Latest Defence Industry News:

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Thursday 8 July 2010

Special Focus: ISDEF 2010 - Interview with Tomer Avnon, the President and CEO of TAR Ideal Concept
“ISDEF's advantage is that it uses Israel's excellent reputation as a world leader in the fields of Defense and Homeland Security and collaborates with major decision makers. Being the only major international defense exhibition in Israel, ISDEF attracts top key players, political and government figures”, said Mr. Tomer Avnon, the President and CEO of TAR Ideal Concept, in an exclusive interview that he gave to Epicos. ++ more

The Israel Defence Exhibition (ISDEF) 2010
The Israel Defence Exhibition (ISDEF) for Army & Police is taking place for the 4th consecutive year on the 18 – 20 of October, 2010 in Israel. ISDEF offers the best platform to create business opportunities between world leading manufactures and prospective clients in the Israeli Defense industry. ISDEF's advantage is that it uses Israel's excellent reputation as a world leader in the fields of Defence and Homeland Security and collaborates between major decision makers. Being the only major international defense exhibition in Israel, ISDEF attracts top key players, political and government figures.
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Thursday 1 July 2010

Special Focus: Slovenian Economy
Slovenia is a small open economy that enjoys prosperity and stability. It can be fairly characterized as a developed country something that is highlighted by the fact that became the first 2004 European Union entrant to adopt the euro. Slovenia is beneficiated by a developed infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and a strategic location between the Balkans and Western Europe. Nevertheless, the abovementioned economic prosperity was seriously averted during 2009 due to the global financial crisis. Gross domestic Product (GDP) declined by 7.3% mainly due to the significant drop in exports and gross fixed capital formation. ++ more

Slovenia in the New Globalized Economic
Nowadays, globalization is a key element for any national economy and Slovenian economy has not been an exception. Slovenia grasped the opportunity and developed an active strategy in order to draw profit from globalization advantages and at the same time to share responsibility for the control of related risks at the international level. After all, it is reasonable for a small country to give priority in joining international socioeconomic organizations and use them as a vehicle for connecting to global production systems, as well as world trade and finance.
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Thursday 24 June 2010

Special Focus: Airport Security
One of the most important security problems after 9/11 is aviation and airport security. Several governments took a series of important and strict security measures through which they tried to deter a new 9/11. This created the challenge of striking a balance between implementing security measures to deter terrorist attacks while at the same time limiting disruption to air commerce. Therefore, new techniques and methods were created in order to protect airports and aircraft from hijackings and bomb attempts and in parallel to create the least amount of disruption to the passengers. ++ more

Level Five, HLS Consulting LTD
Level Five is an Israeli company specialized in providing solutions for access control and screening of people and baggage. Level Five was established in 2002 by veterans of the IAA (Israeli Airport Authority) Security division, and since than has been successfully operating in both the Israeli and international market. So far the company has provided security concepts and training for airlines, airports, government installations, and the private sector.
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Thursday 17 June 2010

Special Focus: Finnish Defence Industry
Finnish defence industry is small but agile and highly competent. The main focus of it is in the domains of CBRN, armoured vehicles, soft- and hardware development. Finland has a fairly new industrial strategy, which according to the ministry of defence is that: “The Finnish defence and security industry is specialized, competitive and networked in the international market. It contributes to security, national and international military capabilities as well as security of supply”. Therefore, the Finnish defence industry is in a process of further integrating into the global markets. The main way through which is trying to achieve it, is by rapid networking with large international companies. Additionally, is trying to create a technological and economical competitive edge that will help the national defence forces to fulfil their purpose. Furthermore Defence Forces and industry are trying to commit to share long-term planning in order to improve industrial capacities. . ++ more

Robonic Ltd, UAV Launching System
Finnish company Robonic Ltd Oy is the premier UAV launcher manufacturer in Europe. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Sagem (a company of the Safran Group), it has a track record in pneumatic UAV launching technology which spans more than three decades. Based in Tampere in Southern Finland, the company also operates a dedicated cold climate UAV test flight centre at Kemijarvi, in Finnish Lapland.
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Thursday 10 June 2010

Special Focus: Slovak Republic
Slovakia has made significant economic reforms since its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993 and currently can be fairly characterized as a developed country. With the highest sustained Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth (10.4%) in the European Union during 2007, the Slovak economy was considered to be a tiger economy known as the Tatra Tiger. In 2009 global economic recession impacted many segments of the national economy and as a result GDP fall nearly 5%. ++ more

Slovak Republic, the new Economical Environment
After 1998 Slovak authorities implemented significant economic reforms. They reformed banks, changed the tax system and introduced tax relief and support for investors. The result of these reforms was that the country became an attractive destination for foreign investment. This was further reinforced by the country’s favorable geographical location in the centre of Europe and its qualified workforce. Another important economical development that helped the country attract the interest of foreign investments was the introduction of a 19% flat tax.
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Thursday 3 June 2010

Special Focus: Finland - Finnish Energy Policy
Nowadays, energy plays an increasingly important role for every country. Finland is not an exception as the country’s authorities throughout the years are trying to delineate a policy that has as main objectives sustainability and predictability. Therefore, the country’s policy rests on three fundamental elements: energy, economy and the environment. This means that the country is trying to secure energy supply in a competitive price and by keeping the arising environmental emissions within the international commitments. The aforementioned policy is delineated by the fact that Finland has been one of the leading industrialized countries that use extensively renewable energy and especially bio energy. ++ more

Interview with Mr. Asko Kylkilahti, Export Manager of FY-Composites OY
“We have high professional personnel and unique technology in our company and therefore we have achieved success also on export market. Our products have been supplied for instance to Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian, German, Czech, Slovak, Greece and French armies”, said Mr. Asko Kylkilahti, Export Manager of FY-Composites Oy in an exclusive interview given to Epicos
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Thursday 27 May 2010

Special Focus: Hungary Economy
Hungarian economy was characterised by a rather strong and viable performance during the last years. From the second half of the 1990s to 2006 Hungary achieved rapid economic growth and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was above 4%. Additionally, the ample economic performance of the country was reinforced by the rapid integration into the European markets. It is indicative that the stock of foreign direct investments was almost EUR 59 billion during these years. This fact, associated with the modern export capacities, played a significant role in the positive shift of the national economic structure. Thus, the economic overall performance of Hungary dramatically altered after 2006 and was further deteriorated after 2008 when the country was hit by the global financial crisis. ++ more

Produktum Kft
Produktum Kft is a Hungarian company that designs and produces tools and metal structures for the aviation and related industry. Produktum designs and produce light structures mainly made of aluminium and steel. Its products include welded aluminium structures; maintenance stands statically designed structures: stands, steps, frames, installation. The company’s products are used for aviation and vehicle industries, as well as for railway, bus, automotive and logistics companies. The latest development of the company is a compressor washing rig for V2500 and CFM 56 airplane engines..++ more

Thursday 20 May 2010

Special Focus: Hungary
Interview with Dr. Sandor Szabo, Director General, Hungarian Ministry for National Development and Economy "We have targeted to open a new chapter in our offset story. The main objectives we have put ahead of ourselves are: more quality than quantity, fulfilment is accepted only in priority areas, increased role of project-based fulfilment, to role of export is reduced, more incentive to our partners through elevated multipliers, simplify the report system and also the evaluation (abolishment of the gross offset obligation)". said , Dr. Sandor Szabo, Director general of the Hungarian Ministry for National Development and Economy on an exclusive interview given to Epicos. ++ more

Hungarian offset policy
Offset policy was introduced in Hungary during the 90’s and quickly became an important tool of the national economic policy. Through offset Hungarian authorities managed to enhance Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), exports and to support the restructuring of the defence industry. Since 1995 Eighteen (18) offset programs were started in Hungary for a value of 1,2 Billion Euros. Nine (9) were successfully closed with an overall fulfillment of 0,9 Billion Euros, whereas the remaining nine (9) represents an amount of only 0,3 Billion Euros. Lately offset in Hungary turned a new page as new guidelines were approved in November 2009.++ more

Thursday 13 May 2010

Special Focus: Romanian Economy
Israel is a country of limited natural and financial resources. On the other hand it has been for several years on the forefront of research and development in advanced technologies. Israel is following the example of many other small countries that has sharply defined scientific and technological policies as a way of enhancing its competitive position and counterbalancing the limited natural resources that they have. The two main reasons behind the success of the Israeli high technology industry are the unmatched pool of highly skilled workers and the world-renowned research and academic capabilities that the country has. Israeli authorities encourage the establishment of centres of excellence, whereas the scientists and engineers working on them constantly struggle with the challenge of quickly developing new and innovative solutions. ++ more

Romanian Trade
After the communist era, Romania deliberately tried to use foreign trade effectively as an instrument to enhance the development of the national economy and to pursue its goal of economic independence. The main products that Romania exports are agricultural products, chemicals, footwear, fuels, machinery, metal products and textiles. In 2008 the country had a trade deficit of EUR 19,109 million up 7.2% from the previous year. Additionally, the growth rate of exports outpaced that of imports by 2.6% and the share of trade deficit in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) narrowed by 0.3% to 14.0%r. ++ more

