Ten NATO defense ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to further develop the European Sky Shield Initiative. The initiative, launched in 2022 and spearheaded by Germany, enables the joint procurement of air and missile defense systems through efficient and cost-effective, interoperable, off-the-shelf solutions. The ESSI “shows the value of allies stepping up to...
Category: Europe
Astroscale Space Debris Removal Mission Passes Systems Requirements Review
The UK Space Agency has approved Astroscale UK’s space debris removal mission concept, called Clearing Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture. COSMIC involves the development of a spacecraft with a robotic arm planned for deployment by 2026 to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations and the deorbit of two defunct British satellites. The concept underwent a...
UK’s Treasury Chief Secretary Seeks to Improve Public Sector’s AI Use
U.K. Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen me with academic and business leaders on Wednesday to discuss improvement areas for the public sector’s safe and secure use of artificial intelligence. He pointed out that Britain placed in the top third in the United Nations’s Government AI Readiness Index 2022, but its public sector only...
Multinational NATO Task Group Convenes for Series of Training
The seven ships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 have convened to conduct combined training and operations in the Mediterranean over the past week. The multinational task group is comprised of the United Kingdom’s HMS Duncan, ESPS Méndez Núñez and ESPS Patiño from Spain, ITS Margottini of Italy, FS Surcouf of France, FGS Frankfurt Am Main...
Norway’s Nammo Says Arms Producers Need Long-Term Contracts From European Customers
Norway’s Nammo has called on European countries to provide arms producers with long-term contracts to support an industry with profitable operations. Nammo CEO Morten Brandtaeg told Breaking Defense that 10 to 15 years of production agreements would enable arms manufacturers to sustain industry investments. In an interview with the publication on the sidelines of the...
Airbus Breaks Ground on New Maintenance Facility for German Air Force A400M In-Service Support Contract
Airbus has started building a new A400M maintenance facility in Germany’s Wunstorf Air Base, an offshoot of the company securing an in-service support contract renewal for the German Air Force’s transport aircraft. The renewal, announced in July, extends for seven and a half years the A400M maintenance work that Airbus secured in December 2014. The...
Rheinmetall Exec: Ukrainian Conflict Highlights Importance of Modern Artillery Cannon, Propellant
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for tactical artillery range dominance to support readiness for large-scale combat operations, according to Jon Milner, director of business development for weapon and ammunition at American Rheinmetall Defense. In an interview with Breaking Defense on Monday, Milner said Russia has turned the conflict into an artillery showdown...
Ultra I&C Appoints Dawn Ohlson as VP Engineering for Ultra Cyber
Austin, Texas-based Ultra Intelligence & Communications has appointed Dawn Ohlson as VP Engineering for Ultra Cyber. Ohlson announced the move in a post on her LinkedIn page. A master of engineering and computer science graduate from the University of Oxford, she brings to Ultra I&C over three years of experience as technical director of national...
Bersama Lima 2023 Military Exercise Commences in Malaysia
The United Kingdom and its partner nations Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand have commenced a two-week military exercise under the Five Power Defence Arrangements the countries signed in 1971. The Bersama Lima 2023 exercise, which began on Wednesday with Malaysia as the host country, aims to strengthen cooperation between participating countries to maintain regional...
Sweden Drafts New Aid Package for Ukraine; Looks Into Combat Aircraft as Possible Support
Sweden has asked the Swedish Armed Forces to study and report on the conditions for a planned shipment of JAS 39 Gripen combat planes to Ukraine. The order to assess the issue of sending spare fighter jets to Ukraine follows Sweden’s announcement of its 14th military aid package, worth $155 million, to the war-torn country....