Avions de combat: Boeing passe à l’attaque

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  September 17, 2018 | International, Land

  India lifts blacklisting of South African defense firm Denel

  By: Vivek Raghuvanshi NEW DELHI — After 13 years of a punitive suspension from carrying out defense business in India, the country's Ministry of Defence has officially withdrawn South African company Denel from its blacklisting. The ban was recently lifted following a May 2018 judgement by the Supreme Court, which dropped all corruption changes against the defense company, according to an MoD official. Denel, who is ranked 84 on this year's Defense News Top 100 list, was one of the prime contenders for small arms, ammunition and artillery programs in the 1980s in India. The blacklisting was also lifted following a personal request from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a July meeting in Johannesburg. A few months earlier in April, India's national investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, had filed the closure report on the corruption case against Denel in the Supreme Court. Another MoD official said the South African company waived a $100 million penalty that was imposed on the MoD by the Supreme Court following arbitration proceedings. Denel was blacklisted in 2005 by the then-United Progressive Alliance-run government over allegations that the company paying kickbacks to secure a deal from the year 2000 for the Indian Army's global tender to purchase of 1,000 NTW-20 anti-materiel rifles along with 398,000 rounds of ammunition. Under the deal, 700 anti-materiel rifles were to have been purchased directly and the remaining 300 rifles produced under license in one of the factories of the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board, out of which only 400 rifles were inducted; the remaining were put on hold. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2018/09/14/india-lifts-blacklisting-of-south-african-defense-firm-denel

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  March 20, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  For satellite imagery to thrive, industry wants reforms

  By: Brandon Knapp Leaders from the satellite imaging industry presented a long list of regulation reforms they want to see from the Trump administration during a panel discussion March 14 during the 2018 Satellite show held in Washington D.C. To allow the space industry to thrive, industry officials called for a regulatory process that is more efficient, transparent and narrowly focused. The panelists described the current regulatory regime as a convoluted process that stifles innovation and “tells you no slowly, but can't tell you why.” The remote sensing regulatory environment currently operates on “the presumption of no,” said Walter Scott, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Maxar Technologies. Last year Maxar acquired satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe. “If telecommunications had been regulated this way, instead of smartphones we'd be up here with devices that have big dials and wires attached to them.” A common concern among the industry panelists was the rise of competition in the space domain, especially from foreign actors that are less constrained by regulatory burdens imposed on American space companies. “Taking three months to write a report to make a committee to study something about a decision just doesn't cut it in a world where this technology is becoming rapidly available to almost everyone,” said Peter Platzer, the chief executive, a satellite imagery company based in St. Louis. DoD leaders have historically said reviews are necessary to understand the national security implications of new satellite technology. Only a handful of DoD officials served on panels during the four day conference. Industry leaders said they hoped their grievances will be well received by the Trump administration, which has taken a both a pro-space and anti-regulation posture in its first year. The administration reactivated the National Space Council last summer and President Donald Trump recently floated the idea of creating a new “Space Force” dedicated to space warfare. A report from the Department of Commerce on space regulations is due out by July 1. The department's secretary, Wilbur Ross, has said he wants to reform the process by creating a single space commerce office. (Ross headlined a keynote dinner to satellite leaders during the conference.) The panelists said they were hopeful that the report would lead to a more streamlined and transparent space licensing process. Some in the space community have proposed the idea of “permissionless” authorization, in which space licence applications would be automatically approved unless a specific objection is proposed within a determined number of days. “I don't think we're going to go that far,” said Peter Hays, a space policy consultant who works with the Department of Defense. “But I think we're heading in that direction.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2018/03/19/for-satellite-imagery-to-thrive-industry-wants-reforms/

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  February 11, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  U.S. Air Force Announces Tender to Procure 461 Engines for F-15EX Fighter Jets

  The U.S. Air Force has announced plans to buy 461 engines to power their fleet of F-15EX jets. In a February 5 Federal Opportunities notice, U.S.A.F. Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) said it wants to acquire up to 461 engines in order to meet propulsion and aircraft production delivery schedules using full and open competition. The engine delivery period is October 2023 through June 2031. Maiden flight of the F-15EX took place in earlier this month. The service awarded Boeing a contract to build the first lot of eight jets in July 2020. Future plans call for as many as 144 aircraft. The aircraft is an improvement over the F-15 C/D model in that it is a fly-by-wire, digital aircraft; has a powerful new processor; additional wing hardpoints; a new electronic warfare system; and an updated glass cockpit. It is based on the F-15QA, which Boeing is building for Qatar. Boeing said the EX can launch hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long and weighing up to 7,000 pounds, which gives it an edge over the F-35. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28934#.YCWomGhKiUk