<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's and India's navies have both received new aircraft carriers in recent weeks.</li><li>The Chinese carrier Fujian and the Indian flattop Vikrant are both domestically designed and built.</li></ul><p>On June 17, China officially launched its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-navy-growth-and-search-for-overseas-bases-worries-us-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newest and most advanced aircraft carrier</a>, Fujian.</p><p>Fujian is China's third aircraft carrier and the first to be totally designed and built domestically. It symbolizes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-pentagon-maps-show-chinas-increasing-military-power-and-reach-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Chinese military's rapid expansion</a> and is seen as a potential rival to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-us-navy-aircraft-carriers-supercarriers-to-ford-class-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US Navy's nuclear-powered supercarriers</a>.</p><p>But China isn't the only Asian country getting a new carrier this year. In the final days of July, India's navy <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1845871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took delivery</a> of its new carrier, Vikrant.</p><p>Vikrant is also domestically designed and built, and its arrival is a major milestone for India, which is Asia's second largest military power and shares a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-border-dispute-tensions-how-china-and-india-militaries-compare-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long and contentious border</a> with China.</p><p>In addition to their many improvements over their predecessors, both carriers are important firsts for their countries. It will be years before either is fully operational, but here's how the two flattops stack up.</p><h2>Fujian</h2><div type="image" title="China aircraft carrier Fujian" height="1338" width="2000" msid="93284323" hostid="261"></div><p>A Type 003-class carrier, Fujian is about 1,035 feet long and displaces about 80,000 tons fully loaded. This makes it slightly larger than its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-aircraft-carriers-compare-to-us-navy-flattops-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predecessors</a>, the Type 001 Liaoning and Type 002 Shandong, which were about 1,000 feet long and displaced 60,000 to 70,000 tons.</p><p>Liaoning is a Soviet-designed Kuznetsov-class carrier that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinese-navy-went-rogue-to-get-first-aircraft-carrier-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China bought in 1998</a> and modified extensively before commissioning it into service in 2012. Shandong was based on Liaoning and entered service in 2019.</p><p>All three of China's carriers use conventional engines <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-aircraft-carriers-compare-to-us-navy-flattops-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rather than nuclear reactors</a>, limiting the power they can generate and the time they can spend at sea.</p><p>Among Fujian's upgrades is a command island that is <a href="https://twitter.com/louischeung_hk/status/1537402220303376388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1537402220303376388%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fchina-launches-the-fujian-its-most-capable-aircraft-carrier-yet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slimmer and more refined</a> than those of its predecessors, freeing up space on the flight deck.</p><p>The most striking change, however, is the replacement of the short takeoff but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system, and the ski-jump ramp it requires, used on both Liaoning and Shandong.</p><p>Fujian has a completely flat deck and three catapults, reflecting China's effort to adopt the catapult-assisted takeoff but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system used on US aircraft carriers.</p><div type="image" title="China aircraft carrier type 001a" height="844" width="1500" msid="93284324" hostid="261"></div><p>STOBAR allows jets to take off on shorter decks but limits how much fuel and weaponry they can carry when taking off. This is especially problematic for China, as the only fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft it has in service, the J-15, is already the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-j-15s-stack-up-against-us-fa-18s-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heaviest carrier-based fighter in service</a>.</p><p>A CATOBAR system can launch jets with bigger payloads and more fuel. It can also launch larger aircraft, like those suited for airborne early warning and control.</p><p>Parts of Fujian's flight deck were covered during the launch ceremony, obscuring its catapults, but they are believed to use an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) that can launch aircraft more efficiently and more frequently than steam-powered catapults.</p><p>Until Fujian, the only carriers with EMALS were those of the US Navy's nuclear-powered <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-new-carrier-ford-ready-to-deploy-after-shock-trials-2022-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ford-class</a>. Chinese sailors' unfamiliarity with the CATOBAR system and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-admiral-navy-too-much-new-tech-aircraft-carrier-ford-2021-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenges the US Navy has had with EMALS</a> suggest it will be some time before Fujian <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-fujian-still-needs-long-testing-period-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reaches its full potential</a>.</p><p>The exact size and makeup of the Fujian's air wing is still not known, but it is expected to be larger than the roughly 36 aircraft carried by both Liaoning and Shandong and to include J-15 fighters and Z-18 helicopters.</p><p>In the future, Fujian's air wing may comprise <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-best-look-yet-at-chinas-j-35-carrier-capable-stealth-fighter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J-35 stealth fighters</a> (a naval version of the <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/the-fc-31-chinas-other-stealth-fighter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FC-31</a>), <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38680/this-is-our-best-look-yet-at-chinas-z-20f-seahawk-clone-toting-air-to-ground-missiles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Z-20F</a> helicopters, and, thanks to EMALS, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/09/13/chinas-new-carrier-plane-is-more-than-a-hawkeye-clone/?sh=4164fbd517a5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KJ-600 airborne early-warning</a> aircraft and even <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/07/23/stealth-uavs-could-arm-chinas-type-076-assault-carrier/?sh=23b76c6e6f3d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carrier-based drones</a>.</p><h2>Vikrant</h2><div type="image" title="India aircraft carrier Vikrant" height="1100" width="1466" msid="93284325" hostid="261"></div><p>Vikrant was officially launched in 2013 and is expected to be commissioned on August 15, but it won't be India's first or only carrier.</p><p>India had former British carriers in service from 1961 to 1997 and from 1987 to 2016, and <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/ins-vikramaditya-aircraft-carrier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">INS Vikramaditya</a>, a modified Kiev-class carrier purchased from Russia and commissioned in 2013, is the Indian navy's current flagship.</p><p>At 860 feet long and with a full displacement of about 45,000 tons, Vikrant is the biggest warship India has ever constructed. It was designed and built by India's largest shipbuilder, Cochin Shipyard Limited, and 76% of its components were developed domestically, according to India's Defense Ministry.</p><p>Vikrant is crewed by about 160 officers and 1,400 sailors and is powered by four gas turbines capable of generating 88 megawatts of power and of pushing it to a top speed of 28 knots. It can carry about 30 jets and helicopters, and like INS Vikramaditya, it uses a STOBAR system with a ski-jump ramp.</p><div type="image" title="India aircraft carrier Vikrant" height="742" width="990" msid="93284326" hostid="261"></div><p>Vikrant's initial air wing is expected to be made up of MiG-29Ks, the carrier version of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/combat-jets-russia-and-ukraine-are-using-in-ukraine-war-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Russian-made MiG-29</a>. The jet has served on INS Vikramaditya but its <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2021/12/28/the-indian-navys-mig-29s-keep-crashing-will-new-delhi-seek-a-replacement-fighter/?sh=510ac55c1b8c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poor track record</a> has led India to seek 26 new carrier-based fighters — the finalists are Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation's Rafale-M.</p><p>The F/A-18 has been the backbone of US Navy carrier aviation for decades, and Boeing has <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/07/f-a-18-super-hornet-completes-operational-demo-in-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demonstrated</a> its ability to operate on STOBAR decks in India. The Rafale-M has operated on the French aircraft carrier <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-frances-charles-de-gaulle-aircraft-carrier-is-no-joke-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles de Gaulle</a>, which uses catapults, and has been demonstrated <a href="https://www.spsnavalforces.com/features/?id=195&amp;h=Rafale-maritime-fighter-displays-ski-jump-capability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on an Indian STOBAR system</a>. (India's air force already operates the Rafale.)</p><p>India's <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/better-than-rafale-super-hornet-meet-indias-indigenous-tedbf-fighters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAL twin-engine fighter</a> has also been proposed as an indigenous aircraft for Vikrant. The new carrier's air wing is likely to be rounded out by a mix of <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/kamov_ka31.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KA-31</a>, <a href="https://www.navair.navy.mil/product/MH-60R-Seahawk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MH-60R</a>, and <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/dhruv.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAL Dhruv</a> helicopters.</p><p>INS Vikrant is expected to play a major part in boosting the Indian Navy's capabilities in the face of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rising Chinese threat in the waters around India</a>.</p>

