July 20, 2022 | International, C4ISR
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Its companies are using merged capabilities, from airport operations to air traffic control and inflight operations and maintenance.
January 14, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Boeing Wins $1.6 Billion U.S. Air Force KC-46 Order
Lee Hudson January 13, 2021
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $1.6 billion contract modification for 12 KC-46A tanker aircraft and anticipates the work will wrap up in April 2023.
The order for 12 aircraft is the sixth production lot, which means Boeing is now on contract for 79 KC-46As. The first KC-46 was delivered to the Air Force in January 2019.
The funding for the Lot 6 deal is from the fiscal 2020 budget. The company is still awaiting a contract modification for 15 aircraft that are funded in fiscal 2021.
“The investments Boeing is making in the KC-46 today will benefit generations of service members,” Jamie Burgess, Boeing KC-46 tanker vice president and program manager, said in a Jan. 12 statement. “I believe the partnership between Boeing and the Air Force will also produce additional KC-46 innovations that will carry the warfighter well into the future.”
This year will mark a major decision point for the program because the Air Force expects to decide on a new projection method for the remote vision system (RVS), a technology akin to virtual or augmented reality. To correct a “rubber-sheeting” effect that distorts the image on a visual display used by the boom operator during refueling operations, the Air Force is considering a liquid-crystal display screen or a “collimated mirror design” for the RVS projection method.
Once a projection design is selected, a laboratory will build a system to test each new component. Doing ground testing will give the team confidence before installing the new equipment on the actual aircraft.
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July 24, 2020 | International, Land
Germany’s KMW pitches bridge-launching Boxer vehicle
By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — German tank-maker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is developing a tactical bridge-launching capability for its Boxer vehicle that the company hopes to sell to its growing customer base. Executives still consider the module an internal prototype, with more testing planned in the coming months. But the premise of a bridge-launching capability in forces lighter than the heavy, tracked vehicles mostly used for that job today could garner interest, they said. The German military, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the U.K. and Australia are current or soon-to-be operators of Boxer fleets. The vehicles were developed in a joint venture with Germany's Rheinmetall. The rides are modular by design, consisting of base chassis that can be combined with payloads for troop transport, command and control, combat, or medical evacuation, for example. The new module will be able to deploy two types of bridges: a heavy variant that spans 14 meters and can carry 80 tons, and a longer version of 22 meters certified for 50 tons. Those weight limits are sufficient for heavy battle tanks and the slightly lighter infantry fighting vehicles, respectively. KMW officials had planned to debut the new development at the Eurosatory expo in Paris, France, last month before organizers canceled the event due to the coronavirus pandemic. The next chance to display the bridging module for would-be clients will be the U.K.-based DVD2020 conference, sponsored by the British Ministry of Defence, in November, according to the company. Modifications needed to operate the bridging module with the base version of the Boxer include a new drive output for siphoning power from the main engine to the hydraulic arms used to push the bridge from the vehicle to the ground, officials explained. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/07/23/germanys-kmw-pitches-bridge-launching-boxer-to-its-customer-base/
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April 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Leonardo: Kopter acquisition completed
Rome, April 8, 2020 - Leonardo announced today the closing of the acquisition of Kopter Group AG (Kopter) from Lynwood (Schweiz). The purchase price, on a cash and debt free basis, consists of a $185 million fixed component plus an earn-out mechanism linked to certain milestones over the life of the programme, starting from 2022. The acquisition of Kopter allows Leonardo to further strengthen its worldwide leadership and position in the rotorcraft sector, in line with the Industrial Plan's objectives for the reinforcement of the core businesses. View source version on Leonardo : https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/08-04-2020-leonardo-kopter-acquisition-completed?f=%2Fhome