August 1, 2024 | International, Aerospace
Air Force sees spike in overseas weapon sales
The service expects its annual foreign military sales to grow by 60% this fiscal year due largely to increases in F-35 and F-16 purchases.
January 28, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Financement de l'industrie française de la défense : vers un renforcement du rôle de Bpifrance ?
Un doublement des plafonds de financement de la banque publique Bpifrance serait à l'étude, afin de remédier à des difficultés de financement à l'export de l'industrie de défense française, rapportent Les Echos. Selon le quotidien, l'Assemblée nationale devrait diffuser, le 17 février prochain, un rapport sur le financement de l'industrie de défense, et devrait faire plusieurs recommandations. Des pistes telles que la formation de référents bancaires aux sujets stratégiques, le renforcement du rôle de Bpifrance à l'export, la création d'une banque à capitaux mixtes dédiée au secteur de la défense, ou encore le développement de fonds de souveraineté, seraient examinées. « Il y a un réel problème de financement bancaire à l'export et il faut absolument remonter les plafonds de garanties de la BPI », estime le député LR Jean-Louis Thieriot, rapporteur sur le sujet à l'Assemblée nationale.
Les Echos du 28 janvier
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July 31, 2020 | International, C4ISR
From the lab to the battlefield: Soldiers put new network tools to the test
Andrew Eversden The Army's new network tools, set to be deployed to units in 2021, were heavily influenced by a new factor: soldiers. Through exercises and training events, the Army's Network Cross-Functional Team received feedback on its design decisions for Capability Set '21, the set of new network tools set to be delivered to soldiers next year as part of the service's network modernization efforts. “This is the first time really in recent history that the network has really focused on soldier feedback. And it's important and it played a huge role in that,” said Col. Garth Winterle, project manager for tactical radios at the Army's Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communication-Tactical. The Army recently completed its critical design review of Capability Set '21 and is in the beginning stages of procuring network pieces for delivery. In the lead-up to making purchases, feedback from units helped show the differences between how the new network tools perform in the field versus in a lab. “Soldier ingenuity, leader know-how, the skill craft that our soldiers bring and the tradecraft they utilize in the field is a lot different than how we conceptualize it back here,” Col. Rob Ryan, deputy director of the Network CFT at Army Futures Command, said at a C4ISRNET event in June. Testing for the capability set has been ongoing in lab-run experiments and with limited field tests in the last few months. Through the field experiments, the Army modernization team received feedback from units on what volume of various capabilities the soldiers needed, what capabilities were usable and what “attributes” of each capability soldiers found to be more important than others, said Winterle. Disruptions caused by both the coronavirus pandemic and a deployment of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East at the end of December forced the modernization team adjust its testing plans. Defender 2020, a massive exercise scheduled to take place in June with European allies, was altered. Army leaders had planned to use the event to test network equipment with allies. However, network tests are “back on the calendar” in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, Winterle said. “The design decisions that were made at critical design review are still up on the table for revision or reassessing after continual soldier feedback,” Winterle said. “This is a continual evaluation, continual process.” Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, director of the Network CFT, said in a June 9 webinar with industry that several testing events, like a Joint Warfighting Assessment and Defender 2020, were altered, as were combat training center rotations and other exercises. Those “are always great venues for us getting feedback from soldiers and leaders on improving the network design,” Gallagher said. Ryan said that the network team received feedback from soldiers during the development, build and delivery phases of network design. In forthcoming testing events, the Army wants to figure out how many radios are needed and where they need to be located, Winterle said. The service also plans to evaluate if it undervalued and overvalued certain capabilities. https://www.c4isrnet.com/yahoo-syndication/2020/07/30/from-the-lab-to-the-battlefield-soldiers-put-new-network-tools-to-the-test/
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July 18, 2018 | International, Aerospace
US Air Force awards Rolls-Royce with Global Hawk, Triton sustainment contract
By: Daniel Cebul WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has awarded Rolls-Royce a sustainment contract to maintain, repair and overhaul engines for the Air Force Global Hawk and U.S. Navy Triton fleets. The six-year, $420 milllion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract also includes sustainment engineering services for Rolls-Royce's AE 3007H engine, the same one that powers the Global Hawk and Triton, as well as several commercial airliners. The contract services will be completed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, where Rolls-Royce and the Air Force have a public-private partnership to operate an engine depot. “Rolls-Royce has a long and successful history of supporting U.S. Air Force and Navy engines, and our innovative public-private partnership at Tinker Air Force Base has enabled us to work together in a new way and will be a key component of maximizing engine availability," said Paul Craig, president of Rolls-Royce's defense services division. “This new contract includes engine services for the Navy's Triton fleet, and we look forward to continuing this public-private partnership for years to come, focusing on customer support and enhancing mission success,” he added. The Global Hawk has been suggested as a possible alternative to the JSTARS battle management program. Gen. Mike Holmes, head of Air Combat Command, told reporters in February the Global Hawk could see further investment as the service looks to replace JSTARS' ground moving target indicator, or GMTI, radar capability. "The Global Hawk Block 40 is certainly not the same thing as JSTARS, but it does provide useful GMTI information,” Holmes said. “We'll spend some money to bring that information and make it more useful in real time.” The Triton UAV is preparing to take on a key role in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the Navy, given its high-altitude, long-endurance capabilities. While the Navy relies on the P-8 Poseidon for anti-submarine surveillance, the Triton will perform high-altitude ISR to fill gaps. The Australian government announced June 26 it will purhcase six Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons for more than $1 billion. When life sustainment costs are calculated into the deal, the estimated value increases to more than $5 billion. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/07/17/us-air-force-awards-rolls-royce-with-global-hawk-triton-sustainment-contract/