Asia's 2 biggest militaries are both getting new aircraft carriers. Here's how China's and India's latest flattops stack up.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Greece and Turkey have two of NATO's largest militaries and are in an important corner of Europe.</li><li>They also have longstanding disputes that continue to roil their relationship and affect the alliance.</li></ul><p>Greece and Turkey are two of NATO's oldest members, joining together in 1952, but their relationship and the tensions between them predate the alliance, and membership has done little to ease their disputes.</p><p>In recent years, ties between Athens and Ankara have deteriorated to the point that <a href="https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/could-greece-and-turkey-go-to-war-the-answer-is-yes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some believe</a> a war could break out between them.</p><p>The countries occupy strategically important territory in southeastern Europe, and they field two of NATO's biggest militaries, making the stakes of a potential clash much higher.</p><h2>Eastern Mediterranean arms</h2><div type="image" title="Greek tank Greece independence day" height="1333" width="2000" msid="95257124" hostid="261" sizebytes="348004"></div><p>Due to persistent tensions with Turkey, Greece has been one of the few NATO members to maintain defense expenditures above the alliance's 2%-of-GDP goal. Greece's defense spending in 2022 was the <a href="https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2022/6/pdf/220627-def-exp-2022-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest in the alliance</a> as a share of GDP.</p><p>Although much of Greece's defense spending has traditionally gone to personnel costs, significant equipment purchases under its current administration, which took office in July 2019, have also made it one of the alliance's biggest spenders on hardware. (NATO also calls for 20% of members' defense spending to go toward equipment purchases and upgrades.)</p><p>Greece is placing a strong emphasis on its air force and naval fleet in particular.</p><div type="image" title="Greece F-16 Viper" height="739" width="985" msid="95257126" hostid="261" sizebytes="16320"></div><p>Since 2020, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/20/greeces-receives-game-changer-rafale-aircraft-from-france" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it has purchased 24</a> French-made Rafale jets, 4.5-generation multirole fighters that are considered very capable and technologically superior to any Turkish aircraft. Athens is also upgrading 84 of its F-16s <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f-16v-viper-fighting-falcon-multi-role-fighter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to the latest Viper configuration</a> and has applied to join the F-35 program.</p><p>Greece plans to buy seven MH-60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters, and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/07/03/greece-is-deploying-israeli-systems-to-counter-turkish-drones/?sh=52968673165e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it has installed</a> a version of Israel's Iron Dome over its eastern Aegean islands. The system is tailored to counter Turkey's large drone fleet.</p><p>On the naval front, Greece has purchased three FDI HN frigates from France with the option for a fourth one. It is also in the final stages of selecting <a href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/10/14/greece-corvette-fincantieri/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four more corvettes</a> for its already <a href="https://isozygio.wordpress.com/nautikh-isxys/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sizable navy</a>.</p><p>Greece maintains <a href="https://armedforces.eu/land_forces/ranking_tanks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the largest tank force</a> among NATO's European members — although a portion are older models — and has <a href="https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=greece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the biggest artillery forces</a> in the continent.</p><div type="image" title="Turkey Soldiers Army Tank" height="814" width="1086" msid="95257131" hostid="261" sizebytes="84766"></div><p>Turkey, on the other hand, has the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/these-nato-countries-have-the-largest-militaries?slide=10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second-largest military</a> and the <a href="https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=turkey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second-largest tank and artillery force</a> in NATO, after the US.</p><p>The Turkish air force is comparable to Greece's, but it is falling behind due to Ankara's expulsion from the F-35 program, a US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turkish-greek-requests-for-us-fighter-jets-could-worsen-tensions-2022-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hold on Turkey's request</a> for F-16 upgrades, and the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-turkey-grounded-hundreds-fighter-pilots-192849" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissal of hundreds of Turkish pilots</a> following a 2016 coup attempt.</p><p>Yet, Turkey's drone industry and the aircraft it produces are among the best in NATO. Turkish-made TB-2 Bayraktar drones have <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/is-the-famous-tb2-bayraktar-the-best-drone-in-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received significant attention</a> for their role in the war in Ukraine.</p><p>Turkey also has one of NATO's <a href="https://www.wdmmw.org/turkish-navy.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest navies</a>, with a considerable number of combat ships and a large landing fleet. Ankara plans to strengthen its fleet <a href="https://www.navalanalyses.com/2017/09/turkish-navy-modernization-and.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with at least four and as many as seven</a> anti-aircraft warfare frigates that will replace older ships.</p><div type="image" title="Turkey navy submarines" height="1008" width="1400" msid="95257133" hostid="261" sizebytes="189102"></div><p>The Turkish navy is also awaiting delivery of six German-made Type 214 submarines, which could tilt the naval balance in the Aegean, as Greece has four Type 214 subs.</p><p>Turkey's defense spending is <a href="https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2021/6/pdf/210611-pr-2021-094-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">significantly less than Greece's</a>, in percentage terms, but Turkey benefits from having a larger economy and is planning <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/turkey-announces-ambitious-defence-spending-increase-in-draft-economic-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annual defense spending increases</a> through 2024. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently <a href="https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1196029/turkey-set-to-increase-defense-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> an extra $26 billion in defense spending for 2023.</p><p>This concentration of firepower would make any conflict deadlier, and a local crisis could quickly escalate.</p><p>Greek military's chief of staff, Gen. Konstantinos Floros, <a href="https://doureios.com/a-geetha-den-yparhei-simiaki-krisi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in 2020</a> that "no crisis" would be "geographically isolated," a reversal of Greece's past policy.</p><h2>Many issues, little sympathy</h2><div type="image" title="syria turkey greece border" height="798" width="1200" msid="95257135" hostid="261" sizebytes="160196"></div><p>Greek and Turkey have come very close to war in the recent past.</p><p>They clashed during Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, and a conflict was narrowly averted <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/imia-kardak-island-dispute-between-greece-turkey-almost-sparked-war-2022-5?op=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during the Imia crisis</a> in 1996. In 2020, Greek and Turkish frigates collided during a standoff <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/23/annus-horribilis-key-greek-turkish-developments-in-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the Eastern Mediterranean</a>.</p><p>Both countries have lost jets and pilots in encounters over the eastern Aegean, and each side regularly accuses the other of flying over their territory in the area.</p><p>Their disputes include divided Cyprus and the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/dont-weaponize-refugees-eus-tusk-tells-turkey/a-50794532" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weaponization of migrants</a>, but much of their tension centers on the islands in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas.</p><p>Greece, citing the <a href="https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part2.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Convention on the Law of the Sea</a>, argues that its hundreds of Aegean islands give it rights to territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. Turkey has not signed UNCLOS and argues that islands do not have the same territorial rights as mainland.</p><div type="image" title="Turkey Greece coast guard Imia Kardak" height="1118" width="2000" msid="95257137" hostid="261" sizebytes="373738"></div><p>Turkey's parliament has authorized <a href="https://turkeygazette.com/turkey-reminds-greece-of-casus-belli/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a declaration of war</a> if Greece extends its territorial waters in the Aegean from its current 6 nautical miles up to the 12 miles allowed by UNCLOS.</p><p>Turkey also demands that Greece demilitarize its eastern Aegean islands, arguing that Athens has breached <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Lausanne-1923" target="_blank" rel="noopener">treaty limits</a> on what military equipment can be deployed to them. Athens <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/turkey-summons-greek-ambassador-protest-deployment-armored-vehicles-demiliterized-greek-islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> the hardware is for defensive purposes.</p><p>The island dispute has escalated in recent months.</p><p>Erdogan <a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/04/688583/Turkey-Erdogan-Greece-Aegean-Sea-demilitarized-island-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in September</a> that Greece is "occupying" the islands and that "we will do what's necessary" when the time comes. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/greece-turkey-tensions-remain-high-as-elections-loom-for-mitsotakis-and-erdogan-231219607.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> days later that war would never happen but that if Ankara did attack it "would receive an absolutely devastating response."</p><p>The rhetoric <a href="https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1193321/poll-most-turks-see-tension-with-greece-as-pre-election-ploy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is widely seen</a> in Turkey as politically motivated: Erdogan and Mitsotakis both face elections next summer.</p><div type="image" title="Turkey Greece Aegean island armored military vehicles" height="736" width="1426" msid="95257142" hostid="261" sizebytes="74544"></div><p>Observers <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-greece-tensions-could-disrupt-nato-unity-experts-warn/6739413.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">say</a> NATO is able to manage the tension as it has in the past, but the ill-will between two of the alliance's most important members looks likely to continue. (<a href="https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/turkey-statement-spokesperson-sovereignty-greece-over-its-islands_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The EU</a> and <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/09/28/US-says-Greek-sovereignty-on-island-not-in-question-after-Turkey-complaint-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US</a> support Greece on the islands issue, which Turkey views as favoritism.)</p><p>Political dialogue is largely frozen, but the countries' defense ministers met during a NATO summit on October 14 in an attempt to deescalate the situation.</p><p>Afterward, Turkey's defense minister <a href="https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1195635/akar-calls-for-talks-without-outside-interference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it was "important that the dispute" is "resolved without the interference of third parties." Greece's defense minister <a href="https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1195656/panagiotopoulos-to-akar-talks-futile-while-threats-continue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that "as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication."</p><p><em>Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fconstantine-atlamazoglou&amp;amazonTrackingID=null&amp;site=bi&amp;vikingID=635fe6a0ba755618276d080d&amp;platform=browser&amp;sc=false&amp;disabled=false&amp;sessionID=1666213839364g7wks1lw" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn" rel="nofollow noindex noopener sponsored">LinkedIn</a>.</em></p>

Rising tensions between 2 of NATO's biggest militaries are driving fears of the first war between alliance members

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In early February, <keyword id="12500522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carriers" source="Orion">aircraft carriers</keyword> from three NATO navies trained in the Mediterranean Sea.</li><li>The rare exercise was meant to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate its high-end maritime strike capabilities.</li></ul><p>The first week of February saw the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group train with the French carrier <keyword id="13198532" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="charles-de-gaulle" source="Orion">Charles de Gaulle</keyword>'s Task Force 473 and the Italian carrier Cavour's strike group in the Mediterranean.</p><p>The US and Italian carrier groups were in the Mediterranean as part of NATO's Neptune Strike exercise, which saw command of the Truman strike group <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-allies-multiple-carrier-strike-groups-in-the-mediterranean-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pass from the US Navy's Sixth Fleet to NATO</a>, a significant command-and-control event.</p><p>Charles de Gaulle's Task Force 473 was participating in <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/02/french-carrier-strike-group-begins-clemenceau-22-deployment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clemenceau 22</a> a French exercise aimed at increasing interoperability among France's allies and partners.</p><p>Although the NATO allies frequently conduct joint naval training, this was a rare occasion for the three aircraft carriers to sail alongside each other.</p><h2>The American powerhouse</h2><div type="image" title="USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier" height="1200" width="2000" msid="89652088" hostid="261"></div><p>Commissioned in 1998, the <keyword id="13198530" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uss-harry-s-truman" source="Orion">USS Harry S. Truman</keyword> has conducted combat missions in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and in the US-led campaign against ISIS.</p><p>The massive Nimitz-class <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> is nearly 1,100 feet long and displaces 104,000 tons fully loaded. Its usual complement is 3,200 sailors with another 1,800 in its air wing.</p><p>It is powered by two A4W nuclear reactors — the most powerful reactors used by the US Navy. The reactors can push Truman to speeds of more than 30 knots and give it an operational range limited only by its crew's endurance.</p><p>The reactors have a life-span of 23 years. Like other carriers, Truman's reactors will need to undergo mid-life refueling to keep operating, though the Navy has <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/09/17/navy-mulling-extending-service-lives-of-nimitz-class-carriers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered</a> skipping that and <a href="https://news.usni.org/2021/03/10/pentagon-mulling-aircraft-carrier-reduction-as-part-of-fy-2022-budget-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cutting the carrier's service life short</a>.</p><p>Truman can carry roughly 70 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It is currently sailing with Carrier Wing One, which has nine squadrons composed of F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic-warfare aircraft, and E-2D Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, as well as MH-60S Seahawk and MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, which can conduct anti-submarine, anti-surface, and rescue missions. Carrier Wing One also has C-2A Greyhound cargo aircraft.</p><p>The carrier has a Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system for those fixed-wing aircraft. CATOBAR allows for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-2-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-aircraft-carrier-classes-stack-up-2018-10#whereas-the-cdg-can-carry-a-maximum-of-40-aircraft-such-as-dassault-rafales-dauphins-and-more-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simultaneous launch and recovery</a> of aircraft, giving Truman significant operational flexibility.</p><p>Truman's defenses include two RIM-7 Sea Sparrow anti-missile systems, two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles anti-missile systems, three 20 mm multi-barrel Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns, as well as electronic and anti-torpedo countermeasures.</p><h2>The French flagship</h2><div type="image" title="French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle" height="683" width="1024" msid="89652089" hostid="261"></div><p>Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French navy and the country's only aircraft carrier. Commissioned in 2001, it has seen combat in the Afghanistan and Libyan wars and in Opération Chammal, France's operation against ISIS.</p><p>It is powered by two K15 pressurized-water nuclear reactors, making it the only non-American nuclear-powered carrier in the world. The K15 reactors give it a speed <a href="https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/equipements/batiments-de-combat/porte-avions/charles-de-gaulle-r-91/(language)/fre-FR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">of up to 27 knots</a> and need to be replaced every seven years.</p><p>Charles de Gaulle is much smaller than its Nimitz-class counterpart, measuring 861 feet and displacing 42,500 tons. It carries a crew of 1,200 with a 600-strong air wing.</p><p>It can carry 40 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft — most of them <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/rafale-multirole-combat-fighter/">Rafale fighters</a>. In addition to a small compliment of multipurpose helicopters, it carries two E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft. Charles de Gaulle is also the only non-American aircraft carrier with CATOBAR system.</p><p>Its defensive measures include two six-cell SADRAL missile launchers that fire Mistral anti-aircraft and anti-missile missiles. It also has four Sylver launchers, each with eight cells, that fire Aster 15 surface-to-air-missiles. In addition, it has eight 20 mm modèle F2 mounted guns.</p><p>Although it faced <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1325965/French-calamity-carrier-heads-for-sea-again.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">numerous technical problems</a> during its first years in service, the Charles de Gaulle allows France to project power worldwide.</p><p>In 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/12/08/president-macron-announces-start-of-new-french-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced plans</a> for a next-generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to operate alongside de Gaulle. Construction is set to begin in 2025.</p><h2>The modern and multifaceted Italian</h2><div type="image" title="Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour" height="1333" width="2000" msid="89652090" hostid="261"></div><p>Cavour is the flagship of the Italian navy and one of Italy's two aircraft carriers. It is conventionally powered, which limits its range to 7,000 nautical miles at 16 knots, though it can reach speeds of 29 knots.</p><p>With a length of 800 feet and a displacement of 30,000 tons fully loaded, it is the smallest of the three allied carriers.</p><p>However, it is not a traditional aircraft carrier, as its hangar space can be <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/num/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converted to store vehicles</a>, holding 24 main battle tanks or up to 100 lighter infantry vehicles, allowing it to act as a transport ship.</p><p>Commissioned in 2008, the young flattop has a crew of 450 and can accommodate a 211-person air wing. It has not yet seen combat.</p><p>It can carry 16 fixed-wing aircraft or about 20 helicopters or a mixture of platforms, but because of its size, its flight deck can only support short take-off and vertical landing aircraft.</p><p>The Italian navy is replacing its 16 Harriers with 15 F-35Bs. Cavour has already been modernized to operate F-35Bs, and in February 2021, it sailed to Norfolk, Virginia, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/italian-navy-flagship-successfully-completes-sea-trials-with-us-f35bs-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for initial F-35 certification trials</a>.</p><p>Cavour's defenses include four eight-cell Sylver launchers firing Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles, two Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid guns, three 25 mm anti-aircraft guns, and an electronic-warfare defense system.</p><h2>A show of unity</h2><div type="image" title="From right to left, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (C 550) and the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R 91) transit the Mediterranean Sea in formation, Feb. 6, 2022." height="2359" width="3146" msid="89652091" hostid="261"></div><p>Clemenceau 22 will see the French Carrier Task Force sail to Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta to show support for France's NATO ally.</p><p>However, NATO's Neptune Strike 2022 was not conducted in response to Russia's recent military buildup around <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>, as planning for the exercise started in 2020.</p><p>Neptune Strike was "designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group to support the deterrence and defense of the alliance," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in January.</p><p>Nevertheless, the simultaneous deployment of three aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean sends a powerful message about NATO's capabilities.</p><p>"There are few nations that are able to operate carrier strike groups, and this was a great opportunity to confirm the high level of integration," Rear Adm. Vincenzo Montanaro, commander of the Italian strike group, <a href="https://www.c6f.navy.mil/Press-Room/News/Article/2925036/american-french-italian-carrier-strike-groups-sail-together-in-the-mediterranea/">said</a> this month.</p><p><em>Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.</em></p>