Thursday 6 May 2010

Special Focus: Israeli High-Technology Industry
Israel is a country of limited natural and financial resources. On the other hand it has been for several years on the forefront of research and development in advanced technologies. Israel is following the example of many other small countries that has sharply defined scientific and technological policies as a way of enhancing its competitive position and counterbalancing the limited natural resources that they have. The two main reasons behind the success of the Israeli high technology industry are the unmatched pool of highly skilled workers and the world-renowned research and academic capabilities that the country has. Israeli authorities encourage the establishment of centres of excellence, whereas the scientists and engineers working on them constantly struggle with the challenge of quickly developing new and innovative solutions. ++ more

Embedded Solutions, Military Network Applications
Embedded Solutions (ES) 3000 is an Israeli company that is specialized in supplying innovative, integrated turnkey solutions in systems and software engineering, particularly in military network projects, the security and aviation industries. The company works with the Israeli Air Force and other leading military security companies. Embedded Solutions was founded in 2001 by Dr. Larisa Tsirinsky as a private business specializing in systems and software engineering for military network applications. Currently is a stable company with a bright future ahead something that is highlighted by the fact that the company’s revenues are doubling every year. ++ more

Wednesday 28 April 2010

Special Focus: Danish Economy
Denmark has a modern market economy with a high-tech agricultural sector and a state-of-the-art industry. The limited size of the domestic market urged Danish entrepreneurs to seek customers abroad. As a result, the economy of the country is highly export- oriented and the main products of exportation are food and energy. The Danish economy is also characterized by an extensive government welfare network, an equitable distribution of income, and a high standard of living. A significant feature that showcases the socio-economical responsibility of Denmark is that it devoted 0.82% of its gross national income in 2008 to foreign aid to less developed countries a fact that makes Denmark one of the few countries that are contributing more than the UN goal of 0.7 % of gross national income to aid. ++ more

Flexicurity, The Danish Labour System
The Danish Labour force several times has been praised for its combination of flexibility and security, a situation that is usually described with the term Flexicurity. In Denmark companies are free to adjust the number of employees according to market demands. At the same time workers are quickly retrained so as to remain unemployed for the shortest possible time. This enables the Danish companies to be amongst the most competitive in a variety of industries. Additionally, workers and other employees in Denmark enjoy good wages and social benefits. The aforementioned formula is achieved through concrete socio-economical procedures that can be fairly characterized as an important element of the Danish economy. ++ more

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Special Focus: Canadian Economy
Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations, with an affluent, high-tech industrial society. Canada is a member of some of the most prestigious societies such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Group of Eight (G8). The country experienced a solid economic growth from 1993 through 2007. Canadian economic growth was based on the country’s great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant. The positive economic course of the country was averted in the final months of 2008 due to the global economic recession and Ottawa was in the unpleasant position to post its first fiscal deficit in 2009 after 12 years of surplus. ++ more

Energy sources of Canada
Canada is an important player in the production of energy as it ranks fifth in the world in terms of total primary energy production, with 19.3 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2008. The main energy sources of Canada include crude oil, natural gas and coal. Additionally, Canadian electricity is sourced mainly from hydro, nuclear, wind and solar power. Secondary sources include combusting petroleum products, natural gas, and biomass. Since Canada uses a broad spectrum of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, the country is able to produce more energy than it consumes. This enables Canada to export energy. ++ more

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Special Focus: Australian Economy
With a population of more than 21 million, Australia is a stable, culturally diverse and democratic society. Additionally, it has one of the strongest economies of the world. It is indicative that since 1991 the national real economy has grown by an average of 3.3% a year and unemployment has fallen below 5% in 2008, a figure that is the lowest since the 1970s. The main reasons behind this economic escalation were low inflation, growing trade ties with China and other Asian countries, an internal market boom and strong emphasis on socio-economical reforms. Australia was in 2009 the 13th largest national economy by nominal GDP the 21st largest importer and the 23rd largest exporter. ++ more

The Structure of Australian Trade
In 17th of March 2010 the trade Minister Simon Crean and the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade Anthony Byrne, released a new publication which shows that the value of Australian service exports grew by more than 5% the last financial year. Despite the fact that the world faces a socio-economical situation that can be fairly characterized as the worst economical downturn that the globe faced during the last 70 years, the value of Australian services exports increased to a record $53.3 billion in 2008-09. The total trade in goods and services of Australia, increased by 14.6% to $563.7 billion. The value of exports rose by 21.9% to $284.7 billion and the value of imports increased by 8.1% to $279.0 billion. Additionally Australia’s terms of trade continued to increase in 2008-09, rising by 7.5% this was a result of export prices increasing faster than import prices, rising 20.0% compared with 11.6%. ++ more

Wednesday 7 April 2010

Special Focus: Israel
Israel has a robust technological base both in the military and commercial sectors. Using it Israel managed to develop technological products that are always in the leading edge. From electronics and electro-optics, communications, information technology, safety and security, biotechnology and medical equipment through to traditional sectors such as plastics and rubber, automotive equipment, metal, electrical and electro-mechanical equipment, Israeli products are recognized globally. This is highlighted by the fact that sixty percent (60%) of Israeli exports are high-tech products and most of the country's traditional industries are based on advanced technologies.
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ECI Telecom, Global Provider of Networking Infrastructure
ECI Telecom is a leading Israeli company that is a supplier of networking infrastructure for carrier and service provider networks worldwide. The company has a wide spectrum of customers from tier-one national network operators to city carriers. Furthermore the company's equipment serves as the platform for key applications including business services, voice, video and wireless backhaul.ECI Telecom was founded in 1961. The company's headquarters is in Israel and it also has development centers in India, China, USA and Israel. Since its foundation, ECI Telecom has grown from a small technology company into an experienced global provider of networking solutions to the world's largest carriers. ++ more

Interview with Mr. Oren Barkai, Senior Product Manager & Solutions Team Leader, of Integrated Solutions LoB Network Solutions Division of ECI Telecom LTD
"Through 1Net framework, focused on optimized transition to more competitive networks, we are addressing the challenges and needs affecting providers today and in the future. By partnering with us, our customers service providers, networks and cable operators, government & defense entities, utility carriers and carrier-of carriers, and even municipalities all benefit from long-standing innovation and leadership in the telecom sector", said Mr. Oren Barkai, Senior Product Manager & Solutions Team Leader, of Integrated Solutions LoB Network Solutions Division of ECI Telecom LTD, in an exclusive interview that he gave to Epicos. ++ more

Special Focus: Indian Economy
India's economy has been one of the most promising and rising of recent years. Following the economic reforms of the socialist-inspired economy in the 1990s, the country began to experience rapid economic growth, supported by markets reforms and by a significant amount of inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Currently, the economy of India is the 12th largest economy in the world by nominal value and the 4th largest by purchasing power parity. Furthermore, India is the 3rd largest economy in Asia behind Japan and China. ++ more

India, an Emerging Economic Power
Over the past two decades, India's economy has made sustained progress on scale, size and pace. Large inflows of FDI, rising foreign exchange reserves and a flourishing capital market created a positive economic environment. This resulted in the acceleration of its growth for more than 7% per year since 1997. Currently, India can be fairly characterized as an emerging economic power with an important amount of human and natural resources and furthermore with a huge knowledge base. Additionally, the economic liberalization and the structural reformation of the country transformed it into an open-market economy. ++ more

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Greek Offsets: A new era
Currently Greece is facing a situation that can be fairly characterized as one of the most troubled socio-economic periods of its modern history. During this sharp period, the allocation of funds is essential and must be obtained from every possible source. In this sense, the reactivation of several accumulated open offset contracts by the Greek Ministry of National Defense could be fairly characterized as a positive measure. "Fresh" funds of hundreds of millions of Euros could enter the Greek market through the completion of contracts from domestic, public and private defense industries. ++ more

Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative
Corallia Clusters Initiative is a Greek public-private partnership, aiming at boosting competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation, in knowledge-intensive and exports-oriented technology segments. Corallia's vision is the promotion of "Innovation Made in Greece" in knowledge intensive - high-tech - exports oriented segments, in order to fuel growth and boost competitiveness in business sectors where Greece can attain a world-wide competitive advantage, through the establishment of Innovation Clusters. ++ more

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Special Focus: Argentinean Economy
Argentina has a fundamentally market economy. The national economy is very different from that of only a few years ago when the country underwent the worst economic crisis of its history in 2001. The crisis created an extremely insecure socio-economic environment, which peaked during December 2001 and provoked serious civil unrest and a severe economic downturn which had as a result high budget deficits, significant levels of debt and increasing inflation. Following the economic recession the Argentinean government forced to end the one-to-one parity between the Argentinean peso and the dollar, something that had devastating results in the economy of the country. Since then Argentina implemented a succession of internationally administered restructuring programs and resolved its economic difficulties. ++ more

