Denmark to join Nato's missile defense system

Denmark has decided to join NATO's missile defence system, local media reported Friday.

 

Denmark will contribute at least one frigate to NATO's missile defense shield, the country's Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday afternoon.

"We will offer that one and more of our frigates can be outfitted with a radar that can be part of the missile defence. There was wide support for that (in the Foreign Affairs Committee)," Lidegaard was cited as saying by Denmark's newspaper Berlingske Tidende.

Denmark's Defense Minister Nikolai Wammen emphasized that the decision to join the missile defence system is not an action aimed at Russia.

"It is to protect the Danes against rogues states, terrorist organisations and others that have the capacity to fire missiles at Europe and the US," he said.

According to Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, it will cost some 400-500 million Danish kroner (71-89 million U.S. dollars) to equip Danish frigates with advanced radar equipment.

At the meeting, the Foreign Affairs Committee also decided that Denmark will send weapons and a contingent of troops to Iraq to fight the extremist Islamic State.

Terma Highlights F-35 Multi-Mission Pod

Denmark’s Terma is showing off, for the first time here at the show, the multi-mission pod (MMP) it has developed for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The MMP began life as the gun pod for the F-35, which Terma designed and developed on behalf of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, but the company has developed it into a more versatile pod that should prove attractive, in particular, to overseas operators of the JSF.

While the F-35A CTOL version of the JSF has an internal GAU-22/A four-barrel 25mm cannon, the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B STOVL and U.S. Navy F-35C CV employ podded weapons.

Terma’s gun pod is a full-monocoque carbon fiber composite structure. It has passed engineering test and qualification, and is now in low-rate initial production. The pod itself was first flown in February, carried by STOVL test aircraft BF-02 during a sortie from NAS Patuxent River, flown by Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Levin.

New Coast Guard Class For Sweden

The first of a new 90 ft class of five vessels for the Swedish Coast Guard Service was recently delivered to the port of Falkenburg, west Sweden with a further four under construction at Baltic Workboats AS, Estonia . 

The vessels are designed for main duties of maritime surveillance, border including fisheries control, protection of the environment, rescue and civil protection including firefighting, monitoring and diving operations.

The 52 t vessels have an LOA of 90 ft (26.5 m), beam of 20 ft (6.2 m) and draft of 5 ft (1.5 m). Unsual for its size, there is a triple pod propulsion system comprising three Volvo Penta IPS 1050 steerable pod drives with D13-800 diesels each rated at 800 hp at 2,000 rpm (Rating 4 - light commercial application).

Synchronisaton and control of the three engines and drives is carried out by the electronic EVC-E system which is connected to an Integrated Alarm Monitoring and Control System (IAMCS) through a newly developed from a Volvo Penta interface.

In addition to extremely good maneuverability using a joystick command for both speed and docking, a major benefit of IPS is reduced fuel consumption with savings of up to 30 per cent claimed by the manufacturers. The lower fuel consumption over the whole speed range not only produces substantial fuel cost savings but also reduced CO2 and NOx emission. The engines are already meeting the EPA tier 3 emission levels in force 2014.

The vessel has a crew of two and can accommodate up to five crew. There is one bow thruster of approximately 30 hp (22kW). Top speed at full load is 32 kn and the 5,000 liter fuel capacity gives a range exceeding 600 nm.

The engine room showing the three Volvo Penta D13 engines

Denmark to upgrade its F-16 aircraft with LITENING G4 Targeting Pods

The Danish Ministry of Defence announced that it has selected Northrop Grumman’s LITENING G4 targeting system for its F-16 fighter aircraft. First deliveries are expected in August 2013. The Litening G4 pods will be supplied with datalinks and full logistics support package.

LITENING G4 Advanced Targeting Pod is the latest version of the Litening targeting pod developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Rafael has teamed with Northrop Grumman to develop and market the pods in the US and international market. The team has successfully won contracts in a number of key markets in the United States, with F/A-18 operators including Australia, Finland and Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Israel as users of the Northrop Grumman LITENING family of targeting pods.

The G4 version delivers the latest advancements in sensor, laser imaging and data link technology. The G4′s technologies include true megapixel (1kx1k) forward-looking infrared and charge-coupled device sensors, short wave infrared laser imaging sensor, color symbology, tracker improvements and enhanced zoom. These advancements deliver more accurate target identification and location at longer ranges than previous generations of LITENING targeting pod systems while reducing pilot workload.

Danish Armed Forces Select AeroVironment’s Puma AE Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

• $9.6 million contract awarded by Danish Acquisition and Logistics Organization following competitive review

• Follows first $2.4 million Danish Army order for Raven B systems in 2007

The Danish Acquisition and Logistics Organization today announced at Eurosatory it has awarded AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) a firm fixed-price order of $9.6 million to supply the Danish Armed Forces with the company’s Puma AE™ small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). AeroVironment was selected following a competitive evaluation.

“Allied armed forces are procuring our small unmanned aircraft systems to give small tactical teams the ability to operate more effectively and safely, without requiring support from more expensive, scarcer resources,” said Roy Minson, senior vice president and general manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems at AeroVironment.

Eighteen nations outside the United States have purchased AeroVironment’s Puma AE, Wasp or Raven B small UAS.

