Show News - Day 5
Fujitsu reveals defence growth target
Fujitsu is aiming to grow its defence revenues by almost one third during the next five to 10 years, it has told Jane's.
Andy Head, business and development director for the Japanese company's defence and security segment, said that the company's defence interests were currently almost exclusively focused on the UK, where it generates revenues of GBP220-250 million (USD439-499 million) per annum. The mid-term goal is to increase this to GBP300 million, he said.
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Hampson rules out JV in India
UK defence and aerospace precision engineering group Hampson is pursuing growth in India but has ruled out a joint venture (JV) there, its chief executive officer has told Jane's.
Kim Ward said that the company already had a production facility in Bangalore and would open three more in the next three months. It also carries out some work with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
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Accenture senior analyst praises 'open' and 'interesting' global defence market
A senior aerospace and defence analyst has said that the global market place has become "so much more open" as a result of global "multi-polarisation".
Speaking to Jane's on 18 July, during the Farnborough Airshow 2008, Michael Hackerson, partner, aerospace and defence at global management consultancy Accenture, said that some countries, once of the "old East or West persuasion, such as the Eastern block, behind the so-called Iron Curtain" are now refreshing their fleets and making competition "a lot more open and interesting".
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Chemring seeks access to India's countermeasures and energetics markets
Chemring is concluding a joint venture (JV) in India to access the country's countermeasures and energetics markets, Jane's has learned.
Rik Armitage, business development director at the UK-based manufacturer, said that the JV was "still a work in progress", so the prospective partner could not be named.
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UK MoD's CCID procurement project remains on hold
As the latest exercise testing coalition combat identification (CCID) technologies kicks off at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) CCID procurement programme remains on hold.
Exercise 'Bold Quest Plus', which commenced on 15 July and runs to 25 July, involved 350 participants from Canada, the UK, the US Air Force, the US Navy, the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Special Operations Command.
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Italy considers pulling out of SAC programme
Italy may decide to opt out of the NATO Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) programme to ease its defence-budget problems.
The SAC programme aims to buy three C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to be based at Papa Air Base in Hungary.
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Elbit readies Dust-Off anti-brownout system for flight tests
Israeli defence company Elbit Systems is currently preparing its Dust-Off helicopter anti-brownout system for flight trials in September or October 2008, a company spokesperson has confirmed to Jane's .
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow on 15 July, Benjamin Weiser, Elbit's senior director of business development helicopter upgrades, said that the various elements of the system, designed to help pilots see through blinding dust clouds kicked by the rotors during the landing and take-off phase of a helicopter's flight profile, have already been individually verified and are all currently operational. In addition, the Dust-Off concept has been successfully demonstrated on a flight simulator.
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Raytheon targets Q4 shootdown of mortar round in flight
United States firm Raytheon is working toward the shootdown by laser of a mortar round in flight in the fourth quarter (Q4) of this year, company officials confirmed at Farnborough.
The test, which will employ a 50 kW fibre laser, follows a successful bench-test toward the end of 2006 that showed a 20 kW laser could destroy a mortar round at a range greater than 550 m.
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BAE Systems plans C2 demonstration integrating unmanned vehicles
BAE Systems is developing an autonomous command-and-control (C2) capability to further integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) into the battlespace, with a live demonstration planned for August.
Speaking at the Farnborough Airshow on 17 July, company officials said a "real-world trial" will take place at the MIRA facility in the UK, which would demonstrate the exchange of information between UAVs and UGVs, as well as how control of the vehicles can be passed between different levels of the command chain.
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DRS, Finmeccanica will continue acquisitions if merger takes place, says CEO
A new DRS Technologies/Finmeccanica entity will continue to acquire companies in the United States and internationally if their proposed merger is completed, the head of DRS has told Jane's.
Mark S Newman, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the US surveillance systems and C4I specialist, said on 15 July that he was optimistic that the USD5.2 billion deal would meet with US government approval. He said that if this happened the new company would continue to buy particularly in the US.
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Boeing tasks Raytheon for EP-8 sensors integration
Boeing has announced that it is contracting Raytheon to provide the sensor-systems integration for its EP-8 airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft programme.
Speaking at Farnborough Airshow on 17 July, Tony Parasida, Boeing vice-president and general manager for airborne anti-submarine warfare and ISR systems, said that with Raytheon onboard he believes Boeing has "an unbeatable team [that is now ready] to go ahead and win" the US Navy's (USN's) EP-X competition.
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BAE Systems and MBDA strike UK Seawolf support contracts
BAE Systems and MBDA announced on 16 July at Farnborough Airshow that they have been awarded contracts worth a combined GBP318 million (USD637 million) over 10 years to support the UK Royal Navy's Seawolf air-defence system onboard Type 22 and 23 frigates.
The Seawolf In-Service Support (SWISS) deals, worth GBP141 million for BAE Systems and GBP177 million for MBDA, are both 'contract for availability' arrangements and reflect the direction of the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) and Complex Weapons industrial teaming (Team CW), which came out of DIS.
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Rockwell Collins continues to expand its focus
United States defence communications specialist Rockwell Collins has said that it is looking to exploit what it calls "well-thought-out adjacencies" as part of its growth drive, while making acquisitions of varying sizes.
Speaking to Jane's on 15 July during the Farnborough International Airshow, Rockwell Collins' Vice-President of Business Development Michael Myers explained that while the business has traditionally been aviation focused, it has made increased approaches to the ground market, "for example, hand-held navigational devices, like the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver [DAGR], or the Joint Tactical Radio System [JTRS programme]" for which Rockwell Collins is developing the radio design, fixed-site radio integration and platform integration support for the development and demonstration phase.
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Boeing heralds 'cultural significance' of FRES SOSI win
Boeing has said that winning the Systems of Systems Integrator (SOSI) contract on the UK's Future Rapid Effects (FRES) programme was of "huge cultural significance" for the company and that partnerships are a major part of the company's growth strategy.
Speaking to Jane's on 16 July at the Farnborough International Airshow 2008, Boeing International President Shephard Hill said: "Even before DIS [the UK Defence Industrial Strategy white paper], to be able to sell, you must have an indigenous presence, be a local company and a good corporate citizen ... [and] there are capabilities you want to leverage."
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UK minister defends 'vital' military exports
Lord Digby Jones, Minister of State for the UK's Trade and Investment (UKTI) organisation, which now encompasses defence export activities, has told those who oppose UK defence exports to "get real".
Lord Jones said that if the UK stopped sales there would be no impact on worldwide arms orders and UK workers would be put out of jobs.
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