Aerospace and Defense Review : News

To accomplish its shared objectives of agility, productivity, growth, and sustainability, the aerospace and defence (A&D) industry will move into a new phase in 2023. A&D is entering a new era in 2023 with goals of agility, productivity, growth, and sustainability, all of which can be achieved with a digital strategy. Digital advancements and technical innovation are expected to generate economic growth, strengthen productivity, and help protect global citizens and the environment. A&D trends for 2023 include Defense Digital Twinning, the Digitisation of Training, and Sustainability and Resilience. Defense Digital Twinning, allows for the testing, debugging, and refinement of products before manufacturing. Digital twinning has been used in the commercial industry for at least 20 years, but the defence industry is still in the process of overcoming regulatory challenges and debates over defence spending. Digital twins require specialised sensors that support the virtual twin’s ability to simulate the attributes of its physical counterpart. The main driver for this trend is reducing time to market and efficiency, and defence companies have the option of investing in in-house digital twin capabilities, developing partnerships or consortia. Secondly, training is expected to grow in the coming years, especially for specialised robotics. The robots can operate without a rail system and offer realistic combat training opportunities that are less predictable, strengthening a soldier’s preparedness. Specialised sensors are of particular importance, and many OEMs are focusing on advances in AI for improving training. With the increasing awareness of climate change's looming effects, the third trend has become more ubiquitous and stringent. The Federal Government’s involvement in resilience measures has only intensified since the publication of “The National Security Implications of a Changing Climate” report. The effects of climate change impact infrastructure and military installations, limiting the nation’s ability to advance national security interests, protect local communities, and strengthen international cooperation. The industry must embrace innovative, sustainable alternatives, and execute effective action plans to directly address the growing energy crisis. Some of these promising innovations and action plans include alternative fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) at scale, and new propulsion technologies like electric, hydrogen, and hybrid, which can all lead to viable net-zero solutions. The aerospace and defence industry is poised for significant transformation in 2023, with a focus on digitisation. The three key trends expected to shape the industry include Defense Digital Twinning, the Digitisation of Training, and Sustainability and Resilience. These trends reflect a growing need for faster time to market, more effective training, and a greater focus on environmental sustainability and resilience in the face of the growing energy crisis and the impact of climate change. As the industry moves forward, it will need to embrace innovative, sustainable alternatives and execute effective action plans to address these challenges and achieve its goals. ...Read more

•  With four months to go, FEINDEF has already achieved a new record in its figures with respect to the 2021 edition, so far the best of its trajectory. •  The new space Innova for Def & Sec aims to become a national and international reference in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. •  FEINDEF 23 will be a meeting point for institutions, startups, SMEs and large companies interested in the Defense and Security market. Madrid:  The Spanish International Defense and Security Exhibition (FEINDEF) continues with the commercialization of its spaces for the third edition FEINDEF 23 that will take place on May 17, 18 and 19, 2023 at IFEMA (Madrid). With four months to go, more than 300 companies have already reserved their space, which represents more than 85% of the total space. In its effort to become one of the world's leading defense trade fairs, FEINDEF 23 will have 40,000 square meters of exhibition space, nearly 400 exhibitors from 25 countries and more than 100 international delegations, surpassing the figures of previous editions. FEINDEF 23 will be an opportunity to access the new European defense market, reinforcing the implementation of initiatives in the fields of collaborative research, capability development, boosting defense investment and the creation of the Single European Defense Market. In addition, FEINDEF 23 will promote its commitment to technical and scientific research and innovation as a driver of economic and technological development and social integration. Organized by the Feindef Foundation, FEINDEF 23 is the only fair in Spain of the Defense and Security sector institutionally supported by the Ministry of Defense, and is positioned as the most important Defense and Security event held in Spain, which opens to the world offering new business opportunities. Innova for Def & Sec, a benchmark for innovation and entrepreneurship Aware of the importance of startups for the economic and social development of our country, the FEINDEF Foundation introduces in the III edition of this reference event of Defense and Security in our country, a space dedicated exclusively to innovation and entrepreneurship in this field. Innova for Def & Sec is born as an embryo of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Defense and Security so necessary in our sector and with a clear vocation to support young talent. It is conceived to become a national and international benchmark in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship for "dual-use" solutions and technologies and an annual meeting point for entrepreneurs and innovative companies interested in the Defense and Security market. ...Read more

With the war in Ukraine serving as a sobering backdrop, NATO is preparing to start the next phase of two multinational air and missile defence programs that are several years in the making. 15 NATO allies and partners have joined an effort to field a modular, ground-based air defence system, or GBAD, that would include short-range, short-range, and medium-range defence solutions. They anticipate having the platform operational by 2028. Simultaneously, eight nations have joined forces to develop a new command and control capability for surface-based air and missile defence within a similar time frame. In an interview with Defense News, Camille Grand, NATO assistant secretary-general for defence investment, stated that these two programmes are part of the efforts to foster multinational cooperation among allies. Air defence is a domain where it is anticipated that cooperation among allies would make a lot of sense. At an October 2020 meeting of NATO defence ministers, ten NATO allies and partners signed a letter of intent to move forward with the modular GBAD programme. Five new partners have joined as of April 2022. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States comprise the current team. The alliance hopes to sign a memorandum of understanding for the effort by the end of 2022, begin the concept stage in 2023, and have a fielded capability by 2028. Once the memorandum is signed, the user requirements and funding guidelines will be established, but for the time being, off-the-shelf systems, as well as future or emerging technology solutions, are on the table. Existing solutions would be acceptable as long as they are interoperable and modular. However, there is an interest in looking at the next generation of capabilities as part of this project. The nations involved are encouraged to invest in as much of the modular system as they wish. Some allies may be interested in only one shield layer, while others may prefer the entire suite. The available technologies, even if they come from different parts of the industry, should be fully interoperable. There is a real effort to make this work very, very smoothly so that allies who join can expand their participation by going to another layer if they so choose later. The team has already met with potential partners through the NATO Industry Advisory Group, where some companies have shared their solutions to demonstrate what is available. However, the majority of industry engagement will occur after the memorandum is signed. Meanwhile, the alliance plans to sign a memorandum of understanding to establish a multinational command-and-control capability for surface-based air and missile defence at the battalion and brigade levels, dubbed SBAMD C2 Layer. France and Hungary signed on to the initiative in April at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, joining Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. When you see countries like Latvia, Norway, and Poland involved, it is clear that they are interested in developing such capabilities for themselves. On the other hand, the 15 allies currently involved in the modular GBAD programme cover nearly the entire geographic spectrum of the alliance. ...Read more