February 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Airbus Helicopters et la Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) s'engagent sur des études complémentaires pour la militarisation du H160 et du soutien associé, dans le cadre du programme d'Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger (HIL).
Ce marché va permettre le lancement des activités de développement préliminaires de la version militaire du H160, aussi connue sous le nom de Guépard, afin de tenir le calendrier de livraison accéléré annoncé en mai 2019 par la Ministre des armées, Florence Parly.
Ces études complémentaires comporteront également un volet visant à définir le modèle optimal du soutien pour cette flotte interarmées. Airbus Helicopters, Safran Helicopter Engines et la DGA travailleront en étroite collaboration avec pour objectif de maximiser le taux de disponibilité des hélicoptères tout en optimisant les coûts de soutien de la flotte.
« Le lancement dès la phase de pré-développement de ce travail collaboratif entre l'industriel et le ministère des armées pour définir le modèle de soutien du Guépard et les processus associés est essentiel. Cela permettra de garantir un taux de disponibilité élevé dès son entrée en service au sein des forces armées » a déclaré Alexandra Cros, Directrice des Affaires Gouvernementales France d'Airbus Helicopters. « Ces études s'inscrivent dans la continuité des travaux et des engagements pris récemment dans les contrats « verticalisés » pour les flottes Cougar, Caracal et Tigre des armées françaises ».
Hélicoptère modulaire par conception, le Guépard permettra de couvrir avec une plateforme unique des missions allant de l'infiltration de commandos à la lutte antinavire, en passant par l'interception aérienne et l'appui-feu, répondant ainsi aux besoins de l'armée de Terre, de la Marine Nationale et de l'Armée de l'air dans le cadre du programme HIL. Le lancement du HIL anticipé en 2021 permettra de livrer les premiers hélicoptères à l'armée française dès 2026.
October 6, 2022 | International, Land
BAE Systems has received a five-year, $383 million contract from the U.S. Army to perform technical and sustainment support services for its fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M993 Multiple...
October 30, 2018 | International, Aerospace
by Sandra Erwin The Air Force Visionary Q-Prize competition is set to run from Oct. 29 through Jan. 15, 2019. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force and the Wright Brothers Institute are offering cash prizes for creative visualization tools — such as augmented reality and virtual reality — that can enhance military space operators' understanding and awareness of satellites and other objects in space. The Air Force Visionary Q-Prize Competition, or VQ-Prize, is set to run from Oct. 29 through Jan. 15, 2019. Up to $100,000 in prize money will be distributed in this competition, according to an Air Force news release. There will be multiple awards for different categories and a single VQ-Prize will go to the top overall submission. Specific competition guidelines, prizes, dates, grading criteria, data sets, and submission details will be posted at https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9934120 The VQ-Prize was conceived to encourage nontraditional vendors to engage with the military. The Air Force is aiming this challenge at universities, individuals and small businesses that can help “find solutions for safe and secure operations in space.” No background in space is required. “The need for timely and accurate object tracking is paramount to the defense of space,” said Brig. Gen. William Liquori, Air Force Space Command Strategic Requirements, Architectures and Analysis director. He said the competition is to help “augment existing capabilities with visualization tools that enable operators to intuitively absorb and quickly navigate massive amounts of space object data.” The Air Force wants tools that use existing data, displaying and processing it in a manner that thoroughly captures the space picture, while also facilitating “quick comprehension of changes,” the news release said. Col. Michael Kleppe, Air Force Space Command Space Capabilities Division director said it is “imperative that space operators receive up-to-date information on this rapidly evolving and highly dynamic environment.” They must also be able to “quickly process and interpret the information necessary for decisive action on compressed timelines.” For the competition, specific problems have been scoped and packaged. Contestants may submit traditional user interface solutions, displayed or projected on a flat screen, or AR/VR interfaces. Contestants will need to present new ways of visualizing and understanding the following types of events: Satellite maneuvers, high-speed conjunctions in low Earth orbit, proximity operations and relative orbital activity in geosynchronous Earth orbit, new object discovery, satellite and debris breakups, constellation insertions of multiple satellites on a single launch, and lost or “stale” objects. Submissions will be evaluated by military space operators, space development professionals, and human factors experts. Some considerations include: Clear presentation of information, ability to search for and display specific objects or constellations, support of user recognition rather than recall, ability to monitor all critical information simultaneously, lack of clutter and extraneous information, and lack of over-stimulation of the user. https://spacenews.com/air-force-launches-100k-challenge-for-space-awareness-innovators
August 10, 2023 | International, Land
After the Army establishes the appropriate user permissions, it will need a way to monitor and enforce them with minimal manual effort.