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July 13, 2023 | International, Land

Italy plans to buy Leopard 2 tanks to boost ground forces

Italy is planning to buy German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to boost its ground forces in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a defence undersecretary told parliament on Thursday.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/italy-plans-buy-leopard-2-tanks-boost-ground-forces-2023-07-13/

On the same subject

  • Members of Congress look to make AI a priority

    September 26, 2018 | International, C4ISR

    Members of Congress look to make AI a priority

    By: Jessie Bur Congress and the executive branch need to make a more concerted effort to address and prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence, Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill., said in a white paper released Sept. 25. The congressmen, who serve as the chairman and ranking member of the House IT Subcommittee, compiled information gathered in past congressional hearings and meetings with experts to argue for the criticality of federal input in the many facets of AI. “In light of that potential for disruption, it's critical that the federal government address the different challenges posed by AI, including its current and future applications. The following paper presents lessons learned from the Subcommittee's oversight and hearings on AI and sets forth recommendations for moving forward,” Hurd and Kelly wrote. “Underlying these recommendations is the recognition the United States cannot maintain its global leadership in AI absent political leadership from Congress and the executive branch. Therefore, the Subcommittee recommends increased engagement on AI by Congress and the administration.” According to the White Paper, under current trends the United States is soon slated to be outpaced in research and development investments by countries like China that have prioritized artificial intelligence investment. “Particularly concerning is the prospect of an authoritarian country, such as Russia or China, overtaking the United States in AI. As the Subcommittee's hearings showed, AI is likely to have a significant impact in cybersecurity, and American competitiveness in AI will be critical to ensuring the United States does not lose any decisive cybersecurity advantage to other nation-states,” Hurd and Kelly wrote. Hurd characterized the Chinese investment in AI as a race with the U.S. “It's a race, we all know this, and one of the things we need [is] a national strategy, similar to what we've seen in the conversations around quantum computing yesterday at the White House. What we saw almost a decade ago when it came to nanotechnology. And part of that strategy does include increasing basic research, opening up data sets and making sure the U.S. is playing a part, leader on ethics when it comes to artificial intelligence,” said Hurd in a Sept. 25 press call. The paper applauded current investments in R&D, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's creation of the Artificial Intelligence Exploration program, and encouraged government hosting more “Grand Challenges” like those conducted by DARPA to encourage outside-government innovation. “I do believe the federal government has a role, because we're sitting on data sets that could be used as a backbone of a Grand Challenge around artificial intelligence,” said Hurd, who added that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, healthcare agencies and many other components of the federal government possess the data to administer meaningful AI competitions. “I think this would be a maybe a great opportunity for a public private partnership,” added Kelly on the press call. The paper also identified four primary challenges that can arise as AI becomes more prevalent: workforce, privacy, bias and malicious use. AI has the potential to both put portions of the workforce out of a job as more tasks become automated and increase the number of jobs for those trained to work with artificial intelligence. Hurd and Kelly called on the federal government to lead the way in adapting its workforce by planning for and investing in training programs that will enable them to transition into AI work. As with many technologies, AI has the potential to infringe on privacy, as intelligent products or systems such as virtual assistants constantly collect data on individuals. That data could be exploited by both the company that created the technology and hackers looking to steal personal information. “The growing collection and use of personal data in AI systems and applications raises legitimate concerns about privacy. As such, federal agencies should review federal privacy laws, regulations, and judicial decisions to determine how they may already apply to AI products within their jurisdiction, and—where necessary—update existing regulations to account for the addition of AI,” Hurd and Kelly wrote. The white paper also calls on federal agencies to make government data more available to the public for AI experimentation, while also ensuring that any AI algorithms used by agencies to “make consequential decisions about individuals” are “inspectable” to ensure that they operate without coded bias. According to Hurd, the question of whether and how that inspectable information would be made available to the public still needs to be asked. Finally, Hurd and Kelly called on government entities to consider how AI may be used to perpetuate cyber attacks or otherwise cause harm. However, while recommending that agencies look to existing regulation and statute and some limited changes to those statutes, the paper encouraged a similar hands off approach that the federal government took to the development of the internet. “The government should begin by first assessing whether the risks to public safety or consumers already fall within existing regulatory frameworks and, if so, consideration should be made as to whether those existing frameworks can adequately address the risks,” Hurd and Kelly wrote. “At minimum, a widely agreed upon standard for measuring the safety and security of AI products and applications should precede any new regulations. A common taxonomy also would help facilitate clarity and enable accurate accounting of skills and uses of AI.” https://www.federaltimes.com/federal-oversight/congress/2018/09/25/members-of-congress-look-to-make-ai-a-priority

  • Avion de combat : la France et l'Allemagne veulent travailler ensemble

    April 5, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    Avion de combat : la France et l'Allemagne veulent travailler ensemble

