India to ban imports of 101 defence products

On the same subject

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  May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  SCAF et éthique

  Airbus et l'institut Fraunhofer FKIE créent un groupe d'experts sur l'utilisation responsable des nouvelles technologies. L'humain doit pouvoir conserver en toutes circonstances le contrôle du système de combat aérien futur (SCAF) quand il sera opérationnel. Dans le cadre du projet de système de combat aérien futur (SCAF), Airbus et l'institut allemand de communication, traitement de l'information et ergonomie Fraunhofer FKIE, basé à Bonn, ont créé un groupe d'experts sur l'utilisation responsable des nouvelles technologies en vue de définir et de proposer des « garde-fous » éthiques et juridiques internationaux pour le plus grand projet de défense européen. Mis en place initialement en Allemagne en 2019, ce groupe d'experts est actuellement composé de représentants des ministères allemands de la Défense et des Affaires étrangères, ainsi que de diverses fondations, universités et think tanks. « Le SCAF représente une énorme avancée à bien des égards. Il s'agit du plus grand projet de défense européen des décennies à venir et, à ce titre, il favorisera la collaboration des nations partenaires. Avec le SCAF, nous allons intensifier nos efforts pour développer les nouvelles technologies qui composeront ce système de systèmes aérien de sixième génération », a déclaré Dirk Hoke, CEO d'Airbus Defence and Space. « Ce programme offre de nouvelles perspectives dans le domaine des politiques de sécurité et contribue à renforcer le rôle de l'Europe dans le monde. Mais il soulève aussi certaines questions éthiques et juridiques sur lesquelles nous devons nous pencher. » Le programme SCAF est un système de systèmes en réseau d'une grande complexité, avec pour élément central un avion de combat de nouvelle génération. Cette plateforme avec pilote coopérera avec des drones d'appui appelés « remote carriers », qui fourniront des capacités essentielles pour l'accomplissement des missions. Des architectures système évolutives et interopérables permettront d'intégrer au SCAF les plateformes existantes modernisées. Pour tirer le meilleur parti des capacités collaboratives des plateformes avec et sans pilote, un « Air Combat Cloud » fusionnera en temps réel de gros volumes de données, associés à l'analyse militaire et à l'intelligence artificielle. Les technologies développées dans le cadre de ce projet devraient, en outre, avoir d'importantes retombées bénéfiques pour de futures applications civiles. Le professeur Reimund Neugebauer, Président de l'institut Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft e. V., a déclaré : « Le SCAF est sur le plan technologique le programme de défense le plus vaste et le plus ambitieux jamais réalisé en Europe. L'un des enjeux essentiels qui occupera notre groupe consiste à veiller à ce que le système réponde aux besoins des missions du XXIe siècle à l'échelle mondiale, tout en garantissant un contrôle total de l'humain sur le système, à tout moment et en toutes circonstances. C'est la première fois dans l'histoire de la République fédérale d'Allemagne, qu'un projet de défense majeur s'accompagne dès le départ d'un débat intellectuel sur la mise en œuvre des principes éthiques et juridiques de base – ‘conformité éthique et juridique dès la conception'. » Un site web a été créé afin de garantir un maximum de transparence dans les travaux du groupe d'experts : www.fcas-forum.eu. Tous les membres participent aux travaux à titre bénévole et s'engagent uniquement en leur 'me et conscience. https://www.aerobuzz.fr/breves-defense/scaf-et-ethique/

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  August 29, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  Pentagon unveils ‘Replicator’ drone program to compete with China

  The program will seek to scale unmanned, attritable systems to offset China's bulk capacity, Hicks said.

