March 11, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Opinion: Top A&D Companies Need To Help The Supply Chain | Aviation Week Network
The top eight companies should form a committee to provide data-driven assistance to suppliers in need.
April 17, 2020 | International, Land
April 15, 2020 - General Dynamics European Land Systems has been awarded a contract by the German procurement agency BAAINBw for the delivery of 80 highly protected EAGLE 6x6 vehicles for the German Army`s ambulance corps. First vehicle deliveries will start in 2021 and continue throughout 2024.
The EAGLE was selected in a competitive tender process under the medium protected ambulance vehicle program (“mittleres geschütztes Ambulanzfahrzeug”), which will close the gap between the user´s light and heavy ambulance vehicle fleet.
The EAGLE 6x6 is the latest and largest member of the proven EAGLE family of vehicles. In its 6x6 configuration, the vehicle provides a more spacious user compartment and more payload. Reduced cost of ownership is achieved through its high degree of commonality with the 4x4 version, its maintenance-friendly design, and proven support solutions. Germany is the 2nd customer for this new EAGLE version after the Swiss Army.
“We would like to thank the German Army very much for its confidence in our EAGLE vehicle platform. As a reliable partner to the Bundeswehr, GDELS is fully committed to deliver the vehicles on cost, quality, and schedule,” said Dr. Thomas Kauffmann, GDELS Vice President for International Business & Services.
GDELS will manufacture the EAGLE at its sites in Switzerland and Germany. For the German program, a significant part of the production will be completed in Kaiserslautern and Sembach with the involvement of dozens of German suppliers. “This contract will further strengthen our capabilities as a leading vehicle OEM and will result in a multi-million investment into our German vehicle maintenance hub in Sembach” said Dr. Christian Kauth, Managing Director of GDELS-Deutschland.
The German Army and German Federal Police operate a fleet of close to 700 EAGLE vehicles; the vehicle has proven its superior performance and reliability in various national and international missions.
View source version on General Dynamics European Land Systems: https://www.gdels.com/de_pr.php?news=139
March 11, 2021 | International, Aerospace
The top eight companies should form a committee to provide data-driven assistance to suppliers in need.
August 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval
By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier-borne tanker drone, the MQ-25 Stingray, is preparing to head into the fall resuming test flights, this time with the crucial fuel store pod attached. The store pod — the same one integrated into the Navy's stalwart F/A-18 Super Hornet for aerial refueling — was recently integrated into the MQ-25 test article under the wing. “When we resume flight testing later this year, we'll have the opportunity to gather test points about the aerodynamics of that pod and the software commands that control it — all happening well before we deliver the Navy's first MQ-25 jet with the same pod,” MQ-25 program director Dave Bujold said in a statement from the aircraft's manufacturer, Boeing. “That early testing and early software development is a big part of supporting the Navy's goal to get MQ-25 to the fleet as quickly as possible,” he added. The engineers will primarily observe the aerodynamics of the pod mounted on the Stingray test article, then seeing how the hose and drogue behave while being dragged behind the airframe. Possible delays In June, Defense News reported that the MQ-25 could face a three-year testing delay if it doesn't get its designated test ships through the required modernizations on time, a possibility the Navy said was remote. Two carriers — Carl Vinson and George H.W. Bush — have limited windows to complete the installation of unmanned aircraft control stations, and if operational commitments intervene, the program could experience significant problems, according to Navy officials and a government watchdog report. “Program officials stated that, among other things, the Navy's potential inability to maintain its schedule commitments could require modifications to the contract that would impact the fixed-price terms,” the Government Accountability Office reported. “Specifically, the Navy faces limited flexibility to install MQ-25 control centers on aircraft carriers. “If the Navy misses any of its planned installation windows, the program would have to extend MQ-25 development testing by up to 3 years. According to officials, such a delay could necessitate a delay to initial capability and result in a cost increase.” The Navy's MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone took its first flight Sept. 19, a historic step toward integrating an unmanned aircraft into the service's powerful strike arm. Navy officials say a three-year delay is “extremely unlikely”; however, the Navy has struggled in recent years to balance its modernization schedules with operational commitments, a problem that its “Optimized Fleet Response Plan” deployment rotation scheme was supposed to address. Ultimately, a delay would further push back the Navy's ability to extend its carrier air wing's range through unmanned tanking, critical to keeping the service's powerful strike arm relevant against long-range guided munitions. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/24/boeing-preparing-for-the-next-big-step-testing-the-us-navys-new-aerial-tanker-drone
May 22, 2020 | International, Security, Other Defence
Announcement of an SBIR/STTR Opportunity Under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) HR001120S0019 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) May 13, 2020 The DARPA Small Business Programs Office (SBPO) has pre-released the following SBIR/STTR Opportunities (SBOs): "Compact Modular Detector for Water and Food Contaminants", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-07, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-07 "Near-Term Forecasting of Nonstationary Dynamic Processes", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-08, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-08 "Organizational Modeling", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-09, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-09 “Flexible Manufacturing of Fine Chemical Reagents", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-10, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-10 These SBOs will open for proposals on May 28, 2020 and close on June 29, 2020 at 2:00pm ET