is uniquely placed to grow Emirati talent by equipping the next generation of Emirati leaders with engineering skills, as well as creating high-tech jobs with rewarding career paths.”

Saab’s participation in SEEDS, an initiative created by the UAE defence and security industry enabler Tawazun Economic Council, gave trainees the opportunity to work alongside global experts and receive hands-on experience ahead of taking full-time roles at the company’s facilities in the UAE. During this placement the trainees worked across several departments, including aircraft systems, sub-system maintenance and logistics support, and software development.

Matar Ali Al Romaithi, chief officer of the Economic Development Unit at Tawazun Economic Council, added: “We are pleased that Saab has taken this step and look forward to more Emirati engagement with them as we work to support a sustainable pipeline of future talent. A core focus of Tawazun’s Economic Program involves people development and employment programs, identifying critical capabilities and inspiring a skilled national workforce through partnerships with companies such as Saab.”

In alignment with Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, Saab contributes to both the development of local talent and the long-term growth of the UAE’s defence industry ecosystem. Saab is also committed to furthering Emiratisation, with 14% of its workforce, specialised in engineering and government relations, comprising of UAE Nationals. Saab will be making robust efforts in the next few years to nurture Emirati nationals with opportunities, with a particular focus on engineering in software development, mechanics, and electronic design.

Posted date

Tue, 13/09/2022 - 12:00

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Saab, a leading defence and security company in the UAE, announced its first group of Sustain & Enhance Emiratisation in Defence and Security (SEEDS) trainees are being offered full-time jobs in Abu Dhabi upon graduating from the programme.

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USAF B-52 patrols send warning signal to Iran

pIvanova — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 11:31:53 +0000

Defence 12 September 2022

USAF B-52 patrols send warning signal to Iran

The US Air Force is augmenting its normal bomber deployments in the Middle East with frequent ‘presence patrols’ by long-range Boeing B-52H Stratofortress heavy bombers.

While B-1B Lancers remain deployed at Qatar’s Al Udeid air base, B-52s have made a number of ‘flying visits’ to the region this year, often in response to signals (or specific intelligence) indicating that Iran may be planning attacks against US and/or allied targets in Iraq or elsewhere in the region.

On Valentine’s day, a 5^th Bomb Wing B-52H flew from RAF Fairford, where it was temporarily deployed, and conducted manoeuvres with a number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) air forces before landing after a flight of about 23.5 hours. The Fairford deployment mounted a similar mission on March 29 2022.

On 9 June 9 2022, two B-52Hs, two KC-10 Extenders, and three KC-135 Stratotankers flew a similar presence patrol mission from their base at Minot AFB, North Dakota.

Lt Gen Greg Guillot, Ninth Air Force (AFCENT) commander, said such presence patrols "show the United States’ continued commitment and interoperability with our partners in the region [and] demonstrate our combined ability to provide global reach and joint security to the region.”

Jon Lake

Jon is defence editor for both Arabian and African Aerospace magazines.

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Qatar lights up the NH sky

pIvanova — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 11:42:35 +0000

Defence 06 September 2022

Qatar lights up the NH sky

Qatar has provided a glimmer of light for NH Industries in what would otherwise be dark times. Its air force and navy have taken delivery of the first examples of both variants of the NH90 multi-role military helicopter that it ordered.

While the Gulf state takes delivery of the first of 28 NH90s on order, elsewhere NH Industries has had a disappointing year with first Australia and then Norway dropping its aircraft from their fleets.

The NH90 is the product of Europe’s largest military helicopter programme run by the NHI consortium, a joint venture of Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%) and GKN Fokker (5.5%). Nearly 470 units have been delivered to 14 nations, including Oman and Qatar.

The aircraft is offered in two main variants: the NH90 tactical transport helicopter (TTH) is a land-based support helicopter, while the NH90 Nato frigate helicopter (NFH) is a shipboard naval helicopter optimised for autonomous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface unit warfare (ASuW) missions.

Qatar signed a contract in March 2018 for 16 TTH versions and 12 NFH variants, with an option to acquire six additional aircraft of each type. The contract also included associated infrastructure and a comprehensive support, maintenance and training services package.

Leonardo is prime contractor for the overall Qatar NH90 programme and is responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFHs from its Venice Tessera facility, while Airbus Helicopters is responsible for the final assembly and delivery of Qatar’s 16 NH90 TTHs from its Marignane facility.

The Qatar Emiri air force received its first NH90 TTH at Marignane in December 2021, and a formal handover ceremony for the first two NFH examples was held at Venice Tessera on March 31. Interestingly, the first Qatari NFH had already made its public premiere on December 18, 2021 during Qatar’s National Day celebrations.

The NFH units will operate from the Qatar Emiri navy’s four Al Zubarah-class air defence corvettes and the future air defence LPD. They will be armed with the MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missile and MU90 lightweight torpedoes.

Jon Lake

Jon is defence editor for both Arabian and African Aerospace magazines.

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Embraer concludes flight tests for C-390 Millennium

eNethersole — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 08:50:16 +0000

This provides the C-390 Millennium with the required capability to perform firefighting missions.

