U.K.-based NSSLGlobal said it has secured a contract to supply satellite communications services and technology to Germany‘s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. The contract calls for the delivery of portable satcom to enable 24/7 connectivity for the office, known as BBK for short. NSSLGlobal said it will also provide voice and data...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
Microsoft Names Andrew Allen as Chief Digital and Technology Officer for UK
Microsoft has appointed Andrew Allen as its chief digital and technology officer for U.K. government accounts from his former position as chief technology officer for public transport. Allen said his new role focuses on the company’s public sector services in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and advanced digital solutions to help enhance efficiencies in government service delivery...
Australia Bares $4.7B Plan to Purchase Long-Range US Missiles
The Australian government plans to procure Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC and Standard Missile 6 missiles from the United States for the Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart‑class destroyers and Hunter‑class frigates. Canberra said Tuesday that the acquisition, valued at about $4.7 billion, will boost the layered strike and missile defense capability of RAN’s surface combatant fleet,...
Australia Expects Apache Deliveries to Commence in Q4 2025
The first batch of 29 AH-64 Apache helicopters Australia ordered from Boeing in 2022 is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015, kicking off the phaseout of the Tiger ARH, Australian Army Maj. Gen. Richard Vagg told Breaking Defense. According to the general, the military service will operate the Apaches from the...
NATO Lines Up Five New Defense Projects for Alliance Partnerships
NATO announced that a total of 26 of its member countries have committed to contribute in five new major projects to boost allied defense efforts. The commitments, signed during a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels that opened Thursday, included U.K. and U.S. support on three initiatives. The two countries are contributing to...
Sweden Eyes $16B Military Spending for 2025-2030 Defense Buildup
The Swedish government has proposed for consideration by its legislature a total defense bill that allocates $16.2 billion for military spending and $3.4 billion for civil defense from 2025 to 2030. The defense allocations presented to the Riksdag are “historically large investments” projected to represent 2.6 percent of Sweden’s 2028 GDP, Stockholm said in a...
Rheinmetall, Leonardo to Jointly Manufacture Tanks for Italian Army
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and Italian defense company Leonardo have formed Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, a 50:50 joint venture initially focused on producing a new main battle tank and an armored infantry combat system for the Italian Army. The LRMV partnership ultimately aims to build a new European manufacturing center for military combat vehicles for...
ESA Awards $130M Contract to Develop In-Orbit Spacecraft Servicing
The European Space Agency has awarded D-Orbit a contract valued at approximately $130 million to develop and launch a spacecraft for the agency’s commercial in-orbit servicing mission called RISE. The contract for the mission, the first under the ESA’s Space Safety Programme, calls for the demonstration of a spacecraft capable of engaging and controlling another...
Airbus Leads Five European Partners in Helicopter–Drone Interoperability Tests
Airbus Helicopters and its five European partners have demonstrated a manned–unmanned teaming, or MUM-T, system between helicopters and drones. The 10-day demo in France and Italy, which concluded on Sept. 9, was led by Airbus as part of a European Union-funded project called Musher that seeks to develop a MUM-T system that can deliver maximum...
Australia Eyes Legislation to Boost Cybersecurity
Australia’s House of Representatives is deliberating cybersecurity legislation that seeks to implement the seven directives under the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy. The legislation calls for statutes that will align the country with best practices globally in cybersecurity. The proposed measures are provided under Cyber Security Bill 2024, which passed its second reading in the...