As Russia builds up around Ukraine, NATO navies put 3 different carriers on display. Here's how their flattops stack up.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been investing heavily in new military hardware in order to Iran.</li></ul><p>Iran's military moves in recent weeks have captured worldwide attention, stoking concern among rivals in the US and across the Middle East.</p><p>On September 1, Iran's navy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iranian-ship-captures-us-navy-drone-boats-hiding-under-tarp-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">briefly seized</a> two US Navy unmanned surface vessels in the Red Sea, succeeding on its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-tried-capture-us-vessel-stopped-by-navy-patrol-2022-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second attempt</a> capture a US drone within a week.</p><p>On September 4, Iran's air force commander, Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/09/05/persian-flankers-iran-eyeing-russian-su-35s-in-biggest-potential-fighter-procurement-in-30-years/?sh=252fd56e4f47" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the country hoped to acquire Russian Su-35 fighter jets in what would be Tehran's largest fighter purchase since 1990.</p><p>The following day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/irans-irgcn-unveils-shahid-soleimani-catamaran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed off</a> a new catamaran-style "patrol-combat vessel" equipped with vertical launch missiles — a first for any Iranian naval vessel.</p><p>Those actions come amid a longer-term military buildup by Iran's neighbors, who seek to counter Tehran's asymmetric capabilities by improving their air and naval forces. Their buildup has continued despite President Joe Biden's efforts to assure them of US support and improve relations in the face of increasing geopolitical competition.</p><h2>Dominant airpower</h2><div type="image" title="United Arab Emirates F-16 KC-10 tanker" height="1333" width="2000" msid="94499850" hostid="261"></div><p>Saudi Arabia's and the UAE's vast oil wealth has allowed them to be the top two defense spenders in the Middle East and North Africa, and their relations with the US and Europe give them access to the best combat aircraft on the market.</p><p>The Royal Saudi Air Force's core <a href="https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strength</a> are its 232 F-15 Eagles, at least 84 of which are <a href="https://theaviationist.com/2017/02/01/up-close-and-personal-with-the-first-saudi-f-15sa-the-most-advanced-eagle-ever-built/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">F-15SA variants</a> designed specifically for Saudi Arabia. The RSAF also operates 71 <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/eurofighter_typhoon.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eurofighter Typhoon</a> fighters and 66 <a href="https://www.aircraftrecognitionguide.com/panavia-tornado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Panavia Tornado</a> attack aircraft.</p><p>Saudi Arabia is upgrading its F-15s, and in November, the US State Department approved the sale of 280 AIM-120C air-to-air missiles for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-sells-saudi-arabia-650-million-of-us-made-missiles-2021-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$650 million</a> to Riyadh.</p><div type="image" title="Royal Saudi Air Force F-15" height="1333" width="2000" msid="94499851" hostid="261"></div><p>Saudi aircraft continue to play a major role in Riyadh's campaign in Yemen. Their operations have kept Houthi forces from taking <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-saudi-arabia-coalition-airstrikes-marib-houthis-advance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">important territory</a> and <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39992/watch-a-saudi-f-15-fighter-swoop-in-low-to-blast-a-houthi-rebel-drone-out-of-the-sky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prevented</a> Houthi drones and missiles from striking Saudi Arabia, but Saudi airstrikes, often conducted with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/saudi-war-crimes-yemen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US support</a>, continue to <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/18/yemen-latest-round-saudi-uae-led-attacks-targets-civilians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kill civilians</a>.</p><p>The UAE's air fleet is smaller but also powerful, made up of 78 F-16s and 49 <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/mirage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mirage 2000s</a> used for both fighter and ground-attack operations.</p><p>Over the past year, the UAE has said <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/3/uae-buys-record-80-french-fighter-jets-as-macron-starts-gulf-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it would purchase</a> 80 French-made Dassault Rafales <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/uae-to-order-up-to-48-chinese-l15-fighter-trainers-just-how-capable-are-they" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and</a> 12 Chinese-made <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/l15.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hongdu L-15</a> jet trainers, with an option for 36 more.</p><p>The UAE also received 20 Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkish firm Baykar this month, and Saudi Arabia is also in talks with the firm to buy the drones, which a Western source <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/exclusive-turkey-sells-battle-tested-drones-uae-regional-rivals-mend-ties-2022-09-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Reuters</a> are better than the Iranian drones that Russia is using in Ukraine.</p><h2>Modern fleets</h2><div type="image" title="Royal Saudi Naval Force corvette HMS Badr" height="1276" width="1702" msid="94499852" hostid="261"></div><p>The Saudi navy's primary combat ships are three <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/al_riyadh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Riyadh-class</a> frigates, four <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2017/january-2017-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/4852-royal-saudi-navy-al-madinah-class-frigate-damaged-following-attack-by-houthi-militia-off-yemen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Madinah-class</a> frigates, four <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/july/us-navy-needs-corvette-badr-class-would-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Badr-class corvettes</a>, and nine Al Siddiq-class patrol vessels. The UAE's battlefleet is made up of smaller vessels: six <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/baynunah/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baynunah-class</a> and one <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/middle-eastern-navies-vessels-ships-equipment/uae-navy-vessels-ships-equipment/corvettespatrol-vessels/884-abu-dhabi-class-asw-corvette-p191-uae-navy-united-arab-emirates-fincantieri-etihad-ship-building-esb-anti-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abu Dhabi-class</a> corvettes and 36 patrol vessels.</p><p>Both navies plan to expand and modernize.</p><p>In 2017, Riyadh signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for four <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/multi-mission-surface-combatant-mmsc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multi-mission surface combatant</a> warships, a variant of the US Navy's Freedom-class littoral combat ship. The Saudis have also <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/07/navantia-delivers-2nd-avante-2200-corvette-to-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> two of the five Spanish-built <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/avante-2200-combatant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Jubail-class</a> corvettes they ordered in 2018. The final three are expected to be delivered by 2024. The Kingdom has also ordered 39 <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/09/cmn-hands-over-2nd-and-3rd-batches-of-hsi32-interceptors-to-royal-saudi-navy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HSI32 Interceptor</a> vessels from French shipbuilder CMN Group.</p><p>The UAE, meanwhile, ordered two Gowind 2500-class corvettes from France's Marine Group in 2019. The first corvette was <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/12/naval-group-launches-bani-yas-gowind-corvette-uae/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> in December and the second <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/naval-group-launches-second-gowind-corvette-for-uae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in May</a>.</p><p>In addition to securing their own waters, the Saudi and Emirati navies have both sent vessels to support <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/gulf-coalition-operations-yemen-part-3-maritime-and-aerial-blockade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a blockade</a> of Yemen.</p><h2>Evolving threats, priorities, and procurement</h2><div type="image" title="United Arab Emirates Baynunah-class corvette" height="1328" width="2000" msid="94499853" hostid="261"></div><p>Despite <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/irans-navy-flexes-new-muscles-years-after-fight-with-us-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showing off</a> its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-iran-navy-launches-stealth-warship-in-the-gulf-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new warships</a> and announcing plans to buy more fighter jets, Tehran has recalibrated its defense structure in recent years.</p><p>"Ten years ago, you could see the Iranians were still thinking in a somewhat conventional way about doing things," said Michael Knights, an expert in the military and security affairs of Persian Gulf countries at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.</p><p>Handicapped by sanctions and a limited industrial base, Iran has mostly been unable to build and field advanced military hardware. It has shifted from trying to match the conventional capabilities of its adversaries to focusing on things like missile and drone development.</p><p>"They've leapfrogged over a bunch of stuff that they weren't good at and they've focused on stuff that they are reasonably good at now," Knights told Insider.</p><p>Iran's <a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">missile arsenal</a> is the largest in the Middle East and quite capable, as is its <a href="https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2020/aug/20/irans-drone-fleet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drone fleet</a>.</p><div type="image" title="Al Asad al-Asad Iraq base damage aftermath Iran missile strike January 2020" height="720" width="1280" msid="94499855" hostid="261"></div><p>Hundreds of missile and drone attacks using Iranian-made hardware have been launched against Saudi Arabia and UAE from Yemen and Iran since 2015. In January 2020, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US military bases in Iraq following <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iranian-military-commander-soleimani-killed-in-airstrike-report-2020-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US's assassination</a> of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.</p><p>Iran has been supplying drones <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-winner-is-emerging-from-the-war-in-ukraine-but-its-not-who-you-think-189036" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to Moscow</a> as the Russian military struggles in Ukraine. In mid-September, Ukraine said it had for the first time <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-eliminated-iranian-drone-deployed-russia-putin-counteroffensive-war-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">destroyed</a> an Iranian drone in use by Russian forces.</p><p>Iran has also <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/battle-or-slaughter-are-irans-upgraded-air-defenses-threat-us-air-force-193920" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed air defenses</a> that likely could effectively defend its home territory.</p><p>But the advanced weapons now fielded by Iran and its neighbors, along with the tight confines of the Gulf region, mean that any conflict would see heavy losses on both sides.</p><p>"The Gulf states and the Iranians would probably be able to do each other a lot of damage very early in a war. Both sides would lose their navies very quickly," Knights said.</p><p>Consequently, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been putting more emphasis on developing anti-air and missile-defense systems. Both are also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-a-u-s-navy-maritime-drone-operation-aimed-at-iran-11661954273?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investing in unmanned systems</a>.</p><p>The two countries are working to integrate and network their drones and systems with each other, which the US has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/12/biden-middle-east-air-defense-alliance-00045423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a>, and have participated in or hosted multiple military exercises involving drones, including this year's US-led International Maritime Exercise, <a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/News-Article-View/Article/2940622/large-scale-international-exercise-in-middle-east-africa-concludes/#:~:text=International%20Maritime%20Exercise%20(IMX)%202022,and%20the%20West%20Indian%20Ocean." target="_blank" rel="noopener">the largest exercise</a> of unmanned systems in the world.</p><div type="image" title="unmanned naval vessels in Bahrain" height="1428" width="2000" msid="94499857" hostid="261"></div><p>IMX 2022 was also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-participates-huge-us-gulf-naval-exercise-alongside-saudi-oman-2022-02-02/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first time</a> Israel and Saudi Arabia, which don't have diplomatic relations, officially took part in an exercise together.</p><p>The Saudis and the UAE have turned to their burgeoning defense industries to build that weaponry, but the Biden administration — which froze arms sales to Saudi Arabia upon entering office over human-rights concerns related to the war in Yemen — now seems open to replenishing Saudi and Emirati arsenals as part of its efforts to improve relations.</p><p>Just weeks after his visit to the Middle East in July 2021, Biden approved a $5 billion arms sale that included up to 300 Patriot missile interceptors for Saudi Arabia and two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems with 96 interceptor missiles for the UAE.</p><p>Iran is "in a game of mutually assured destruction" with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE, "when it comes to the loss of critical infrastructure," Knights said.</p><p>"But if trends in counter-missile and counter-drone continue moving in the direction they are moving now, the GCC might be better prepared to defend themselves from the Iranians, and that's an interesting trend break," he added.</p>

