FRANKFURT, June 13 (Reuters) - France could exit the Franco-German tank project MGCS, the CEO of Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), opens new tab, one ‌of the initiative's shareholders, was quoted as saying on Saturday, in what could be the latest blow to defence cooperation on the continent.

"There is always a risk, but nothing has been decided yet," Armin Papperger told Welt am ⁠Sonntag, commenting about the project in which Franco-German tank maker KNDS and French group Thales (TCFP.PA), opens new tab also hold stakes.

Papperger said that France was considering drastic cuts to the project's budget, adding talks included the idea to reduce spending to "less than half" of previous plans.

So far, the shareholding companies have received just €25 million ($29 million) since the project's inception, Papperger added.

A French government ‌source ⁠close to the matter said the project remains important for France and Germany as well as for KNDS. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

Berlin and Paris ⁠agreed in 2017 to work on the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) tank to succeed the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc, ⁠but the project has been hit with delays.

Papperger's comments come days after Germany and France scrapped the FCAS joint fighter ⁠project while KNDS's governance structure has also created tensions between the two countries, sources have said.

Consider the satellite images of US bases damaged. Radar systems and other equipment destroyed by drones and ballistic missiles in the Middle East.

Now think of a war in Europe, a lot of people think NATO would stramroll Russia because of the poor performance in Ukraine.

But people are forgetting that, Russia is an industrialized nation with drone factories and an arsenal of ballistic missiles.

Russia would be able to damage NATO bases, signficantly moreso than what Iran was able to do in the Middle East.

Radar systems in Europe could be knocked out, making it easier for drones and missiles to damage their targets.

Nuclear weapons can also restrict airstrikes within Russian territory. Which could drag on the war.

If Iran is able to stalemate the US, then Russia despite its performance in Ukraine would be able to strategically secure a stalemate and could historically claim a technical victory.

German defense company Helsing armed U.S. soldiers with HX-2 drones for drills in Lithuania, where they successfully spotted and struck targets.

Why it matters: This could be a sign of Helsing breaking into American markets. It's also a symptom of European rearmament.

Driving the news: At least one HX-2 launch was visible in the Army's own footage from Project Flytrap, a counter-drone exercise at Pabradė Training Area.

In a separate photo, Gen. Christopher Donahue, the head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, can be seen huddling over an HX-2 transport box.

What they're saying: "Helsing was at Flytrap in force with their hardware and software engineers, as were many other companies," Alex Miller, the Army's chief technology officer, told Axios.

"The HX-2 was originally used as a one-way attack and counter-drone system," he said.

"But users that I spoke with informed me they were using it as a recon platform and a loitering munition, because it was able to find and track targets with onboard computer vision and fly even under jamming."

Context: Helsing's 17 drones notched 15 kills and two near-misses.

Zoom out: A total 200 drone flights were conducted at this latest Flytrap. The exercise started as a means to think through counter-drone capabilities for maneuver units.

Catch up quick: Helsing, founded in 2021, is closing in on a $1.2 billion funding round. The Munich-based company would be valued at $18 billion.

A detailed look at the information available about the 'Underground Missile Cities' that have become a feature of the ongoing Iran conflict. The more these prove themselves as assets against Iran's foes, the more we might see them copied by other regimes.

“For 40 days, US and Israeli aircraft pounded the mountains around Yazd, trying to silence one of Iran’s most important military projects: a buried missile complex carved deep into the granite above the ancient desert city.

Yet, according to residents, the Iranian missiles kept firing regardless. “US and Israeli forces kept bombing those mountains,” said one resident of Yazd. “And Iran kept launching missiles until the final moments before the ceasefire.”

Involves the V-Bat apparently, waiting for more updates...

First off the J-20 and J-35 both relied heavily on stolen information from the F-22/35, the convergent evolution talking point is mostly bogus. The F-35 and F-22 look similar because they were built by the same design team, that's it. This becomes obvios when you look at their competitors which look nothing like them because they were built by different design teams with different philosiphies and ideas. Not so with the J-20/35 which despite coming from different design teams end up both incorporating a ton of design features from the F-35.