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  May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  Intelsat declares bankruptcy

  Nathan Strout and Valerie Insinna Satellite communications provider Intelsat declared bankruptcy May 13, although its subsidiary which provides services to the Department of Defense is not part of the Chapter 11 proceedings. CEO Stephen Spengler spun the action as a positive move, claiming it gave the company more financial flexibility for the Federal Communication Commission's clearing of C-Band spectrum to make way for 5G uses. Major satellite communications companies, including Intelsat, saw their stocks take a massive hit last fall when FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced plans for a public auctioning of C-Band spectrum, which C-Band holders like Intelsat had hoped to sell off directly. The company says it will need to spend more than $1 billion to meet the FCC's deadlines for clearing out C-Band spectrum, which it needs to do in order to be eligible for $4.87 billion in accelerated relocation payments. Wiping the company's significant legacy debt off the books will help it accomplish those actions, said Spengler. “We intend to move forward with the accelerated clearing of C-band spectrum in the United States and to achieve a comprehensive solution that would result in a stronger balance sheet,” said Spengler in a statement. “This will position us to invest and pursue our strategic growth objectives, build on our strengths, and serve the mission-critical needs of our customers with additional resources and wind in our sails.” Subject to court approval, the company said in a statement it had already secured $1 billion in new financing in debtor-in-position funds, giving it the liquidity to continue current operations and finance C-Band clearing costs spurred by the Federal Communications Commission. The company claims that day-to-day operations will not be impacted by the restructuring process—it will continue to launch new satellites and invest in its network with no changes planned. The Chapter 11 petitions for Intelsat and some of its subsidiaries were filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division. However, Intelsat General, which provides satellite communications to the U.S. military and allied military customers, is not part of the bankruptcy proceedings. “The immediate concern (for DoD) is continuity of operations and it sounds like that is not going to be a big issue,” said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS. “The longer term concern for DoD is how does Intelsat eventually emerge from bankruptcy, and is there any kind of transfer in ownership or an increase in ownership stake that would be concerning from a national security perspective.” Specifically, investment from Chinese companies could raise alarms for the military and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. “I think that's something that DoD will be watching, that Treasury will be watching,” he said. “It will be a positive side from DoD's perspective if wherever the capital is coming from is from a U.S. source.” When asked about potential Chinese investment in a bankrupt Intelsat May 14, U.S. Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Will Roper acknowledged he had concerns. “It's a topic that's harder for me to talk about, but we are mindful of adversarial tactics in this period. Every crisis is an opportunity, and with companies coming under duress it is an opportunity for predatorial tactics targeting IP that countries would not have access to otherwise," he told reporters. Furthermore, Roper noted that the decision to financially support a company like Intelsat to prevent foreign investment requires a different calculus than a traditional stimulus. “The way to engage if we risk losing IP to a nation for whom it's not in our interest to have it, it's a very different strategy (than whether we) should engage to prop up a company through stimulus," he said. "When the former appears to happen, then we need to pivot into a different gear than we would be in the latter. We simply cannot do stimulus for every company that is in duress right now.” Intelsat isn't the only major satellite company to declare bankruptcy. OneWeb—who have been building a proliferated low earth orbit constellation to provide broadband—declared bankruptcy in March. DoD had been exploring utilizing OneWeb for communications in the Arctic among other things, and Lt. Gen. David Thompson, vice commander of Headquarters Space Force, noted earlier this week that the department's new Space Acquisition Council was looking into helping OneWeb and other financially vulnerable space companies impacted by COVID-19. Intelsat noted in a statement that several of its end markets had been impacted by COVID-19. Roper said he was concerned with how COVID-19 was disproportionately affecting space and aviation companies, which rely more heavily on commercial revenue than other parts of the defense industrial base. “That's why we've taken such aggressive means to accelerate contract awards," said Roper. “We're worried about space, as well, especially microelectronics. All of the Space Acquisition Council shares that concern. And as we see the Chapter 11s being filed—we're tracking them—but our concern as an acquisition enterprise has got to be industrial base health and not picking winners or losers with specific companies. It's ensuring that we are engaging to have a healthy industrial base on the other side." Roper added that he had approved the acceleration of a major satellite award that should be announced this week as part of the department's efforts to increase the flow of funding to defense companies during COVID-19. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/05/14/intelsat-declares-bankruptcy/