Despite Biden's assurances, Middle East militaries are buying their own weapons to take on Iran at sea and in the air

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US and Greek militaries have continued to strengthen their relationship.</li><li>At the end of 2021, the US transferred dozens of armored vehicles and specialized watercraft to <keyword id="6357856" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greece" source="Orion">Greece</keyword>.</li></ul><p>The US continues to strengthen its military partnership with Greece <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-greece-expand-defense-cooperation-amid-tension-with-turkey-russia-2021-11">following the signing</a> of the Mutual Defense and Cooperation Agreement in October.</p><p>The US is helping its Mediterranean ally now by transferring 1,200 surplus M1117 Guardian armored vehicles and four Mark V Special Operations Craft to the <keyword id="12890415" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greek-military" source="Orion">Greek military</keyword>.</p><p>The combined value of the equipment is close to $1 billion, but it is being provided to Greece at a very significant discount under the US's Excess Defense Articles program.</p><p>Congressional approval is required for a country to receive EDA equipment. Therefore, the transfers reflect a "commitment to continuing to build on the strength of a relationship that has reached a high point but is not yet at its summit," <a href="https://gr.usembassy.gov/ambassador-pyatts-remarks-at-the-opening-ceremony-for-arrival-of-m117-armored-security-vehicles/">according to US Ambassador to Greece</a> Geoffrey Pyatt.</p><h2>Hellenic Guardians</h2><div type="image" title="M1117 Guardian armored vehicles in Greece" height="828" width="1240" msid="88722466" hostid="261"></div><p>The Greek military will purchase the M117 Guardians <a href="https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/11/29/new-armored-vehicles-greek-army/">for about $80,000 apiece</a> — a discount of nearly 90% over their $800,000 production price.</p><p>However, the Guardians will be provided without armament; the Greeks will have to procure and install machine guns and grenade launchers themselves.</p><p>Forty-four vehicles have already been delivered to Greece. The remainder are to be delivered by April 2022. The M117 has a number of variants, but it is not yet known which Greece will receive.</p><p>The M117 Guardian was used in Afghanistan and Iraq, where <a href="https://www.army-technology.com/projects/m1117/">its mine-resistant hull</a> and ability to withstand small-arms fire made it popular among troops, but the Guardians' operational roles with Greece are likely to be limited, according to Savvas Vlassis, <a href="https://doureios.com/gia-tin-ishi-pyros-ton-m1117/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Greek defense journalist and publisher.</a></p><p>The vehicles are expected to be used mainly on patrol missions, deploying primarily with Greek units in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evros_(regional_unit)">the Evros border region</a> and on the Greek islands.</p><h2>A special partnership</h2><div type="image" title="Mark V Special Operations Craft Scan Eagle drone" height="1331" width="2000" msid="88722467" hostid="261"></div><p>The Mark V Special Operations Craft are primarily used for insertion and patrol and were in service with the US Navy SEALs from 1995 to 2013.</p><p>Greece has the <a href="https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/coastline/">largest coastline in the Mediterranean</a> and <a href="https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/#geography">over 2,000 islands and islets</a>, meaning the boats — Greece's first Mark Vs — will be particularly useful.</p><p>To showcase the Mark V's capabilities, US Navy SEALs and Green Berets from US Special Operations Command Europe conducted joint drills with Hellenic Underwater Demolition Command (DYK) operators in Attica, off the southeastern end of the Greek mainland.</p><div type="image" title="US, Greece special operations troops" height="450" width="1140" msid="88722468" hostid="261"></div><p>DYK operators are roughly equivalent to US Navy SEALs. The Greek selection process is based on the US Navy's BUD/S course, and the two units have similar attrition rates.</p><p>"I have been so impressed to see not only the growth in the US-Greece Special Forces partnership but also the way the Hellenic Special Forces are working across a wide region," <a href="https://gr.usembassy.gov/ambassador-pyatts-remarks-at-at-the-jcet-between-u-s-and-greek-special-forces/">Pyatt said</a> during the drills.</p><p>Cooperation between Greek and US special-operation units <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/american-commandos-and-greek-navy-seals-train-in-the-mediterranean/">is frequent</a> and has increased in recent years, with the occasional inclusion <a href="https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/06/02/greece-cyprus-serbia-military/">of other regional partners</a>. The Aegean topography allows <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-greek-special-operators-helicopter-island-assault-exercise-2021-1?op=1">for unique exercise</a> scenarios centered around the Greek islands.</p><p>Although useful, the Mark Vs and M1117s are not Greece's biggest recent acquisitions.</p><h2>Greek spending spree</h2><div type="image" title="M1117 Guardian armored vehicles in Greece" height="683" width="1024" msid="88722469" hostid="261"></div><p>Greece has consistently been one of the few <keyword id="11893896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nato" source="Orion">NATO</keyword> allies <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=GR">to spend more than 2% of its GDP on defense</a> — it has <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=GR-US">even exceeded</a> US defense spending as a percentage of GDP in some years — due in large part to its longstanding rivalry with <keyword id="11998211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="turkey" source="Orion">Turkey</keyword>.</p><p>During the height of the Greek debt crisis, defense procurements stopped. However, since 2019 the country has pursued a major rearmament program, buying new equipment and upgrading older gear.</p><p>In 2021, in an effort to increase its power-projection capabilities in the critical Eastern Mediterranean region, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/28/greece-france-tout-european-defence-autonomy-with-warships-deal">Greece agreed to buy</a> three Belharra frigates from France with an option for one more and <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/greece-receives-first-rafale-combat-aircraft">18 Rafale</a> combat jets with an option for six more. Athens is also planning to buy four corvettes. The ships and jets cost roughly $7.35 billion.</p><p>Greece is in the process of upgrading 83 of its F-16 fighter jets to Block 72 Viper, the latest configuration, but has also <a href="https://www.airforcemag.com/greece-wants-f-35s-so-quickly-its-willing-to-accept-used-aircraft/">expressed strong interest in</a> purchasing F-35s.</p><p>Athens has also agreed to buy seven MH-60R multirole helicopters from Lockheed Martin. The cutting-edge helicopters will be outfitted for anti-submarine warfare and cost about $600 million.</p><p>Together, these purchases will significantly increase the Greek military's operational capabilities in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-weapons-proxy-fights-add-to-turkey-greece-nato-tensions-2020-10">what has become a tense intersection</a> of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.</p><h2>A valuable NATO ally</h2><div type="image" title="Greek navy frigate" height="1667" width="2500" msid="88722470" hostid="261"></div><p>Due to the region's maritime character, the mainstay of the Hellenic Navy are its 13 frigates and 11 submarines, four of them <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/type_212/">highly advanced Type 214s</a>, and it frequently operates in the central and eastern Mediterranean with regional partners and allies.</p><p>The Hellenic Army is an integral part of NATO's southern flank. It is structured to focus on the defense of eastern Aegean islands, north, and northeastern Greece.</p><p>The Greeks have one of the largest tank forces in Europe, with close to 1,300 main battle tanks. Most of them are German Leopards, though Greece also operates 390 upgraded but old US-made M48 Patton tanks.</p><div type="image" title="Greek Hellenic Air Force F-16" height="1333" width="2000" msid="88722471" hostid="261"></div><p>Currently, the <keyword id="12890416" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hellenic-air-force" source="Orion">Hellenic Air Force</keyword> has 231 fighters with a healthy mix of F-16s and French-made Mirage 2000s. Greek pilots are <a href="https://sofrep.com/fightersweep/meet-natos-top-pilot-greek-captain-kosmas-xalaris/">well regarded in NATO</a>.</p><p>Greek forces are also <a href="https://www.operationirini.eu/media_category/assets/">active</a> overseas. A regiment is permanently stationed in Cyprus, and Greek troops <a href="https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2021/11/30/greece-troops-sahel-france/">may soon head to the Sahel</a> to support the French-led Operation Barkhane. A Greek Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery is <a href="https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/09/15/greece-deploys-patriot-missile-saudi/">deployed</a> to Saudi Arabia.</p><p>As Pyatt <a href="https://gr.usembassy.gov/ambassador-pyatts-remarks-at-the-opening-ceremony-for-arrival-of-m117-armored-security-vehicles/">said this month</a>, "a Greece which is stronger and more secure makes our alliance stronger and more secure, and therefore makes the United States stronger and more secure."</p>

In a tense corner of Europe, SEALs and Green Berets are helping a close ally up its skills with old US gear

