Ingalls to hire 3,000 full-time shipbuilders

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  June 16, 2020 | International, Land

  GDLS secures USD2.5 billion contract for US Army Stryker DVHA1

  by Ashley Roque The US Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) with a USD2.5 billion contract to produce Stryker Double V-Hull A1 (DVHA1) vehicles. Service plans call for fielding 331 Stryker DVHA1s to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and this new contract covers seven years of work that will be completed by May 2027, according to Ashley John, the public affairs director for the army's Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems. “[This contract] includes a new hull configuration, increased armour, upgraded suspension and braking systems, wider tyres, blast-attenuating seats, and a height management system,” John told Janes on 15 June. In addition to increasing the chassis payload capacity from 55,000 to 63,000 lb, the DVHA1 upgrades include replacing the 350 horsepower Caterpillar C7 engine with a 450 horsepower Caterpillar C9 engine, replacing a 570 amp alternator with a 910 amp alternator capable of supporting electrical power required for future network upgrades, and more, according to the 2019 Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) report. Meanwhile, the army is also in the midst of a competition to pick a vendor to outfit Stryker DVHA1 vehicles with 30 mm cannons under the Medium Calibre Weapons System (MCWS) effort. Last year, the army awarded six companies – EOS Defense Systems, GDLS, Kollsman, Leonardo DRS, Pratt Miller, and Raytheon – with contracts valued at up to USD150,000. Each company was also given a Stryker DVHA1 and an XM813 cannon, and tasked with building a ‘production-representative vehicle' that integrates a government-provided weapon station onto the vehicle. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/gdls-secures-usd25-billion-contract-for-us-army-stryker-dvha1

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  September 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  MBDA unveils Spectre combat UAV concept

  Robin Hughes, London - IHS Jane's Missiles & Rockets MBDA in the United Kingdom has unveiled a new combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) concept designed to provide on-call, low-cost organic precision effects close air support for forward-deployed land forces. Spectre is a tilt wing, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) combat air system concept capable of quickly transitioning to forward flight mode for rapid traversal over complex terrain at low altitude. Designed with an integrated modular payload bay capable of incorporating systems up to 25 kg, Spectre can be equipped with either two MBDA Enforcers or a single Missile Moyenne Portee (MMP) multirole weapons system to address light armoured, soft-skinned and unmanned threats, or heavier armoured threats. The Spectre system can ‘find and fix' beyond line-of-sight threats in complex operational environments to assist deployed ground forces. It also incorporates a ‘watch and wait' mode with a top attack capability effectively giving the Spectre an overwatch/loitering munition utility. Other mission module options include re-supply payloads, improved sensors, or electronic warfare payloads. The latter payload can be combined with kinetic effects to disrupt adversary operations. Spectre's various mission modules can be replaced by the operator in-theatre, and the system design provides for the integration of new and upgraded modules and technologies and requirements evolve. As currently envisaged, Spectre will have a cruise speed of 180 km/h, a cruising altitude of less than 100 m, and combat range in excess of 10 km with a flight endurance of more than 60 minutes. The Spectre design provides for two (front and aft) 2 m tilt wings, with four rotor assemblies: one on each wing. The all-up weight of the concept system has not been disclosed. Other features include automatic navigation, operator-over-the-loop command and control (but with firing authority always with the human operator), and anti-jam GPS navigation. Spectre can be used as a single system, or as a scalable co-operative swarming capability. https://www.janes.com/article/83133/mbda-unveils-spectre-combat-uav-concept

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  January 18, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  China’s WJ-700 Armed Reconnaissance Drone Completes Maiden Flight

  China's new WJ-700 high-altitude, long-endurance and high-speed armed reconnaissance drone successfully completed its maiden flight earlier this week. The “rare type” drone is capable of executing both attack and reconnaissance missions in China, according to a statement the Third Academy of the state-owned arms firm China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) sent to the Global Times. First unveiled at Airshow China in 2018, the WJ-700 is expected to have a maximum take-off weight of 3,500 kg, with a maximum endurance of 20 hours. It is capable of performing air-to-surface precision strikes in multiple situations such as stand-off ground attacks, anti-ship, and anti-radiation attacks, the statement said, noting that it will “create a new pattern for drone combat.” China wants to begin selling the drones to domestic and international market needs in the next five to 10 years. Compared to other popular drones, the distinguishing characteristic of the WJ-700 is its large size, meaning it has an outstanding payload capacity that allows it to carry larger munitions like anti-ship missiles and stand-off weapons that enable the drone to launch attacks from outside of an enemy anti-aircraft fire coverage zone, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, said. Key tactical and even strategic battlefield hubs, including radar installations, warships and command centers could be targets of the WJ-700, analysts said. The WJ-700 could deliver diverse combat missions in high-threat battlefield environments with its precision combat and wide-area reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. After completing various system-level tests and verifications, it will be officially put into combat applications, the academy said. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28768#.YAXP_-hKiUk