January 21, 2021 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON —The United Arab Emirates on Jan. 20 signed off on a deal to purchase up to 50 F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft and 18 MQ-9 Reaper drones from the United States.
According to Reuters, which broke the news, the agreement was one of the final acts of the Trump administration, occurring just an hour before President Joe Biden was inaugurated.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed separately to Defense News that the U.S. and UAE officials on Wednesday signed a letter of agreement, which solidifies the terms of a foreign military sale between two nations.
The departments of State and Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agreement delineates the cost of the aircraft, technical specifications and the schedule for F-35 deliveries to the UAE, people familiar with the deal told Reuters. Those sources could not confirm when the first F-35 is due to be delivered to Abu Dhabi, but stated that an initial proposal stipulated 2027 as one possible date.
The UAE deal was previously estimated at a $23.37 billion value, including 50 F-35A fighters worth $10.4 billion, 18 MQ-9B drones worth $2.97 billion, and $10 billion worth of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions.
Those dollar totals are expected to shift around during further negotiations with F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin and MQ-9 maker General Atomics.
It's unclear whether the incoming administration will seek to undo the deal. Biden's pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told reporters in late October that the sale is “something we would look at very, very carefully,” due to U.S. obligations to preserve Israel's qualitative military edge.
In December, the Senate rejected an attempt to block the sale, with Republicans largely voting to preserve the deal. The first vote concerned the drones and munitions and failed 46-50, while the second concerned the F-35s and fell 47-49.
Aaron Mehta and Joe Gould in Washington contributed to this report.
January 20, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Six advanced Rafale jets, purchased from the French Air Force, flew in low formation over Athens before their official handover to the Greek armed forces at a nearby air base.
May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace
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/
November 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
NAVY Clark Construction Group LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, is awarded a $570,337,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center addition/alteration at Naval Support Activity Bethesda. This work consists of constructing a new addition for inpatient and outpatient medical care, renovation of two existing hospital buildings, and demolition of six existing hospital buildings. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $120,000,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in fiscal 2021 at $150,000,000. The third increment will be funded in fiscal 2022 at $150,000,000. The fourth increment will be funded in fiscal 2023 at $150,337,000. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2018 military construction, (Defense-wide) contract funds are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with one proposal received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-20-C-0001). Edifice LLC, doing business as Edifice Solutions,* Beltsville, Maryland, is awarded a firm-fixed-price task order N40085-20-F-4066 at $9,572,167 under a small business design-build/design-bid-build general construction multiple award construction contract for the design-build for four new magazines at Naval Air Station Oceana, Dam Neck Annex. The work to be performed provides for construction of four new oval-arch, earth-covered magazines to replace seven obsolete magazines and demolition of the seven obsolete magazines. Construction of the magazines will require work within jurisdictional forested wetlands as well as the 100-year flood plan. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds for $9,572,167 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-18-D-1125). AIR FORCE L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $24,500,078 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action for procurement of Group B material and the Ground System Integration Lab. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 2024. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $14,006,934 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-19-F-4872 P00005). ARMY RLB Contracting Inc.,* Port Lavaca, Texas, was awarded a $8,862,000 firm-fixed-price contract for pipeline dredging in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Texas, across San Antonio Bay in Aransas County, Texas. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Calhoun, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 civil works, operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,862,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0001). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2014557/source/GovDelivery/