June 12, 2020 | International, C4ISR
DEFENSE
Des missions sans GPS pour l'armée de l'Air gr'ce à Sodern et Safran E&D
Sodern, filiale d'ArianeGroup et leader mondial des viseurs d'étoiles pour satellites, et Safran Electronics & Defense, filiale de Safran, développent un système de visée stellaire diurne et nocturne pour avions militaires. Ce système permettra aux forces armées françaises de s'affranchir de toute dépendance au GNSS (GPS et Galileo), qui pourrait être brouillé ou leurré lors de combat à haute intensité. «La France est pionnière de cette technologie et pourrait être, à terme, la première nation disposant d'une telle capacité opérationnelle», explique Jean-Marc Espinasse, le directeur de la stratégie et de l'innovation chez Sodern, dans La Tribune. «On croit vraiment à son apport capacitaire, qui va donner une vraie supériorité opérationnelle à nos forces lors de combat à haute intensité», ajoute-t-il. Sélectionnés en 2016 par la DGA et par l'Agence d'Innovation Défense (AID), les deux entreprises ont mis au point un démonstrateur, qui fonctionne déjà au sol, après une campagne d'essais réalisée fin 2019. Une campagne d'essais en vol est prévue à l'automne. Le système pourrait être opérationnel sur un avion de l'armée française (Rafale, A400M, MRTT...) d'ici à cinq ans, selon Jean-Marc Espinasse. Outre les avions, d'autres porteurs comme les navires, les drones voire les véhicules terrestres sont envisageables.
La Tribune et Air & Cosmos du 12 juin
September 16, 2022 | International, Aerospace
The program is part of a broader Pentagon effort to increase its hypersonic flight-test cadence from about a dozen tests annually to almost one per week.
September 4, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Ryan Pickrell The US Air Force put out an open-ended request Thursday for hypersonic weapon concepts and development programs from qualified vendors with experience related to hypersonic platforms. The call comes amid an escalating arms race with China and Russia, both of whom have been actively testing new hypersonic systems. A hypersonic weapon is decidedly dangerous because its speed coupled with its unpredictable flight patterns make it almost impossible for existing air and missile defense systems to effectively intercept. "The homeland is no longer a sanctuary," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of US North Command, saidrecently. With rivals China and Russia rapidly developing hypersonic weapons able to penetrate defenses to deliver devastating strikes on their enemies, the US Air Force is preparing to enter the arms race in a big way, signaling that the US is not yet ready to cede its competitive advantage in advanced weaponry to adversarial competitors. The Air Force posted a contracting announcement online Thursday calling for qualified vendors experienced in hypersonic aerodynamics, aerothermal protection systems, advanced hypersonic guidance, navigation and control, solid rocket motors, and so on to assist the service in research on "hypersonic weapon rapid development, production and sustainment." The multi-award contract, as The Drive first reported, appears to be an open-ended request for any and all hypersonic concepts and development programs. The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract in August for an Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), a hypersonic weapon and the second such contract offered by the Air Force this year. The service awarded a contract to Lockheed in April for a Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW). The Air Force reportedly has four different hypersonic weapons programs in the works for the B-52, according to The Drive, as well as submarine-launched and ground-launched systems in development. And, there could certainly be more. The newfound interest in hypersonic weaponry comes after repeated warnings from senior military officers suggesting that the US was losing its edge to peer competitors. "China's hypersonic weapons development outpaces ours... we're falling behind," Adm. Harry Harris, the former head of US Pacific Command (now called Indo-Pacific Command), said in February. The head of US Strategic Command warned in March that the US needs to bolster its defenses, explaining to the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US does not "have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us." The recently-signed 2019 National Defense Authorization Act approves investments in America's missile defense capabilities in the face of certain emerging threats from US rivals. "The homeland is no longer a sanctuary," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of US North Command, said recently. "We're in a changing security environment. We used to think about the sanctuary we had with oceans and friendly countries to our north and south, but that's changing with adversaries that are actually able to reach out and touch us now." In the beginning of August, China tested the Xingkong-2 (Stary Sky-2) hypersonic experimental waverider vehicle able to fly at speeds as high as Mach 6. The hypersonic aircraft reportedly has the potential to be used as a hypersonic strike platform capable of carrying conventional and nuclear payloads and evading modern air and missile defenses. China, which has made the development of hypersonic systems a national priority, called the test a "huge success." Russia has also been experimenting with advanced hypersonic systems. For instance, Russia is expected to deploy its Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle on the country's Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile within the next year or so. The Russians are also developing the hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) cruise missile, which could be ready for combat by 2020. While the weapon has only been tested on a MiG-31 fighter, Russia reportedly intendsto mount the weapon on a strategic bomber. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-air-force-asking-for-hypersonic-weapon-ideas-2018-9
June 3, 2021 | International, C4ISR, Security
La France s'apprête à créer une agence nationale de lutte contre les manipulations de l'information en provenance de l'étranger visant à « déstabiliser l'État », a annoncé mercredi le Secrétaire général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale (SGDSN), Stéphane Bouillon. Ce service, rattaché au SGDSN devrait être lancé dès le mois de septembre et mobiliser à terme jusqu'à 60 personnes qui travailleront en sources ouvertes, c'est-à-dire à partir d'éléments publics, a-t-il précisé au cours d'une audition devant la Commission défense à l'Assemblée nationale. Le Figaro du 3 juin