March 12, 2024 | International, Land
Space Force mulls refueling as industry calls for funding, standards
The U.S. Space Force wants industry to invest in on-orbit refueling, but companies say they need standards first.
March 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Air Force to buy handful of light-attack planes, but will a bigger program follow?
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force will procure a handful of A-29 Super Tucano planes from Sierra Nevada Corp. and AT-6 Wolverines from Textron to continue light-attack demonstrations, the service's top general said Wednesday.
That purchase provides a modest, but much-needed show of confidence for the two companies, which have invested internal funding over the past two years on the Air Force's light-attack experiment and are still hoping the service moves forward with a bigger buy of light-attack aircraft.
The Air Force plans to place small detachments of AT-6 and A-29 turboprop planes at Nellis Air Force Base — the Nevada-based installation that hosts Red Flag and other training exercises — and Hurlburt Field, Florida, where Air Force Special Operations Command is based, Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Defense News that the service would likely buy two or three of each aircraft, but Goldfein told lawmakers at the hearing that the exact numbers would be dependent on the price tag of the planes.
“The United States Marine Corps has already said they're joining us,” Goldfein said. “We're going to invite allies and partners, and with the authorities you've given us now that we own those prototypes, we will continue to experiment to build the interoperable network that we've already advanced.”
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September 20, 2019 | International, Naval
BAE Systems San Diego shipyard to tandem dry-dock two destroyers
September 18, 2019 - BAE Systems has received $170.7 million in contracts from the U.S. Navy to perform simultaneous maintenance and repair on two Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided-missile destroyers in its San Diego shipyard. Under the awarded contracts, the shipyard will tandem dry-dock the USS Stethem (DDG 63) and USS Decatur (DDG 73) in October. The synchronized two-ship docking will be a first for the company's newest dry-dock in San Diego. The contracts include options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $185 million. “The ability to simultaneously dock two DDGs is a special capability that BAE Systems brings to our Navy customer and comes at a critical time when additional throughput is necessary to meet surface combatant demands and modernization requirements,” said David M. Thomas Jr., vice president and general manager of BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair. “Beyond the remarkable nature of this tandem docking, it will be business as usual for our shipyard team and partners given our significant experience working with the Arleigh Burke class.” Positioned end to end, the USS Stethem and USS Decatur will be lifted together inside BAE Systems' “Pride of California” dry-dock. Installed in 2017, the Pride of California is 950 feet long, 160 feet wide and has a lifting capacity of 55,000 tons – making it the largest floating dry-dock in San Diego. The destroyers each displace about 9,000 tons and are expected to be re-floated in April 2020. The USS Stethem is the 13th ship of the Arleigh Burke class, which is the Navy's largest class of surface warfare combatants. Named for Master Chief Constructionman Robert Stethem, the 505-foot-long ship was commissioned in October 1995. BAE Systems will perform hull, mechanical and engineering repairs aboard the ship. Once back in the water, the Stethem's Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) is expected to be completed in October 2020. The USS Decatur is the 23rd ship of the Arleigh Burke class. Named for the early 19th Century Naval hero Stephen Decatur Jr., the ship was commissioned in August 1998. BAE Systems will perform much of the same upgrade work aboard the 505-foot-long Decatur as it will perform on-board the Stethem. After undocking, the Decatur's EDSRA work is expected to continue into October 2020. BAE Systems' San Diego shipyard currently employs about 1,300 people and hundreds of temporary workers and subcontractors nearby the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. BAE Systems is a leading provider of ship repair, maintenance, modernization, conversion, and overhaul services for the Navy, other government agencies, and select commercial customers. The company operates four full-service shipyards in California, Florida, Hawaii, and Virginia, and offers a highly skilled, experienced workforce, six dry docks, two railways, and significant pier space and ship support services. https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/bae-systems-san-diego-shipyard-to-tandem-dry-dock-two-destroyers
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August 12, 2019 | International, C4ISR
Plan Outlines Priorities for Federal Agency Engagement in AI Standards Development
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a plan for prioritizing federal agency engagement in the development of standards for artificial intelligence (AI). The plan recommends that the federal government “commit to deeper, consistent, long-term engagement” in activities to help the United States speed the pace of reliable, robust and trustworthy AI technology development. “The federal government can help the U.S. maintain its leadership in AI by working closely with our experts in industry and academia, investing in research, and engaging with the international standards community,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Walter G. Copan. “This plan provides a path to ensure the federal government supports AI standards that are flexible and inclusive—and suited for a world of rapidly changing technologies and applications.” A February 2019 Executive Order directed NIST to develop a plan that would, among other objectives, “ensure that technical standards minimize vulnerability to attacks from malicious actors and reflect Federal priorities for innovation, public trust, and public confidence in systems that use AI technologies; and develop international standards to promote and protect those priorities.” “The Trump administration continues to deliver on the American AI Initiative, the national strategy for U.S. leadership in AI,” said Michael Kratsios, chief technology officer of the United States. “Public trust, security and privacy considerations remain critical components of our approach to setting AI technical standards. As put forward by NIST, federal guidance for AI standards development will ensure AI is created and applied for the benefit of the American people.” The plan recommends the federal government bolster AI standards-related knowledge, leadership and coordination among agencies that develop or use AI; promote focused research on the trustworthiness of AI systems; support and expand public-private partnerships; and engage with international parties. Due to the rapid pace of technology development and changing understandings of the “trustworthiness, accessibility, and human-centered implications of AI,” the plan emphasizes the need for federal agencies to be flexible in selecting AI standards for use in regulatory or procurement actions. It also calls for prioritizing multidisciplinary research and expanding public-private partnerships to advance reliable, robust and trustworthy AI. The plan also highlights related tools that will be needed to support AI, including benchmarks, evaluations and challenges that could drive creative problem solving. NIST developed the plan with extensive public and private sector involvement, including a May 30, 2019, workshop and multiple opportunities for public comment. NIST received comments from more than 40 organizations in industry, academia and government on a draft plan released July 2, 2019. While the plan notes that “serious work on AI-specific standards has only recently begun in earnest,” its appendices list existing IT standards applicable to AI, and ongoing activities regarding AI standards and related tools. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2019/08/plan-outlines-priorities-federal-agency-engagement-ai-standards-development