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February 3, 2021 | International, C4ISR, Security

Cyberdéfense : Thales investit dans son site de Cholet

Thales investit dans ses infrastructures à Cholet, où un tout nouveau centre de recherche et développement (R&D) doit être construit à côté de son plus ancien site de production en France, né en 1936. Ce site va se spécialiser dans les systèmes d'information sécurisés et les activités de cyberdéfense. « Sur ce site, nous voulons pouvoir lancer un cycle complet : développer un projet en R&D, le qualifier, produire et maintenir celui-ci, ainsi qu'assurer les missions de formation du personnel », explique Jean-Pascal Laporte, chef d'établissement de Cholet et directeur industriel pour les activités de communication de Thales. Entre 400 à 500 nouveaux salariés vont être recrutés sur le site de Cholet à partir de cette année. Les profils type ingénieur ou doctorant sont les plus recherchés à la fois dans les domaines de l'électronique, du développement logiciel, ainsi que des experts en cybersécurité et en communication par satellite. L'entreprise, qui compte aujourd'hui 23% de femmes dans ses effectifs, affiche également comme objectif prioritaire d'élever sensiblement ce pourcentage.

Le Parisien du 1er février 2021

On the same subject

  • Space Force may launch GPS demonstration satellites to test new tech

    February 10, 2024 | International, Aerospace

    Space Force may launch GPS demonstration satellites to test new tech

    The service is also conducting market research to refine its concept for a constellation of GPS demonstration satellites.

  • Poland, Romania tee up helicopter tenders, target 2 percent defense spending

    September 4, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Poland, Romania tee up helicopter tenders, target 2 percent defense spending

    By: Jaroslaw Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — A number of Eastern European allies aim to maintain their defense expenditures at 2 percent of their respective gross domestic products despite the current economic downturn. Poland and Romania are at the forefront of the region's military modernization efforts, and both plan to spend billions of dollars on helicopters in the near future. However, local observers say the countries' defense acquisitions are facing delays due to organizational limitations. In a sign of commitment to modernizing its military with Western-made gear despite budget cuts, Poland decided to host the MSPO defense industry show in Kielce this year. The pandemic has forced the event's organizers to cut the show to three days, Sept. 8-10, as travel restrictions forced the majority of foreign defense companies to skip the event. Over the past years, Warsaw has increasingly focused its efforts on large procurements by foreign manufacturers, such as the $4.75 billion deal to to buy Raytheon's Patriot air-and-missile defense system and the $4.6 billion contract to acquire 32 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. Due to this, some observers claim Poland's defense industry is in urgent need of orders, or partnerships with foreign producers, to stay financially afloat. “A situation in which Poland only buys ready weapons off the rack is a bad one,” retired Gen. Mirosław Różański, president of the Stratpoints Foundation and former General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, told Defense News. “Developing the defense capabilities of any country cannot solely consist of acquiring the most modern types of weapons, but also enabling its local industry to service and repair, and preferably to produce, or at least jointly produce them with foreign partners.” “As long as Polish officials will claim that we can build submarines or tanks on our own, this won't lead us anywhere. We must build partnerships, just like the rest of the world does. The flagship F-35 project is driven by an elite group of nine countries,” Różański said, adding that past plans to integrate Poland's leading, state-run defense group PGZ within a large international defense group represented a missed opportunity. Slawomir Kulakowski, the head of the Polish Chamber of National Defense Manufacturers, told Defense News most of Poland's defense companies supply their products to the country's military as export sales have lagged. Their increased cooperation with foreign players could pave the way for the introduction of various new weapons, according to Kulakowski. “In some foreign defense contracts, the Polish government includes the requirement for foreign companies to cooperate with the Polish industry. Other deals include offset requirements, but these are often criticized for boosting the weapons' prices without generating comparable benefits,” Kulakowski said. “Better contracts foresee transfers of technology to Polish plants, allowing them ... to modernize their offer, expand to new markets.” Some of the country's much-awaited defense tenders include the planned acquisitions of new helicopters for the Polish Air Force. These include the 32 multirole copters under the Perkoz program, with the first squadron to be delivered by 2026, bolstering the military's transport, combat support, command, and reconnaissance capacities. They are to replace the Air Force's outdated Mil Mi-2 and W-3 Sokol copters. The ministry also aims to buy 32 combat helos under the Kruk program, with the first squadron to be supplied until 2026, and a second one after 2026. The aircraft are to replace Poland's Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 helos. With the two programs facing delays, though, the ministry has turned to smaller acquisitions. In January 2019, Warsaw signed a contract to buy four S-70i Black Hawk copters from Lockheed Martin's subsidiary Sikorsky for some 683.4 million zloty (U.S. $186 million). Three months later, Poland signed a deal with Leonardo to acquire four AW101 helicopters for some €380 million (U.S. $454 million). Kulakowski said the much-awaited transformation of the Armament Inspectorate, the ministry's unit that handles acquisitions of military gear, into an Armaments Agency, fitted with broader competencies and increased workforce, could accelerate procurements. According to Różański, to reform Poland's defense acquisition system, the potential Armaments Agency should be established as a government entity, and not a unit subordinated to the ministry. “Two conditions must be met for such an endeavor to be successful. Defense acquisitions must be taken out of party politics, and they must be delegated to a team of competent, politically neutral experts that will be responsible for long-term planning and execution of our modernization programs,” Różański said. Contenders in Romania In Romania, the country's defense establishment has been mulling plans to purchase new copters since 2015, but a decision to launch a tender has yet to be made. George Visan, the coordinator of the Black Sea Security Program at the Bucharest-based think tank Romania Energy Center, told Defense News the Defense Ministry “would like to acquire two types of military helicopter: an attack helicopter and medium-size transport type helicopter. Before the pandemic, a helicopter procurement program was to start this year or in 2021.” With these purchases in mind, Romania has filed a request for information with the U.S. government for a potential acquisition of 24 attack helicopters and 21 medium-size transport helicopters. There are three U.S. and European helo producers that are expected to compete for the order. This said, Bucharest will most likely select an offer that brings manufacturing jobs to Romania through partnerships with local businesses. Eyeing the contract, Airbus Helicopters has shifted its assembly line for the H215M copter to Romania, and established a partnership to make medium-size helicopters with local aircraft plant IAR Brasov, according to Visan. “Airbus wants to sell its H215M and build it here in Brasov, the company is also offering the H145M which is presented as an attack helicopter. The second contender is Bell with the AH-1Z Viper and the UH-1Y Venom,” Visan said. “Finally, the third contender is Lockheed Martin with the Sikorsky UH-60M.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/03/poland-romania-tee-up-helicopter-tenders-target-2-percent-defense-spending/