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12153499" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emmanuel-macron" source="Orion">Emmanuel Macron</keyword> says <keyword id="11897120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="europe" source="Orion">Europe</keyword> needs a "wartime economy" to deal with the geopolitical and economic impact of the war in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="11964539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="france" source="Orion">France</keyword>'s president has advocated <keyword id="14304301" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="european-strategic-autonomy" source="Orion">European strategic autonomy</keyword> to enable the continent to better defend itself.</li></ul><p>With the war in Ukraine at its four-month mark, French President Emmanuel Macron says France and Europe need to prepare for a "wartime economy" in order to deal with the geopolitical and economic effects that continue to ripple across the continent.</p><p>In the inaugural address at Eurosatory 2022, a defense and security industry exhibition, on June 13, the French president called the times "unprecedented" and <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlJQamevwnJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it is necessary for not only states but all economic agents to move faster, at a lower cost, and innovate more rapidly to address the new challenges.</p><p>Macron added that there can be no "national security, strategic autonomy, and therefore no peace" if those actors don't adapt to the current geopolitical conditions.</p><h2>Fired up spending</h2><div type="image" title="Bastille Day parade" height="827" width="1240" msid="92500140" hostid="261" sizebytes="143606"></div><p>To facilitate this adaptation, Macron requested an adjustment to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces' defense spending plan to reflect the new geopolitical situation and to give the French military the means to handle the current threats.</p><p>In 2020, the French defense budget <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=FR">rose to 2.1% of GDP</a>. In 2022, it reached $43 billion and under the previous plan was expected to reach $53 billion in 2025. This figure will now be adjusted upward.</p><p>France is not the only European country ramping up defense spending because of the Ukraine War.</p><p>Finland, an EU member that has applied for NATO membership, announced an increase <a href="https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/wordpress/2022/04/06/alarmed-by-events-in-ukraine-finland-government-agrees-to-defense-spending-top-up/">amounting to 70% of its defense spending</a> over the next four years. It also intends to buy 64 F-35A fighter jets — its largest military procurement ever.</p><p>NATO members Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have each said they will increase their defense spending to 2.5% of GDP. The three countries border Russia and host NATO battlegroups.</p><p>In a significant boost, <a href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/03/04/poland-raises-military-spend/">Poland will also increase its spending</a> from about 2% of GDP to 3% in 2023. Romania will over the next few years increase its spending to 2.5% of GDP from about 2% now. Most notably, <keyword id="11892705" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="germany" source="Orion">Germany</keyword>, which for years has been criticized for low defense spending, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/germany-moves-to-strengthen-military-after-russian-attack-on-ukraine-2022-3">announced in late February</a> the creation of a one-off fund totaling $105 billion to support its neglected military.</p><p>However, Macron said, simply increasing defense spending is not enough.</p><h2>European strategic autonomy</h2><div type="image" title="Olaf Scholz Emmanuel Macron Volodymyr Zelenskyy Mario Draghi Klaus Iohannis in Ukraine" height="1185" width="1580" msid="92500141" hostid="261" sizebytes="138366"></div><p>The French president also called for increased integration of Europe's defense industries, echoing his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/emmanuel-macron-wants-eu-strategy-autonomy-not-all-members-agree-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous calls for European strategic autonomy</a>, which would allow the countries of the continent to defend their own traditional security as well as energy and industrial security without having to rely on the US or other foreign countries.</p><p>In his speech, Macron called for strengthening the European defense industry so that it can satisfy the demand produced by increasing European defense budgets.</p><p>"Let's not repeat the errors of the past going forward," Macron said. "Spending large sums on purchases from elsewhere is not a good idea" and will create "future dependencies."</p><p>To support Europe's defense industry, the EU created the European Defense Fund in 2021, giving it a budget of $8.4 billion. The fund will support defense research and development of related capabilities.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://www.boell.de/en/2021/01/08/poland-and-baltic-states-preference-renewed-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misgivings <u>in</u> some European capitals</a>, strategic autonomy is gaining traction both at the national and the EU level.</p><p>In 2020, Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, <a href="https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/why-european-strategic-autonomy-matters_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that because the world has changed, it will be difficult for the EU "to claim to be a 'political union' able to act as a 'global player' without being 'autonomous.'"</p><p>In line with this goal, in March the EU released <a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/21/a-strategic-compass-for-a-stronger-eu-security-and-defence-in-the-next-decade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its Strategic Compass</a>, which maps out the bloc's geopolitical and security priorities for the coming years. It is similar in scope to the US National Security Strategy, which reflect its importance to the EU.</p><p>The document calls for the EU to "invest more and better in capabilities and innovative technologies" to "fill strategic gaps and reduced technological and industrial dependencies."</p><p>The document also calls for the development of "next-generation capabilities in all operational domains."</p><h2>United European arms</h2><div type="image" title="German Germany Leopard 2 tank Norway Trident Juncture NATO" height="933" width="1400" msid="92500142" hostid="261" sizebytes="142670"></div><p>A number of European projects are already in development to provide next-generation capabilities to European militaries.</p><p>France and Germany are working with Spain to develop <a href="https://www.aero-mag.com/fcas-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-18052021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Future Combat Air System</a> program, which includes the sixth-generation Next Generation Fighter and accompanying drones. The fighter, which is scheduled for use <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-france-announce-next-generation-fighter-jet-project/a-47400232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by 2040</a>, will replace the Dassault Rafales, Eurofighter Typhoons, and EF-18 Hornets — all 4.5-generation jets — that those countries currently use.</p><p>France and Germany are developing the Main Ground Combat System program, which will produce a main battle tank and accompanying unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. Other European countries may join the program. <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/could-the-panther-tank-once-again-be-seen-throughout-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The new tank will replace</a> Germany's Leopard 2, which used by several European militaries, and France's Leclerc tank. It won't be fielded before 2035.</p><p>Numerous <a href="https://www.pesco.europa.eu/#projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other smaller projects</a> are also being developed under the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework, with the participation of many EU members.</p><p>In the future, "it won't be enough to continue having the same ambitions we had during the past five years," <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlJQamevwnJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Macron said</a>, referring to his first term as president.</p><p>"We'll have to go farther and be stronger because the geopolitical context forces us to," the French president added. Increased defense budgets and an empowered defense industry will allow Europe to do so.</p><p><em>Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantine-atlamazoglou" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.</em></p>

Russia's war is grinding on in eastern Ukraine, and France's Macron wants Europe to prepare for a 'wartime economy'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12153499" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emmanuel-macron" source="Orion">Emmanuel Macron</keyword> says <keyword id="11897120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="europe" source="Orion">Europe</keyword> needs a "wartime economy" to deal with the geopolitical and economic impact of the war in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="11964539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="france" source="Orion">France</keyword>'s president has advocated <keyword id="14304301" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="european-strategic-autonomy" source="Orion">European strategic autonomy</keyword> to enable the continent to better defend itself.</li></ul><p>With the war in Ukraine at its four-month mark, French President Emmanuel Macron says France and Europe need to prepare for a "wartime economy" in order to deal with the geopolitical and economic effects that continue to ripple across the continent.</p><p>In the inaugural address at Eurosatory 2022, a defense and security industry exhibition, on June 13, the French president called the times "unprecedented" and <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlJQamevwnJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it is necessary for not only states but all economic agents to move faster, at a lower cost, and innovate more rapidly to address the new challenges.</p><p>Macron added that there can be no "national security, strategic autonomy, and therefore no peace" if those actors don't adapt to the current geopolitical conditions.</p><h2>Fired up spending</h2><div type="image" title="Bastille Day parade" height="827" width="1240" msid="92501069" hostid="261" sizebytes="143606"></div><p>To facilitate this adaptation, Macron requested an adjustment to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces' defense spending plan to reflect the new geopolitical situation and to give the French military the means to handle the current threats.</p><p>In 2020, the French defense budget <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=FR">rose to 2.1% of GDP</a>. In 2022, it reached $43 billion and under the previous plan was expected to reach $53 billion in 2025. This figure will now be adjusted upward.</p><p>France is not the only European country ramping up defense spending because of the Ukraine War.</p><p>Finland, an EU member that has applied for NATO membership, announced an increase <a href="https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/wordpress/2022/04/06/alarmed-by-events-in-ukraine-finland-government-agrees-to-defense-spending-top-up/">amounting to 70% of its defense spending</a> over the next four years. It also intends to buy 64 F-35A fighter jets — its largest military procurement ever.</p><p>NATO members Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have each said they will increase their defense spending to 2.5% of GDP. The three countries border Russia and host NATO battlegroups.</p><p>In a significant boost, <a href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/03/04/poland-raises-military-spend/">Poland will also increase its spending</a> from about 2% of GDP to 3% in 2023. Romania will over the next few years increase its spending to 2.5% of GDP from about 2% now. Most notably, <keyword id="11892705" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="germany" source="Orion">Germany</keyword>, which for years has been criticized for low defense spending, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/germany-moves-to-strengthen-military-after-russian-attack-on-ukraine-2022-3">announced in late February</a> the creation of a one-off fund totaling $105 billion to support its neglected military.</p><p>However, Macron said, simply increasing defense spending is not enough.</p><h2>European strategic autonomy</h2><div type="image" title="Olaf Scholz Emmanuel Macron Volodymyr Zelenskyy Mario Draghi Klaus Iohannis in Ukraine" height="1185" width="1580" msid="92501071" hostid="261" sizebytes="138366"></div><p>The French president also called for increased integration of Europe's defense industries, echoing his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/emmanuel-macron-wants-eu-strategy-autonomy-not-all-members-agree-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous calls for European strategic autonomy</a>, which would allow the countries of the continent to defend their own traditional security as well as energy and industrial security without having to rely on the US or other foreign countries.</p><p>In his speech, Macron called for strengthening the European defense industry so that it can satisfy the demand produced by increasing European defense budgets.</p><p>"Let's not repeat the errors of the past going forward," Macron said. "Spending large sums on purchases from elsewhere is not a good idea" and will create "future dependencies."</p><p>To support Europe's defense industry, the EU created the European Defense Fund in 2021, giving it a budget of $8.4 billion. The fund will support defense research and development of related capabilities.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://www.boell.de/en/2021/01/08/poland-and-baltic-states-preference-renewed-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misgivings <u>in</u> some European capitals</a>, strategic autonomy is gaining traction both at the national and the EU level.</p><p>In 2020, Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, <a href="https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/why-european-strategic-autonomy-matters_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that because the world has changed, it will be difficult for the EU "to claim to be a 'political union' able to act as a 'global player' without being 'autonomous.'"</p><p>In line with this goal, in March the EU released <a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/21/a-strategic-compass-for-a-stronger-eu-security-and-defence-in-the-next-decade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its Strategic Compass</a>, which maps out the bloc's geopolitical and security priorities for the coming years. It is similar in scope to the US National Security Strategy, which reflect its importance to the EU.</p><p>The document calls for the EU to "invest more and better in capabilities and innovative technologies" to "fill strategic gaps and reduced technological and industrial dependencies."</p><p>The document also calls for the development of "next-generation capabilities in all operational domains."</p><h2>United European arms</h2><div type="image" title="German Germany Leopard 2 tank Norway Trident Juncture NATO" height="933" width="1400" msid="92501073" hostid="261" sizebytes="142670"></div><p>A number of European projects are already in development to provide next-generation capabilities to European militaries.</p><p>France and Germany are working with Spain to develop <a href="https://www.aero-mag.com/fcas-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-18052021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Future Combat Air System</a> program, which includes the sixth-generation Next Generation Fighter and accompanying drones. The fighter, which is scheduled for use <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-france-announce-next-generation-fighter-jet-project/a-47400232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by 2040</a>, will replace the Dassault Rafales, Eurofighter Typhoons, and EF-18 Hornets — all 4.5-generation jets — that those countries currently use.</p><p>France and Germany are developing the Main Ground Combat System program, which will produce a main battle tank and accompanying unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. Other European countries may join the program. <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/could-the-panther-tank-once-again-be-seen-throughout-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The new tank will replace</a> Germany's Leopard 2, which used by several European militaries, and France's Leclerc tank. It won't be fielded before 2035.</p><p>Numerous <a href="https://www.pesco.europa.eu/#projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other smaller projects</a> are also being developed under the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework, with the participation of many EU members.</p><p>In the future, "it won't be enough to continue having the same ambitions we had during the past five years," <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlJQamevwnJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Macron said</a>, referring to his first term as president.</p><p>"We'll have to go farther and be stronger because the geopolitical context forces us to," the French president added. Increased defense budgets and an empowered defense industry will allow Europe to do so.</p><p><em>Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantine-atlamazoglou" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.</em></p>