The Structure of Argentinean Economy
The national economy of Argentina is one of the richest and most diversified in Latin America. The country is benefited from a rather positive socio-economical environment, which is delineated by a massive agricultural sector, a relatively highly literate population, a generously enriched with non-renewable resources soil and a diversified industrial base. Despite the fact that Argentina has a promising socio-economical background its economic performance has been very uneven. Periods of economic growth alternated with periods of severe recessions and while its citizens enjoyed high standards of living during the second half of the nineteenth century, the country repealed its positive course and particularly during the late twentieth century fallen behind. Nowadays, Argentina is considered as an upper-middle income country and is one of the G-20 major economies. ++ more

Wednesday 3 March 2010

Special Focus: European Defence SMEs
The European defence industry is a vital economical aspect of the European industry. Within the spectrum of the aforementioned industry Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role and are of critical importance to the supply chain. Recognizing the importance of SMEs the European Commission published in December 2007 a Defence Package containing a communication which highlighted measurers and policies to achieve a stronger and more competitive European Defence industry in a number of areas. Additionally, the European Commission adopted on 19 June 2008, the European Small Business Act (SBA) which has as a purpose to support European SMEs in all industrial sectors including defence. ++ more

Strengthening European small and medium sized enterprises in the defence sector
The development of European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is an important issue for the European Commission. Therefore, in December 2007 the Commission adopted the Defence Package which consists of a Communication and two legislative proposals. The main objective of the Defence Package is to strengthen the European defence industry and to promote a more European approach to business cooperation in the currently segmented national defence markets. Furthermore, it contains numerous proposals for the support of SMEs. In follow-up to the Defence Package, it was agreed to explore concrete ways to support SMEs through an ongoing study and a series of seven conferences. The Directorate General Enterprise is the organiser of the conferences that are taking place in different Member States between October 2009 and March 2010. ++ more

"Strengthening European Small and Medium sized Enterprises in the Defence Sector",The Epicos impact
Directorate General Enterprise is organizing seven conferences on "Strengthening European small and medium sized enterprises in the defence sector" in different Member States between October 2009 and March 2010. One of the conferences was organized in Athens during 3 and 4 March. Epicos was one of the participants presenting its international experience gained by working with SMEs. Epicos is an International Informational and Industrial Participation Service Provider offering:

• Worldwide Informational Services on High Technology, Aerospace and Defence Industries through its unique internet platform www.epicos.com;
• Worldwide Industrial Participation & Cooperation Services;
• Industry Development Consulting Services.

Press Here to Read the Full Presentation

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Special Focus: Malaysian Economy
Malaysia has a relatively open state-oriented market economy that is still growing. The state plays a significant but declining role in guiding economic activity through implementing macroeconomic plans. Malaysia experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development by the end of the 20th century. One of the reasons behind this was that the Southeast Asian nation transformed itself since the 1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. This economic progress had as a result Malaysia to become the 29th largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity in 2007. ++ more

Malaysian Oil and Gas Industry
Malaysia has a vibrant Oil and Gas industry. This has as a direct effect that the government revenues is in a great extend derived from the aforementioned industry. This is further illustrated by the fact that the national oil company, Petronas, have paid the government with RM 67.6 billion in 2008 a figure that represents a 44% of the 2008 federal government revenue. The Malaysian oil company is an important economical player for the country and for the global Oil and Gas industry as it is ranked among the FORTUNE Global 500® largest corporations in the world. ++ more

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Special Focus: Non-Lethal Weapons
Nowadays, the government mechanisms that exercise a state's physical coercive power often face a difficult dilemma. This dilemma is delineated by the fact that the exercise of too much power may create an unacceptable danger of "collateral damage"; on the other hand the exercise of too little power, may put in risk the safety of their own personnel and compromise the accomplishment of an important and legitimate mission. That is the reason why there is an interesting controversy for the designation of the proper use of force. A feasible answer to this dilemma is the use of non-lethal weapons. ++ more

Condor Non-Lethal Technologies
Condor Non-Lethal Technologies is a Brazilian company that is active in manufacturing Non-Lethal and Pyrotechnics high-tech Equipment for disturbance situations, military and rescue signalization. Condor is a leader and pioneer in Latin America and is occupying a prominent place in the world ranking. The company is located in Rio de Janeiro, in the town of Nova Iguacu. Its factory is set up in a total area of about 1,000,000 (one million) square meters next to the Tingua biological reserve with 26 thousand hectares, which is the largest Atlantic Forest reserve in the State of Rio de Janeiro. ++ more

Interview with Mr. Massilon Miranda International Business Manager of Condor
"Condor is always investing in new products and technologies. In 2009 we launched almost 20 new products, including a broad line of 40X46 non-lethal ammunition for several applications. 2010 will not be different.", said Mr. Massilon Miranda, International Business Manager of Condor in an exclusive interview given to Epicos. ++ more

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Special Focus: Israeli Defence Industry
Nowadays, the Israeli defence industry has developed comprehensive capabilities on ground, air and sea combat and has a major success beyond the initial expectations of the Israeli governments. Additionally, Israeli Aerospace and Defence companies play a major role in a rather competitive international scene and are standing at the forefront of technological advancement, sophistication and efficiency by creating products of proven quality record, reliability and service ability. Based on this unique development, Israeli A&D companies have recorded several successes on selling these products globally. ++ more

Agent Video Intelligence, Future- Proofed Video Analytics
Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi) is an Israeli company that it was founded in 2003. Since then the company is a leading provider of open architecture, video analytics software deployed in a variety of security, safety and business intelligence applications worldwide. Agent Vi has sales, distribution and research and development operations around the globe. The company has proven deployments worldwide with customers in retail, airports, rail, transportation, education, critical infrastructure, utility, government, financial institutions and metropolitan markets. ++ more

Interview with Mr. Ariel Frischoff, VP Sales, EMEA & APAC, Agent Vi
"Agent Vi offers the most cost-effective and comprehensive VCA (video content analysis) solutions on the market today. The solutions are open platform, enabling customers to use the analytics with a variety of cameras and recording solutions, with minimum impact on the TCO.", said Mr. Ariel Frischoff, VP Sales, EMEA & APAC, Agent Vi on an exclusive interview given to Epicos. ++ more

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Special Focus: Brazilian Defence Industry
Defence is a sensitive issue for every country and therefore each country has its own specific context that is heavily interrelated with the other aspects of the socio-economical and political life of it. That is the reason why one should study the broader political status quo of Brazil, if he would like to extract some positive conclusions about the future of the Brazilian armed forces and aerospace and defence industry. ++ more

HTA - High Technology Aeronautics
HTA - High Technology Aeronautics is a group of 17 Brazilian companies founded in 2000 and specially dedicated to the advancement of the aerospace industry and business development. The company has initiated exportation in the end of 2003 and has been consolidating partnership with leader companies in the international market. ++ more

Interview with Mrs. Dina Cruz - Commercial Manager of High Technology Aeronautics
" HTA is aimed at customer's needs and for that reason the companies work together, even the ones within the same domain. They assemble resources in a range of areas, each one with its expertise in an effort to deliver a finished and final product to the customer.", said Mrs. Dina Cruz - Commercial Manager of High Technology Aeronautics (HTA) on an exclusive interview given to Epicos. ++ more

Akaer, A Developing Company
AKAER is a Brazilian Company that is activated in the development of structures for aeronautical, space and automotive areas. The company was founded in 1992 and since then it has participated in several important aerospace programs, such as the EMBRAER 170/190 development, the Embraer new regional jet aircraft family. The company is based in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo. AKAER is always engaged in providing complete solutions for its costumers, defining the best design configuration and meeting the highest structural performance requirements. For example greatest strength associated to minimum weight, taking into account the manufacturing cost and materiel parameters as guidelines for an optimized product ++ more

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Special Focus: Israel's Homeland Security Industry
"It is a common belief that Israel has a large pool of experienced former security, military and police personnel that they have operational experience gained from serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Furthermore, Israeli companies have been able to field test their systems and solutions in real-time situations. This combined with Israel's high-tech capabilities and strong R&D capabilities allows the country's Homeland Security (HLS) industry to produce tailor-made solutions for each customer at the best-value prices", said Adv. Bina Bar - On, Director General of the Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA) in Israel, on an exclusive interview given to Epicos. ++ more

The Directory of Israel's Homeland Security Industry
Despite its small size and overwhelming political problems, and perhaps even because of them, Israel has succeeded in developing what can someone probably describe as the most sophisticated Defence Force establishment in the Middle East. Actually, Israel has great experience in deterring and combating the threat of terrorism and consequently the products, systems and services that the Israeli Industry created throughout the years, have been tested and improved after real-time utilization. ++ more