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 20, 2020

    November 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 20, 2020

    AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Clearfield, Utah, has been awarded a $185,700,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the A-10 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program Legacy VII. This contract provides for sustaining engineering services of A-10 aircraft. Work will be performed in Clearfield, Utah, and is expected to be completed Nov. 22, 2030. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $6,480,694 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8202-21-D-0001). L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded a $65,603,271 firm-fixed-price contract for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A Trainer aircraft. Work will be performed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Vance AFB, Oklahoma; Columbus AFB, Mississippi; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, and is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2021. This award for Option Three is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount $17,946,903 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8106-18-C-0001). Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $34,939,734, cost-type modification (P00014) to contract FA8219-20-C-0001 for Mk21A technology maturation and risk reduction (TMRR) research and development for reentry vehicles (RVs). The contract modifies the TMRR prototype flight test plan, to now include preparations for a second flight test and development of two prototype RVs with telemetry capability in order to further mature technology. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed Oct. 21, 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds are being used with no funds being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $151,943,606. The Air Force Nuclear War Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. AT2 LLC, Severn, Maryland, has been awarded a $15,751,876 firm-fixed-price modification (P00017) to contract FA4890-18-C-0008 for Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command Primary Training Ranges operation and maintenance (O&M) support services. This contract provides for O&M of range threat, scoring and feedback systems. Work will be performed at Dare County Range, North Carolina; Poinsett Range, South Carolina; Grand Bay Range, Georgia; Avon Park Range, Georgia; Snyder Range, Texas; Belle Fourche Range, South Dakota; Holloman Ranges, New Mexico; and Mountain Home Ranges, Idaho. Work is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 O&M funds in the amount of $15,044,766 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley‐Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890‐18‐C‐0008). Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $14,068,093 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00022) to contract FA8620-14-C-4022 to develop, integrate and lab test detection, removal and characterization operations. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2023. This contract was the result of a sole-source acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,699,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $9,326,062 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Long Range Systems Division seeking to integrate the Navy Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) into the F-35. The AARGM-ER is a Navy weapon that will provide the F-35A advanced suppression of enemy air defenses/destruction of enemy air defenses capability. This contract includes one contract line item number and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8682-21-C-2000). CORRECTION: The Nov. 13, 2020, announcement of a $9,703,375 contract modification awarded to Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Arizona, included an incorrect modification number. The number of the modification to contract FA8675-20-C-0033 for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) production baseline rocket motors is P00008, not P00007. NAVY AAR Government Services Inc., Wood Dale, Illinois, is awarded a $148,357,084 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides contractor logistics support required for operating and maintaining the C-40A aircraft, aircraft subsystems, appliances and support equipment, including depot-level, main operating base and supply support and commercial line maintenance. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (40%); Fort Worth, Texas (16.5%); Jacksonville, Florida (9%); North Island, California (9%); Oceana, Virginia (9%); Whidbey Island, Washington (9%); and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (7.5%), and is expected to be completed in December 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via electronic request for proposal; three offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-21-D-0004). Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, is awarded a $108,778,290 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00002) to exercise options under previously awarded contract N00030-20-C-0100 for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado (25%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (23.5%); Borgo San Dalmazzo, Italy (12%); Sunnyvale, California (9.7%); Hoffman Estates, Illinois (4.3%); Titusville, Florida (3.4%); Melbourne, Florida (2.6%); Berlin, Connecticut (1.8%); Modesto, California (1.3%); Bangor, Washington (1.1%); Kings Bay, Georgia (1.1%); Clearwater, Florida (1%); and other various locations (less than 1% each, 13.2% total). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $94,943,006; fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,176,348; United Kingdom funds in the amount of $3,618,936; and fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $40,000 are being obligated on this award, $40,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $9,574,093 modification (P00047) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N68335-17-C-0253. This modification exercises an option to provide the second phase of interim contractor support for fleet Repair of Repairables (RoR), non-fleet RoR and installation RoR support for the Common Aviation Support Equipment program office. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed in March 2021. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,335,259; and fiscal 2021 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $727,619 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. ARMY Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $38,611,275 firm-fixed-price contract for a one-time license buy for SAP software. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Army); operation and maintenance (Army); and Army working capital funds in the amount of $38,611,275 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-21-F-0042). Great Lakes Dredge & Dock LLC, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, was awarded a $15,844,050 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in St. Mary's, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of June 5, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Defense) funds in the amount of $15,844,050 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (W912EP-21-C-0002). McCarthy HITT - Next NGA West JV, St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded an $8,982,180 modification (P00012) to contract W912DQ-19-C-7001 for a resident management system. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of April 24, 2023. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Defense wide) funds in the amount of $8,982,180 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2425497/source/GovDelivery/

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