简氏防务2012年度报告

JanesPage 1 of 15EUROPEDate Posted: 07-Dec-2012Janes Defence WeeklyJDW 2012 Annual Defence Report: EuropeMoney, or the lack of it, continues to be Europes greatest concern, with defence coffers continuing to be raided to stave off Europes sovereign debt troubles. However, adversity has engendered unity, with 2012 seeing many European nations increasingly looking to co-operate on defence issues ranging from policy to procurement Nicholas de LarrinagaLondonManaging declining defence budgets remained the principal theme for a Europe in 2012 still struggling under the burden of severe economic pressures.Several elements were increasingly played upon, with NATOs Smart Defence and the European Unions pooling and sharing (P France opted to outsource its pilot training in 2006, awarding a 10-year contract to EADS.In the Balkans, efforts to procure new combat aircraft continued to stall in 2012. Bulgarias plans to replace its Mikoyan MiG-21Bis/UM Fishbed and Sukhoi Su-25K/UBK Frogfoot aircraft continued to rumble on, with Sophia initially seeking information on Portugals Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM aircraft in February. However, in October Bulgarian sources stated the country had a likely budget of about USD400 million for the programme and was considering aircraft from Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States, while Swedens JAS 39 Gripen could also be a contender.Meanwhile, Romanias efforts to replace its own MiG-21 Lancer aircraft continued without the announcement of a contract, despite the country assessing bids from the Netherlands and Portugal in May and launching sole-source negotiations with Portugal in August.Both Romania and Bulgarias efforts to buy a replacement fighter continue to be forestalled by a lack of funding and criticism from the EU over the lack of open tenders, despite the countries need for new aircraft getting increasingly urgent as their MiG-21s fast approach the end of their service life.JanesPage 10 of 15Despite the drawdown of operations in Afghanistan, the Eurocopter AS 665 Tigre/Tiger was prepared for deployments by Germany and Spain, following in the footsteps of France, which deployed the Tiger to Afghanistan in 2010.The NHIndustries NH90 utility helicopter also furthered its operational footprint following years of delayed deliveries, with deployments by Italy in August to Afghanistan and plans by Germany to deploy the helicopter early in the new year. France received its first operationally configured NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) in January. Despite seeing increasing active service in 2012, the NH90 did not emerge unscathed from budget cuts, with Portugal deciding in July to fully withdraw from the NH90 programme, cancelling the 10 aircraft on order for the Portuguese Army and saving some EUR420 million (USD532 million) in the process. Meanwhile, continued delays to Norways planned fleet of 14 NH90s resulted in the Norwegian MoD threatening in August to cancel the procurement in favour of the US Sikorsky Seahawk. The second Norwegian NH90 was delivered on 28 November.In Denmark the MH-60R variant of the Seahawk beat competition from the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat and Eurocopter AS565 MB Panther for the countrys maritime helicopter requirement. In total the project is estimated to be worth about DKK4 billion (USD686 million). Meanwhile, the Swedish Air Force received the first of 15 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters in January.In March the Italian Air Force received its first AgustaWestland HH-139A medium helicopters configured for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, with a total of 10 planned.The Russian Air Force announced plans in January to acquire 30 Kamov Ka-226 Hoodlum light helicopters for utility and liaison duties.The Netherlands has been seeking to buy 11 new-build Boeing CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters to replace its older CH-47Ds, while ongoing technical issues in February with the UKs own upgraded Chinook HC.2/2A/3s and HC.6s delayed their deployment to Afghanistan. These issues were largely resolved by November, with the UK Royal Air Forces (RAFs) HC.4s set for their debut deployment to Afghanistan by the close of 2012.Polands buoyant economy, one of very few in Europe, continued to sustain rising defence expenditures - and even faster-rising defence ambitions. In July the Polish Air Force announced an order for five additional Airbus Military C295M tactical transport aircraft for an eventual total of 16 of the type. Poland also released a tender for 26 medium multirole helicopters in March to replace its Mi-8/14/17 aircraft. The programme was subsequently ramped up in September to a total of 70 helicopters at a cost of PLN8.0 billion (USD2.5 billion). Working with local partners, Sikorsky has offered the S-70i Black Hawk, AgustaWestland its AW149 and Eurocopter its EC725 Caracal for the requirement.Poland also received the final delivery of its Lockheed Martin C-130E Hercules purchase in August, with five surplus US Air Force C-130Es now delivered. In October Warsaw opted to cancel its 2010 contract for Aeronautics Aerostar UAVs and is now planning to issue a tender to procure a MALE UAV in 2013.Meanwhile, some aged warriors prepared to say farewell, with the German Air Force scaling back operations of its remaining McDonnell Douglas F-4F ICE (Improved Combat Efficiency) Phantom II fighters in June ahead of their retirement in mid-2013 and the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) in November JanesPage 11 of 15finalising plans to retire its McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft by the end of 2014. In 2012 the HAF also announced plans to retire its Northrop Grumman (Vought) A-7E/TA-7C Corsair II aircraft by the end of 2013. Retirement from the HAF, currently the last remaining Corsair II operator, thus marks the end of service for the type, which first entered service in 1966. In June the UK revealed it had moved forward the retirement of the RAFs Panavia Tornado GR.4 strike aircraft by two years to 2019 - with an even earlier retirement not unrealistic.Land forcesThroughout Europe land systems had a fairly quiet year as witnessed by the equally quiet Eurosatory defence show in Paris in June.In the UK progress was made on the Lockheed Martin-led Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP), now a year into its project run. The Warrior CSP passed its System Requirements Review in March, its Integrated Baseline Review and System Design Review in May, and was awaiting formal approval from a Systems Architecture Review at the time of writing. Meanwhile, the General Dynamics UK (GDUK)-led Scout Specialist Vehicle (SV) programme saw the roll-out of the mobile test rig in June, although the project remains without a firm production order from the UK MoD despite being placed within the UKs core equipment programme in the MoDs Planning Round 2012 (PR12) spending plan. Meanwhile, the British Army received its first production Terrier combat engineer vehicle (CEV) at a formal roll-out ceremony on 27 January.In wider terms, the UK continues to reform its land forces, with a major cut to the British Army announced in July. In total about 17 battalion-sized British Army units are to be disbanded or converted to reserve units under the plans, necessitated by the UKs intent to cut the size of its army by around 20,000 personnel as initiated by the 2010 SDSR.It was not all doom and gloom in the UKs land system market, however. Utilising funds freed up following the MoDs budget-balancing exercise (completed in May), the UK finalised a contract for an additional 100 General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Europe Foxhound light protected patrol vehicles (LPPVs). The Foxhound LPPV, which made its first deployment to Afghanistan in May this year, also received additional follow-on orders in August (25 vehicles) and November (51 vehicles).In January BAE Systems BvS10 articulated all-terrain vehicle (ATV) beat competition from ST Kinetics Warthog ATV to win Swedens competition to replace some of its older Bv 206 ATVs, among others. Sweden is to buy about 48 BvS10 Mk IIB ATVs for SEK700 million (USD100 million), with a further 127 BvS10s planned to be procured by Sweden across three instalments. BvS10 deliveries (53 units) were also completed for the French Army in October. The UKs Royal Marines, however, were forced to withdraw their BvS10s from service in May because of delays in their upgrade programme - eventually approved in October. France is also due to receive the final deliveries of the last batch of 200 4x4 Petits Vhicules Protgs (PVP) Mk 3 light tactical multipurpose protected vehicles for the French Army by the end of December, while a follow-on contract for an additional 100 PVPs is understood to have succumbed to budgetary pressures during the course of the year.Norway also placed orders with BAE Systems for 144 new-build and refurbished CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for the Norwegian Army under a NOK6 billion (USD1 billion) contract award. In total Norway will operate a fleet of 146 upgraded and new-build CV90s under a programme JanesPage 12 of 15valued at USD1.6 billion, including training, logistics, spares, and the procurement of some unmanned air and ground vehicles.In October Portugal cancelled the remainder of its contract with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) for Pandur II 8x8 armoured vehicles, meaning 94 of a planned 260 vehicles will now not be delivered to the Portuguese Army and Navy. The desire to cut costs is likely to have played its part in the decision, while for its part GDELS is seeking arbitration, claiming that the decision to cancel the remainder of the contract was improper.The German Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in June that it had cut 55 vehicles from its order for 405 Puma armoured infantry fighting vehicles (AIFVs) in a move aimed to save EUR314 million (USD391.2 million).Another fatality of programme cuts in 2012 was Slovenias order for Patria 8x8 Armoured Modular Vehicles (AMVs). Patria announced in September that it had reached a settlement with the Slovenian Army to conclude AMV deliveries at the current 30. The move is a significant cut to the initial contract award, made in December 2006, for 135 AMVs, although delays and budgetary issues had made it clear since March 2010 that the programme was under threat.In February the Hellenic Army received approval for its plans to acquire 12 M577A1 command post vehicles from German surplus stock.In terms of new procurement programmes, the Czech Republic is planning to procure a new line of mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles to replace old stocks. The country is planning to put out a tender for 30 MRAP vehicles valued at about CZK1 billion (USD50.3 million), with deliveries planned to begin in 2014.Denmark, meanwhile, is seeking up to 450 vehicles to replace its M113 series of tracked vehicles - issuing a request for tender to 8 contractors in August. Interestingly Denmark has chosen to keep its options open on whether the successor to the M113 will be tracked or wheeled, with four tracked and four wheeled vehicles selected to compete.In May Russia began evaluating the Italian Consorzio Iveco Oto Centauro 105 