Israeli Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA)
Israel has gone through an overall economic growth. This has its roots in a well developed and knowledge-based industry. Additionally, Israel has a significant reputation as an international center for research and development. The competitiveness of Israeli products and services has been proven by meeting the challenges of the global market place. Some of the domains of Industry that Israeli industrialists and entrepreneurs currently lead are electro-optics, advanced software applications, nanotechnology, electronic warfare, homeland security and multiple telecommunications applications. In order to enhance international cooperation of the Israeli companies with the rest of the world, Israel has founded the Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA), under the Ministry of Industry Trade & Labor. ++ more

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Special Focus: Bulgarian Industry
Bulgaria is an industrialised country with an open free market economy with a moderately advanced private sector and a number of strategic state-owned enterprises. Bulgaria, can be fairly characterised as an upper-middle-income country. Its gross national income per capita was 5,490 US$ in 2008. The last decade of the 20th century was a rather unstable and rigid economic period for the country. After the collapse of the communist regime and subsequently of the COMECON system, Bulgaria lost its political and economical anchor. This had as a result the fall of the standard of living by 40% and the creation of hyperinflation which surged in 1994 to 122% and 311% in 1996. ++ more

The national energy policy of Bulgaria
The national energy policy of Bulgaria comprises a set of measures involving the country's laws, treaties and agency directives. Additionally, the integration of the country in the European Union created a framework under which Bulgarian authorities are obliged to shape the national energy policy. Hence, the attributes of energy policy includes national legislation and directives of international treaties. The energy policy of Bulgaria is defined by the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Economy and Energy. Additionally, the Minister develops and proposes to the Council of Ministers strategic trends and programs for the development of the sector. ++ more

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Special Focus: Austrian Economy
Austria is a highly developed industrialised country with a well-developed market economy and an important service sector. It has a high standard of living and is closely tied to the other economies of the European Union. During the last decade of the 20th century and the first of the 21st, Austria made major steps in order to enhance economic efficiency and modernise its national economy. This has as a result the creation of an economic environment that created a solid foreign demand for Austrian exports and record employment growth. Nevertheless, the global economic crisis of 2008 led the Austrian economy to a recession. ++ more

The Austrian Economy in the 21st century
Throughout the last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st, Austria has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at creating a more competitive business environment which will further reinforce the position of the country in the international market and its attractiveness as an investment location. The aforementioned program had the desirable effects as the Austrian economy was boosted by strong exports and as a result the Gross Domestic Product Growth reached 3.3% in both 2006 and 2007. Nevertheless, the global economic and financial crisis reversed the positive economic environment that has been created. ++ more

Friday 8 January 2010

Special Focus: Finnish Economy
Finland is a highly industrialized country with a free-market economy, which per capita output is roughly the same with that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. The main economic sectors in which the country is activated are wood, metals and engineering, telecommunications, and electronic industries. Furthermore trade is important for the economy of the country. Finland's ratio of exports to GDP has risen from a quarter to 37% over the past 15 years. The main product that the country is exporting is mobile phones. ++ more

Finnish Industry
For centuries, Finnish industry had relied on the country's vast forests. This can be explained if we take into consideration the fact that about 70 per cent of Finland is forest-covered. Though, the new economical and social circumstances created by globalization lead to a decline of more traditional industries. Therefore, from the 1990s Finnish industry became dominated to a larger extent by electronics and services, focusing to a greater extent on R&D and hi-tech electronics. ++ more

Thursday 10 December 2009

HAWKEI PASSES BLAST TEST MILESTONE
Thales Australia's groundbreaking Hawkei Australian Light Protected Vehicle has passed a significant milestone with the successful completion of the first series of mine blast tests on the passenger compartment.. ++ more

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Special Focus: Brazilian Industry
Brazil is the largest country (in area and population) in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the most economically advantaged countries in the world. In 2007 had the 9th world Gross Domestic Product measured by purchasing power parity. Brazil has immense natural resources and a strong industrial development and its national economy is characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors. From 2003 to 2007, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. ++ more

Friuli Aeroespacial Ltda
Friuli Aeroespacial Ltda is a Brazilian company that is activated in the domain of supplying integrated solutions in metal processing and assembling. Operating from more than 20 years the company’s core competence is to offer integrated solutions to assembly aerospace subgroups. Friuli offers cutting edge technologies in various services such as milling process development in conventional, CNC of metallic and non-metallic materials, painting, stamping in mechanical presses, welding processes, assembling, penetrating liquid, carbon and fiberglass molding, thermal and superficial treatments. ++ more

The Socio-economic Dimension of the Brazilian Society
Brazil has a long legacy of sharp socio-economic stratification that was inherited from the colonial system. The aforementioned situation is largely reflected in Brazil's highly skewed income distribution and social inequalities that are widespread. Understanding this situation the Brazilian government is constantly trying to pursue policies specifically aimed at reducing poverty. Nevertheless, one fifth of the population, most of them in the north and north-east of the country, is still living below the national poverty line. ++ more

Thursday 3 December 2009

Special Focus: Dutch Industry
The Netherlands is situated in the Western Europe, is bordering with Belgium and Germany and a big part of the country has access to the North Sea. Its geographical position helped The Netherlands in becoming an important transportation hub of Europe. The Netherlands is a relatively small country with a population of around 16,555,000. Nevertheless, the country diachronically played an important role in the political and economical status quo of the European Continent. It was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. In the period between 2007 and 2008 the Dutch economy reached a historical peak but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand. The aforementioned situation continued and in 2009. ++ more

Cybermind, work in and not just with Virtual Reality
Cybermind Interactive Nederland (CIN) is a Dutch company that is focused on providing generic and specialized near to Eye display solutions. It was founded on April 1997 and since then it has grown to become the leading distributor/ manufacturer in Europe for Near to eye solutions. The company excels in producing affordable high- end products to facilitate existing and emerging markets. The head offices of the company are situated in the city of Maastricht, with direct access from Germany, Belgium and France and nearby the airports of Maastricht-Aachen, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Brussels. Additionally, the sales office is situated in the city of Almere, which is a rather modern city and the place of many new businesses. ++ more

Interview with the Founder and Technical Director of CYBERMIND BV Mr. Vincent Graham
"Cybermind is Europe's leading manufacturer of Head Mounted Display (HMD) and is currently the only manufacturer worldwide that commercially produces high resolution (SXGA) HMD's at chip level..." said in an exclusive interview that he gave to Epicos the Founder and Technical Director of CYBERMIND BV Mr. Vincent Graham. ++ more

Surviving the Crisis
The Dutch labor market is one of the economic domains in the country that was hit by the global economic recession. In 2010 the Dutch labor market will continue to feel the crisis. Unemployment is expected to reach 8% a fact that will heavily influence the Dutch system. That is why the Dutch authorities continue unabatedly to invest in recovery measures in order to create the proper circumstances to emerge quickly from the crisis. Under this context in 2010 the government will invest 416 million euros in crisis measures. In order to cope with budget setbacks, there will means for saving 430 million euros of other expenditure. ++ more

Wednesday 26 November 2009

Special Focus: Norwegian Industry
The Norway, similar to other Scandinavian countries, enjoys high standard of living and high levels of prosperity. The main reasons behind this are that Norway has a productive and adaptable economy, a high labour force participation rate and an equitable income distribution. The economical and social model of the country is characterised by a comprehensive public welfare state, high public investments in education and close cooperation between the government and the social partners. ++ more

The Norwegian Socio-economical Model
The standard of living in Norway is one of the highest in the world. Norwegian society indulges high levels of prosperity, high labor force participation rate and an equitable income distribution. The socio-economical model of the country is characterized by a comprehensive public welfare state, high public investments in education and close cooperation between the government and the social partners. The above-mentioned situation creates a social structure which guarantees a good standard of living for individuals. ++ more

Thursday 19 November 2009

Special Focus: Portuguese Industry
The Portuguese economy is a high income mixed economy. After 1986, when the country joined European Community Portugal managed to privatise many state-controlled companies and liberalised key areas of the economy, such as the telecommunications and the financial sector. Since then the country managed to obtain further economical liberalisation and integration in international organisations. The country entered the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002. After the integration of the country in the European Community, economic growth had been the case. For much of the 1990s the economic growth of the country was higher than the EU average. Though, this was diverted in the next decade as it fell back between 2001 and 2008. The global economic recession further deteriorated the situation. In the first quarter of 2009 the GDP rate of the country shrunk by -4,0%. ++ more

GMV Innovating Solutions
GMV is a privately owned technological business group that was founded in 1984. GMV, has an international presence and is activated in different domains of the industry namely, Aeronautics, Banking and Finances, Space, Defense, Health, Security, Transportation, Telecommunications, and Information Technology for Public Administration and large corporations. GMV started out with a small group of engineers and since then adopted a strategy of international growth and development that had as a result the company to evolve from a small aerospace engineering company into a business group with a 1000-strong staff trading in various hi-tech sectors and boasting a healthy international client portfolio. In May 2005 GMV confirmed the above-mentioned strategy with the purchase of a 58% stake in Skysoft, a Portuguese firm with business lines and target markets very similar to those of GMV. ++ more

