Zitat:BAE Systems gets £160m contract

More than 2,500 workers will build the aircraft.
The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £160m contract to design and develop the new Hawk trainer jet to the UK firm BAE Systems.

The work will be carried out at the arms giant's Brough factory in East Yorkshire, helping secure the site.

A BAE spokesman said it was the perfect Christmas present for the 2,500 staff who will work on the project.

Defence minister Lord Bach said the contract was a "significant milestone" in the Hawk programme.

Lord Bach added that it was "excellent news" for UK industry and the workforce at the Brough factory.

First phase

"We will continue to work closely with BAE Systems to develop an aircraft that meets our future capability needs," he said.

The work will be the first phase of an £800m contract to supply the trainer jets.

The government first announced its intention to buy Hawk jets from BAE systems in July last year after a nine month campaign led by union leaders and backed by MPs David Davies and Alan Johnson.


We knew the decision had been made but there is nothing quite like having the contract signed
BAE spokesman

Exact aircraft numbers are not yet known and the MOD says a final decision on investment and numbers will not be taken until 2006.

A BAE spokesman said the lucrative contract will help safeguard the future of the site and could lure further business from overseas.

"We knew the decision had been made but there is nothing quite like having the contract signed, "he said.

"This is the perfect Christmas present for our staff.

"It stabilises the site for the short to medium term and could boost our export market.

"It's important that our own government shows confidence in the UK workforce."

BAE had warned that jobs at the plant could be axed if contracts for the new jet were handed to a European competitor.

Workers at Brough are currently working on four contracts awarded by the South African, the Indian, the Bahrain and the UK governments.

Zitat:BAE SYSTEMS TO DEVELOP UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE FOR DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has selected BAE Systems as one of three companies to develop a ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of a first phase of its Organic Air Vehicle Class II (OAV II) program. The award of the design and development contract follows a competitive selection process.

The multimillion-dollar contract calls for the development and demonstration of a ducted-fan UAV for operation in diverse missions such as environment reconnaissance and surveillance, path finding for friendly ground vehicles (both robotics and manned), manoeuvre force protection, and targeting for non-line-of-sight fire operations. At the end of the three-phase program, the OAV-II vehicle should be of sufficient maturity to transition into an Army System Development and Demonstration program to fulfil the Army’s requirement for a Class II UAV.

“BAE Systems looks forward to presenting DARPA with a prototype ducted fan air vehicle that meets the needs of the war fighter,” said Tom Herring, vice president of Integrated Solutions for BAE Systems Platform Solutions. “This selection also represents an excellent opportunity to grow our presence in the quickly emerging UAV market.”

BAE Systems Platform Solutions has a 30-year UAV heritage and is actively developing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs to expand its UAV portfolio. “DARPA’s selection complements our existing and proven UAV programs,” Herring said. “Our selection by DARPA reflects well on our expanding technology and know-how in this field.”

About BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defence and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, fighting vehicles, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems. It is a pioneer in technology with a heritage stretching back hundreds of years. It is at the forefront of innovation, working to develop the next generation of intelligent defence systems.

BAE Systems has major operations across five continents and customers in some 130 countries. The company employs more than 90,000 people and generates annual sales of more than £12 billion through its wholly owned and joint-venture operations.

BAE Systems North America is one of America’s foremost national security, aerospace and information systems companies. It is a leading provider of electronic and information-based systems and knowledge-based solutions that meet our customers’ mission effectiveness and operational safety needs. BAE Systems North America employs more than 30,000 people at sites across the United States and the United Kingdom and generates more than $5 billion in annual sales.

BAE Systems Platform Solutions serves the aerospace and defence community with capabilities and products that improve operational safety and enhance mission effectiveness. Platform Solutions supports a wide range of military and commercial platforms, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, ground vehicles, and unmanned vehicles with capabilities in vehicle management, human-machine interface, precision navigation, all-weather operation, power management, and mission information management. A unit of BAE Systems North America and based in Johnson City, New York, Platform Solutions employs more than 6,000 people at facilities in the United States and United Kingdom.

Zitat:Engineering giant BAE Systems is to axe 1,400 jobs at 13 sites across the UK because of falling workloads, the company announced.