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56a136cbc08a80bd448b778d-2000/dassault.jpg" border="0" alt="Charles de gaulle dassault rafale" data-mce-source="Marine nationale" data-mce-caption="A French Dassault Rafale flies above the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier." /><p class="source"><span>Marine nationale</span></p><p class="caption">A French Dassault Rafale flies above the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>PARIS - The French procurement office and the Navy will submit proposals to the Armed Forces Ministry based on <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/03/21/france-ups-weapon-study-funds-for-future-jet-tank-aircraft-carrier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">definition studies</a> for a future aircraft carrier, according to the head of the naval armaments operations unit at the Direction Générale de l'Armement.</p><p>The DGA and the Navy have been working on a "reflection for definition studies," with those studies required to launch the carrier project, Laurent Sellier told <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> News on Sept. 24. Industry has served as observer, while the procurement office and service lead the discussions.</p><p>The studies will consider the future carrier's capability to carry <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2018/06/07/france-is-deploying-forces-to-the-indo-pacific-for-more-than-just-a-drill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Rafale fighter jet and its successor</a>, as well as drones, he said. It will be up to the ministry to "greenlight" the contracts for the carrier.</p><p>Sellier was speaking on the sidelines of a news conference held by Gican, the industry association backing the Euronaval trade show, which opens Oct. 23.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ae9b8eecad04083ac27142-2400/french charles de gaulle aircraft carrier.jpg" border="0" alt="French Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier" data-mce-source="Ben Job/Reuters" data-mce-caption="The flight deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, pictured during a port call in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 8, 2014." /><p class="source"><span>Ben Job/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">The flight deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during a port call in Abu Dhabi, January 8, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Dassault Aviation, shipbuilder Naval Group and electronics specialist Thales have been sitting in on the discussions led by DGA and the Navy, an industry executive told Defense News. "There is close teamwork on tackling the overall problem," the executive said.</p><p>The DGA and the Navy launched the first study at the end of August, examining lessons learned on aircraft carriers in operation and reviewing operational requirements of the future carrier, the executive said.</p><p>Thales could contribute its experience from working on the British carrier Queen Elizabeth. Other companies, such as MBDA, could be invited to take part in the studies.</p><p>A second study, largely steered by the DGA, will focus on technology and overall architecture, including onboard combat systems, system of systems and naval architecture, the executive said. That study is expected to be launched toward the end of October or early November.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/564dbe15ecad044974dfb0fa-2400/rts7pyi.jpg" border="0" alt="French aircraft carrier rafale super etendard charles de gaulle" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier" data-mce-caption="Flight deck crew work around a Rafale (L) and a Super Etendard fighter jets as a French flag flies aboard the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle before its departure from the naval base of Toulon, France, November 18, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier</span></p><p class="caption">Flight deck crew work around a Rafale, left, and a Super Etendard fighter jet aboard the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the naval base of Toulon, France, November 18, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The overall dossier comprising the two studies is expected to be completed at the end of 2019 or early 2020, and will allow the authorities to decide the capabilities of the ship. The studies will consider key factors such as size of the vessel, propulsion - both conventional and nuclear - and aircraft-launching capabilities.</p><p>The aircraft will not be included in the carrier budget but will be a major element in design and construction of the ship, which will be a system of systems. The studies will help determine the budget for the carrier.</p><p>There have been three large carriers built in the West - the US Navy's Gerald R. Ford and America, and the British Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth - since France launched the Charles de Gaulle, said Robbin Laird, an analyst with consultancy ICSA, based in Washington and Paris.</p><p><span>Any French study should look at those ships and see the technology available for a new carrier, such as an electromagnetic aircraft-launch system, he said. The French should consider the impact from an "evolving force system," such as the use of direct-energy weapons for close-in defense and the integration of air and sea systems, he added.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a298e5f8a4986dc058b4676-1500/img0071.jpg" border="0" alt="USS Gerald R. Ford" data-mce-source="Daniel Brown/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Daniel Brown/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>Another major factor in designing a new carrier could involve France's adaptation of the planned Franco-German jet fighter to a carrier-based version, he said. That future fighter will replace the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.</p><p>Britain and Italy will fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from their carriers, he said. That deployment of the F-35 calls for interoperability of the future French carrier and its aircraft with operators of the jet.</p><p>French Navy pilots have flown the Rafale from US carriers as part of training, French Navy Rear Adm. Gilles Boidevezi told news conference attendees.</p><p>The French Navy sent pilots, support staff, 12 Rafale jets and a Hawkeye spy plane to the US earlier this year to qualify and train with the US Navy. The French pilots flew from the George H.W. Bush carrier, sailing out of Newport naval base.</p><p>The Charles de Gaulle recently began sea trials from Toulon naval base after some 18 months of a major overhaul in dry dock. The upgrade included replacing onboard nuclear fuel and modernization of the combat and telecommunications systems.</p><p>The carrier will now solely fly the Rafale, having withdrawn from service the Super Etendard fighter.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-the-small-agile-new-aircraft-carriers-meant-to-take-f-35s-into-battle-2017-4">These are the small, agile new aircraft carriers meant to take F-35s into battle</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/Z6GWk1a7-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Only one country besides the US has a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - and now it's planning to build another one

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54506066.cms" /><br /> The Rs 58,000 crore deal executed by India to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from <keyword id="6354785" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="France">France</keyword> is undoubtedly one the most well negotiated pacts and one that will bring along huge gains for the domestic aviation industry besides creating job openings for the people of India.<br />
<br /> So what makes this deal, first since the purchase of Sukhois from <keyword id="6358826" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> in the late 90s, a win-win for India.<br />
<br />
In an exclusive chat with <em>DefenceAviationPost.com</em>, Union Defence Minister, <keyword id="6363133" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manohar-Parrikar">Manohar Parrikar</keyword> said, “In any foreign deal, there are 3-4 things that have to be taken care of. First is the cost, which we have negotiated at a much lesser price than the earlier price being quoted by the French team.”<br />
<br />
It is noteworthy to point here that the 7.878 billion Euros deal has been clinched at a price that is 750 million euros less than what was quoted by the French team in January 2016.<br />
<br />
“Second is the percentage of offsets which in this case is much higher than any other foreign military sales so far. This creates a huge potential for the aviation industry and is in line with the Prime Minister’s Make in India initiative,” the minister said.<br />
<br />
It may be mentioned here that deal comes with a 50% offset clause which means that Indian companies will get businesses worth over 3 billion euros or Rs 22,500 crores.<br />
<br /> <keyword id="50002" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="parrikar">Parrikar</keyword> said the most significant feature of this contract are the enhancements for India which even French aircrafts do not have.<br />
<br /> Firstly, these fighter jets come along with state-of-the-art missile weaponry profile that increases the strike capabilities of the <keyword id="6355075" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAF">IAF</keyword> to a great extent. It includes Meteor Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile with a range in excess 150 kms. Then it also comes along with <keyword id="55648" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Scalp">Scalp</keyword> (Pointed Offence) which is a long range air to surface cruise missile with a range of over 300 kms.<br />
<br /> Further, these fighter jets will be customised in line with the requirements of the IAF and will include <keyword id="3685910" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="helmet-mounted-displays">Helmet Mounted Displays</keyword>, radar warning receiver, infrared search and track among others.<br />
<br />
“So from all directions it is a win-win deal for India. Rafale is a potent aircraft and will add to the capability of the IAF,” the minister added.<br />
<br /> Experts say that Rafale coming fitted with <keyword id="1608338" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="meteors">Meteors</keyword> and Scalp will shake up <keyword id="148496" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pakistan-Air-Force">Pakistan Air Force</keyword> hugely and PLAAF (air warfare branch of China) to a fair extent.<br />
<br />
They added that the enhancements negotiated under the deal for 36 Rafale means that India’s adversaries will need four modern fighter jets to counter one Rafale. Simply put, the enemy will need four Su30 or four F16D (latest acquired by Pakistan) or four JF17 (which again Pakistan has) to counter one Rafale with its existing capabilities.<br />
<br />
“This 1:4 ratio will clearly give Indian an edge over its adversaries and the deal for 36 Rafale is equivalent to procuring 144 modern fighter jets,” an official said requesting anonymity.<br />
<br />
Timelines is another major aspect of this deal. The deliveries of fighter jets will start in 36 months and completed in 18 months thereon.<br />
<br /> Under the contract, the French manufacturer <keyword id="6407804" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dassault">Dassault</keyword> has to ensure that 75% of the fleet or 27 fighters are operationally available at any given time.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>In a nutshell: Significance of Rafale Deal for India</strong></em><br />
<br />
Rafale is an exceptional twin-engine fighter and is capable of carrying out all combat missions including air defence, interception, ground support,in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.<br />
<br />
It has everything to qualify as fifth generation aircraft minus the stealth.<br />
<br />
Its radar and BVR capabilities are the best in the world (so experts call it a 4.5 generation)<br />
<br />
Only the US has 5th Gen Fighters in F22 and F35.<br />
<br />
Since air power is most sensitive to technology, the offence defence ratios change significantly with each technological jump<br />
Experts say that Rafale coming fitted with Meteors will shake up Pakistan Air Force hugely and PLAAF to a fair extent.<br />
<br />
Rafale was chosen after lot of indepth studies and testing by the IAF that included Swedish Grippen, American F16 and F18, Russian MiG35, Eurofighter Typhoon and French Rafale.

