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Page 1 Daily News
by Gail Helmer
Friday, March 23, 2001
Jane's News Briefs
Jane's News From IDEX 2001 Day 3.
The 5th International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX 2001) is happening at the Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Centre, United Arab Emirates, from March 18th to March 22nd 2001. See Show Daily for full stories.
Headlines from the IDEX Show Day 3:
Germany can only create a unified missile company if it has close links with MBDA, according to EADS' head of Defence & Civil Systems, Tom Enders. EADS is the major shareholder of LFK, Germany's leading missile house.
Details of Iran's helicopter industry have been revealed in detail for the first time at IDEX 2001. The strong presence of the Iran Helicopter Support & Renewal Company (IHSRC) has added weight to claims by the country's Aviation Industries Organisation that it is the "leading helicopter maintenance centre in the Middle East".
US missile maker Raytheon has opened negotiations with the UAE Air Force & Air Defence to supply five missile systems for the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 combat jets, dubbed Desert Falcon in the UAE.
Europe's AFDS (autonomous free-flight dispenser system) weapon system has been successfully flown for the first time in free flight during trials by the Hellenic Air Force. The system will equip Greece's A-7 strike aircraft and has already been cleared for F-16 operations.
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces signed a contract in December 2000 with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) for upgrading the combat systems of the UAE Navy's TNC-45 missile patrol boats. The chosen Combat Management System, the new 9LV Mk3E from SaabTech Systems AB of Sweden, is said to offer great power, speed and flexibility to deal with today's - and tomorrow's - threat scenarios. SaabTech has also previously acted as subcontractor to ADSB in modernising the TNC-45 boats' non-combat systems.
Harris Corporation's RF Communications Division has won a $12 million contract from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence for its Falcon II family of tactical radio equipment. According to Harris, the Falcon II was selected for its digital platform, software-based architecture, and secure interoperability between high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF), and multiband family members. Designed for ease of use and longer mission life, the Falcon II product is said to deliver outstanding performance.
Thales and Advanced Electronics Company (AEC), the Riyadh-based economic offset company, have signed an agreement that enables the latter to sell the Sophie handheld thermal imager/binocular. The new co-operation is a follow-on from a May 1999 contract for the manufacture of Sophie electronics by AEC in Saudi Arabia. "This agreement further strengthens the long-term strategic alliance between AEC and Thales," stated Christian Breyton, chairman and CEO of Thales Optronique.
The advent of digital avionics, satellite-based navigation and communications systems and the need for military transport aircraft to become GATM (Global Air Traffic Management) compliant, has opened the way to avionics and cockpit upgrades on the C-130 Hercules and other airlifters.
New developments in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology may be seen in model form in the EADS hall. They indicate not only the current state of the art in this field but also provide an indication of the shape of UAVs to come.
Singapore Technologies Kinetics selected IDEX 2001 to unveil no fewer than three new weapons - a 155mm/39 calibre Light Weight Self-Propelled Howitzer (LWSPH), an 8 x 8 Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV) and a new 40mm Air Bursting Munition (ABM) system.
No less than three countries have now adopted the German Rheinmetall Weapons and Munitions fifth-generation 120mm Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot - Tracer (APFSDS-T) round, which is designated the DM53 by the German Army.
A vehicle-based ramp system designed to facilitate hijacked aircraft interdiction has been developed by Patriot3. This US-based company has used modular design principles to produce a system that can be adjusted to fit a number of vehicles, ranging from the Humvee to the large Ford Excursion people mover exhibited outside Hall 9.
The Battlefield Identification Friend or Foe (BIFF) system produced by Thales is being proposed as an upgrade to AFVs in the Gulf region, having been ordered into service with the French Army.
The French defence procurement agency has awarded Thales a contract to develop new tactical radio functions for the PR4G and deliver more of the sets to the French Army. The contract, known as PR4G VS4-IP, covers the development of such new functions as IP services and voice/data multiplexing. Delivery of several thousand more radios to the French Army starts in 2004, adding to some 20,000 sets it already has in service.
Examples of the latest in miniature cooler technology are on display at the Hymatic Engineering stand in Hall 7. Drawing on more than 60 years of experience in the development and production of equipment for the management, control and safe storage of gases and fluids, the company has now developed fourth-generation coolers.
Following an extensive international competition which culminated in user trials, the Belgian Gendarmerie has selected the Australian Tenix Defence Systems Shorland S600 4 x 4 internal security vehicle (ISV) to meet its future operational requirement. It has placed a contract worth A$5 million (US$2.5 million) for an undisclosed quantity of vehicles.
A mechanical means of filling sandbags may appear to be an unnecessary luxury for armies with plenty of manpower, but the need to erect defences may come at a time when soldiers are needed to bear arms - not dig sand.
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