The talking point at the Farnborough International Airshow, from July 14 to 20, was whether the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35 from nine-partner countries would make its international debut. The F-35B Lightning II, the new multi-role fighter, was supposed to be the centrepiece at Farnborough and the defence and aviation community eagerly awaited to see its prowess in the skies. It was not to be. The no-show by F-35 was a disappointment, but was made up by significant initiatives by various defence companies, some of whom showcased next-gen technologies.

UK announces GBP 1.1-billion investment

Leading from the front was the host country, the United Kingdom, which presented a scenario for expanding defence investments and the kind of technologies that would emerge in the coming years. The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron announced on day one of the show that investments to the tune of £1.1-billion would be made in capabilities for the armed forces that would include £800 million for a new surveillance package and another £300 million for a new ice patrol ship and radar.

Cameron set out actions taken by the Defence Growth Partnership of industry and government, as part of the country’s long-term economic plan to improve its competitiveness and to boost the UK defence sector which is vital to economic growth.

One of the significant announcements made was setting up of a UK Defence Solutions Centre in Farnborough to bring together industry, with support from government, to develop the new defence technologies of the future, identify future market opportunities and work together to ensure they have the products and solutions that will be in demand. The global defence market is estimated to be worth around £82 billion a year by 2022.

The other announcement included launching a £4 million UK Centre for Maritime Intelligent Systems based in Portsmouth. Government, industry and the Local Enterprise Partnership will bring together academics, scientists, engineers and naval specialists to develop cutting-edge technology for use in autonomous unmanned boats, submarines or other vessels.

The Prime Minister also said that the government would aggressively facilitate building of skills for the future through a new Defence Apprenticeship Trailblazer to attract new graduates to the industry as well as up-skilling the existing workforce. This Trailblazer will develop a new Masters level standard in Advanced Systems Engineering, a critical skill to deliver competitive advantage. UK defence exports increased by 11 per cent to £9.8 billion in 2013 in an industry that employs over 1,60,000 people in the UK.

US flexes muscle

The US had the largest contingent of aerospace and defence companies, while there was scaled down presence of Russian military with the crisis Ukraine having an impact on not only geopolitical implications, but also show related.

Like its commercial aircraft behemoth, Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) also upped its ante, showcasing technologies that it could export. The company has been witnessing an upward trend in international customers, almost 30 per cent, from about 7 per cent about six years back.

Boeing and Paramount Group, Africa’s largest privately-owned defence and aerospace business, signed a memorandum of collaboration at the show to jointly develop defence and security opportunities in key international markets. The agreement will allow Boeing and Paramount to apply their complementary strengths in providing aircraft and land systems solutions for customers in Africa and other major markets that face a range of security challenges. Those include border security; heavy airlift of products and personnel across vast distances; coastal piracy and anti-poaching; and disaster and humanitarian relief as part of future coalition efforts.

“Boeing and Paramount will be able to provide new or existing customers with a unique partnering of defence solutions and capabilities, including the retrofitting or refurbishment of existing platforms, systems integration, as well as training and maintenance support for any new acquisitions,” said Chris Chadwick, President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. “Together we will be able to offer African customers the full scope of defence and security needs from two global leaders in their respective fields.”

Lockheed Martin moves into UK space

Lockheed Martin announced that it is opening a space technology office in Great Britain to explore partnership opportunities with UK businesses and universities to support the UK’s goal of maintaining and growing its national capabilities in space. Forming part of Lockheed Martin’s expanding business footprint in the UK, the office will be based at the UK Space Gateway in Harwell Oxford.

For more than 50 years Lockheed Martin has led the way in the development of spacecraft that have helped scientists understand our planet. The new office will expand the company’s relationships with the UK supply chain to share technology and expertise, and will support UK-based capabilities in space exploration and access. It will also explore new technologies from small businesses and academia. Current areas of focus include environmental monitoring, space exploration, global security and small communications satellites.

Airbus tactical moves

While the Airbus A380 and the A350 XWB hogged the limelight at the flying display, Airbus Defence and Space presented the A400M on the ground and in the air. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the A400M is not just suited to tactical and strategic/logistical missions, but also for special operations such as air-to-air refuelling. The first A400M for the UK’s Royal Air Force is due to be delivered in the autumn of 2014, with the second due in the UK towards the end of the year.

On static display, Airbus had two C295s, new generation, highly versatile tactical airlifters. The C295 is able to carry up to nine tonnes of payload or up to 71 personnel, at a maximum cruise speed of 260 kt /480 kmph. Airbus also presented the “Atlante” UAS (unmanned aerial system), a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) tactical multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to carry out target identification, shoot correction, and damage evaluation operations, among other ISTAR missions (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance).

Textron brings Scorpion

The aviation and defence community in Europe got a first look at Textron’s Scorpion, multi-mission aircraft. It was Scorpion’s first flight outside the US, covering 4,700 nautical miles from Wichita to the airshow. Scorpion is a light attack intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Another Textron company, Bell Helicopters, had a fruitful outing signing a purchase agreement with INAER France an Avincis Group operator for a Bell 429 in Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) configuration.

Thales showcases range

Thales had several products and solutions on display and it released details of the new Thales Optronique targeting pod ‘Talios’ for the French Air Force. Designed as a follow-on to its Damocles targeting pod, the open architecture and sensor payload allow Talios to operate as a multi-function pod, dealing with target acquisition and designation through to non-traditional ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) tasks.

At the stall, the Stephane Lavigne, Vice President, NATO Business Development, ThalesRaytheon Systems, talked about the NATO’s air command and control system (ACCS). He was hopeful that Britain would be part of the NATO ACCS programme. NATO’s ACCS is now delivering a system that networks air command and control systems across 17 locations in NATA Europe using the same system of hardware and software, and sharing operational data over a high-speed communications network. The highlight of the ACCS programme, he said, is to build a command ‘air picture’ and to detect any missile launch in the region. It is the biggest cloud operation in the world.

Rafael’s concept talk

The Israeli giant Rafael for the first time talked about TopLite multi-high definition electro-optical system (EOS), the most advanced version of the TopLite family of ISR and targeting systems for airborne, maritime, ground, homeland security and defence applications. It allows unique operational capabilities supplemented by additional state-of-the-art advanced image processing algorithms and applications.

Raytheon’s range

Precision weapons, advanced gunfire detectors, tiny jammers, and a bus-size radar that tracks missiles as they hurtle through space were all part of Raytheon Company’s technology showcase. Raytheon equipment on display included: avionics and weapons; with recent major contract awards, such as the US Navy’s Air and Missile Defense Radar and the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer.

“Developing a common understanding of the complexity of the security challenges in today’s global environment is the first step towards building a strong customer relationship,” explains Thomas A. Kennedy, CEO, Raytheon Company. “The Farnborough International Airshow has historically provided us with an ideal opportunity to showcase our technology and product portfolio to customers from around the world. Defining the right mix of cost-effective solutions to support our customers’ needs drives solid business partnership and shared success.”