Renault Trucks has announce they have received a contract from NATO for Sherpa 3 4x4s.
The Sherpas are to carry mobile communication systems for the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Taking into account the operational urgency, the first vehicles will be delivered to NATO in September 2008. When more details are available we will pass them on.
Luxembourg will purchase 48 DINGO 2s from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). The vehicles are destined for the Army's reconnaissance companies and will come equipped with a mast system and electronics and optics from Thales.
The DINGO 2 has a range of 1000 km, a top speed of approximately 90 km/h and holds a crew of 8. It is protected by significant amour and a Kongsberg remote-operated turret. The vehicle can be transported in C160 Transall, C130 Hercules and A400M aircraft.
The contract will be coordinated through NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) with Thales as the prime. Luxembourg will now share platform commonalities with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Over the next 10 years, an estimated $23 billion will be spent on the development and production of major EW programs, according to Forecast International's “The Market for Electronic Warfare Systems.” Some 35,814 units of leading electronic countermeasures (ECM), radar warning receivers (RWRs), electronic support measures (ESM), and other EW systems that make up this analysis are expected to be produced through 2017.
“The need to counter IEDs has led to a sharp demand for systems and research designed specifically for that task,” said Andrew Dardine, Forecast International Senior Aerospace & Defense Analyst and author of the analysis. “The threat from these devices has only grown more in size and sophistication over the past few years. As a result, major contracts have been awarded to move the effort forward."
The market leaders in this analysis are Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Raytheon, ITT, and Lockheed Martin. The French defense firm Thales and Israel’s Elta Systems are also making increasingly strong showings in the areas of ESM and ECM systems for a variety of international applications.
While little has changed in recent years in terms of the apparent reluctance of any government agency to fund this extremely expensive work, EW manufacturers are jockeying for position in the market of missile protection for civilian airliners. The need to protect civilian airliners and other non-military aircraft has led many companies to invest large sums of money into adapting their military infrared (IR) countermeasures systems to new uses. The scope of this effort is truly international, with companies such as Saab, EADS, and Israel’s Rafael taking a strong lead, as well as BAE systems and Northrop Grumman.
While the prospect of equipping civilian aircraft is far from certain, the military demand for this technology is more assured. Northrop Grumman’s Large Aircraft IR Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system is expected to be installed on a growing number of NATO and U.S. aircraft. The FY08/09 U.S. defense budget features one of the biggest allotments for LAIRCM development and procurement in the system's history. The Pentagon plans to spend well over $1 billion through FY13 on procurement of the systems for these aircraft, declaring that its long-range desire is to equip a total of 444 aircraft.
Among military planners, the need to adapt and adopt airborne electronic attack (AEA) systems will also be a major market driver. Low-rate initial production of the U.S. Navy’s all-important EA-18G Growler AEA platform is to run through 2009-2012. Meanwhile, upgraded EA-6B Prowlers are deploying as fast as they can be completed. Desperately needing to disrupt and disable enemy communications on a moment’s notice, the U.S. Marine Corp has already taken an early lead in the program, procuring its own fleet of upgraded aircraft.
In terms of funding, based on a projection of the current U.S. defense budget, the Navy will likely spend more than $2.3 billion over the next 10 years on R&D for EW technology. Likewise, the Air Force can be expected to commit some $673.6 million for its own EW needs – a number that may change dramatically with the prospect of a possibly renewed B-52 Airborne Electronic Attack program.
Source: Forecast International Press Release
The Dutch government has announced that it will extend its' current Afghan mission to August 2010. Legislative hearings and presentations will be held December 6th and 7th.
As part of the extension there will be a troop reduction of 300 from the current approximately 1,650. The total estimated cost of their mission is expected to be 1 billion euros.
"On 21 November, in a ceremony held at NAMSA, the Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Logistic Support Cooperation with Israel.
The MOU is of particular importance to many NATO nations currently operating equipment of Israeli origin as it facilitates access to Israeli industry for the acquisition of unique spares and services. Currently NAMSA has to go through a lengthy authorisation process to acquire these. It is expected that the MOU will permit to simplify and expedite this process, for the benefit of NATO members."
