Defence Industry News

Shipbuilding group Austal Limited announces that Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on November 23, 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.Austal Limited Chief…

Damen Naval and project partner NVL Group held a steel cutting ceremony at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany for the first new multipurpose frigates for the German Navy.“We are proud to be able to start cutting steel entirely on schedule on December 5. We were able to complete the development phase in record time, something that is partly due to the excellent cooperation with BAAINBW, the Navy and the other German authorities,” said Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen.

The Portuguese Navy has contracted Damen Shipyards Group for the design, construction and outfitting of a multi-purpose vessel.The contract was signed by Director of Ships Rear Admiral Jorge Pires and Damen Shipyards Group CCO Jan Wim Dekker. The project follows a European tender process and is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19…

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

The UK Ministry of Defense has awarded £3.95 billion (currently ~$4,81 billion) of funding to BAE Systems for the next phase of the UK's next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine program, known as SSN-AUKUS.According to BAE Systems, SSN-AUKUS will be the largest, most powerful, and most advanced attack submarine the Royal Navy has ever operated and will eventually replace the Astute class, which BAE Systems builds at its site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.The funding follows the AUKUS announcement in March by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the United States.

Australia said on Monday it would accelerate plans to buy advanced sea mines to protect its maritime routes and ports from "potential aggressors" amid China's plans to increase its influence in the Pacific region.The so-called smart sea mines are designed to differentiate between military targets and other types of ships, a defence department spokesperson said in a statement."(Australia) is accelerating the acquisition of smart sea mines, which will help to secure sea lines of communication and protect Australia's maritime approaches," it said.

Greece launched a tender on Friday to sell Hellenic Shipyards SA, the country's biggest shipyard which has been under special administration, the Finance Ministry said.The conservative government has promised to overhaul the loss-making Greek defence industry while boosting the country's defence capabilities, amid rising tension between Greece and Turkey over offshore gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean.It has said its plans include overhauling the military division of Hellenic Shipyards, which is based in Skaramangas, near Athens.Greece has said U.S.

French tech company iXblue will deliver inertial navigation systems and gyrocompasses for new Royal Australian Navy’s SEA1180 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV). Based on Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology, iXblue’s inertial navigation systems will provide the 12 new Arafura Class vessels with highly accurate and reliable navigation capabilities in all environments, including within GNSS-denied operational areas, iXblue said.David Cunningham, commercial director at iXblue: "We would…

The ramping up of shipbuilding programs in Adelaide this year is providing an employment lifeline for South Australia as the state’s looks for ways to tackle boost jobs growth post coronavirus.There are already almost 700 people working on the Hunter Class Frigate Program. Those numbers are expected to reach 1000 by, the end of the year and 1,500 by mid-2025 before reaching a peak of 2,400 in 2028.Nine anti-submarine warfare frigates will be built by ASC Shipbuilding at the Osborne…

Seaspan Shipyards, Canada’s non-combat shipbuilding partner for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Hargreaves as Vice President, Strategy & Business Development.David brings to Seaspan over 25 years of experience in complex system engineering and a track record of growth-oriented industrial development, building long-lasting customer relationships and establishing strategic partnerships.Leveraging Seapan’s world class modern infrastructure…

Netherlands-based shipbuilding giant Dutch Damen Shipyards Group reported a net loss of EUR 17 million (USD 19.1 million) in 2018 - the first time in fifteen years.Damen reports that its financial situation stems from a sustained period of difficulty in a number of maritime sectors and investments it has made in its future.Notably, despite rising oil prices, the offshore hydrocarbon sectors continue to present tough trading conditions. The harbour towage sector, a key market for Damen, is also underperforming as competition in the marketplace exerts downward pressure on prices and tug operators seek to consolidate their operations.And…

Naval Ship Management (NSM), an existing joint venture between Babcock and UGL, has been awarded the support and sustainment program for two Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) at the Garden Island Defence Precinct in NSW, following a competitive bidding process.The announcement made today by the Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, confirmed NSM was selected by the Australian Defence Force to sustain and support two LHDs and twelve LHD Landing Crafts (LLCs) for a period of 15 years.

German shipbuilder Luerssen has suspended production of coastguard vessels it was building for Saudi Arabia and placed large numbers of staff on short hours, blaming uncertainty over whether Berlin would grant future weapons export licences.After dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin would authorise no further weapons exports until Riyadh had satisfactorily explained his death.Privately-owned Luerssen was commissioned to build the coastal patrol vessels five years ago…

ST Engineering announced the appointment of Tom Vecchiolla as President & CEO (Designate) of its US Headquarters, VT Systems. He will take over as President & CEO from General (Ret.) John Coburn on 1 December 2018, who will relinquish his CEO position but remain as non-executive Chairman of VT Systems.Gen. Coburn has been at the helm VT Systems for 17 years since it was set up in 2001 to support the Group’s overseas expansion. Today, the US is the Group’s single largest market outside of Singapore…

