Abu Dhabi's dilemma: Will the UAE ever operate the F-35?

On the same subject

• 

  September 8, 2020 | International, Land

  Northrop Grumman charges on with XM913 50 mm cannon deliveries to US Army

  by Ashley Roque Northrop Grumman remains under contract with the US Army to mature a critical component of its ground combat fleet ‒ the XM913 50 mm cannon ‒ even as the service weighs its cannon calibre requirements for the its future Bradley replacement fleet. As of late August the company had delivered four XM913 cannons to the service, with plans to deliver seven more by the end of October, Northrop Grumman spokesman Jarrod Krull told Janes. In addition to these weapons, he noted that the company is anticipating an “imminent order” for 10 additional cannons that would be delivered to the service in 2021 for qualification, testing, and integration activities. “The 50 mm cannon combines Bushmaster chain gun reliability with [a] next-generation effective range that will provide the warfighter with increased stand-off against near peer adversaries,” Krull wrote. The army is working with the company to further develop the cannon, in part, to support its Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) portfolio and allow soldiers to fire quicker and reach farther distances. The XM913 cannon can fire two munitions ‒ the XM1204 High Explosive Airburst with Trace (HEAB-T) and XM1203 Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Trace (APFSDS-T) ‒ and is central to the army's Advanced Lethality and Accuracy System for Medium Caliber (ALAS-MC) effort. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/northrop-grumman-charges-on-with-xm913-50-mm-cannon-deliveries-to-us-army

• 

  June 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  La Commission européenne lance des projets industriels de défense

  La Commission européenne a lancé le 15 juin 16 projets industriels de défense pan-européens et trois projets technologiques de rupture. Ils vont bénéficier de 205 millions d'euros de financements à travers un Fonds pilote pour la défense EDIDP (programme européen de développement industriel de la défense) doté de 525 millions d'euros au total sur la période 2019/2020 : technologies portant sur les drones, sur le spatial (réseau de communications et technologie militaires pour satellites), sur les missiles anti-chars, sur les véhicules terrestres sans pilote et sur la cyber. Sur les 19 projets, dont neuf sont des projets PESCO (Coopération structurée permanente), 24 États membres sont représentés à travers leurs entreprises (223 concernées, dont 83 PME). De nouveaux projets européens devraient être signés en fin d'année, dont le drone MALE européen Eurodrone (100 millions d'euros) et le projet de communications militaires interopérables ESSOR (37 millions d'euros). La Tribune du 15 juin 2020

• 

  April 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  COVID-19 Impacts Air Force One Replacement Bottom Line

  Lee Hudson Graham Warwick Boeing is facing a novel coronavirus-related setback to the VC-25B presidential transport program, causing the company to recognize a $168 million impact in the first quarter. The VC-25B effort faced “inefficiencies” because personnel were directed to work virtually because of COVID-19. This forced Boeing to re-evaluate its estimate, Greg Smith, the company's chief financial officer, told reporters April 29 following a first-quarter earnings call. “The reach-forward loss on VC-25B is associated with engineering inefficiencies from the COVID-19 environment,” according to Boeing's first-quarter earnings report. “We believe these inefficiencies will result in staffing challenges, schedule inefficiencies and higher costs in the upcoming phases of the program.” The U.S. Air Force acknowledged the VC-25B program is a victim of COVID-19 because of component delivery delays from overseas suppliers, the service's acquisition executive, Will Roper, told reporters April 29. However, the V-25B program is a fixed-price contract, meaning Boeing will take the financial hit, not the Air Force. Smith reiterated that despite the financial loss, the program remains on schedule. Boeing began structural modifications on the first 747-8 aircraft to become a VC-25B in March after removing the interior, engines, auxiliary power units and other subsystems. The Air Force acquired the 747-8s in 2017 after selecting Boeing to replace two VC-25As that now perform the role. The service anticipates spending $5.3 billion to complete modifications on both aircraft to begin operations at the end of 2024. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/covid-19-impacts-air-force-one-replacement-bottom-line