October 23, 2023 | International, Naval
Navy aims to hasten remaining Columbia sub work in case of test delays
To hedge against first-in-class test delays, the Navy wants to build back a schedule buffer for the District of Columbia.
September 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Security
Air Force awards $38M in contracts for upgrades to airfield in Iceland
Christen McCurdy
Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The Air Force has awarded three contracts totaling $38 million to improve the airfield at Naval Air Station Keflavik in Iceland.
The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's Detachment 4 will direct the construction project with support from Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe Africa Central, the Air Force said Thursday.
The work includes expansion of the airfield's parking aprons, beddown site preparation and an upgrade to the airfield's hazardous cargo pad for the safe unloading and unloading of explosives.
"We are upgrading infrastructure at Naval Air Station Keflavik to provide a high level of readiness for U.S. Air Forces in Europe," said Col. David Norton, director of AFCEC's Facility Engineering Directorate. "We have incorporated innovative design and construction techniques to build resilient facilities to ensure the longest lifespan at the overall lowest life cycle cost."
The construction projects support the European Deterrence Initiative implemented by U.S. European Command -- an initiative intended to increase the responsiveness of U.S. Air Forces and NATO members and allies in Europe.
The EDI includes military exercises and training -- including the annual Dynamic Mongoose exercise, which this year was held off the coast of Iceland -- as well as a rotational presence of U.S. forces in Europe.
An April Department of Defense memo said Defense Mark Esper planned to divert funding from overseas military construction projects -- including, critics said, some projects under the auspices of EDI -- to domestic military construction in order to compensate for funding lost to wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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December 30, 2024 | International, Land
Challenger 3 MBT prototypes 3 and 4 ready for British Army trials - Army Technology
Despite a planned spend of £1.3bn, the Challenger 3 MBTs will only be full operational for a decade before being retired.
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June 2, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Security
Sikorsky HH-60W: The US Air Force's new combat rescue helicopter
A new generation of Combat Rescue Helicopter AirMed&Rescue's special correspondent Joetey Attariwala was one of a select few journalists invited to Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, to cover the roll-out ceremony of the US Air Force (USAF) new Combat Rescue Helicopter – the Sikorsky HH-60W, affectionately known as the ‘Whiskey'. It was there that he had the opportunity to see the aircraft firsthand and interview program executives from Sikorsky and the USAF. The USAF describes the mission of the Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) system as ‘one which provides Personnel Recovery (PR) forces with a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is quickly deployable and capable of main base and austere location operations for worldwide PR missions'. The CRH system activities may be required during any phase of a service / joint / coalition operation, across the full range of military operations, in any land or sea location, within the areas covered by the relevant defence planning scenarios. The aircraft will be self-supporting to the maximum extent practical; and an in-flight air refueling capability extends the combat mission range. The CRH system may conduct combat search and rescue (CSAR) airborne mission commander duties; and may also conduct other collateral missions inherent in their capabilities to conduct PR, such as non-conventional assisted recovery, national emergency operations, civil SAR, international aid, emergency aeromedical evacuation, disaster and humanitarian relief, counter drug activities, support for National Aeronautics and Space Administration flight operations, and insertion / extraction of combat forces. The CSAR and PR mission is currently being conducted by the HH-60G Pave Hawk, which over the past 30 years has seen extensive use around the world, most notably in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. The Pave Hawk platform has seen modernization over its lifetime; however, system add-ons have increased maintenance and support requirements over the years. Speaking to this point was General James Holmes, Commander of Air Combat Command, who said: “Over 90 per cent of our legacy airplanes – the HH-60G fleet – have sustained combat damage or structural fatigue over the 30-plus years they have been in service, and the current availability rate is well below the requirement.” With statistics like that, it is no wonder the HH-60W is a highly anticipated platform for the USAF. Introducing the Jolly Green II The HH-60W is a highly modified variant of the battle-proven UH-60M Black Hawk, with the ‘Whiskey' variant providing significant capability and reliability advancements over the HH-60G to better support the full range of combat rescue and other special missions. The HH-60W specification drives more capable defensive systems, vulnerability reduction, weapons, cyber security, environmental, expanded adverse weather sensor capabilities, and more comprehensive net-centric requirements. The CRH contract consists of the original Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) award, which was issued on 26 June 2014, and five additional System Demonstration and Test Article (SDTA) aircraft options, which were awarded in January 2017. In all, the CRH program of record calls for 113 helicopters, of which nine are EMD / SDTA aircraft and 104 will be production aircraft. In addition to purchasing the aircraft, the contract includes development and fielding of the aircrew and maintenance training systems along with product support. https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/long-read/sikorsky-hh-60w-us-air-forces-new-combat-rescue-helicopter