EXCLUSIVE: Manohar Parrikar speaks about the Raffle deal and what it means for India

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f3bb6c57540ccb028b4744-850/screen shot 2016-10-04 at 102226 am.png" alt="finnish f-18 hornet baana 16" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pOkdmdHBsI">Finnish Defense Forces via YouTube</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Finnish F-18 Hornet takes off of a highway.</p><p>As part of the Nordic Defence Cooperation, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are joining forces for a large air exercise with help from the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland and the US nuclear-capable B-52H bombers.</p><p>The exercise will feature multi-role fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, airborne warning and control system aircraft, and ground-based air defense "<span>for the purposes of crisis management," according to a <a href="http://ilmavoimat.fi/en/article1/-/asset_publisher/arctic-challenge-exercise-17-lentotoimintaharjoituksen-lentavat-joukot-ja-tukikohdat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement from the Finnish Air Force</a>. </span></p><p><span>The Scandinavian countries remain neutral militarily, but have seen their airspace and territorial waters regularly breached by Russian aircraft. Russia has also conducted <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/12139943/Russia-simulated-a-nuclear-strike-against-Sweden-Nato-admits.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mock nuclear strikes against Sweden</a>. </span></p><p><span>The event promises to bring together some of the best platforms in Western aviation. US F/A-18s, F-16s, and F-15s with a variety of air forces will fly with Sweden's domestically-built Gripen and France's Dassault Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters.</span></p><p><span></span></p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/578643064321f172088b7c46-1277/screen shot 2016-07-13 at 93117 am.png" alt="Saab Gripen E" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKlQyPOiRuE">Saab/YouTube</a></span></p><p class="caption">Sweden's Gripen mult-role fighter.</p><p><span>To top it off, a US nuclear-capable B-52H will make the long range trip to join the fighters and electronic attack craft near Russia's border. Meanwhile, the US has send B-2 Spirit nuclear-capable stealth bombers to the UK.</span></p><p><span>As it stands, Russian forces in the region <a href="http://nordic.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-air-force-prepare-time-of-war-nato-doesnt-stand-chance-2017-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">outnumber NATO and Scandinavian forces significantly</a>, and Finland and Norway share about 900 miles of border with Russia. </span></p><p><span>The exercise runs from May 22 to June 2.</span></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-marine-corps-f-35-fires-gun-pod-first-time-lockheed-martin-2017-5">Watch the US Marine Corps' F-35 run and gun for the first time</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

Finland, Norway, and Sweden are conducting a massive air exercise amid Russia tensions

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b465264fc5b221a008b46d1-2400/gettyimages-996209950.jpg" border="0" alt="NATO leaders family photo" data-mce-source="Sean Gallup/Getty Imagess" data-mce-caption="(From L to R, first row) German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May attend the opening ceremony at the 2018 NATO Summit at NATO headquarters on July 11, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. Leaders from NATO member and partner states are meeting for a two-day summit, which is being overshadowed by strong demands by U.S. President Trump for most NATO member countries to spend more on defense" /><p class="source"><span>Sean Gallup/Getty Imagess</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump with other leaders at the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, July 11, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>European members of the EU and NATO are looking for ways to bolster their own <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> industries.</strong></li><li><strong>Part of that interest stems from frustration and uncertainty about President Donald Trump.</strong></li><li><strong>But part of it is related to European countries' own defense prerogatives and frustration with other US policies.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>President Donald Trump's broadsides against NATO are stoking resentment among the US's European allies.</p><p>Trump's frequent criticisms of the alliance have been focused on the 2%-of-GDP defense-spending level that the bloc in 2014 agreed to "move toward" by 2024.</p><p>The US president's apparent frustration with that movement came to the fore during the NATO summit in July, when he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-summit-trump-ultimatum/trump-warned-nato-allies-u-s-would-go-it-alone-if-they-did-not-spend-sources-idUSKBN1K21KY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly told</a> fellow NATO leaders that their countries needed to reach that spending level by 2019 "<span>or the United States would go it alone" - though he did not directly threaten to leave the alliance.</span></p><p><span>For countries that have long been assured of US assistance, Trump's pressure and newfound doubts about US security guarantees that he has inspired add to their growing focus on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-allies-want-to-boost-their-defense-industries-amid-trump-tension-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expanding domestic defense</a> capacity.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b200dbe1ae6621d008b4ffe-1400/rts17onf.jpg" border="0" alt="NATO Canada Latvia enhanced forward presence" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Ints Kalnins" data-mce-caption="Soldiers hold their national flags during the official welcoming ceremony for NATO's Canadian-led Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) combat battalion in Adazi, Latvia, June 19, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Ints Kalnins</span></p><p class="caption">Soldiers hold their national flags during the official welcoming ceremony for NATO's Canadian-led Enhanced Forward Presence combat battalion in Adazi, Latvia, June 19, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>In June, Jorge Domecq, the Spanish chief of the European Defense Agency, said European countries needed to move toward "strategic autonomy" by reducing their reliance on US-made weaponry.</span></p><p><span>Frank Haun, chief of the German combat-vehicle specialist Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, made similar comments that month, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-allies-want-to-boost-their-defense-industries-amid-trump-tension-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling Defense News</a> that European countries should buy weapons systems developed and built in Europe, "to make sure that if something happens they are capable in having the right answers to the threat."</span></p><p><span>"I don't think Trump would do anything, knowingly, that would hurt US arms sales," said Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow in the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, pointing to the administration's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-arming-the-world-inside-trumps-buy-american-drive-to-expand-weapons-exports-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efforts to boost</a> US arms exports.</span></p><p><span>But Trump's comments and policies that make the US commitment to NATO look uncertain give Europeans "the willies in terms of ... buying US weaponry, because if all of a sudden we disengage does that mean it'd be harder to get spares?" said Townsend, who was US deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy for eight years.</span></p><p>That uncertainty is affecting European countries' "impulse to spend more on the military," Townsend said, "but instead of using that money to buy [from the] US, they're going to buy European."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/573ddd8f910584e73c8c3a05-2048/268895966029f7f82526ck.jpg" border="0" alt="strong tank europe leopard tank germany" data-mce-source="US Army photo by Pfc. Javon Spence" data-mce-caption="German Bundeswehr Soldiers fire at their target, during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, at the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Grafenwoehr, Germany, May 11, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>US Army photo by Pfc. Javon Spence</span></p><p class="caption">German soldiers in a Leopard tank fire at a target at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany, May 11, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump's actions have helped build "a narrative in Europe where European leadership says, 'We do need to spend more money on defense. We do need to build up our military capability because we feel we can't depend on the United States,'" said Townsend, who also worked in foreign military sales at the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"So what happens then is that this builds this narrative that we're going to buy European and therefore we're going to need to build up the European defense industry, and the European Union can help do this" through institutions like the Permanent Structured Cooperation framework, which <a href="https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-Homepage/34226/permanent-structured-cooperation-pesco-factsheet_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aims to deepen</a> defense cooperation.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">NATO members have already increased defense spending. Defense expenditures as a percentage of GDP rose again in 2017 after 2016 saw <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/nato-members-post-new-defense-spending-rise-amid-trump-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first such increase</a> since 2009, according to NATO. After the July summit, Trump <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/trump-nato-members-agreed-spending-increases-180712104905503.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> NATO members had pledged additional increases, though other countries disputed that.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Western Europe, 2016 was the second consecutive year of military-expenditure increases, rising 2.6%, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2017/world-military-spending-increases-usa-and-europe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in mid-2017. Spending in Central Europe rose 2.4% that year.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b196c811ae66239008b4b51-1400/rts3qiq.jpg" border="0" alt="German Germany Bundeswehr Puma infantry fighting vehicle" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer" data-mce-caption="A Puma tank crosses a river during a German army training and information day in Munster, October 9, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer</span></p><p class="caption">A Puma tank crosses a river during a German army training and information day in Munster, October 9, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">European defense initiatives have also cropped up more frequently, particularly after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In mid-2017, the EU launched the European Defense Fund, a multibillion-euro program to encourage defense procurement. That was <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/after-years-of-talk-eu-plans-defense-spending-spree/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first time</a> the bloc used money from its budget for buying military gear, but members have been cooperating on defense projects for some time, even if national interests and political machinations have made joint undertakings more difficult.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Support for more military spending <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-defense-spending-challenge-new-transatlantic-order/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is seen as</a> stretching across Europe's political spectrum.</span></span></p><p>"T<span style="font-weight: 400;">here is a push to build up the European defense capability from within Europe, so it's not the US pushing," Townsend said. "It's actually ... internally driven in the EU, which means the European Union might put more money into subsidizing [research and development] or might put in other bits of policy that makes it more advantageous for a country to buy European."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f689295124c9f11b56e019-800/airbus-defends-a400m-as-main-buyers-hedge-bets-with-us-rival.jpg" border="0" alt="An Airbus A400M military transport plane is parked at the Airbus assembly plant in Seville, southern Spain June 23, 2016.  REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo  " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="An Airbus A400M military transport plane is parked at the Airbus assembly plant in Seville, southern Spain" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">An Airbus A400M military transport plane at the Airbus assembly plant in Seville, Spain, June 23, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>Other decisions by the US have led some in Europe to believe they need a non-US avenue through which to develop their defense industries.</p><p>In France - one of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-countries-exporting-weapons-arms-sales-2018-3#3-france-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest arms exporters</a> in the world - frustration has grown over the US withholding clearance for the sale of the Scalp cruise missile, which includes US-made components. The US-made parts are critical for the long-range weapon, and Washington's decision not to authorize the transfer upended a deal for France to sell Rafale fighter jets to Egypt.</p><p>The ability to block the sale came through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, an export-control regulation overseen by the US government.</p><p>In response, French officials have said they're looking for a way around ITAR - and to gain more autonomy.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58132aa2b28a648a058b577a-2000/rtx2qq8c.jpg" border="0" alt="French Dassault Rafale jet refueling" data-mce-source="Reuters/Handout" data-mce-caption="A French Dassault Rafale jet receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-10 tanker aircraft near Iraq" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Handout</span></p><p class="caption">A French Dassault Rafale jet receives fuel from a US Air Force KC-10 tanker aircraft.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>"It is true that we depend on this (US International Traffic in Arms Regulations) mechanism: We are at the mercy of the Americans when our equipment is concerned," French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told legislators in early July, <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/08/01/a-jet-sale-to-egypt-is-being-blocked-by-a-us-regulation-and-france-is-over-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Defense News.</span></p><p>"What is the solution? That the manufacturer of these missiles, namely MBDA, make the investment in research and technology to be able to make a similar component, which would avoid ITAR," Parly added." "We are able to do it for this contract because the component can be built within a reasonable amount of time."</p><p>"Those kind of things - the F-35 to Turkey, the US under ITAR, the US saying to the French, 'Sorry, we're not going to let you export to Egypt,' and then all this stuff with Trump - all of that is doing nothing but increasing the motivation within Europe to build up their own military capabilities, based on their own industries, and screw the US," said Townsend, referring to a move by Congress that would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-spending-bill-would-halt-transfer-of-f-35s-to-turkey-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">withhold the transfer</a> of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comparing-russia-most-advanced-military-equipment-nato-hardware-us-defense-2017-1">How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO hardware</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/EbQdMFL2-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump gives European countries 'the willies' about buying US weapons, but he's not their only concern

