Current Events in Europe

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt]

Great pics of the new French FREMM frigate Aquitaine, inside and out, here and here.

As per this Mer et Marine article, the SSN Rubis/Amethyste class was equipped with pump-jet replacing propellor sometime after the SSN Le Triomphant (pump-jet equipped) entry in service in 1997 (all the Rubis class has finished his upgrade to Amethyste level in 1995). I've not finded any other reference about the topic: http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=120184 Mmmm, after re-reading it, it can be only a change for a better propellor, I'm not sure ...

From Flight International DATE: 23/01/09 SOURCE: Flight International NATO picks Sigonella for Alliance Ground Surveillance base By Pino Modola NATO has formally selected Sigonella air base in Sicily as the main operating base for its future Alliance Ground Surveillance capability, which should be delivered from 2012 using Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicles. Italian defence minister Ignazio La Russa says no opposition emerged to the Sigonella proposal from NATO members ahead of a 16 January deadline to select the site for the main ground infrastructure and aircraft for the AGS system. NATO's core AG…

Something to keep your eye on over the next year or three. The Scottish National Party, which won a majority in the devolved government of Scotland last year is starting to move towards a referendum on the country becoming independent. The issues with Westminster agreeing to let them do this legally are on firstly timing (Holyrood wants it in 2014, Westminster sooner) and over a second question allowing for a "devolution-max" (essentially having everything bar defence and foreign affairs). A full guide on the issue can be found here here. It's by no means a certainty that there would be a yes vote - but if Scotland were to break away, the defence ramifications wo…

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 Global [excerpt]

French SSBN activities pinned by a fitness APP, and it is not the only example: https://www.eurasiantimes.com/french-nuclear-submarines-stealth-mode/#google_vignette

Russia to deploy Iskander SSMs to Kaliningrad. Provocative and a half. What next, sell them to Cuba along with Su-35s?

First European Theatre Missile Interceptor System Achieves NATO Interoperability (Defense Aerospace)

Still very hypothetical, of course. UK MoD Releases First Images of Royal Navys New Boomers (USNI News)

From RIA Novosti [excerpt]

A short and very interesting article about the situation of Marine Nationale in 1939 and her motivations, at the start of WWII (in French): http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=112023

RUSSIAN NAVY TO MAINTAIN SURFACE SHIP FLEET INTACT FOR 10-15 YEARS MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia can maintain its current surface ship fleet without sizeable reduction for the coming 10-15 years, the Russian Navy's commander-in-chief, Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov, told RIA Novosti. "By overhauling our ships, we can maintain the current surface fleet until 2015-20 without any considerable reduction," he said. According to the admiral, the situation is more complicated as far as small surface ships and craft operating in the littorals are concerned. "Repairs and overhaul will not be enough here," Kuroyedov stressed. "It is simple - the smaller is the ship,…

From Jane's Navy International 31 May 2007 UK MoD remains open to three-boat nuclear deterrent option By Jon Rosamond The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refused to rule out replacing its four Vanguard-class ballistic nuclear missile submarines (SSBNs) with a new generation of just three boats. However, officials said a "significant body of work" would have to be carried out before they can judge whether the UK could maintain a continuous nuclear deterrent at sea with fewer, but more reliable, submarines. They also warned that the financial savings that accrue would not be as large as the one-quarter reduction in the size of the SSBN fleet might suggest…

France says aircraft carrier price too high Former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau Yahoo PARIS (Reuters) - France's chief arms buyer on Tuesday rejected the proposed cost of a new French aircraft carrier as too high and urged French and British industries to work more closely on respective projects to keep costs down. MOPA2, a joint venture between French state shipyard DCN and arms electronics firm Thales, sent a proposal to the DGA arms procurement agency in December but the agency's top official told reporters the price tag was too expensive. "What you need is a satisfactory industrial proposition, which we don't have at the moment. The proposition …

From Navy Times France shows off new, roomy amphib By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Thursday May 31, 2007 9:59:56 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — The French Navy’s new 21,500-ton amphibious ship Tonnerre towered over the pier at this sprawling naval base, just as high as the 40,000-ton U.S. Navy assault ships tied up at piers on either side. But on coming aboard, a visitor is struck by something just not found inside the nearly twice-as-large American ships: space. Photos View a gallery of images of the Tonnerre The Tonnerre, second of France’s two Mistral-class Force Projection and Command (BPC) ships, is nearly as roomy as a cruise ship. Wide passag…

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…

Including commander of Cypriot Navy