Interview with the Head of Aerospace, Security & Defense Department GMV-SKYSOFT Mr. Jose Neves
“The presence of GMV in Portugal is intrinsically linked to the history of Skysoft Portugal S.A., company that joined the group GMV in May 2005…” said the Head of Aerospace, Security & Defense Department GMV-SKYSOFT Mr. Jose Neves in an exclusive interview that he gave to Epicos. ++ more

Tuesday 17 November 2009

The NIDV 21st Exhibition and Symposium, “Partners in Security”
On November 19, 2009 the 21st NIDV Symposium and Exhibition will open its gates. It will be held in the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam. This year’s theme is “Partners in Security”. The Symposium offers an insight in the latest developments in Defence and Public Security. In the exhibition the focus is on Aerospace, Naval and Land Systems, Police and Security. Furthermore, ongoing procurement projects by the Dutch armed forces and Law Enforcement will be highlighted. More than 130 booth holders and 2200 registered visitors will be attending in the Ahoy Exhibition Centre. All leading Dutch and many international manufacturers (OEM) will be present with their products relating to sensor technology, communications, wheeled vehicles, protection, etc.      In addition to the information provided by participants at the exhibition, visitors are also offered a special program of presentations and lectures of top officials from defense and from the political arena. Keynote speakers are the Dutch State Secretary for Defence, Mr. Jack de Vries, the Vice President Global Defence Industry Leader of IBM, Mr. William R. Phillips, Rheinmetall Defence Board Member Mr. Shaun Liebenberg and the former NATO Secretary-General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The organizer of the Symposium is NIDV (Netherlands Industries for Defense and Security) the primary platform for consultation between the government and the Dutch business community. Epicos will be present in the symposium in the booth 303 Hall No. 5 For more information and registration Press Here

Thursday 12 November 2009

Special Focus: Czech Republic
The last two decades Czech Republic has done a significant amount of progress in several economical and social domains, namely in the areas of governance, health care, and education. In the aforementioned domains the country is approaching incumbent EU levels. Furthermore, poverty is not widespread, and the country has created and benefited from a combination of a well-educated, disciplined work force, and relatively low wages. Of course, there are certain domains that need to be further developed. For instance, unemployment rate remains high especially amongst low-skilled workers despite the National Employment Plan, which the Czech Republic is implementing. ++ more

EGO Zlin, Means for saving lives
EGO Zlin, spol. s r.o. is a Czech company that is activated since 1992 in the domain of producing and distributing systems for biological protection. The company is a supplier of mobile workplaces and means of rescue for patients and victims that can be used during natural disasters and military conflicts. Since its creation the company is cooperating not only with Czech clients but also with clients in several countries from all over the world, such as: Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Portugal, Turkey, Angola, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and others. ++ more

Energy Industry in Czech Republic
Energy is without doubt a significant element of the socio-economical structure of a country. It delineates the responsibility of a country for creating the proper conditions for a reliable, stable and viable development of the industry and for every other economical sector of the country. Additionally, the authorities of a country should formulate a responsible energy policy that will enable the state to supply the society with energy at acceptable prices. Furthermore, the government should reassure that the energy policy that it will follow will not threaten the environment and will comply with the principles of sustainable development. ++ more

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Special Focus: Romanian Industry
The political and economical situation of Romania after the fall of communism in 1989 was largely defined by the totalitarian regime of the decades-long rule dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who took power in 1965, and remained in it until 1989 when he was overthrown and executed. The oppressive and draconian regime combined with the economical policy that the Romanian politician adopted in the 1980s had as a goal the repayment of the national debts, deteriorated both the economical and political cohesion of the Romanian society. Additionally, the aforementioned actions created a deprived socioeconomical status quo that complicated the first steps of the Romanian economy towards the creation of a market economy. ++ more

Romanian Economy during the Economic Recession
Throughout its economic history after the fall of the communist regime, Romania has been progressing positively. It was just few months ago that the growth prospects for the GDP in Romania were rather optimistic and several international and national forecast institutions predicted that GDP growth will be much above the EU-Average for 2009 and even onwards. Unfortunately, the aforementioned estimation was not reaffirmed and after the breakout of the financial and economical crisis GDP growth estimations for Romania were gradually downscaled. The economic activity was sharply declined in the last quarter of 2008 and has fallen further in early 2009. But what intervened and the diffused optimism was not finally reaffirmed? ++ more

Development of a field-deployable, compact weather station system
A manufacturing company with significant experience in designing and developing environmental Meteorological Stations, and sensors for meteorological, hydrological and agro-meteorological applications is willing to expand its capabilities in the field of automated weather stations that can be rapidly deployed and used in diverse field operations. For Further Information Contact our ICO Department

Design and manufacturing of advanced retractable light weight landing gear for Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems and general aviation aircraft under FAR PART 23
A company with long extensive experience in providing cutting edge technological services and products for the aeronautical and automotive markets is proposing, in the frame of an offset program, the collaboration with Aerospace and Defense Prime contractors for the design and manufacturing of advanced retractable light weight landing gear for Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) systems. For Further Information Contact our ICO Department

Thursday 29 October 2009

Special Focus: Czech Industry
Czech Republic has constantly been one of the most stable and prosperous post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Even though the country has undergone an immense political and economical transition managed to copy with it and without significant political or economical drawbacks. Actually, Czech Republic underwent a triple transformation as except form the socioeconomical transformation that all the communist countries had to undergone Czech Republic had to go through one more, the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took place on 1 January 1993. ++ more

RayService, Cable Systems
RayService is a Czech private company that was founded in 1994. Nowadays RayService is activated in the domain of design, production and maintenance of cable harnesses. The company products are used in a wide spectrum of application that varies from highly demanded applications in military, airborne and transportation systems to a wide range of other industrial and commercial applications. Additionally, RayService is a distributor of cable harness components manufactured by world producers like Tyco Electronics and ITT Cannon. RayService is a dynamically developing company continuously investing into its development with the aim to build up a strong and modern company which will be a reliable and sought-after partner. ++ more

Climbing training simulator for special operations forces
A company is proposing the development and installation of a complete climbing training simulator, to be used for simulating training in individual climbing skills and methods. The climbing training simulator will be used by Special Forces, as well as emergency rescue teams supporting reliable and secure simulation of several different operational scenarios. For Further Information Contact our ICO Department

Installation of special protection equipment against virulent diseases to ambulance car used in several homeland security applications
A leading Czech company in the design, manufacture and distribution of medical emergency products for Civil and Military use proposes a project which aims to the installation of virulent protection equipment into special made ambulance car. The proposed equipment will support ensure safe transfer of the patient and the assisting personnel to the hospital eliminating transferring of the virulent disease to any other person. For Further Information Contact our ICO Department

Thursday 22 October 2009

Special Focus: Hungarian Industry
Over the past two decades, Hungary has made important steps toward the building of a market oriented economy that will be competitive and fully integrated into the corpus of the economies of the European Union (EU). During this process, new specialisations patterns have emerged a fact that is mainly highlighted by the fast growing exports of manufactured goods and their shift towards higher skills and quality. Additionally, the country has undergone this period of transition with a relatively high per capita income that reached nearly two-thirds of the EU-25 average. ++ more

Diamond Kft
Diamond Kft. is a Hungarian company that is located at Solymar, Hungary. Diamond was established in December of 1992 and is a subsidiary of Diamond SA. The company’s core competency is based on the high-precision optical passive devices and equipment developed by the parent company Diamond SA. These devices are: optical connectors, optical splitters, wavelength division multiplexers (WDM-s) and optical sensors. Expect from developing ready-to-use optical connectors, the company has expanding its portfolio of manufactures with fiber-optic distribution frames and cabinets. Having as a starting point the quality and flexibility of the products that the parent company Diamond SA has already manufactured Diamond Kft. managed to achieve the market leader’s position in Hungary and in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. ++ more

The impact of Hungarian Labour Force in the National Industry
The Hungarian government has as a fundamental objective the creation of a sustainable economy that will grow faster that the EU average and after the accomplishment of it to expand even more dynamically. The Hungarian authorities realises that in order to achieve the aforementioned objective the expansion of employment is an indispensible condition. Therefore, the creation of an adequate macroeconomic framework that will channel the inactive Hungarian workforce back to labour market by job creation, labour incentive and qualification is of high priority. ++ more

Development of E-Band radio technology and associated infrastructure
A company specializing in microwave transmission network planning, microwave link planning, administration of government licensing, turnkey project realization including equipment manufacturing, system integration, installation, training and documentation is proposing, in the frame of an offset program, the collaboration with a prime contractor or a third party company specializing in broadband wireless technology, in order to develop subcomponents for EHF point-to-point equipment (radios) to be integrated in full systems or sold as individual units. ++ more

Development of an advanced Fluxset type magnetic field sensor for Airborne Antisubmarine Warfare
A company with vast experience on customized hardware and software solutions, the development of avionics and other high-tech electronics systems and simulators is proposing -in the frame of an offset project- partnership with a prime contractor or a third party company in a targeted country specializing in sensing technologies, for the development of an advanced Fluxset type magnetic field sensor for Airborne Antisubmarine Warfare. ++ more

Thursday 15 October 2009

MAST Maritime Systems and Technology
MAST is the unique, established first-in-class global conference and trade-show for senior maritime defence and security leaders, organised by an international committee of authoritative, influential government, research/academia, and industry decision makers.

