June 20, 2023 | International, Aerospace
The Air Force wants its next tankers to be able to survive in the contested airspace likely in the nation's next war.
June 9, 2024 | International, Aerospace
The H225 will replace the H155 and AS332 helicopters that have been in service with the German Federal Police for more than 20 years
April 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Au-delà du plan sanitaire, la crise du Coronavirus impacte l'ensemble des projets des Etats et vient questionner l'Europe. L'Europe questionnée. Le Sénat, à travers la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense et des sénateurs Hélène Conway-Mouret et Ronan Le Gleut, a présenté les impacts de la crise du coronavirus sur l'Europe, sous l'angle de la défense et de la sécurité. Et le constat semble sans appel : la coopération entre les Etats européens doit être renforcée. « Le bilan de la coopération européenne est pour le moment nuancé : des coopérations bilatérales ont permis des transferts de patients du Grand Est vers des pays frontaliers [...] mais le Conseil européen du 26 mats a donné le spectacle d'Etats membres divisés, incapables de répondre rapidement à l'urgence de la situation », rapporte les deux sénateurs, en rappelant par ailleurs que des mécanismes existants permettraient une coopération accrue, à l'instar de l'article 222 du TFUE qui met en avant le principe de solidarité. Surveiller le contexte international. Cette nécessité de coopération est à analyser à la lumière du contexte international précédent la crise et renforcé par l'événement sanitaire qui touche actuellement le monde. « La crise risque en effet d'accentuer les évolutions stratégiques en cours : l'effritement de l'Europe, le désengagement américain et l'affirmation de puissance de certains Etats qui ne manqueront pas de s'emparer de la faiblesse de l'Europe pour faire avancer leurs propres intérêts », expliquent les deux sénateurs. En effet, on ne manquera pas de noter que si la crise touche violemment la grande majorité des Etats du monde, certains restent épargner, à l'instar de la Corée du Nord qui profite de l'occasion pour démontrer ses capacités militaires et mener des essais de missiles. De même, certains Etats profitent de l'absentéisme de réponse européenne pour nouer des liens précieux avec des pays du vieux continent en leur apportant une aide cruciale face à la crise. « Plusieurs acteurs et observateurs estiment aujourd'hui que la Chine et la Russie utilisent la crise sanitaire pour faire avancer leurs intérêts et renforcer leur influence. [...] Le déploiement de militaires russes en Italie, dans les zones les plus touchées par l'épidémie (Bergame) suscite des interrogations », rapportent les deux sénateurs. Rester présent en OPEX. Une autre préoccupation liée à la crise sanitaire actuelle réside dans la gestion des opérations extérieures. Une préoccupation qui touche d'autant plus la France, qui est aux premières loges au niveau européen. L'Europe « ne doit pas se détourner du reste du monde car la pandémie, si elle mobilise les esprits, ne fait pas disparaître les autres crises, et risque même de les aggraver », soulignent les auteurs. Une attention particulière doit être donnée à l'Afrique, qui souffre déjà d'importants déséquilibres économiques et d'inégalités sociales majeures, souvent à la racine des conflits qui sévissent actuellement sur le continent. Or cette situation pourrait se trouver largement accentuée par la crise du coronavirus, touchant massivement les économies des pays à travers le monde. Une accentuation des problèmes économiques et sociaux en Afrique pourrait aboutir à des désaccords internes pouvant mener à des affrontements. Retour à la case départ ? https://air-cosmos.com/article/limpact-du-coronavirus-pour-leurope-22957
July 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Andrew Hunter and Rhys McCormick It is rare when technological innovation delivers change that fundamentally reshapes military operations. Helicopters made one of these rare breakthroughs after World War II. The ability to support land operations with vertical lift aircraft fundamentally changed how militaries moved on the battlefield. However, the shape of military operations supported by today's helicopters reflect their capabilities and limitations in terms of speed, range and lift capacity. The Army's Future Vertical Lift efforts are designed to reshape military operations by surpassing the limits imposed by today's systems. It is less commonly appreciated, however, that future vertical lift, or FVL, aircraft may do just as much to reshape the vertical lift industry as they do military operations. To deliver the capabilities FVL requires affordably — in development, production and sustainment — industry will have to leverage new design and production techniques that deliver critical components with high quality and moderate cost. Key parts such as rotor blades and rotor heads are big cost drivers. Designing these parts for FVL means redesigning the supply chains and manufacturing processes that produce them. For the smaller companies that make up the lower tiers of the supply chain, this will require them to fundamentally change how their production process works. We recently completed a study that looked at the implications of the Army's Future Vertical Lift project for the industrial base. What became clear in this review is that there are both opportunities and risks in making the transition to FVL. Substantial investment is required by both the Army and industry, and not everyone in industry will make it. However, this transition also offers significant opportunities to leverage emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, digital twins and data analytics to achieve the Army's objectives. The Army's management will be key in ensuring that industry is able to get the most out of new design and production methods, reconfigured supply chains, and a reshaped workforce. The Army's key tools for managing the transition include its ability to provide an addressable market for the industrial base that attracts the necessary FVL investment, and its ability to align industry incentives with the Army's core goals. The addressable market for industry is not just the Army's future programs, but also the sustainment of legacy platforms. For much of the supply chain, the sustainment market is a huge part of their bottom line. The Army's total vertical lift-addressable market for industry is roughly $8-10 billion annually over the next decade. Although there are some concerns whether that level of spending is feasible while procuring two vertical lift programs simultaneously, previous research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that future attack reconnaissance aircraft and future long-range assault aircraft can be accommodated at historical Army modernization funding levels. Of that $8-10 billion annual vertical lift spending, operating and support costs will provide the largest share, while research and development as well as acquisition total a little more than $2 billion annually. Given the size of the addressable market, the biggest challenges and risks in transitioning to a new vertical lift industrial base are not among the big prime contractors, but among the smaller suppliers in the industrial base who can't be sure that investing in FVL today will generate the necessary returns tomorrow. Unlike the bigger prime contractors, these lower-tier suppliers have a much different risk appetite and may struggle with making the upfront investments to build components in new ways. Supporting the supply chain in making this transition is critical to meeting the Army's cost and schedule objectives, which highlights how important incentives are in the Army's approach. The Army's biggest incentive to industry is to provide predictability by keeping FVL program requirements consistent and clear through the development process so that industry can plan and invest. To date, the Army has done this. It should continue to do so. Additionally, the Army can incentivize industry to make upfront investments now that deliver cost savings later. Given that sustainment costs account for 68 percent of rotary-wing costs, these investments are critical. Furthermore, it is in the Army's interest to sustain competition throughout the development process as it moves closer to picking winners. Competition is the strongest incentive for industry. Finally, the Army should be cognizant that incentives will change as FVL moves from development to production, and its management approach will need to evolve. The Army has the key ingredients in place for FVL if it successfully guides the industrial base through this transition. While that is a tall order, our analysis of the Army's FVL plans suggests they begin on solid ground and are well-informed by the technological and affordability realities. One final factor in FVL's success will be sustaining congressional support by being clear and consistent in communicating and executing the Army's plans. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/07/07/us-armys-future-vertical-lift-program-will-transform-industry-so-we-must-get-it-right/