07-01-2008, 15:11
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חבר מתאריך: 22.10.07
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בריטניה תרכוש מל"ט MQ-9 Reaper, על חשבון ההרמס 450 ?
בריטניה תרכוש בכמליארד דולר 10 מל"טי MQ-9 Reaper שהם הגרסה החמושה של הפרדטור האמריקאי וכ 5 תחנות קרקע וציוד נלווה.
בכתבה מעלים חששות שהעסקה תבוא על חשבון פרוייקט ה Watchkeeper לייצור של מל"טי הרמס 450 של אלביט בבריטניה בעלות של 900 מליון פאונד.
(http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3286749&C=europe)
ציטוט:
U.K. Set To Buy 10 Reaper UAVs
By ANDREW CHUTER
LONDON — Britain is set to spend more than $1 billion to buy 10 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
A Jan. 3 announcement by the agency said that it had notified Congress late last month of the sale, which would be part of a Foreign Military Sales deal
with London
“The U.K. has requested a possible sale of 10 MQ-9 UAVs and five ground control stations,” along with a long list of sensors, test, training and other equipment, the DSCA said. “The total value if all options are exercised, could be as high as $1.07 billion
Notification of the possible sale is required by U.S. law.
No mention was made of whether the Reapers would be armed with missiles or precision guided bombs, although an MoD spokeswomen acknowledged that the British were investigating options for putting weapons on the 11-meter aircraft
The Royal Air Force already has two Reapers on order from General Atomics as part of an urgent operational requirement to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities for British forces fighting in southern Afghanistan.
Those two UAVs have been delivered, with the first deploying to Afghanistan in October. A third Reaper is also due to be ordered as part of the urgent requirement. A contract for that aircraft is close to signing.
For the moment, at least, the British aircraft are launched and recovered in theater by the U.S. Air Force with British pilots and operators based in the United States as part of a longstanding joint UAV operation involving the two countries
The MoD spokeswomen said she was unaware of planned delivery dates for the additional Reapers if the deal is approved. “They are an essential asset, though, and we would like to get them as quickly as possible,” she said.
Sir Glenn Torpy, air chief marshal, the chief of the Air Staff here, has been saying for months that his aspiration was for the Reaper fleet to initially grow to 12 vehicles
Analysts here were surprised at the size and timing of the potential order. Britain’s overstretched defense budget is expected to see cuts to equipment programs and capabilities of about 1.5 billion pound ($3 billion) a year for at least three years
A decision to buy Reapers would raise questions about other British ISTAR programs, particularly the 900 million pound Watchkeeper contract to produce a version of the Israeli-designed Hermes 450 for the British Army. Thales UK completed the critical design review last year and is now preparing for the manufacturing stage, with an expected in-service date of 2010
A spokeswomen for the company refuted any suggestion Watchkeeper might be a victim of Reaper spending, saying the program is “on track, on budget and we have seen no suggestion of any changes to the program.”
Along with the Reapers, Israeli-supplied Hermes 450s were rushed to Afghanistan last year to boost British ISTAR capabilities as part of another urgent operational requirement
Britain is the only export customer for the Reaper, although Predator A operator Italy is expected to place an order later this year
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