mm (8x8) tank destroyer/heavy armoured car and Freccia (8x8) armoured infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV). While in 2012 Russia began to step away from its previous openness to the purchase of foreign platforms, Italy has been among the more successful European nations in exporting to Russia, with the Iveco Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) already having received significant Russian orders. Past French and Italian successes, however, were seen to be partly based on Russian President Vladimir Putins personal relationships with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. It remains to be seen in 2013 whether Italy and Frances new leaders can renew this close bond and, in doing so, facilitate successful defence exports to Russia.JanesPage 13 of 15Poland is one of very few European nations increasing its defence spending. The country was seeking around 200 Rosomak APCs in August and has stated it eventually plans to procure between 300 and 500 MBTs alongside some 1,000 to 1,500 tracked IFVs to replace its ageing Soviet stocks. (Polish MND)1332258Poland, buoyed by its rising defence budget, voiced lofty ambitions in 2012, stating that it eventually plans to procure between 300 and 500 main battle tanks (MBTs) alongside some 1,000 to 1,500 tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to replace its ageing Soviet stocks. Poland is planning to fully launch these programmes in 2014 with a view to securing first deliveries in 2018. In August the Polish Land Forces were in the process of negotiating to add up to 205 Patria AMV XC-360P Rosomak 8x8 APCs to the 635 currently on order, while a request for information was issued in June for 118 light strike vehicles (LSVs). Throughout 2012 further details emerged of Polands plans for an ambitious surface-to-air missile (SAM) procurement, with a target service date of 2017. Poland is now seeking a full spectrum replacement of its existing SAM stocks, ranging from very-short-range air-defence systems (VSHORADS) right up to a ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability.In November Otokar handed over the first complete prototypes of the Altay MBT: one of Turkeys most prestigious indigenous defence programmes. With that exception 2012 was fairly quiet for Turkey on the land systems front, despite increasing violence resulting from the PKK insurgency and the threat of conflict spilling over from Syria.It now seems ironic that, having opted to delay its own T-Loramids missile defence programme in July (for which Raytheons Patriot system is competing against European, Russian, and Chinese offerings), Turkey has now been forced by events across its border with Syria to request the deployment of Patriot batteries from NATO.Naval forcesFrance received its third Mistral-class amphibious assault ship in January, marking the completion of currently planned French orders for the vessel. In theory a fourth ship, for which there is an option JanesPage 14 of 15under Frances contract with DCNS, is required to be built under Frances military programme law, with service entry no later than 2018, although details over when or how this may occur remain unclear.In April the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) formally accepted the first-in-class Holland (P 840) offshore patrol vessel (OPV). In total four vessels are to enter Dutch service, following the reversal of a decision to put the third and fourth vessels up for sale. In another critical development for the RNLN, Thales Nederland was awarded a contract in June to optimise the Smart-L volume search radars on the RNLNs De Zeven Provincin-class frigates. This means the RNLN is the first European navy set to receive a ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability (understood to be planned to be operational from 2017).European BMD continued to be a sensitive issue with Russia and most progress on the NATO side happened in the naval domain. Beyond the upgrade work on the RNLNs De Zeven Provincin-class frigates, Spain and the United States finally agreed a revised co-operation agreement in October for the deployment of four Aegis-equipped US Navy destroyers to the southern Spanish port of Rota from 2013. Germany also revealed in May that it may seek to integrate the BMD-capable Raytheon Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) onto its Type 124 frigates, although no political decision has yet been taken to this effect.The Royal Netherlands Navy is upgrading the SMART-L radars on board its De Zeven Provincien-class frigates with a BMD capability. (US Navy)1452208JanesPage 15 of 15For Denmark, a significant milestone was achieved with the commissioning of the Royal Danish Navys first Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate. A further two frigates are eventually expected to join HDMS Iver Huitfeldt in Danish service.In March Poland announced it was cancelling its Project 621 Gawron II (Meko A 100)-class multipurpose corvette programme, which had been steadily downgraded from initial plans for six vessels down to only the first of class plus an optional vessel. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated at the time of the announcement that “maintaining this project does not make sense“, yet just six months later Poland reversed this decision, deciding in September to complete the hull - which has been in build for over a decade - as a patrol vessel.The Russian Navy received significant boosts to its future capabilities as the country continues to ramp up investment under a massive defence recapitalisation process. In March the Russian Navys Northern Fleet took delivery of its first modernised, range-extended Ilyushin