MAST creates an unparalleled annual forum at which future capabilities and concepts issues are discussed and debated by the world’s leading – surface, submarine and joint operations – authorities; and enabling technologies (at research, development or deployment stages) are presented.

Putting a considerable breadth of topics and technology in the spotlight, on both operational/policy and technology levels, MAST attracts an exclusively diverse international audience: MAST’s ‘three tier’ audience ranges from military planners/capability managers/chiefs of staff/end users/policy makers to procurement executives/naval and defence attaches/ambassadors to senior engineers/technical directors/scientists. ++ more

Last day for online MAST registrations

Today is the final day to make your online bookings for the MAST Conference.

The online price is still a little lower than the price for booking on arrival at the event, and you can be sure in advance that you have secured your conference seat.

Book now

View the MAST Conference timetable

Special Focus: Polish Industry
After the fall of the communist regime in 1990 Poland has tried to pursue a policy of economic liberalization and deliberately tried to get integrated in several international political and economical institutions. Since then most of the goals set have been accomplished as Poland today stands out as a success story among transition economies and has already become a member of European Union and NATO. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004 and nowadays can be fairly characterized as a democratic, market-oriented country and as an active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations. ++ more

Global Economic recession and Polish Economy
A crisis always creates threats but it simultaneously creates changes and that is why we should not always a priori believe that all the financial factors would be harmed from it. During the last economical crisis Poland has been a good example of the aforementioned ascertainment. The Polish economy managed to get through the economic recession almost unharmed and it has turned to be more resistant than other European Economies. Thus Poles have the right to regard themselves as winners. ++ more

Epicos "Project Opportunities"
Epicos "Project Opportunities" provides a unique set of online tools enabling the structure, identification and implementation of comprehensive Offsets programs, through a searchable database. By introducing different offset projects and ideas proposed by local A industry it ensures the optimum cost for Prime Contractors and reassures that the priorities of local industry are fully met... ++ more

Utilizing LED Technology for Aerospace and Defence applications
A leading supplier of LED solutions mainly for commercial applications is willing to expand its line of business in Aerospace and Defence (A) sector, offering state-of-the-art solutions and products, as well as additional services and support.. ++ more

Insensitive Munitions plastic bonded explosive, FOXIT, warheads for smart underwater mines and torpedoes
A leading developer and manufacturer of explosives is proposing an implementation of his fully IM (Insensitive Munitions) compatible warhead subsystem to new generation, smart underwater mines and torpedoes. ++ more

Thursday 8 October 2009

Special Focus: Greek Industry
Greece is situated in a significant geostrategic place, which can provide a strategic link to the sizeable emerging markets of the Balkan Peninsula, Black Sea, eastern European and eastern Mediterranean region. The aforementioned advantageous location is highlighted by the fact that one to its cities in the North, Thessalonica, provides access and offers the financial and trading services needed in order to conduct business with the neighboring regional markets. Throughout the years and especially after the collapse of communism, Thessalonica and Greece in General, has become an important economical and trading center for all the new and emerging economies of the Eastern Europe. ++ more

The Phenomenon of Greek Shipping
Greeks have remained throughout their long history, mariners. They considered the sea a friendly and familiar environment and they quickly realized that the sea could offer them a way of life and a reasonable income. Seamanship came naturally to the Greeks and the reason is the landscape of their surroundings, the geographical position of Greece, the climate of the country and the endless coastline of it. Furthermore, the mountainous landscape of the country and the lack of farming area provided a poor harvest, something that further pushed the people of this area to set their eyes to the sea. This tendency remains until today. Greek shipping, from Piraeus, London and New York which are its key centers of operation operates a vast fleet which can fairly characterized as the backbone of world shipping. ++ more

Epicos "Project Opportunities"
Epicos "Project Opportunities" provides a unique set of online tools enabling the structure, identification and implementation of comprehensive Offsets programs, through a searchable database. By introducing different offset projects and ideas proposed by local A&D industry it ensures the optimum cost for Prime Contractors and reassures that the priorities of local industry are fully met... ++ more

Portable System for Recognized Air Picture (RAP) generation to forward posted military/naval commanders and units
A company with a long standing experience as an Information System Integrator and Software developer is proposing the implementation of a state-of-the-art system providing real-time Recognized Air Picture generation capability to forward posted military/naval units and commanders with maximum security. ++ more

Multi-TDL Planning System
Sourcing of a user friendly, operator intuitive Multi-TDL Planning System (MTPS), that supports collaborative planning and monitoring of the multi-TDL networks execution process.++ more

Thursday 17 September 2009

Epicos Newsletter
Special Focus: Ballistic Production

1. Ballistic Protection
2. Ballistic Vests
3. Epicos "Project Opportunities
4. Introduction of vapour compression technology for the development of new generation Future Soldier ballistic protection vests
5. Development of all-composite cab and/or vehicle body components for existing or future military ground vehicles
6. Epicos- Amazon

Special Focus: Ballistic Production

1. Raytheon's AESA Radar for Boeing F-15E Receives New Designation
2. Saab receives order for BOL Countermeasures Dispensing System
3. Pentagon backs massive missile sale to Turkey
4. Belarus air defense units arrive in Russia for Zapad-2009 drills
5. Russia to announce tender to buy helicopter carrier

Read more...

Thursday 10 September 2009

The Industry Portal
Epicos is aiming to become the reference portal for the global high technology industry. Using our experience and success in serving the Aerospace & Defense market for over 9 years, we have enlarge our reach and now provide information, marketing and collaboration tools to support a large number of high technology industries around the world. Read more...

Tuesday 8 Septembar 2009

Asian Aerospace 2009 Starts Today
It is our great pleasure to welcome you to Asian Aerospace 2009!

If you have not yet received your visitor confirmation letter, please call our visitor hotline now. Hong Kong: +852 2965 1688
China Mainland: +86 10 6733 9567
Rest of the world: +65 6780 4327
Read more..

Tuesday 26 August 2009

Boeing Chief Executive to Speak at Morgan Stanley Conference Sept. 2
Boeing (NYSE: BA) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney will speak at the Morgan Stanley Global Industrials Unplugged Conference on Sept. 2, at approximately 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time... Read More...

Asian airlines' return to growth 'still some way off': AAPA
Asia Pacific airlines continued to suffer a sharp fall in passenger and cargo traffic despite signs of a broader economic rebound in the region, an industry group said Wednesday... Read More...

Germany says AWACS mission to Afghanistan delayed
A German mission to send AWACS surveillance planes to Afghanistan is delayed after Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan refused to allow NATO to fly them through their airspace, an official said Wednesday...Read More...

Friday 17 July 2009

Special Focus: Main Battle Tanks
A modern main battle tank is one of the heaviest armored vehicles of the battlefield. It is distinguished by its high level of firepower, by its mobility and its armour protection. It incorporates advances in automotive, artillery, and armor technology and therefore it can protect its crew, it can cross comparatively rough terrain at high speeds and engage a wide variety of ground targets. Of course the price that you have to pay for having this versatile and fearsome weapon on the battlefield is that is fuel, maintenance, and ammunition-hungry a fact that makes it logistically demanding Read More...

M1 Abrams main battle tank
The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States by General Dynamics Land Systems. The tank was named after General Creighton W. Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and commander of the 37th Armoured Battalion. It is the backbone of the armoured forces of the United States military, and several of US allies as well. Abrams battle tank is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed to provide mobile firepower protection for its crew in any combat environment and has sufficient capability to successfully close with and destroy any opposing armoured fighting vehicle that it encounters. Read More...

Epicos "Project Opportunities"
Epicos "Project Opportunities" provides a unique set of online tools enabling the structure, identification and implementation of comprehensive Offsets programs, through a searchable database. By introducing different offset projects and ideas proposed by local A&D industry it ensures the optimum cost for Prime Contractors and reassures that the priorities of local industry are fully met... Read More...

Wednesday 10 June 2009

SCRAMJETS – Supersonic Combustion Ramjets
Scramjet is the acronym used for Supersonic Combustion Ramjet. The difference between the scramjet and the ramjet is in the fact that the combustion takes place at supersonic air velocities (above Mach1) through the engine, due to the fact that at higher speeds, it is necessary to combust the air-fuel mixture supersonically in order to maximize the efficiency of the combustion process. Like a ramjet, a scramjet essentially consists of a constricted tube through which inlet air is compressed by the high speed of the vehicle, a combustion chamber where fuel is combusted, and a nozzle through which the exhaust jet leaves at higher speed than the inlet air. Read More...