    ANNE BAUER Les ministres de la Défense française et allemande souhaiteraient réaliser ensemble un « système de combat aérien du futur ». Un projet pour remplacer à terme les Rafale et les Eurofighter. C'est une visite importante pour les industriels du secteur. La ministre de la défense allemande, Ursula von der Leyen, vient ce jeudi à Paris rencontrer son homologue Florence Parly. Après cinq mois sans gouvernement, la ministre, confirmée à son poste par Angela Merkel, devrait maintenir l'agenda de coopération bilatérale défini lors du conseil des ministres franco-allemand du 13 juillet dernier. Notamment pour la réalisation en commun d'un grand nombre d'équipements militaires du futur : avions de combat, drones, chars... Vers un avion de combat franco-allemand L'engagement de la ministre est important alors que le SPD, traditionnellement hostile aux interventions militaires et aux exportations d'armes, a imposé en partie ses réticences dans le programme de gouvernement du quatrième mandat d'Angela Merkel. Toutefois, depuis juillet, les administrations et les états-majors des armées ont maintenu leurs travaux, ce qui permettra à Florence Parly et Ursula von der Leyen d'annoncer la réalisation en coopération du « système de combat aérien du futur », probablement un ensemble d'avions pilotés et de drones, voire d'outils de défense sol-air ou air-air, lors du Salon aéronautique de Berlin qui démarre le 25 avril. A cette occasion, les deux ministres signeront ensemble un document réalisé par les états-majors français et allemand sur leurs besoins futurs. « Ce document est essentiel pour exprimer les besoins des armées, et sera ensuite décliné entre les industriels français et allemands (Dassault, Safran, MBDA, Airbus, etc.) pour converger peu à peu vers une feuille de route pour construire le système d'avion de chasse qui remplacera à l'horizon 2040 les Eurofighters de l'armée allemande et les Rafale de l'armée française », explique l'entourage de Florence Parly. La Grande-Bretagne en attente Un sujet majeur pour la survie de l'industrie aéronautique européenne et un symbole très fort de la nouvelle volonté de la France et de l'Allemagne de renforcer l'Europe de la défense. Si l'Allemagne et la France parviennent à travailler de concert sur l'avion de chasse de 5e génération, la probabilité que l'Allemagne choisisse l'avion de combat américain F-35 de Lockheed-Martin pour remplacer ses vieux Tornado s'éloigne. A l'hôtel de Brienne, on estime possible de faire converger les études des différents industriels jusqu'à la définition d'un projet concret en 2019. Pas question de répéter les erreurs de l'avion de transport militaire A400M. L'Allemagne et la France veulent d'abord bien définir le projet avant d'ouvrir le projet à d'autres pays. D'autant plus que la Grande-Bretagne, empêtrée dans ses problèmes de Brexit, ne semble plus vouloir poursuivre le projet de drone de combat du futur engagé avec Dassault et BAE, ce qui oblige à une redéfinition des enjeux. Des drones européens en 2025 Une autre coopération est en bonne voie : le futur eurodrone de moyenne altitude et de longue endurance (MALE), piloté par l'Allemagne en association avec Airbus, Dassault et Leonardo, qui doit aboutir à un contrat de réalisation l'an prochain en vue d'une livraison vers 2025. Ce projet, dont le développement sera essentiellement financé par le Fonds européen de défense en discussion à Bruxelles, doit permettre à l'Europe de regagner une part de souveraineté, alors qu'elle doit aujourd'hui acquérir des drones Reapers américains pour sécuriser ses opérations extérieures. La France s'engagerait à acquérir 12 eurodrones (4 systèmes de trois drones) à partir de 2025. Le tabou des exportations D'autres coopérations sont en cours, à court terme pour la modernisation des hélicoptères Tigre, le partage des données satellitaires ou la communication et à long terme pour définir le char de combat qui remplacera les Leclerc français et les Leopard allemands. La volonté franco-allemande de renforcer l'Europe de la défense, notamment en collaborant pour rationaliser l'industrie de l'armement européenne, demeure. Toutefois, un sujet de fond n'est pour l'instant toujours pas traité : la possibilité ou non d'harmoniser les règles d'exportation. Un sujet essentiel pour l'avenir des projets communs, à l'heure où le Parlement allemand souhaite interdire les ventes d'armes en Arabie saoudite pour protester contre ses agissements au Yemen. Anne Bauer https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/0301522398411-avion-de-combat-du-futur-le-gouvernement-confirme-la-cooperation-franco-allemande-2166488.php

  • Rheinmetall eyes do-over in new pitch of its Lynx vehicle to the US Army

    October 21, 2020 | International, Land, Security

    Rheinmetall eyes do-over in new pitch of its Lynx vehicle to the US Army

    Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — Rheinmetall is teaming with Textron Systems to pitch the Lynx KF41 vehicle as a Bradley replacement to the U.S. Army, the company announced Tuesday. The campaign marks the second time that the Düsseldorf, Germany-based company is targeting the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program following an unsuccessful attempt last year that eventually saw the ground service halt the race. This time around, Rheinmetall is putting greater emphasis on a U.S. footprint, led by its growing American Rheinmetall Vehicles subsidiary based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Textron, as the newcomer on Team Lynx, is meant to be front and center when it comes to manufacturing and robotics capabilities. “Textron Systems' Slidell, Louisiana, vehicle production facility has supported more than 15 armored vehicle programs of record supporting over 20 countries,” Henry Finneral, senior vice president and general manager of Textron Systems' Marine and Land Systems business, said in a statement. “We stand ready to support the team and the US Army and deliver a trusted platform for the future.” Matt Warnick, managing director at American Rheinmetall Vehicles, said the “teaming agreement brings together two of the world's leading providers of defense industry solutions." Raytheon remains part of the team. Executives hope the new Army competition will give all bidders more leeway in fine-tuning their eventual offers to the service's requirements. That marks a contrast to the previous acquisition attempt, where the ground service essentially wanted specific features already built into prototype vehicles, with little time for companies to adjust. This time around, the Army plans to downsize to five bidders, then three, before picking an eventual winner. A final request for proposals is expected late this year or early next. Service officials have put competitors on notice that an open architecture in the vehicle design will be at a premium, a feature that Rheinmetall touted in its bid notice. “The network is almost more important in some ways than building the combat vehicles,” Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, program executive officer of ground combat systems, told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army's virtual conference, which ended last week. Rheinmetall previously planned to present the teaming arrangement with Textron at this year's AUSA show if the event had taken place in person. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/10/20/rheinmetall-eyes-do-over-in-new-pitch-of-its-lynx-vehicle-to-the-us-army/

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