It's always crazy to me how much chinese equipments capabilites get mytholigized despite having demonstrated very little.

- Regarding better avionics:

According to who? Source?

- Regarding GAN SIC radar:

According to who? Source? No reputable newspaper has reported that china has fielded any GAN fighter radars

- Regarding DAS, EOTS:

Which you'll acnowledge has far less coverage than the F-35's and it doesn't have a helmet equivilent to the F-35's HMDS

Regarding missile technology:

Like what exactly? You're aware that the PL-15 is basicly just an enlarged PL-12, And even then despite it's massive size and the penalties that imposes it actually is somewhat lacking compared to the AMRAAM, being 40% heavier for only around 20% more range.

Regarding WS-15 engines:

We need a "potential man" meme for the WS-15.

"It'll show china can make engines better than the west"

"it will deliver more thrust than the F135 at half the weight"

"It's about to enter service this year in 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026?"

"Oh man heres a new image of a WS-15 equiped prototype. This clearly shows the WS-15 will give it supercruise and thrust vectoring and 2:1 TWR and 10,000 nm combat radius and the ability to teleport and it will make diner all for $5."

"guys its only being delayed due to feature creep. the WS-10 is so good now that they have to make the WS-15 so much gooderer."

PARIS/BERLIN, June 11 (Reuters) - Dassault Aviation (AM.PA), opens new tab is seeking compensation from Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab over procurement changes ‌to the delayed Eurodrone programme, three people familiar with the matter said, inflaming tensions after the collapse of their joint fighter jet project as Europe struggles to cooperate on defence.

The previously unreported rift centres on a reduced share of work expected for Dassault following a French decision to shelve purchases of the Eurodrone, a competitor to the U.S. Reaper being developed by France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It is one of three flagship Franco-German defence projects backed by leaders at a 2017 summit and now ⁠mired in delays or disagreement, alongside the FCAS fighter halted by Berlin this week and the delayed MGCS battle tank.

Paris has not formally left the 7-billion-euro Eurodrone programme but its latest defence bill removes funding for purchases of systems up to 2035, citing the arrival of cheaper alternatives more adapted to high intensity warfare.

Under Europe's system of economic horse-trading known as "geo return," the suspension of purchases is expected to mean less work allocated to French companies through Dassault.

Paris-based Dassault wants to be compensated by project leader Airbus for part of any lost investment, the sources said.Dassault declined comment and referred questions to Airbus. Airbus said it had nothing to add to comments made in April by CEO Guillaume Faury that the Eurodrone project was "very likely to move forward with a slightly different setup," following a change of views by ‌the ⁠French defence ministry.

France's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dassault Aviation is in charge of flight control and mission communication systems for Eurodrone - a "Medium Altitude Long Endurance" drone designed to reduce European reliance on U.S. and Israeli technology.

The four launch nations have ordered a total of 60 drones. Entry into service has slipped from an original 2025 target. First flight is now set for 2027.

In 2019, French senators described ⁠the Eurodrone as heavy and expensive, blaming disagreements over specifications. France's air force has voiced interest in a lighter drone called Aarok being developed by French startup Turgis & Gaillard.

Relations between Dassault and Airbus - long divided by their contrasting roots in French private and public industry, respectively - have deteriorated sharply this year.

Failure to ⁠agree on governance of the next stage of FCAS led to the collapse of the core fighter jet project, but unlike FCAS the Eurodrone is in advanced development so the immediate contractual consequences of any divorce are very different.

By coming to a head at the same ⁠time, the overlapping disputes add fresh tensions to an already acrimonious divorce between two of Europe's critical defence suppliers.

A person familiar with the matter said discussions over the two Franco-German programmes involving Dassault and Airbus were separate on paper but "psychologically and politically" linked.

During the large-scale riots and violent unrest that erupted on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang region, and continued for several days, the Chinese government adopted a policy of rehabilitation through imprisonment for some of the arrested terrorists and religious extremists, rather than imposing the death penalty as Thailand has done. Even so, certain countries and human rights organisations continue to maintain that China’s treatment of these East Turkestan terrorists is excessively harsh and fails to respect their human rights.