<p><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Aviationist " title_caption="On a Saab Gripen during Exercise Lion Effort 2012 (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/50f94971ecad04bf6700001c-960/2-454.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/50f94971ecad04bf6700001c-960-720/2-454.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://theaviationist.com/picture-gallery/#.UPlGw6F5Qcs">The Aviationist </a></p><p class="caption">On a Saab Gripen during Exercise Lion Effort 2012 (Click to expand)</p></div><keyword id="6359526" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Military">Military</keyword> writing is a detail-focused beat that can quickly <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5932290/us-army-changing-bayonets-for-tomahawks">humble the best writers</a>, peppering days with ego-crushing blows and the need to believe not <em>everyone</em> knows more than they do. </p>
<p>The good military writers stand out no matter where they're from, and among the best and most cited is <a href="http://theaviationist.com/">David Cenciotti who runs The Aviationist</a> site out of Rome, Italy.</p>
<p>Dave is the guy who intuited the design of the <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2011/05/25/a-stealth-little-bird/#.UPkvA6F5Qcs">stealth Blackhawk</a> that went down in bin Laden's Abbottabad compound and <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/16/us-shadow-war-in-horn-of-africa-revealed-by-blogger">exposed a secret U.S. war in Africa</a> simply as a matter of course. An Italian Air Force 2nd Lt., Dave's constantly deployed to European bases where his network and readership includes people with skill-sets I can't even imagine.</p>
<p>After nearly a year watching <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/defense">BI Military &amp; Defense</a> grow, and having cited his expertise innumerable times, Dave recently reached out asking how to join the Military &amp; <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> team.</p>
<p>What we carved out for him is our first and only featured contributor position. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/defense/the-aviationist">The Aviationist now has its own section</a> within Defense, and his latest posts will be prominent on the main Defense page so there's little chance of missing his work.</p>
<p>Without sounding like a bunch of gushing schoolgirls, we're genuinely excited for him to join us in bringing interesting and readable military news to our growing and excellent readership.</p>
<p>Dave writes a lot for a guy with another full-time gig. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?_encoding=UTF8&amp;field-author=David%20Cenciotti&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;search-alias=books&amp;sort=relevancerank">He's written four books</a>, is quoted in <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-rise-of-the-killer-drones-how-america-goes-to-war-in-secret-20120416">Rolling Stone</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/warplanes/">Wired's Danger Room</a>, <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5952326/america-breaks-record-for-flying-most-killer-drones-at-the-same-time">Gizmodo</a>, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19372299">BBC</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/19/syria-brahimi-ceasefire-plan-damascus-live">The Guardian</a>, <a href="http://jalopnik.com/5948582/how-many-a%2010-combat-planes-can-you-count-in-this-photo">Jalopnik</a>, and countless <a href="http://theaviationist.com/newsstand/">European magazines, TV shows, and websites</a> — so be sure to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/defense/the-aviationist">check back often for his posts</a>.</p>
<p><div class="image-container float_left click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Aviationist" title_caption="Inside the F-35 (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/50f94a0e69bedd270a000045-960/1-1478.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/50f94a0e69bedd270a000045-852-639/1-1478.jpg" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" width="400" height="300" style="color: #222222; line-height: 19.49652862548828px;" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="n a Saab Gripen during Exercise Lion Effort 2012">The Aviationist</a></p><p class="caption">Inside the F-35 (Click to expand)</p></div></p>
<p><strong>Dave took time for an interview as an introduction to our readers:</strong></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> What type of aircraft do you fly in the Italian Air Force? What was your coolest moment in the air and your most terrifying?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="color: #23b326;">DC:</span></strong> <span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">I've been in the Italian Air Force slightly more than 2 years as a 2nd Lieutenant. Although I already had earned my "wings" as a private pilot, I did not enlist to become a combat pilot. At that time (1998) I already had a certain experience as a journalist and had written for major aviation magazines in Italy and abroad; then I attended one of the courses at the Air War School in Florence and was later attached to the Italian Air Force Public Information Office.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">As PIO (Public Information Officer) and as a journo, after I left the active service to join the auxiliary force, I had the opportunity to fly with almost all types of fighter jets, cargo planes, and helicopters in the Italian Air Force inventory, including the legendary F-104 Starfighter in which the coolest and scariest moment in an airplane are tied:</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em> We had just taken off. The F-104, "the missile with a man in it," was literally skyrocketing to the preplanned altitude when the pilot in the front seat brought the engine throttle back. The aircraft reacted with an abrupt reduction of speed (as if we had extended the air brakes), no noise could be heard and the first thing that I thought was that we were experiencing an engine stall and would have to eject!</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">[The full account of that flight can be found here: <a href="http://theaviationist.com/works/flying-the-tf-104g-m/">http://theaviationist.com/works/flying-the-tf-104g-m/</a>]</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">BI:</span> </strong>I was stationed in Italy from 2000 to 2003 and met many Italian servicemembers. How would you describe the Italian military today?</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong>DC:</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Italian military struggles to remain efficient in times of global financial crisis and ever-shrinking budgets. Earlier this year a Spending Review was presented by the Defense Minister of the Monti technocratic cabinet, a reform that seeks to balance the spending for personnel, operations and investment to ensure the future financial sustainability and operational effectiveness of the armed forces.  </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"><em>In simple words the austerity plan is made of cuts to personnel and programs with the long-term goal to cover the personnel spending with half the allocated budget</em> (worth 0.9 percent of the GDP). The remainder will be shared by operations (including training and maintenance) and procurement (25 percent each) of advanced technologies.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Therefore, along with the reduction by 43,000 people to abate the current 70 percent of the overall defense budget for spending on military personnel, the review has led to the revision of some important programs, first of all, the much criticized F-35 program, whose figures were cut by more than 30 percent.</p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> How important is it for pilots to be technically knowledgeable about their aircraft?<div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Aviationsit via Facebook" title_caption="Farnborough Air Show 2012 (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/50f94a656bb3f7825200001f-960/3-317.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/50f94a656bb3f7825200001f-855-641/3-317.jpg" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAviationist/photos_stream">The Aviationsit via Facebook</a></p><p class="caption">Farnborough Air Show 2012 (Click to expand)</p></div></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong>DC:</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">Deep knowledge of their aircraft, systems, and equipment could save our lives in case of failure or when facing an enemy in combat. Most modern planes are complex weapon systems: pilots have to focus on information management, rather than worrying about “flying the aircraft.” For this reason, <em>the new generation’s fighter pilots are more System Administrators who need to know how to manage the sometimes overwhelming amount of data their aircraft make available, rather than iconic Top Gun pilots</em>. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">Indeed, with <em>previous generations of fighters, flying the airplane required 80 percent of the pilot’s effort. With modern planes, the basic handling is quite simple and represents no more than 20 percent of the workload — they almost fly autonomously</em>. But management of sensors and data they provide can be quite demanding, requiring specific skills and training.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> How do you balance your "regular job" with writing and being <keyword id="1737992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Aviationist">The Aviationist</keyword>?</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong>DC:</strong></span> </span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">I've been an aviation journalist since I was 21, but writing has been a passion from my grade school years. In the last few years I've only become much faster at writing and editing my articles and pictures than I was earlier. I don't have much free time, so I have to use it as efficiently as possible. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">The majority of what you read on The Aviationist is written in the evening (European time), after dinner, in front of the TV, when I manage to write up to 4 or 5 articles for the next day, and over the weekend, when I prepare and schedule several blog posts for the coming weeks. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">Although I've written 90 percent of the blog posts, I have some contributors who send me pitches and upload articles that I usually only need to edit a little before they can be published. A big help comes from readers and subscribers as well as Facebook and Twitter followers who regularly bring interesting links, images and comments to my attention. Thanks to such heads-ups (that have been growing alongside the blog's fame) I spend less time looking for interesting stuff. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">Along with a solid technical background I have an insight, more than once, that has helped me in "connecting the dots" to write about something interesting well before the rest of the military and defense writers.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Last but not least, I'm basically an aviation and technology geek and I know what other enthusiasts like me may like.  </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I often wonder how my life would change if I were a full-time blogger instead of an Information Security professional. Who knows, maybe if the proper opportunity comes, one day I'll be able to answer this question too.</p>
<p><strong> BI:</strong>  How would you describe your readership?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><div class="image-container float_left click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Aviationist via Facebook" title_caption="A fast exit from a U.S. Army Black Hawk (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/50f94b5469bedd980f000023-960/4-293.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/50f94b5469bedd980f000023-853-640/4-293.jpg" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAviationist/photos_stream">The Aviationist via Facebook</a></p><p class="caption">A fast exit from a U.S. Army Black Hawk (Click to expand)</p></div><span style="color: #35b715;">DC:</span></strong>  I've a loyal and large community made of expert readers: pilots, historians, aircraft spotters and enthusiasts who are eager to know more and more in-depth. More than 30 percent of the readers are based in the U.S.; the rest come from the U.K., Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and the rest of the world. </p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> Ok, we're almost done. One last (three part) business question: What's your choice for the best Italian aircraft ever made, the best fighter jet in the air today, and the best American fighter ever?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="color: #35b715;">DC:</span> </strong><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">I think that the best period for Italian aviation was on the eve of WWII, when Italian pilots led Italian planes to fly higher and faster than anyone in the world. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">Indeed, just before the outbreak of the war, the then-Regia Aeronautica (Italy's Royal Air Force) was the holder of 33 records out of the 84 foreseen by the International Aeronautical Federation, and Italian aircraft had achieved an enviable reputation. Among the planes borne in that age I think the Macchi <a href="http://www.flyandrive.com/Story3.htm">Castoldi M.C.72</a> is among the most interesting. It was an experimental hydroplane that set a world speed record for internal combustion-powered seaplanes that still stands today.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Dealing with the best fighter jet in the air today, those I like the most are the F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, even if the most modern ones, as the F-22, the F-35 and the European Typhoon and Rafale, are quite interesting as well.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Based on the export success, the F-4 Phantom and the F-16 Fighting Falcon ("Viper" in the fighter pilots slang) can be considered, if not the best, among the best American fighter jets ever made.</p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> I know family life is unique and important in Italy, will you tell us a bit about yours? <div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Aviationist via Facebook" title_caption="Aerial refueling (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/50f94bcf6bb3f7825200002e-960/5-266.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/50f94bcf6bb3f7825200002e-854-641/5-266.jpg" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" width="400" height="300" style="float: right;" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAviationist/photos_stream">The Aviationist via Facebook</a></p><p class="caption">Aerial refueling (Click to expand)</p></div></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong>DC:  </strong></span>I'm married to Laura and have two kids; Lorenzo, who's 4 years old, and Ludovica, who's about 2 months old (she was born on Oct. 31st, 2012). We live in Rome. We are not the stereotypical Italian "big family" but both my parents and my parents-in-law live in the vicinity and we see them quite often.  </p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span><span> Nice. OK, and for those of us who've been, or who intend to visit Italy:  Do you have a favorite place in Italy or someplace that people haven't heard of but shouldn't miss?</span></p>
<div>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">DC:</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #35b715;"> </span> Italy is full of fascinating places. Just think of Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples and the thousand historical sites. These are also the most very well-known places to foreigners.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">However, there are also a lot of less famous places that are worth a visit: the big islands (Sardinia and Sicily), smaller ones (Capri, Ischia, Ponza, Elba), Tuscany and the Alps, and <em>The Salento</em> Peninsula, the so-called "heel" of Italy's boot.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I like Italy very much, but I've always loved the U.S. (where I've been many times) and have literally fallen in love with Sydney and Australia!</p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>BI:</strong></span> Awesome. Thanks for taking the time for us, Dave. We'll let you get back to it, and look for your posts.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #35b715;"><strong>DC:</strong></span> Ciao, Robert. Really looking forward to working with you.</p>
<p><strong>All of Dave's work at BI will be found here: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/defense/the-aviationist">www.businessinsider.com/defense/the-aviationist</a></strong><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/defense/the-aviationist"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/50f94db1ecad046870000007-618-618/430475_243825472363613_136656132_n.jpg" border="0" alt="David Cenciotti The Aviationist Business Insider Military &amp; Defense" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://theaviationist.com/">The Aviationist</a></p></td></tr></table></p>
</div>

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