Current Events in Europe

From Defense Aerospace Enter the Dragon (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Nov. 17, 2008) The Royal Navy's latest addition to the Type 45 destroyer fleet, to be called HMS Dragon, roared its way into the Clyde from BVT's shipyard at Govan today, complete with an 18 metre long Welsh Dragon attached to its bow. Dragon will join her sister ships as one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world. As well as providing air defence over a wide area, including for the future aircraft carriers, the Type 45s will be highly versatile and able to conduct a variety of operations. They will be able to carry up to sixty Royal Marines Commandos and their…

From Defense Aerospace Moscow Considering Purchase of Admiral Gorshkov Carrier (Source: Forecast International; issued November 17, 2008) MOSCOW --- The latest development in the saga that has been the modernization of the Admiral Gorshkov for the Indian Navy, Russian naval and defense industry officials have indicated that Russia may acquire the vessel if India is unwilling to provide the $2 billion needed to finance the extensive retrofit. On November 13, Deputy General-Director of Sevmash (Severodvinsk Machine Building Enterprise) Sergey Novoselov told RIA Novosti new agency that, "On the market, the price of an aircraft carrier like that varies from three…

From Jane's Analysis: Why 2009 could be the year of the Gripen By Craig Caffrey 06 November 2008 The next 18 months will see Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Switzerland make final selections for their respective fighter procurement competitions, with sales of up to 523 aircraft worth at least USD35 billion-USD40 billion at stake. It will be a truly crucial period in shaping the future of the global fighter market. The common link between these eight contests is the presence of the Saab Gripen in the bidding process. So far the Gripen's success in the export market has been limited, with contracts for 60 aircraft in p…

From Jane's Funding may delay UK's first JSF purchase By Tim Ripley 4 November 2008 UK procurement officials are considering options to push back the first purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, amid growing speculation that funding shortfalls are threatening UK participation in the programme. Jane's has learnt that UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials have raised the possibility of not buying three low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft over the next two years at a cost of some GBP450 million (USD742 million) and delaying purchases until production-standard aircraft are available in the middle of the next d…

From Flight International DATE: 03/11/08 SOURCE: Flight International Italian navy recapitalises By Luca Peruzzi To cope with new challenges from conventional and asymmetrical threats and provide a more flexible and capable organic capability, the Italian fleet air arm is involved in a recapitalisation programme that will see legacy rotary- and fixed-wing assets replaced with new-generation platforms including Agusta­Westland AW101 and NH Industries NH90 helicopters, and in the mid-term, Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs. Meanwhile, navy fleet power projection capabilities are being significantly enhanced with the delivery in 2008 and entry into service n…

In short, only a total of 8+1 FREMM ASM (ASW) frigates commanded, the 9 FREMM AVT (Action vers la terre/land strike) cancelled, and in the near future a new air defence variant FREMM FREDA (FRégates de Défense Aérienne, 2 ships?), with 16 ASTER 30 added: http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=108427 (in french)

From the very interesting Mer et Marine site: http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=108535 And nice pictures of Forbin.

Ripe scenario fodder here, folks ... From Telegraph Financial crisis: Iceland nationalises bank and seeks Russian loan The Icelandic government has seized the country's second-largest bank and pleaded with Russia to hand it a £3bn life-line loan in order to stave off "national bankruptcy" as it continued to come to grips with its harsh new economic realities. By Rowena Mason, in Reykjavik Last Updated: 12:35AM BST 08 Oct 2008 Prime Minister Geir Haarde rushed emergency measures through the Nordic nation's parliament to nationalise Landsbanki and give the country's largest bank, Kaupthing, a £400m loan to bolster its balance sheet. Landsbanki has…

From Defense Aerospace United Kingdom – RC-135V/W Rivet Joint Aircraft (Source: U.S Defence Security Cooperation Agency; issued October 3, 2008) WASHINGTON --- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom to convert three United States Air Force KC-135R aircraft into RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $1.068 billion. The Government of the United Kingdom has requested a possible sale to convert three United States Air Force KC-135R aircraft into RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircr…

From RIA Novosti What is the future for Russia's submarine fleet? 18:43 | 01/ 10/ 2008 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Dmitry Medvedev's remarks that Russia is resuming production of nuclear submarines for its Navy have been widely commented on. The country's submarine fleet is in critical condition and calls for renewal. The president's words raise hopes for an early change. Submarines play a special role in Russia's Navy. In the late 1950s, following the death of Josef Stalin, the new Soviet leaders opted for a nuclear missile equipped submarine fleet, and now it forms the core of the Navy's might. A drastic cut in the number o…

Times Article This might be straight from Alan Fridge, but it's an interesting development. It's also one I'd support, as my avatar suggests...

