MTU Aero Engines’ Post

There is no defence without Industry. At the #NATO - Industry Forum #NIF23, political and military leaders join forces with leading industry thinkers to brainstorm and align their views on cutting-edge capabilities and enhanced deterrence & defence. Johansson Micael from Saab, Paul Saunders from SAP, Michael Williamson from Lockheed Martin, Raffaella Luglini from Leonardo, and Michael Schoellhorn from Airbus Defence and Space shared their perspective on open dialogue & collaboration among stakeholders within the Alliance for the purpose of developing cutting-edge defense capabilities. The NATO-Industry Forum is the premier strategic-level event supporting NATO and industry engagements. The theme for the 2023 edition of the NATO-Industry Forum was ‘Addressing the New Strategic Reality Together’. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eNPZb_ad #WeAreNATO  

Negotiations between KNDS, a leading European manufacturer of military land systems, and Leonardo, an Italian aerospace and defence company, have officially ended without agreement. The two companies had been in discussions since December 2023 to explore a potential strategic partnership aimed at enhancing European defence capabilities. The negotiations aimed at two primary objectives: forming a strategic alliance between Leonardo’s defence division and KNDS, and jointly developing and producing the Leopard 2A8 battle tank for the Italian Ministry of Defence. Additionally, the collaboration sought to address the Italian procurement program for an infantry fighting vehicle. Frank Haun, CEO of KNDS N.V., commented on the situation: “With 18 European user countries, Leopard 2 is the battle tank standard of our continent and of NATO. It is more important than ever to safeguard this standard, which makes a significant contribution to the interoperability and joint combat power of the European and NATO armies. The parties did not manage to agree on configuration and consequently, talks about Leonardo’s strategic participation in KNDS have also fallen short. Yet KNDS continues to be committed to support the Italian Army.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/di6ihuQB #KNDS #Leonardo #Italy #Germany #Europe #Leopard2A8 #MGCS #defence #industry #military #armedforces

⚪ The German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck met with representatives of 20 defence companies and #startups to discuss further military support for #Ukraine. ⚪ The German Minister of #Economy spoke in favor of increasing the volume of armaments and #military equipment production, stating that Europe must ensure its defence capabilities on its own. ⚪ He emphasized the need to restore national defence scenarios, as the situation in the #world has changed and a ground war could suddenly return. ⚪ Representatives of the companies participating in the meeting are calling for improved planning #security, simplified licensing procedures, and better access to capital.  The meeting is attended by: 1. Rheinmetall 2. Quantum-Systems 3. Helsing 4. Airbus Defence and Space 5. Rohde & Schwarz 6. Airbus Helicopters 7. Diehl Defence 8. OHB System AG 9. Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems 10. HENSOLDT 11. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG 12. RENK AGENCY 13. NAVAL GROUP 14. MBDA ⚪ Also, on the eve of the meeting, the Minister of Economy had already called for an increase in public debt to stimulate military production and support countries, including #Ukraine. #StandWithUkraine #russionagression #partnerships #strategy #future #HelpingHand

Phase II of Poland’s WISŁA programme will begin following the Polish Ministry of National Defence and the US defence prime Northrop Grumman signing an offset agreement encompassing eight projects collectively valued at USD75m for its Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) based air and missile defence systems. Under the agreement Northrop will transfer technology to Polish industry, which will then manufacture, integrate, and test components of the IBCS systems. The Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. will produce ammunition for the systems and other beneficiaries of the offset projects include MESKO S.A., Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia S.A., Military University of Technology in Warsaw, and the Military Institute of Armament Technology. “Northrop Grumman continues to support a range of technology transfer activities with Polish industry via offset as well as direct commercial sales arrangements under WISŁA Phase I. We are looking forward to Phase II, where we will continue supporting local industry with additional offset and direct commercial activities,” Chuck Johnson, director of Northrop Grumman Polska, told #CTO. Find out more in the latest issue of the CTO newsletter 👉 Link in the comments. #CTO #offset #defenceindustry #Poland #WISŁA #IBCS #technologytransfer #missiles

Significant developments have unfolded as #Leonardo SpA and the Franco-German consortium, #KNDS, recently terminated their negotiations, initially set in motion in December 2023. These discussions were pivotal in establishing a partnership between #Leonardo's Defence Division and #KNDS, specifically its German component, #KraussMaffeiWegman (i.e. KNDS Germany), to outline Italian involvement in the Main Battle Tank programme, in preparation for the Italian Army's adoption of the #Leopard 2A8IT tank. The negotiations were crucial in defining the Italian technological and industrial contribution to the production of approximately 270 units, a plan intended for the Italian Army (130 MBTs and 140 derived special vehicles). Parliamentary committees have already approved the programme, which is included in the 2023-25 #DPP (i.e. "Documento Programmatico Pluriennale per la Difesa per il triennio 2023-2025). It is planned to be funded with 8.24 billion euros over the next 15 years, 100 million of which will be financed this year. However, the German company's hesitance to reach an agreement in this aspect had been a subject of speculation for some time, potentially posing a significant challenge to the Italian Army's MBT programme. In essence, the two companies disagreed on the "Italianisation" process of the tank, as mandated by the programme's authorisation decree approved by the Italian Parliament. Yet, in its "commitment to supporting the Italian Army", KNDS seems convinced that an off-the-shelf offer of Leopard 2A8 to the Italian Army could still be on the table. We shall see how this evolves... With the current situation, new possibilities emerge for the acquisition of a new MBT and for the #AICS. Among the potential options, the KF51 #Panther, unveiled by #Rheinmetall in 2022 at Eurosatory, stands out as a credible candidate. This tank is designed to meet multi-domain requirements, ready for integration with drones and loitering munitions, with a weight that appears suitable and offers promising growth potential. Another excellent alternative would be the South Korean #K2 #BlackPanther, already ordered in large numbers by #Poland (both off-the-shelf and for domestic production) and #Turkey in its local #Altay configuration and evaluated by #Romania and #Norway. However, this option would diminish the substantial premises of industrial operations at both the European and #NATO levels. For the #AICS, the candidates remain the evolved #CV90 by #BAESystems and the KF31 #Lynx by Rheinmetall. Clearly, in these circumstances, a #Panther+#Lynx "package" would make a great deal of sense ("hitting two doves with one stone"), with excellent growth prospects for the Italian armoured land sector and significant operational returns for the Italian Army. #Hungary has ordered both platforms and has attracted the interest of #Ukraine. We should also keep an eye on what could emerge from the incoming #Eurosatory2024. 