NASA's X-43
The X-43 is an unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft design with multiple planned scale variations meant to test different aspects of hypersonic flight. The X-43 is part of NASA’s Hyper- X program which has as a purpose to demonstrate "air-breathing" engine technologies. The aforementioned technology is designed to increase payload capacity and reduce vehicle size for the same payload for future hypersonic aircraft and reusable space launch vehicles. Read more...

Epicos "Project Opportunities"
Epicos "Project Opportunities" provides a unique set of online tools enabling the structure, identification and implementation of comprehensive Offsets programs, through a searchable database. By introducing different offset projects and ideas proposed by local A&D industry it ensures the optimum cost for Prime Contractors and reassures that the priorities of local industry are fully met... Read more...

 

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Special Focus: Brazil I
Overwhelmed with outdated military equipment and technology, Brazil is in a great need of modernising its armament. The Brazilian government accepts this ascertainment and have currently adopted a more positive approach vis-à-vis the possibility of modernising the country’s armament. Brazil has previously experienced long periods of underinvestment in defence and this recent change of its defence procurement doctrine can be explained by the fact that neighbour countries such as Venezuela, Chile and (to a lesser extent) Columbia are already in a process of expanding their military capabilities. Read more...

Industry and Market Analysis
The wheels of the post-war Brazilian defence industry started turning, in the fifties. The main actors in this specific period were state-owned companies. Though, the systematic establishment and expansion of the Brazilian defence industry started during the 1960s. It was then that the Brazil's three largest arms firms were established, in 1961 Avibrás Aerospace Industry (Avibrás Indústria Aeroespacial S.A.--Avibrás), in 1963, Engesa and in 1969 Embraer. Eventually, Brazilian defence industry had a significant progress that led to the so-called “golden years”, when exports reached a peak of almost US$1 billion per year. Brazil became a global player in the production and export of arms and especially in the arms market of the third and developing world. Read more...

New Airport Project Launched in Sao Jose, Brazil
The CEA Caçapava (Centro Empresarial Aeroespacial or Aerospace Business Center) is a private-owned business airport project located in the core of the Brazilian Aerospace Cluster, just 12 miles (20 km) from São Jose dos Campos city, the home of Embraer and some of the most important Aerospace & Defense companies in Brazil. The airport project is fully approved and will be available for operational use in the late 2009. The airport includes an asphalt paved runway measuring 1,500 x 25 m (up to empty Boeing 737), full support services, security and 24h (night and day) VFR operation. The complex has also an exclusive heliport, independent from the main runway, with the entire infrastructure for helicopter operation. Read more...

 

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Special Focus: Israel Electro Optics
Electro optics is a branch of technology involving components, devices and systems which operate by modification of the optical properties of a material by an electric field. Thus it concerns the interaction between the electromagnetic (optical) and the electrical (electronic) states of materials. Most common uses for military applications are in head-up displays, missile seekers, offensive weapons systems, guided munitions, night vision devices, countermeasures, imaging systems, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) systems for space, airborne, naval and ground-based missions, laser equipment, Integrated Sights for AFVs and MBTs, and elsewhere. Israel’s defence industry is a pioneer in this domain. Read more...

A discussion with Joseph Ackerman, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, Israel's largest and most dynamic private defence company “When you hire an engineer in Israel he has operational experience gained from serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Furthermore, the finest students in Israeli universities seek to work for the national defense industry and that is why Elbit Systems and other Israeli defense companies can choose from “the crème de la crème” said Mr. Joseph Ackerman, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest and most dynamic private defense company on an exclusive interview given to Epicos. Read more...

Industry and Market Analysis: Electro Optics in Israel
Several companies are activated in the domain of electro optics in Israel. The most important of them are: El-Op Electro Optics a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., which specializes in the area of electro-optic systems and products for defence, space and homeland security applications. Elta Systems Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of IAI and one of Israel’s leading defence electronics companies and Rafael Armament Development Authority which has developed high performance products of electro optics. Except from the aforementioned companies there are a significant number of other companies that are activated in the domain of electro optics.

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Special Focus: Netherlands II
Abatement on offsets MoU signed between Netherlands, United Kingdom and Denmark
A tri-party agreement regarding increased cooperation in the field of defence related offsets was signed between the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Denmark on September 24th 2008. Representatives of the three aforementioned countries signed a document named “Best practice for the application of abatements in Offset” regarding the abatements or swaps of offset obligations. The agreement is the result of prolonged negotiations between the three countries and is an interesting development if we take into consideration that Defence offset policies is a rather complex subject which is greatly influenced by national defence interests and legislations, the current defense industrial environment and the technological capabilities and potential that each country wants to attain. Read more...

The "New Balance" Of Netherlands' Armed Forces
The Dutch armed forces are on a constant process of transformation, the final objective of which is the achievement of a “new balance”. The notion of this quotation is the reduction of the size of the armed forces on the one hand and the improvement of their deployment capability on the other. The implementation of such a program is really challenging and it is becoming even more difficult if we take into consideration the constant reduction of the Dutch defense budget. In 2007 the Dutch defense budget was almost 1.5 per cent of GDB whereas in 1997 was 3.5 per cent. Read more...

NIDV Symposium a Successful Event
The government of Netherlands have adopted Epicos as its e-business platform for the promotion of its national Aerospace and Defence (A&D) industry. As part of this Industry Development (ID) Project that had been signed in 2005, Epicos performs an industrial capabilities mapping of the local industry and participating companies and provides them with export oriented business support services (online), Technology and Industrial Cooperation Projects development services and Global Marketing. Additionally, it is always present in the major events that promote Netherlands’ A&D industry. As a result Epicos was present in the symposium organised by NIDV on 6th of November Read more...

Wednesday 5 November 2008

Special Focus: Netherlands I
Nowadays, military operations and missions are becoming increasingly complex. Modern armed forces have to tackle with a great diversity of tasks under a wide range of circumstances. Additionally, the theatre of operations has been dramatically expanded. Operations are conducted all over the world, and often within the framework of integrated multinational partnerships. Within this context, the key elements for a successful outcome are quick deployment, flexibility and the ability to react swiftly to unexpected opportunities and threats. This new environment requires a defence organisation with greater and more flexible military capabilities. The Dutch armed forces follow this pattern. Read more...

Industry and Market Analysis
Currently, the Dutch defence industry is undergoing significant changes. The main aspects of these are the constant efforts that the industry is doing in order to prepare itself for the future structure of the defense market, which will inevitably involve the consolidation of the European defense industry. This is the main reason why the Dutch industry has to achieve a fully fledged position on the European Market. The first phase of this repositioning of industrial priorities is placed in the industry itself. The industry should find a way to integrate in this new environment and increase its competitiveness Read more...

The 20th NIDV (Netherlands Industries for Defense and Security) Symposium and exhibition
On November 6, 2008 the 20th exhibition of NIDV (Netherlands Industries for Defense and Security) will open its gates. The exhibition will be held in the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam. In addition to the information provided by participants at the exhibition, visitors are also offered a special program of presentations and lectures of top officials from defense and from the political arena. This is actually one of the special highlights of the exhibition. The organizer of the Symposium is NIDV the primary platform for consultation between the government and the Dutch business community Read more...

Wednesday 29 October 2008

Bushmaster milestone as orders top 800
The Commonwealth has finalised a contract with Thales Australia for the delivery of 293
Bushmaster vehicles.
Thales previously announced the DMO was ordering 254 Bushmasters in August 2007. The
extra 39 are a recent additional requirement.
As a result, the total of Bushmaster variants ordered has now reached over 800. This
includes 736 for the Australian Defence Force, 49 exported to the Netherlands, 15 FireKing
vehicles to ForestrySA, and other smaller orders.
Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s managing director, said the extra Bushmasters were an
indication of the vehicle’s success.
“This order shows that the Bushmaster is very much in demand, and follows on from its
successful deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“It is a versatile platform for many different capabilities. Thales’s engineering and integration
teams have significant experience working with a wide range of technologies that can be
successfully added to the vehicle.
“This flexibility means we can offer many capabilities to the ADF and other customers, and
they can rely on our expertise to meet and exceed their requirements.”

Special Focus: (Roc) Taiwan II
Taiwanese Aerospace Industry Association (TAIA) In view of its significance, aerospace industry has been identified by the ROC (Taiwan) government as one of the most important industries and in order to stimulate it the Taiwanese authorities decided to establish on August 25, 1994 the Taiwan Aerospace Industry Association (TAIA). The main mission of TAIA from its creation up to now is to secure the interests of its member companies. Through the promotion of the overall industrial development and the increase of the operational efficiency of its member companies TAIA is trying to create a network of industrial cooperation which will support the development of the Taiwanese aerospace industry. Read more...

Chung- Shan institute of science and Technology
Chung- Shan institute of science and Technology (CSIST) was established by the ROC government in 1969 to serve as a military R&D and system integration center. After years of hard working, the accumulated experience that the institute have managed to gather, transformed it to a primary resource of defense technology within a broad spectrum of facilities both in the defense technology research and development, as well as in the management and integration of advanced weapon systems. Read more...