From Stratfor The Russian Resurgence and the New-Old Front September 15, 2008 By Peter Zeihan Russia is attempting to reforge its Cold War-era influence in its near abroad. This is not simply an issue of nostalgia, but a perfectly logical and predictable reaction to the Russian environment. Russia lacks easily definable, easily defendable borders. There is no redoubt to which the Russians can withdraw, and the only security they know comes from establishing buffers — buffers which tend to be lost in times of crisis. The alternative is for Russia to simply trust other states to leave it alone. Considering Russia’s history of occupations, from the Mongol horde to …

From Jane's Commissioning problems hit Astute delivery By Richard Scott 8th September 2008 The introduction to service of Astute, the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) first Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), has suffered further delays as a result of problems encountered in the boat's commissioning and test phase. Representatives from prime contractor BAE Systems Submarine Solutions and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have engaged in a joint review process to re-baseline the boat's programme to delivery. No formal announcement on the extent of the delay has been announced, but it is expected that the schedule slippage will push Astute's programme ac…

From Flight International DATE: 08/09/08 SOURCE: Flight International Lessons of the five-day war By Vladimir Karnozov While its continued military presence in Georgia has drawn widespread condemnation from much of the international community, Russia is already looking to learn the lessons from its air force performance during last month's five-day war. Immediate, medium and long-term objectives are likely to be identified through its analysis of the conflict, which was sparked by Georgia's ill-fated move to stamp its authority on the breakaway region of South Ossetia. ADDITIONAL FUNDING Russian president Dmitry Medvedev says additional funding w…

From DefenseNews DIA Official Defends Russia-Georgia Reporting By JOHN T. BENNETT Published: 2 Sep 11:10 EDT (15:10 GMT) The Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA's) top analyst says the U.S. agency provided Bush administration officials with ample warning that the simmering tensions between Georgia and Russia could erupt in fighting. In the wake of fighting that broke out between the two nations, including a massive Russian offensive deep within Georgian territory, many observers have wondered why U.S. and western officials failed to predict Moscow was ready to launch an massive assault on Georgia. And while Robert Cardillo, DIA's deputy director of analysis, …

From Navy Times TR group ready to deploy to Mediterranean The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Aug 28, 2008 14:52:16 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will deploy Sept. 8 with more than 7,000 sailors. The deployment will be to the Mediterranean, but the Navy said the group could go anywhere it is needed in support of maritime security. The group will deploy from Norfolk Naval Station and will later be joined by the guided-missile cruiser Monterey and guided-missile destroyers Mason and Nitze. On Monday, more than 450 sailors from the destroyer Gonzalez and the frigate Nicholas returned to Norfolk after a six-month deplo…

From RIA Novosti Russia 'could destroy NATO ships in Black Sea within 20 minutes' 16:03 | 29/ 08/ 2008 MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday. (Russian Navy modernized - Image gallery) Russia's General Staff said on Tuesday there were 10 NATO ships in the Black Sea - three U.S. warships, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish guided missile frigate Admiral Juan de Borbon, as well as four Turkish vessels. Eight more warships are expected to join the group. …

From ARES Netherlands, Norway Fighter Pitches Are In Posted by Bill Sweetman at 8/27/2008 8:00 AM CDT Both the Joint Strike Fighter and Gripen teams have released unclassified executive summaries of firm proposals to Norway and the Netherlands - which, after several years during which they looked like safe markets for JSF, are now running competitions to replace their F-16s. The JSF document can be found here, and the Gripen equivalent here. There are some interesting comparisons between the two. Here's JSF's range chart: The annotation and accompanying text make clear that the mission is maritime surveillance - pretty much the easiest mission yo…

All you folks writing new scenarios around the South Ossetian affair can add the De Gaulle to the OOB. From ARES Blog 100 Says to Go Before Charles de Gaulle Returns to Active Duty Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 8/22/2008 11:33 AM CDT The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier came out of its dry dock in the Mediterraean port of Toulon on a beautiful August 22 dawn and has another 100 days of maintenance and upgrade at quayside before it can go back to sea. The French flagship has been undergoing its first major technical stoppage (known in French as an IPER which stands for: Indisponibilité Périodique pour Entretien et Réparations or periodical indi…

From Aviation Week Russian Assault Reveals Weaknesses Aug 20, 2008 By David A. Fulghum Russian military officials, in writings there that are catching U.S. analysts' attention, are concluding that Russia's offensive into Georgia was morally justified but poorly organized and executed in the opening phases due to surprise. U.S. government officials and analysts have been poring over open-source literature to gather operational and technological clues to events in the Georgia-Russia conflict. The opinions are coming from current and recently retired senior military commanders, and appear in Russia's Independent Military Review, other defense related publicatio…