The tests, carried out at the Embraer facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo State, in Brazil, represent an important advancement in the certification campaign of this capacity by the Brazilian Military Certification Authority (IFI). After certification, the firefighting capability will be available to aircraft's operators.

The MAFFS II is a firefighting system capable of deploying up to 3,000 gallons of water (approximately 11,300 liters), both with and without fire retardant, according to the standard ground cover level criteria and in various types of terrain.

Designed to interface with the aircraft’s Cargo Handling System (CHS), the MAFFS II is rapidly installed on the cargo compartment of the airplane, using only its own trailer. The system requires only aircraft power to operate.

The conclusion of these tests, which included several in-flight water-drop, proved the system's ability to integrate with the aircraft, and demonstrated excellent aspects of flight quality and maneuverability, which are extremely necessary for this type of operation at low speeds.

The C-390 Millennium and its air-to-air refueling configuration, the KC-390, are the new generation of multi-mission military transport aircraft delivering unrivaled mobility and cargo capacity, rapid re-configuration, high availability, improved comfort, as well as optimal management of reduced operational costs through its life cycle, all in a single platform.

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Tue, 06/09/2022 - 12:00

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Embraer has successfully completed the flight test of the certification campaign for the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II).

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Africa's UAV defence imports

pIvanova — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 09:01:16 +0000

Defence 24 August 2022

Africa's UAV defence imports

A look at some of the major defence stories throughout Africa with Chinese UAV exports finding plenty of new targets.

The ongoing war in Ukraine, and the 2020 conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, have dramatically highlighted the operational usefulness of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).

These kinds of system were once exclusive to the US, and to a handful of ‘top tier’ US allies. But armed UAVs have proliferated in recent years as those nations who have not been allowed to buy armed MQ-9 Predators and Reapers have turned to Chinese and Turkish suppliers.

China is continuing to exploit US unwillingness to export armed UAVs, and its armed drones have, consequently, been widely sold, though they have not proved to be as operationally effective as the MQ-9, nor the Turkish Bayraktar TB-2.

The Chinese CH-4 is in use in Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, while the Wing Loong is in service in Morocco, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Algeria, in particular, has become a major operator of Chinese UAVs, having received five CH-3s for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and five armed CH-4 UAV systems. These will now be augmented by five CH5 Rainbow drones, armed with anti-tank missiles and guided bombs, and by an unknown number of Wing Loong 2 UAVs.

Algeria is expected to have 60 UAVs in service by the end of the year.

In neighbouring Morocco, a $500 million agreement has been signed for the supply of the state-of-the-art Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Barak MX air defense system.

Barak MX provides a single integrated solution allowing the simultaneous engagement of multiple airborne threats, and it is configurable and scalable enough to be used against anything from small drones to ballistic missiles.

The system consists of three basic elements, including a battle management centre and three types of missiles for different mission types.

Further East, Tunisia is to receive four Cessna Grand Caravan EX ISR aircraft.

Textron Aviation will deliver the aircraft to ATI Engineering Services, which will equip them with an electro-optical/infrared sensor, operator console, video datalink, tactical radios and night vision goggles (NVG)-compatible lighting, before delivering them to the Tunisian Air Force.

The US Government has already supported the transfer of 16 Grand Caravan EX aircraft to African customers since 2014, mainly via the foreign military sale (FMS) process.

Kenya, meanwhile, is looking to bolster its growing attack helicopter fleet.

Jordan supplied two AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters in 2017, and the UAE donated nine Eurocopter AS550 Fennec light helicopters to the Kenyan Air Force (KAF) in September 2019.

The US Government approved the sale of six MD530F attack helicopters to Kenya in May 2017, and these were formally inducted by chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, General Samson Mwathet, in January 2020.

Now, following the 2020 delivery, Kenya is on the verge of acquiring further examples of the MD Helicopters MD530F.

The Kenya Defence Forces are looking to increase the number of attack helicopters on strength to support operations against al-Shabab insurgents and to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as part of the KDF modernisation programme.

A US Army spokesman revealed that Kenya is among three countries to have expressed an interest in procuring new MD 530s, and that it could receive “two MD 530s on the production line that were originally procured for Afghanistan, but which are currently under a stop work order”.

“We are working towards resuming production for Kenya as part of their next aircraft procurement,” the spokesman added.

Kenya’s attack helicopters are operated by the Joint Helicopter Command in Embakasi, Nairobi, and at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.

Jon Lake

Jon is defence editor for both Arabian and African Aerospace magazines.

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Turkey is first operator to complete deliveries of A400M

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TATV INSIGHT: How Afghanistan NATO leader adds collaboration insight to Lockheed Martin

Paramount secures orders and customer deliveries for the Mwari

JV pushes the lines of MRO expertise in Morocco

Anuradha Deenapanray

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Turkish Aerospace continues promotional activities in Africa

Saab trains UAE Nationals for defence and security jobs

USAF B-52 patrols send warning signal to Iran

Jon Lake

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Qatar lights up the NH sky

Jon Lake

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Embraer concludes flight tests for C-390 Millennium

Africa's UAV defence imports

Jon Lake

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