Army leaders see Latin America as backyard test bed for military tech

On the same subject

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  July 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Un rapport du Sénat appelle à sauver la BITD

  Un rapport du Sénat appelle le gouvernement à maintenir un effort de défense substantiel sous peine de voir disparaître des pans de la base industrielle et technologique de défense, la BITD. Celle-ci « joue dans les cinq ans qui viennent sa survie », estiment les auteurs, deux sénateurs de la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense, Pascal Allizard (Les Républicains) et Michel Boutant (PS). Le nouveau gouvernement devrait annoncer après l'été un plan de relance. « Il est fondamental que ce plan comporte un volet spécifique pour la BITD, soulignent Pascal Allizard et Michel Boutant. Les entreprises de la BITD qui disparaîtraient faute de relance ne seront pas remplacées ». La Tribune du 14 juillet 2020

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  May 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  RPAS maritime surveillance services now underway in Iceland

  A medium altitude long endurance RPAS drone is being used by the Icelandic maritime authorities to enhance the maritime picture over its Exclusive Economic Zone, the service follows a request made by the Icelandic coast guard to EMSA and is expected to run until mid-July. The RPAS chosen will be integrated into the existing surveillance mechanisms and procedures covering coast guard functions in the areas of maritime safety and security, search and rescue, environmental protection, law enforcement and fisheries control. The particular RPAS in use is adapted to withstand the strong winds and icy conditions common to the North Atlantic Ocean. It has an endurance of over 12 hours and may perform maritime surveillance tasks in areas extending as far as 200nm from the shoreline. The operations are based at the Egilsstaðir airport in the east of the island. From there, they have the capability to cover more than half of the Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone. EMSA's RPAS services for Iceland involve the cooperation of several Icelandic authorities, who will be able to follow the missions remotely thanks to EMSA's RPAS data centre. Users will include the Icelandic coast guard, the fisheries directorate, the environment agency, the customs directorate, the police force, and the search and rescue association. The Hermes 900 RPAS is under contract by EMSA from CEiiA – the Centre of Engineering and Innovation. It is a MALE-class fixed wing, single engine RPAS and is capable of night and day operations. Using SATCOM technology, it can operate beyond radio line of sight. The payload consists of electro-optical and infra-red video cameras, maritime radar, AIS receiver, and an EPIRB receiver. “EMSA's RPAS services give us and our users, in this case Iceland, another lens through which we can gain even greater situational awareness. Our services have been used by three different member states since the beginning of the year and more are in the pipeline for the upcoming months,” explained Executive Director, Maja Markovčić Kostelac. EMSA's RPAS services were set up in 2017 for maritime surveillance and monitoring operations to support national authorities involved in coast guard functions. This includes: maritime pollution and emissions monitoring; detection of illegal fishing, anti-drug trafficking, and illegal immigration; border surveillance; and, search and rescue operations. For further information and media enquiries, please contact: Tel. +351 21 1209 281 e-mail information@emsa.europa.eu http://www.emsa.europa.eu/emsa-homepage/2-news-a-press-centre/news/3525-press-release-rpas-maritime-surveillance-services-now-underway-in-iceland.html

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  September 21, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  General Atomics nets $7.4B MQ-9 Reaper contract with U.S. Air Force

  Ed Adamczyk Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A $7.4 billion contract between the U.S. Air Force and General Atomics, announced this week, will field MQ-9 Reaper drones faster, the Air Force said. The five-year Agile Reaper Enterprise Solution contract for the unmanned surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance and strike-capability aircraft was awarded on Thursday. It calls for delivery of up to 36 aircraft per year from the San Diego-based company. With a $7.4 billion ceiling, it is expected to reduce the time to deliver operational MQ-9s to operational units by 35%. The Air Force regards it as one of its most in-demand weapons, an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center statement said on Thursday. The ARES contract has a pre-negotiated $3.3 billion price-quantity-curve, allowing the Air Force and foreign military sales partners to order between from four to 36 aircraft in a single year. Foreign Military Sales partners will be allowed to purchase the Dash 21 variant, which is the NATO-exportable version of the MQ-9A. "ARES is a big deal because it answers the 'mail' as far as how do we deal with hard-to-predict demand signals from our international partners and enable increased responsiveness to U.S. budget dynamics," said Alicia Morales, aircraft production manager with the Medium Altitude Unmanned Aerial System Program Office. "So, the team came together and figured out the best and most innovative approach to deal with unplanned requirements, so no matter what comes, we are prepared and able to handle it," said Morales, who mapped out much of ARES . The MQ-9, whose predecessors have been in use since 2001, is the first unmanned aerial vehicle designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The Air Force has deployed the UAVs around the world, which were in use in August during a joint Army-Navy training exercise over the Black Sea. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/09/18/General-Atomics-nets-74B-MQ-9-Reaper-contract-with-US-Air-Force/7611600455794/