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Australia’s Department of Defence has awarded a contract to Naval Shipbuilding Institute (NSI), a joint venture between HII’s Technical Solutions division and Kellogg Brown and Root’s (KBR) Government Services division, to establish and manage Australia’s new Naval Shipbuilding College. This effort is in support of Australia’s mission to recapitalize its shipbuilding and maritime sustainment industry over the next several decades. In announcing the request for proposals in 2017, Minster of Defence Industry Christopher Pyne emphasized that the Naval Shipbuilding College is a unique organization…

The second Hobart class destroyer, NUSHIP Brisbane, has commenced her first phase of sea trials, which will test the ship’s hull, propulsion and navigation systems. The initial trial phase, which will occur over the coming months, will be followed by a more advanced phase of sea trials next year to test the ship’s combat and communications systems. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said the milestone was a further demonstration of industry’s role as a fundamental input into capability for Defence. “Over the past decade, more than 5,000 people from across the Department of Defence, ASC, Raytheon Australia and Navantia have dedicated millions of hours of effort to the Air Warfare Destroyer program,” Minister Pyne said.

Maintaining the rapid pace to apply the latest digital technology to its low-speed diesel and dual-fuel engines and corporate processes, engine designer Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD) has announced its participation in the Shipdex community. The Shipdex organisation has introduced a version of the S1000DTM specification for digital data exchange applied in the aerospace and defence industry, and adapted to the marine sector. This S1000D specification standardizes electronic dissemination of technical data to equipment makers, shipyards and ship owners. WinGD is committed to making all its technical documentation available to ship builders and operators in a digital form, which complies with the precisely defined and internationally established standards in Shipdex.

The Royal Australian Navy is hosting the biennial Sea Power Conference with senior naval delegations from around the world descending on Sydney for three days of discussions and Navy-to-Navy engagements. Run alongside the Pacific 2017 international maritime exposition, Sea Power Conference is Navy’s premier gathering of naval chiefs and this year will explore the broad theme of ‘The Navy and the Nation’, focusing on maritime identity, the significance of maritime economics and use of the oceans. Delivering the keynote address at the welcome breakfast, the Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, said Sea Power Conference was a hallmark event for Defence and Australia.

As Damen Shipyards Group prepares its SEA 1180 OPV Program tender to the Australian Ministry of Defense, the Dutch shipbuilder said it has held two industry briefings aimed at Australian companies active in the maritime and defense industries. Now in the preliminary stages of the tender process, Damen said it held the briefings in Adelaide on February 3 and in Perth on February 5 “to become better acquainted with the capabilities, services and products of local suppliers,” as it aims to encourage the maximum possible amount of Australian content…

In a collaborative project with Australian industry, the Royal Australian Navy is extending its use of simulation to electronic warfare training. A common electronic warfare sensor suite is planned across the future fleet and future electronic warfare sailors need to have the advanced skills to meet upcoming demand. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne said a contract signed with the Australian company Cirrus Real Time Processing Systems would result in advanced new maritime training systems designed and developed in Australia. “The contract valued at around $4.4 million will see the development of a tactical electronic warfare training system to provide tuition…

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Friday to press a consortium led by Luerssen Werft of Bremen for a "fair contract" for five new warships, saying the group's initial bid was too high. "My goal is to get the contract started in this legislative period, but we want a good contact, we want a fair contract and above all a realistic one," von der Leyen told reporters on Friday. Defence industry sources said last week the German government had rejected the initial bid from the consortium before it exceeded the budget target of 1.5 billion euros ($1.59 billion). The Handelsblatt newspaper reported this week that the bid came in at 2.9 billion euros, nearly twice the expected amount.

Turkey and Pakistan have signed a memorandum of understanding for the sale of four Turkish made corvette warships and 52 Pakistan-made training planes for Ankara's armed forces, Turkey's defence industry undersecretariat said on Wednesday. Karachi Shipyard (KS&EW) will buy four corvettes made under Turkey's MILGEM warship programme, aimed at designing and building locally a fleet of multipurpose corvettes and frigates that will replace older ships. The Turkish defence undersecretariat said the final deal was expected to be signed on June 30. The statement did not provide any financial details. Turkey will buy 52 Super Mushshak training planes from Pakistan Aeronautical Complex - Kamra…

Two French former defence industry executives have been placed under preliminary investigation as part of a probe into the 2002 sale of submarines to Malaysia, an official in the French judiciary said on Wednesday. The source said Philippe Japiot and Jean-Paul Perrier, former executives at Thales and DCNS, had been placed under investigation as part of a long-running probe into alleged kickbacks from that Malaysian submarines deal in 2002. Japiot and Perrier deny any wrongdoing, French media reports said. Reuters was unable to immediately reach either individual. Being a target of a preliminary investigation or a formal investigation in France does not necessarily lead to a trial.