At the end of December 2023, the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA - Direction générale de l'armement) awarded Dassault Aviation an order for 42 Rafale combat aircraft, known as “tranche 5”, for the French Air Force (AAE). “On behalf of Dassault Aviation and the 400 companies involved in the Rafale program, I would like to thank the Ministry for the Armed Forces, the DGA and the AAE for their renewed confidence. We are ready and determined to use our skills as prime contractor and complex systems integrator to serve the sovereignty of our nation. This military industrial sovereignty is an exception in Europe. It guarantees the superiority of our combat aviation. It is also an asset for diplomatic influence and an economic strength in export trade”, says Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. The Rafale is a technical, operational and commercial success which continues to position France at a world-class level in combat aircraft. The Rafale has been designed to evolve by successive standards, in order to adapt the latest technologies to user needs. Standard 4, focusing particularly on connectivity, is under development. Standard 5, which is currently preparing for launch, will bring new capabilities in collaborative combat. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d_nR5PNC #France #DassaultAviation #Rafale #aircraft #fighter #airforce #defence #aerospace #industry #military #technology #Europe

EM technology is already and will forever be a deciding factor in military effectiveness.

This is my 3rd year working with the Africa Airforce Forum - each year it is in a different city. This year it is hosted by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), and marks a pivotal moment in the realm of African aerospace, air power, and collective security. It is also the 60th anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force and there will be a ceremonial parade and aerial display on May 25, 2024, at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna. So proud of everyone involved as the forum serves as a crucial platform for stakeholders in the African aerospace and defense sectors. #AfricaAirforceForum #NAF60 #NigerianAirForce #Aerospace #AirPower #CollectiveSecurity #Defense #Kaduna #ProudMoment #AerialDisplay #CeremonialParade #Aviation #MilitaryExcellence #AfricanAerospace #DefenseSector #GMevents #AviationIndustry #DefenseForum #AfricanDefense

The significance of our recent Everest Experiment at BattleLab should not be underestimated. Some 250 stakeholders witnessed first hand what can be accomplished in short order through the rapid integration of multi-vendor systems and equipment using open and/or software programmable interfaces to provide a common operating picture (COP) and resilient voice/data networks. Project Everest resonates with the changing tide around faster procurement moving from exquisite top-down to agile/spiral bottom-up. 30 years ago the barrier to such solutions was technology, now we just need to decide what is required and move forward to bring step changes in operational benefit to the warfighter at pace. Steve Noble, Ian Blower MBE, Tim Elliott MBA, Brian Shand, Pete Hoddinott, Peter Hayes VR MICW Fred Hargreaves OBE MA FIET CMgr FCMI. Ian Menzies, Louise Speaight (née Sipple), Chris Knapman, Chris Wood Systematic, Leonardo DRS, NSSLGlobal, Inmarsat, Exsel Group, Glenair #l3harris #fastforward #projecteverest

The UK team of Systematic Defence was delighted to be part of Project Everest. The genesis of this experiment was a 3 way discussion, about a year ago, between Ian Blower MBE, Peter Hurst and myself in a coffee shop in Farnborough! Between us we reckoned that our 3 companies could probably already offer a 90% (ish!) solution to the British Army's MORPHEUS requirement ("the next generation land tactical communication and information system") - off the shelf, with proven capabilities, highly cost-effective, and ready for operations tomorrow once brought together. The purpose of the experiment was to see whether our hypothesis was correct - and I think we were able to prove that it was! Systematic's role was to provide our C4I software suite "SitaWare", both the headquarters and mobile versions (vehicles and dismounted), which stitched together data from the individual tactical networks set up by L3H, including DRS hardware, and bringing together the mass of disparate information on a "single pane of glass" for use by commanders. With SitaWare demonstrated in use by dismounted commanders, in a recce vehicle, and within a tactical HQ, the large number of official visitors were able to see how it enabled command and control (planning and execution) from the lowest levels of command to the highest - and with multi-domain feeds informing the decision making process. We were also able to demonstrate how several companies (the original "team of 3" grew over the following months, as the video shows) could work together cooperatively to develop rapidly a new solution for the army. So our question to you is - what should our next experiment focus upon? Comments genuinely welcome. #MORPHEUS #LETACCIS #C2 #C4I #CommandandControl