U Engineering Inc.
U&U Engineering Inc. is a Taiwanese company that was established in Taipei in 1992. Since then the company has expanded by setting up new facilities. In 1996 U&U had set up an R&d/ Maintenance Center for Microwave, navigation and E- O systems in Lung- Tan, Taoyan County. In 2002 the company set up at Hualien its Reconnaissance and Information Division and in 2003 it established a Marine System Division System at Kaohsiung. Furthermore, in 2004 it established a reconnaissance airborne and ground system ILS depot at Hualien Read more...

Epicos awarded ESA study for the mapping of the Greek Requirements & Capabilities in Satellite Navigation
The European Space Agency (ESA - ESTEC) has awarded Epicos with the study to assess the potential of Greek industry in the development of satellite navigation technology (and its applications), both for system infrastructure development and user equipment. Read more...

Australia: $350 million contract signed for new military vehicles
Minister for Defence, The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP, today witnessed the signing of a $350 million contract with Mercedes-Benz. Read more...

Lockheed Martin Completes Modernization of Air Defense System for Romania
EAGAN, Minn., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has completed installation of an air defense and communications. Read more...

Pentagon explores submersible aircraft for commando operations
The United States wants to develop a submersible aircraft that can fly hundreds of nautical miles, weather rough seas and then go under water Read more...

Asia-Europe summit in China to focus on credit crisis
BEIJING, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Asian and European leaders plan to draw up common responses to deal with the global financial crisis as they gather Read more...

Wednesday 8 October 2008
Special Focus: Greece I
Greece is placed in a rather unstable and crucial geo-political region. Being in the Balkan Peninsula, an area that created more than a few political disorders in the last decade, Greece has to be prepared to tackle with a considerably complicated and potentially precarious environment. Additionally, Greece has to take into consideration the new type of threats that had been introduced globally and has to do with the new notion of uncertainty that the nations and the international community are called to confront and which we usually call “asymmetrical threats”. Furthermore, Greece is the only EU member that is still having opened disputes with one of its neighbour countries. Read more...

Industry and Market analysis
Greece makes a systematic effort to create a viable defence industry. The main reason behind this political decision is to increase the participation of the domestic defence industry in the total military procurement budget. This is a rather important feature for Greece as it reduces capital outflows from the country, boosts domestic employment and contributes to extra value added in the national economy. Dozens of small or medium-sized businesses have been created in the last years and currently 15,000 employees work in this sector. Main activities of the Greek defence industry can be classified under these main categories Read more...

Defendory International 2008
On October 7, 2008, Defendory International, the world’s longest- running tri- service defense exhibition, opened its gates. For the 15th time Defendory takes place from 7 to 11 October in the capital city of Greece, Athens. For the first time this year Defendory is organized in the Helenikon Exhibition Center. Defendory is founded and organized by the Institute of Industrial Exhibitions- Defendory Exhibition under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of National Defense, General Directorate for Defense Investment and Armaments. Read more...

New Procurement Law of Defense Material for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Law 3433)
Read the latest updates of the Greek law 3433 that have been published on 7th of February 2006 and it deals exclusively with the procurement of principal and other materials for armament programs. The law has been published in the Government Gazette issue No 20 A’. Epicos, provides a variety of related documents to its members on “Country Analysis” sector. Additionally, Epicos members can find on this sector a variety of literature on armed forces structures, defense plans, procurements and other country data. Read more...

Dynamatic Technologies acquires UK based Aeronautic Company
Dynamatic Technologies Ltd has announced that the Company has acquired a UK-based Aeronautic Company manufacturing highly engineered components and toolings. Read more...

ARIK Air Orders 3 A340-500 Airbus Aircrafts
Arik Air, the growing private airline based in Lagos, Nigeria, has signed a firm contract for the purchase of three Airbus A340-500s. Read more...

MiG-35 has edge over rivals in Indian fighter tender
The MiG-35 fighters offered to India by Russia under New Delhi's USD 10 billion global tender for acquisition of 126 medium multi-role jets has an edge over rivals including US F-16s and F-18s, a top aviation industry official here claimed. Read more...

Airbus to Announce Major China Order
Airbus has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with several Chinese airlines for 280 aircraft and hopes to announce firm orders for part of that figure. Read more...

Pentagon seeks $15.2B fighter jet sale to Israel
The Defense Department said Tuesday that it wants to sell up to 75 fighter jets to Israel in a $15.2 billion deal for the aircraft expected to be the mainstay of air power in the U.S. and several other nations for decades. Read more...

7 October 2008
Defence Exports 2008 - Maximise your Future Export Capabilities
8th 9th October 2008, Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Brussels, Belgium Sponsored by: Bird Bird www.smi-online.co.uk/08defenceexports12.asp
ONLY 1 WEEK TO GO – SECURE YOUR PLACE NOW!!
Meet your national representatives and gain the latest insights into national export control regulations! Bringing together national representatives and senior industry figures, this is the event to attend for the most up-to-date information on national export control regulations, institutional initiatives and industry insights. This conference provides an excellent platform for sharing experiences and lessons learned with industry colleagues and will allow you to assess how the market should manage compliance for the re-export regulations of ITAR.

WORKSHOP PLACES HAVE NOW SOLD OUT - Make sure you secure one of the few remaining places on the main 2 day conference
Please visit our conference website at www.smi-online.co.uk/08defenceexports.asp to find out more or to download the conference brochure.

Attend the 2008 conference to:
Meet your national representatives from over 9 nations
Assess the latest US ITAR policies and procedures
Discuss how nations such as Pakistan, Poland and Turkey are working and integrating into European export control markets
Analyse industry experiences and insights into managing trans-national export controls

An international line-up of speakers include:
Ambassador Sune Danielsson, Head of Secretariat, Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies
Ann Marie Calvaresi Barr, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, US Government Accountability Office
Christopher Parish, Head, Business Process and Change Group, Export Control Organisation, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, UK
Ramon Muro, Deputy Director General, Foreign Trade of Defence Materials and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, Secretariat General for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Spain
Dr Walter Werner, Head of Unit, V B 3 - Defence Export Policy, Control of Acquisitions, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Germany
Matthijs Wolters, Head, Export Control and Arms Export Policy Division, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
Jan Erik Lovgren, Deputy Director General, Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products
Lufti Varoglu, Head, International Co-Operation, Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, Turkey
Maciej Falkowski, Head, Export Control Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland
Ulf Bruhann, Adviser, DG Enterprise, European Commission Jasper Helder, Trade Customs Attorney, Bird Bird
Paul Moffatt, Legal and Group Export Control Director, Thales Patrick Donovan, Vice President, Trade Controls and Counsel, Airbus
Dr Joachim Geisel, Vice President, Export Administration, EADS Deutschland
Gary L Stanley,President Global Legal Services

Chaired by: David Hayes, Director, David Hayes Export Controls and Chairman, Export Group for Aerospace and Defence To download a brochure, or to book online please visit www.smi-online.co.uk/08defenceexports12.asp

Event Supporters: armedforces.co.uk, ASD Media, Epicos Booking Information Book online at www.smi-online.co.uk/08defenceexports12.asp
Alternatively contact: Charlotte Johnson on Tel: +44 (0) 207 827 6060 or email cjohnson -at- smi-online -dot- co -dot- uk

Wednesday 1 October 2008
Special Focus: Israel II
Israeli Aerospace and Defense Industry: A Constant Process of Development. In a rather competitive international environment Israeli Aerospace and Defense companies play a major role in the global scene. One of the main reasons behind this tendency is the fact that Israeli companies should not except to sell the majority of the products that they manufacture domestically. Hence, selling in foreign countries is almost a necessity. This trend is accurately highlighted by the financial results of Elbit Systems for the year 2007. Only 21% percent of Elbit Systems’ products have been sold to Israel whereas the remaining 79% have been sold to foreign countries, namely, 24% to Europe, 36% to USA and 19% to other countries. Read more...

Elbit Systems: A Company of Innovation and Technology
Elbit Systems Ltd. is one of Israel's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators. Established in 1967, and based in Haifa, Israel, Elbit has become a worldwide recognized company, which numbers more that 10 thousand people. Elbit Systems' shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market and on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange. Elbit Systems develops manufactures and integrates advanced, high-performance defence electronic and electro-optic systems for customers throughout the world. Company main focus is placed on designing, developing, manufacturing and integrating command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) network centric systems, including unmanned vehicles, for defense and homeland security applications. Read more...

Hermes 1500: Flying Eyes for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Elbit Systems’ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) plays a crucial role in intelligence gathering and constitutes primary elements of net-centric warfare, particularly in the realm of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). The Company offers a complete family of net-centric compatible UAV and mini-UAV platforms including HERMES 1500. Hermes 1500 is a twin engine Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV system for maritime patrol and other support missions types. It is capable of maximum takeoff weight of 1750 kg, a maximum payload weight of 400kg and maximum altitude of approximately 30,000 ft. Read more...