Zitat:Helicopter maker AgustaWestland is to axe 640 jobs at its UK factory because of a shortage of orders, the company announced.
The jobs will go from May at the plant in Yeovil, Somerset, which currently employs around 4,000 workers.

Zitat:British troops could get a range of futuristic new armaments, able to loiter over a battlefield for hours before identifying and then destroying their targets, under a research programme that has been launched by the MOD.(......)

Zitat:A new community for scientific excellence will explore innovative new technologies in the fast-developing world of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach announced today.
The fourth Defence Technology Centre - the Systems Engineering Autonomous Systems Centre - is a pioneering collaboration between MoD, industry and leading academia. (........)

Zitat:First Japanese EH101 Completes Maiden Flight

A major milestone was achieved on Tuesday February 15th when the maiden flight of the Japanese EH101 was successfully completed at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in the UK.

Zitat:Ministry of Defence Announces AirTanker Ltd as Preferred Bidder on FSTA Programme [......................]
The British based AirTanker consortium has today been selected as Preferred Bidder for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme, which will create hundreds of jobs in the UK and sustain thousands of others.

Zitat:U.K. Poised To Set Helo Industry Strategy

Britain’s military helicopter industry may be reshaped here in mid-March, when a meeting of key government departments is set to decide between selecting a new rotorcraft by competition or handing the job straight to local producer AgustaWestland.

Zitat:alle NH 90? Du traeumst. Bisher hat UK da ja gar nichts beigetragen zu......

Zitat:Und Alternativen? UH 60? Die Amis waren da mit Beteilgung und Lizenzen bisher schon sehr knausrig. AgustaWestland? Da gaebe es nur den Eh 101 (der ja scheinbar nicht ganz so hoch geschaetzt wird, bei den Briten), oder eine Neutentwicklung, was sehr teuer wird.

Zitat:@Rob:
Spanien und Suedafrika sind relativ frueh auf die entsprechenden Programme aufgesprungen und Zahlen fleissig fuer die Entwicklungskosten.

Zitat:To this effect, South African industry will receive high-value work packages from Airbus Military and thus become a key participant throughout the life of the programme. The A400M will enable South Africa to upgrade its airlift capability for both humanitarian and peace-keeping activities and assist the country in strengthening its aeronautical industry.

Zitat:Die UK springt auf das NH 90 Programm zu einem Zeitpunkt auf, wo, hauptsaechlich von D und F, der groesste Teil der Entwicklungskosten schon bezahlt wurde. Zudem hat die UK vor gut 10 Jahren eine Beteiligung an dem Programm abgelehnt.Es spricht nichts britische Beteiligung an der Fertigung britischer NH 90 (siehe Tiger und Australien), aber Beteiligung am Gesamtprogramm waere etwas ueberheblich,

Zitat:zumal schon jetzt einige britische Firmen dran mitarbeiten.

Zitat:Und Alternativen? UH 60? Die Amis waren da mit Beteilgung und Lizenzen bisher schon sehr knausrig. AgustaWestland? Da gaebe es nur den Eh 101 (der ja scheinbar nicht ganz so hoch geschaetzt wird, bei den Briten),

Zitat:Lynx? Zu kleine als mittlerer Transprothubschrauber. CH 47? Zu gross, und nicht wirklich luftverlastbar.

Zitat:EADS has also said that it is prepared to commit long-term investment to the UK and wants to work with AgustaWestland to develop an “Airbus for helicopters” style of operation, centred on Yeovil, which it hopes would echo Airbus’s success in the commercial aircraft market. AgustaWestland has a 32.5 per cent stake in Eurocopter’s NH90 helicopter programme.

Zitat:The MoD has also indicated that Agusta Westland's Future Lynx is its preferred option for meeting the Land Find and Maritime (Surface) Attack elements of the Future Rotorcraft Capability requirement.

Zitat:AgustaWestland welcomes the UK Ministry of Defence’s announcement to proceed with the Future Lynx programme as its preferred option for meeting the Land (Find) and Maritime (Surface) Attack elements of its helicopter requirement. The estimated value of this programme is in the region of £1 billion.