The 13-pound, battle-proven Puma AE is designed for land-based and maritime operations and is operated by AeroVironment’s common Ground Control System.

Boeing Accepts Delivery of 1st Harpoon Launch Structure from Danish Aerotech Delivery made on cost and on schedule

Harpoon work builds on longstanding partnership between companies

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has accepted delivery of the first Aluminum Launch Support Structure (ALSS) produced by Danish Aerotech A/S for ship-based deployment of the Harpoon weapon system. The Karup-based supplier received the contract, valued at nearly US$1.5 million, two years ago.

"Danish Aerotech is proud to deliver its first Harpoon launch support structure on cost and on schedule," said Danish Aerotech CEO Jan Jørgensen. "We have worked closely with Boeing to qualify our production line and increase our manufacturing capabilities. It has been an insightful and strategically valuable process as we pursue future business opportunities in this field."

"Danish Aerotech has been and remains an important partner to Boeing," said Tom Bell, vice president of Strategy & Business Capture for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "With the ALSS, it has once again proven its capabilities, building on a history of working with Boeing and other subcontractors beginning with the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System."

The ALSS is a welded aluminum structure measuring approximately 3 meters long by 3.5 meters tall by 2 meters wide (about 10 by 11 by 7 feet) fully assembled, and weighing nearly 900 kg (about 1 ton). Once welded, the structure is machined to finite tolerances, thoroughly inspected for cracks using fluorescent-penetrant inspection methods, painted, and assembled using optical-alignment tools.

The Harpoon weapon system provides accurate long-range guidance for both land-strike and anti-ship missions. The Harpoon Block II is produced at Boeing facilities in St. Charles, Mo. Boeing has delivered more than 7,300 Harpoon missiles to the United States and 30 international military customers, including the Royal Danish Navy.

Boeing and Danish Aerotech signed a memorandum of understanding in 2009 to pursue opportunities including the provision of long-term logistics support for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet -- if the Royal Danish Air Force selects the Super Hornet as its New Combat Aircraft when it reopens the competition -- and partnering on Performance-Based Logistics programs for long-term support of other aircraft.

Danish Aerotech is a civil defense and aerospace company specializing in the development, production, installation and support of mechanical, electrical and electronic parts and components for aircraft, helicopters, missiles and targeting systems, as well as maintenance, modifications and integration of aircraft, missiles and associated components.

Thales And Sanmina-SCI Deliver New APAR System To Royal Danish Navy

Sanmina-SCI Corporation (Nasdaq: SANM), a leading manufacturing and engineering solutions company making some of the world's most complex and valuable optical, RF, electronic and mechanical products, and Thales, a major manufacturer and supplier of safety and mission-critical systems to the Defense, Aerospace and Transportation sections in Canada and internationally, have successfully delivered the 8th APAR (Active Phased Array Radar) system to the Royal Danish Navy.

"We are proud to be part of the successful delivery of the latest generation APAR system, and to see our microwave design and custom manufacturing expertise being applied to Thales' leading-edge T/R modules and Switch Matrix solutions," said John Pokinko, Vice President of Design Engineering for the Optical and Microelectronics Division at Sanmina-SCI. "Our long-standing relationship with Thales, and the original investment by the Canadian government, have enabled the evolution of our expertise in radar T/R module technologies, with spinoffs supporting developments for the RF, microwave, optical and satellite communications markets. The recent engineering work focused on updating and enhancing the performance of the APAR system to remain a leading technological solution for the Royal Danish Navy."

APAR is the leading active electronically scanned array multifunction radar employed on an operational warship. APAR provides simultaneous functions of detection, tracking, search and missile guidance. The antenna consists of four static arrays, each of which is composed of more than 3,000 T/R modules that can sweep a beam 360 degrees, giving the radar equipment unique performance and operational functionality.

"The long-standing relationship between Sanmina-SCI and Thales is exemplary of the Thales commitment to IRBs, and the industrial growth of the Canadian industry and its defense programs," said Frank Biemans, Vice President of Surface Radar for Thales Netherlands. "Sanmina-SCI has been a committed Canadian partner of Thales, and their cutting-edge RF/Microwave T/R modules and subsystems design and production have ensured that APAR remains current in today's fast changing military environment. We've been very pleased with Sanmina-SCI's high level of technical expertise and capabilities to produce these complex, mission-critical products."

The technologies involved in the APAR radar systems continue to meet the needs of the Canadian Surface Combatant program and are a result of investments in AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology made by the Canadian government. Sanmina-SCI's expertise in the design and manufacturing of advanced RF/Microwave solutions evolved from the government's original participation in the Command and Control/Air Defense Replacement (CADRE) program that provided the foundation for Canadian companies, such as Sanmina-SCI, to develop the talent, tools and technical expertise to provide sophisticated solutions to the defense and aerospace market.

"We are leveraging our experience and expanding our capabilities in advanced RF and microwave technologies with the aim to jointly develop next-generation APAR systems with Thales," added Mr. Pokinko. "Both R&D and manufacturing are done in Ontario, which helps meet the International Trade Administration (ITA) requirements. Our ongoing partnership with Thales will continue to bring economic benefits to Canada."