India advances light attack helicopter program with large tender

On the same subject

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  December 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Les atouts des Rafale Marine pour l'opération Chammal

  Le Dassault Rafale Marine déploiera la GBU-16 de 500kg à l'occasion de ce cinquième mandat de l'opération Chammal. CINQUIEME MANDAT Dans un mois et demi, le groupe aérien embarqué du porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle sera à nouveau mobilisé au profit de l'opération Chammal, offrant une capacité appréciable, avec une vingtaine d'avions de combat Dassault Rafale Marine (quatre fois plus que d'habitude sur la base H5 avec l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace, (AAE) et E-2C Hawkeye. Ces Rafale Marine assurent le cinquième mandat sur place depuis 2014 : quatre ont été menés depuis le Charles de Gaulle et le cinquième à terre, durant l'arrêt technique majeur du porte-avions. Bombe GBU Cette fois, les chasseurs embarqués vont déployer une série d'atouts nouveaux. Ce sera le cas dans le domaine munitionnaire, ils pourront emporter la bombe GBU-16 de 500 kg offrant ainsi un spectre plus large qu'avant, à base de 250 kg (GBU-12, AASM) ou 1000 kg (GBU-24). Cette avancée est symptomatique du travail permanent de la chasse embarquée pour trouver les munitions les plus adaptées aux réalités opérationnelles. Rappelons que ses SEM avaient, en leur temps, déployé la GBU-49 sur le thé'tre afghan avant qu'elle n'apparaisse sur Mirage 2000D. De même, les ATL-2 disposent des GBU-12, GBU-51, GBU-58. Ciblage pour le missile MBDA Meteor Les Rafale Marine vont aussi pour la première fois déployer la nacelle de ciblage Talios le missile air-air à longue portée Meteor. L'AAE, qui vient de déployer ses premiers Rafale F3R en Jordanie, doit aussi, a priori avant la Marine, mettre en service le Talios sur ce thé'tre irako-syrien. Le Meteor de MBDA est, évidemment, dans le contexte troublé de la Méditerranée orientale, un game changer que les pays alliés pourront voir de près, notamment les Grecs, futurs clients du Rafale. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/les-atouts-des-rafale-marine-pour-lopration-chammal-23945

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  June 12, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  New National Guard medical helicopter unit set to deploy

  WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut National Guard's newest unit, which has spent the past two years training with new, specialized helicopters, will deploy soon to provide care and transport to the sick and wounded in support of military operations in southwest Asia. "To receive your first medical evacuation aircraft in 2016 and be fully prepared for a deployment less than two years later is a testament to the hard work and dedication of those in our aviation community," Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J.Martin, adjutant general and commander of the Connecticut National Guard, said in a statement ahead of a sendoff ceremony last month for the aerial medical evacuation unit, officially known as Detachment 2, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment. The detachment, based in Windsor Locks and commanded by 1st Lt. Matthew Barringer of South Glastonbury, doesn't officially deploy until later this month. It represents a new capability for the National Guard. It received the first of three Blackhawk helicopters specifically outfitted for medical evacuation in the spring of 2016, even before becoming a fully operational unit in the fall of 2016. Thirty members of the detachment are deploying and will spend about a year providing aeromedical evacuation, en-route critical care and medical support while transporting patients. Five of the members deploying are women. The unit will join the 70 guardsmen from Connecticut already deployed in support of operations around the world. While deployed, the unit will be on 24-hour standby, and operate in shifts. A crew of four — two pilots, a crew chief, and a flight paramedic — can transport up to six patients at a time on one of the Sikorsky-built HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters. The helicopters have been specially outfitted for aerial medical evacuation and will be stocked with medical supplies like ventilators and IVs. The crew also has the capability to do procedures on board such as put in a chest tube. "We're almost a flying hospital," said Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Behuniak, 28, of Unionville. From the time a call comes in, they have less than 15 minutes to grab supplies, get to the aircraft and take off to aid a patient, who could be a member of the U.S. military or coalition forces, contractors, and even military working dogs, Behuniak said. Through training, they've been able to get that number down to nine minutes. "There are a lot of computers that need to start working, so as fast as the aircraft will let us take off, we can take off," Behuniak said. The benefit of a medevac unit, he added, is the ability to get a critically wounded patient to a hospital within so the so-called "golden hour," which greatly increases a patient's chance of survival. A 2015 study involving the Army, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston found that getting wounded troops to hospitals in less than an hour, along with improved care on the battlefield and in medical helicopters, saved hundreds of lives. "There's a wide spectrum of care an injured person can receive on this aircraft," said Sgt. Ryan Will, 28, Manchester, a flight paramedic. "It's very comprehensive care as well." Flight paramedics like Will and Staff Sgt. Trevor O'Neill, 27, of Greenwich, have gone through extensive training and are nationally registered paramedics. Both are also civilian paramedics. Members of the unit underwent a range of training to prepare them for the conditions they'll encounter overseas. They trained at a facility in Rhode Island that can simulate desert conditions. Anticipating mountain peaks of 13,800 feet, some pilots went to Colorado for training to get an understanding of how air density affects a helicopter's rotor system and the ability to fly. Last week, they trained with members of Air National Guard's 103rd Airlift Wing, practicing loading and unloading patients onto the helicopters, and simulating different missions where the two units would cross paths. "There are a lot of gravity and effects that are placed on the patient that there aren't normally on the ground, whether that be from high maneuver turns or simply just taking off and landing. Things like vibrations can really make a patient uncomfortable and these are things they have to know when they're giving us patients," said O'Neill, one of the flight paramedics. There was strong interest in joining the unit, which represents a new capability for the Connecticut National Guard. Second Lt. Brett Boissonneault, 25, of East Hampton, was handpicked out of flight school to be part of the unit. "It's a great opportunity to be part of an important mission where we're saving people every day, helping people every day," he said. https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/New-National-Guard-medical-helicopter-unit-set-to-12984985.php

