August 27, 2023 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
U.S. Navy Awards Sikorsky Contract To Build 35 CH-53K® Helicopters
The agreement includes 12 U.S. Marine Corps Lot 7 aircraft, 15 U.S. Marine Corps Lot 8 aircraft, and eight aircraft for Israel.
April 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Boeing extends plant shutdowns in Washington state
ByEd Adamczyk
April 6 (UPI) -- Boeing Co. announced an extension of a production suspension in its Washington state facilities, and signaled that layoffs and buyouts could be coming, to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
The company's Puget Sound and Moses Lake sites will be closed until further notice because of the spread of the coronavirus, additional advice from state health authorities and supply chain disruptions, the company said in a Sunday statement.
The original shutdown began on March 23 and was scheduled for two weeks.
The Puget Sound facilities are mostly known for constructing commercial aircraft, but the military's KC-46 tanker and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft are built on the same lines. Boeing officials said last month the stoppage is not expected to affect their production too greatly.
Boeing employs about 70,000 people in the region. Last week it announced a two-week closure of facilities in the Philadelphia area for two weeks due to the spread of the virus.
In a letter last week to employees, CEO David Calhoun predicted that the company's recovery from the health crisis will be lengthy.
"When the world emerges from the pandemic, the size of the commercial market and the types of products and services our customers want and need will likely be different," he said. "It's important we start adjusting to our new reality now."
Within several weeks, a buyout package will be offered to some of Boeing's 161,000 U.S. employees. Nearly one-third of its 27,000 unionized machinists are over 55, and with an aging workforce a buyout could find many takers.
While the company appears to be eligible to receive funds from a $17 billion loan available to the aviation industry included in the $2 trillion federal stimulus package it is required to maintain staffing at 90 percent of current levels.
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January 26, 2023 | International, C4ISR
US Space Commandâs Shaw sees need for rapid, responsive launch
Lt. Gen. John Shaw said this week thereâs a growing need for on-demand launch capabilities that can be leveraged to replace or augment satellites.
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June 14, 2019 | International, Other Defence
Invisible Interdiction: Air Force Awards Contract for Rail-Mounted Anti-Drone System
By: Harry McNabb While drone detection systems are proliferating recently, what to do when you've identified a rogue drone is still a problem. Solutions range from catcher drones equipped with nets to shoulder mounted “ray guns” and even drone hunting birds. In a recent press release (below), Invisible Interdiction announced the award of a U.S. Air Force contract to design and test a small lightweight rail-mounted drone jamming module: a device that can be attached to other weapons carried by military personnel. We reached out to Invisible Interdiction president, Clay Wild to learn more about the development of their technology: DRONELIFE: Congratulations on your award. Do you have a image that you could share with our readers? Clay Wild: “The system itself is still a rendering, but I've attached a couple of photos that might be useful. It will be an interesting capability.” DroneLife: Who is the Audience for your system? Whom is it designed for? Clay Wild: “The initial users will be US Air Force Security Forces personnel. The guys who guard Air Force bases. DRONELIFE: What is important about this award to Invisible Interdiction? Clay Wild: “This is our first major contract award. We are going to provide Security Forces Airmen the ability to stop drones interfering with their operations without the need to carry extra equipment. Attaching the countermeasure to the weapon provides them instant access to this device”. DRONELIFE: Tell us a little bit about Invisible Interdiction and how you got started. Clay Wild: “Invisible Interdiction was started only a year ago in March 2018 but we've been in the counter-drone business for almost four years now with other organizations. We are currently marketing to defense agencies in the U.S. but have a very active international representative network around the world introducing our capabilities to those military and police agencies that are allowed to deploy jamming capabilities. As you are aware, the RF jamming is a very sensitive technology around the world because of the potential for collateral effects. With most drones using the WIFI bands for control, jamming this part of the spectrum can impact everyday things like WIFI routers, Bluetooth devices, etc. We happen to design very directional and low-power jamming systems, but they can be temporarily impactful nonetheless. The use of this, and other types of countermeasures, is an interesting debate that is just starting.” DRONELIFE: How did you come up with the name of the company? Clay Wild: “The company name Invisible Interdiction refers to the use of ‘invisible' RF energy for interdiction of errant drones. This appeared to be an interesting play on what we do. Once folks think about it for a minute, the light goes on and..”oh yeah, I get it.” The following is an Invisible Interdiction press release. Invisible Interdiction Awarded Air Force Contract for Rail-mounted UAS Denial System. Melbourne, FL, May 30, 2019: Melbourne, Florida based Invisible Interdiction has been awarded a contract to design, test and qualify a very small, lightweight rail- mounted C-UAS jamming module. This Phase 3 contract is the result of a Special Topic SBIR award originally envisioned by the Air Force's Las Vegas-based innovation hub called AFWERX. Several barriers to working with the Air Force were removed including a shorter application process, an accelerated contract award and a shorter period of performance. This effort started in the fall of 2018 in response to the Air Force's pursuit of innovative counter-drone technologies. Invisible Interdiction submitted a concept that was selected and proven feasible late last year. This UAS denial system will be similar in size and weight to existing rail-mounted aiming lasers that are mounted on the Picatinny rail of issued shotguns or M4 rifles. Noted Invisible Interdiction CEO Bryan Sydnor, “We already have considerable experience designing small and lightweight hand-held and modular jamming systems. This weapon attachable jamming module will test our ability to design an effective capability that easily attaches to the service rifle or shotgun.” Prototype testing and qualification is scheduled for later this summer with production units available by the end of 2019. https://dronelife.com/2019/06/12/invisible-interdiction-air-force-awards-contract-for-rail-mounted-anti-drone-system/