IAV 2024: Dutch CV90 MLU releases new firepower and survival tech

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  October 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Saab offers Gripen technology transfer to Indian partner

  Saab offers Gripen technology transfer to Indian partner Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS) Swedish aerospace major Saab on Thursday offered technology transfer to its Indian partner for making its fighter Gripen if it wins the Indian Air Force (IAF) order to supply 114 jets. "We will transfer technology to our Indian partner for making Gripen in India if we win the IAF order," Saab India Technologies Managing Director Ola Rignell told reporters here. Technology transfer will also enable Saab to make India its production base for exporting aerospace components to countries where it has operations or customers, he said. Saab is in fray for the multi-billion-dollar global tender to make in India 110 advanced medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) with five other global aerospace majors Dassault (Rafale), Eurofighter (Typhoon), Boeing (F-18A), Lockheed Martin (F-21) and Russian Aircraft Corporation (MiG-35). The decision to make 114 fighters indigenously was taken after India cancelled the global tender for supply 126 MMRCA in July 2015 and opted in 2016 to buy 36 Rafales from the French Dassault Aviation, which won the contract for an estimated $8.4 billion (Rs 59,000 crore) from the previous NDA government. The tender, floated in April 2018, mandates the bidder to accept an Indian partner chosen by the Indian government. "It is the Indian government''s prerogative to choose the strategic partner for making the fighters in India with the winner of the bid," Rignell said. All the six firms submitted their bids in July 2018, responding to the government''s Request for Proposal (RFP) after Request for Information (RFI) in 2017. Saab, however, decided to set up its India base in Bengaluru, which is also the country''s aerospace hub with the presence of the state-run defence major HAL and aircraft design and development organisations like ADA. "We want Bengaluru to be the base to make Gripen for the IAF as the city has talent as well as resources," Rignell said. Building an ecosystem and making investments is a part of the Swedish firm''s offer to be in contention for the fighter deal. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/saab-offers-gripen-technology-transfer-to-indian-partner/1642925

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  December 14, 2023 | International, Naval

  Del Toro’s case for funding the US Navy and Marine Corps

  Opinion: As perilous as the state of affairs may seem, things might soon get dramatically and demonstrably worse with sequestration, the Navy secretary argues.

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  April 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  COVID-19: Masked Army Soldiers Test New Drones

  Troops in improvised face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 have begun field testing one candidate for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS). By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR WASHINGTON: First Infantry Division soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas launched their first Arcturus JUMP 20 recon drone on Tuesday, one of four UAVs the service is evaluating to replace the aging RQ-7 Shadow. While some high-profile weapons testing has been delayed or disrupted by the COVID-19 coronavirus, from the F-35 fighter to the IBCS missile defense network, the 1st ID's commander, Maj. Gen. John Kolasheski, okayed the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS) test — with some precautions. “1st Infantry Division Soldiers are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings in public settings or in situations such as the FTUAS assessment, where social distancing is difficult,” said Maj. John Allen. “Our actions to protect the force and prevent the spread of COVID-19 are continually assessed and revised as necessary and in accordance with Army policy.” Allen is public affairs officer for the division's 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team. The unit, one of the oldest in the Army with a history going back to World War I, is now the first of five combat brigades that will be field-testing the four FTUAS contenders. The Martin V-Bat, Textron Aerosonde HQ, and L3Harris FVR-90 will each be tested by a different brigade, while two units (including the 1st ABCT) will try out the largest of the drones, Arcturus UAV's 210-pound JUMP 20. The exact start dates are now uncertain as each unit and contractor must take precautions against the pandemic. This multi-month, multi-brigade effort is part of Army Futures Command's emphasis on getting feedback from real soldiers early in acquisition programs, rather than trying to perfect new technology in isolation from the people who'll actually have to use it. So far, so good, according to soldiers quoted in today's Army announcement. The current Shadow drone is so loud that “we're used to screaming at each other and having to use radios in order to communicate,” said Spc. Christopher McCoy. With the JUMP 20, he said, “you can stand right next to this aircraft and not even raise your voice.” Getting a quieter scout drone is a top priority for the FTUAS program – not to save soldiers' hearing, although that's a positive side effect — but to make it harder for enemies to detect. Another priority is scrapping the cumbersome infrastructure required for the Shadow, which needs a pneumatic catapult to launch it and a runway to land on. “With the VTOL [Vertical Take Off & Landing] system on the JUMP 20, we don't need any of that,” said Spc. Nicholas Miller (pictured above in his cloth mask). “We're working with half the equipment.” The 1st Brigade will try out the JUMP 20 for five months, building up from this week's familiarization drills to full-scale brigade wargames at the National Training Center – assuming, that is, that those exercises aren't canceled by the pandemic like so many others. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/04/covid-19-masked-army-soldiers-test-new-drones