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  November 7, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 06, 2019

  ARMY BFBC LLC, Bozeman, Montana, was awarded a $260,473,876 firm-fixed-price contract for the barrier wall on the Barry M. Goldwater Range land in Arizona between Mexico and the U.S. Five bids were solicited with four bids received. Work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 12, 2020. Fiscal 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $260,473,876 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon, is the contracting activity (W912PL-20-C-0002). NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $184,581,519 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm, firm-fixed-price modification (P00024) to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive firm contract (N00019-18-C-1048) to establish organic depot level repair capabilities for F-35 systems under the low-rate initial production Lot 11 non-annualized sustainment contract in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Systems included are: common components, conventional controls, surfaces and edges, electrical/mechanical activation, firewall shutoff valve, radar, wing flap actuator system, hydraulic power generation system, arresting gear, standby flight display, fuel system, exterior lighting, gun system control unit, filter modules, thermal management system fan, alternating current contactor module and rudder pedals. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (31%); Melbourne, Florida (19%); Linthicum Heights, Maryland (11%); Torrance, California (7%); Palmdale, California (7%); Grand Rapids, Michigan (6%); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (3%); Los Angeles, California (3%); Helmond, Netherlands (2%); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (2%); Lancashire, United Kingdom (2%); Montville, New Jersey (1%); East Aurora, New York (1%); New Port Richey, Florida (1%), Williston, Vermont (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Irvine, California (1%); and Mansfield, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); and non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $184,581,519 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($88,192,135; 47.78%); the Marine Corps ($44,096,063; 23.89%); Navy ($44,096,063; 23.89%); and non-DoD participants ($8,197,258; 4.44%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Sodexo Management Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, is awarded an $117,775,993 firm-fixed-price modification P00021 under previously awarded contract M95494-18-C-0018 for the management and operation of mess halls in support of the Marine Corps Regional Garrison Food Services Program. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia; Indian Head, Maryland; Quantico, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Cherry Point, North Carolina; Bogue, North Carolina; New River, North Carolina; Beaufort, South Carolina; and Parris Island, South Carolina. Fiscal 2020 military personnel (Marine Corps) funding for $19,743,759 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Installation Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Sodexo Management Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, is awarded an $116,470,442 firm-fixed-price modification P00018 under previously awarded contract M95494-18-C-0016 for the management and operation of mess halls in support of the Marine Corps Regional Garrison Food Services Program. Work will be performed in Camp Pendleton, California; San Diego, California; Twentynine Palms, California; Miramar, California; Yuma, Arizona; and Bridgeport, California. Fiscal 2020 military personnel (Marine Corps) funding for $20,256,240 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Installation Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems, San Diego, California, is awarded a $33,946,052 firm-fixed-price delivery order N55236-20-F-4001 from multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-16-D-4416 for a selected restricted availability on USS Mobile Bay (CG 53). This delivery order is for a selected restricted availability to execute depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by October 2020. This delivery order includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $38,188,485 and be complete by October 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds for $33,946,052 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order was competitively procured with one request for proposal solicited, and two offers received via all eligible multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contractors in the San Diego, California, area. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $32,453,129 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price delivery order (N00019-18-F-2334) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026). This modification exercises the option for five aerial refueling retrofit kits, installations and technical data in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed St. Augustine, Florida (34.7%); Ronkonkoma, New York (28.86%); Melbourne, Florida (5.5%); Dorset, England (3.11%); Irvine, California (2.99%); Columbia, Maryland (1.93%); North Hollywood, California (1.48%); East Aurora, New York (1.19%); and various locations with the continental U.S. (20.24%), and is expected to be completed in March 2021. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $32,453,129 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. L3 Applied Technologies Inc., San Leandro, California, is awarded a $21,741,021 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for a Flash X-Ray machine, a Short-Pulse Gamma Ray machine, and a radiation shielding design and installation and training. The supplies under this contract enhance the Navy's capability to produce and acquire strategic radiation hardened trusted microelectronics. These supplies are in support Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane's Radiation Testing Modernization Program. Work will be performed in San Leandro, California (97%); and Crane, Indiana (3%), and is expected to be complete by December 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding for $21,741,021 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source and no other supplies will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-20-C-GM69). AIR FORCE Millennium Health & Fitness Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, is awarded a $9,200,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Civilian Health Promotion Services (CHPS). This requirement provides health promotion professionals that will develop, manage and promote CHPS to all civilian employees in Air Force Materiel Command and Air Mobility Command. The CHPS program may include depending on location, but is not limited to: individual health counseling, group health education classes, telephonic wellness coaching, cardiac risk blood profile (HDL, LDL, cholesterol ratio and glucose), body composition analysis, online health risk appraisal, wellness challenges and health awareness campaigns. The CHPS is a mobile worksite wellness program. The CHPS health promotion professionals will provide services at 12 staffed Air Force bases (including the CHPS office) and eight unstaffed/visited base locations appropriate for mass screenings and work is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2021. This award is the result of a 100% Small Business Set-aside acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,235,167 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8003-20-C-0004). *Small Business