Back to news

April 20, 2021 | International, Aerospace

La campagne de certification de ravitaillement en vol des hélicoptères depuis des Airbus A400M se poursuit

L'avionneur a annoncé lundi avoir mené avec succès une campagne de certification de ravitaillement en vol pour hélicoptères. Le groupe souhaite finaliser la campagne de certification complète au plus tard à la fin de l'année. Les essais, en coordination avec la Direction Générale de l'Armement et l'armée de l'Air et de l'Espace française, ont impliqué deux hélicoptères H225M (Airbus Helicopters). Dans un communiqué de presse, le groupe précise qu'« au cours de ces vols, un total de 81 contacts et des transferts de 6,5 tonnes de carburant ont été réalisés, dont le ravitaillement simultané de deux hélicoptères pour la première fois. Avec cette capacité, l'A400M devient l'un des rares avions ravitailleurs au monde capable d'effectuer de telles opérations ».

Zonebourse.com, Airrecognition.com, Actu-aero.fr

On the same subject

  • Congress wants to create ‘cyber first responders’

    June 13, 2019 | International, Security, Other Defence

    Congress wants to create ‘cyber first responders’

    By: Chloe Rogers House lawmakers passed a bill June 10 that would require the establishment of permanent “cyber incident teams” to help protect both federal agencies and the private sector from cyberattacks. The Department of Homeland Security Cyber Incident Response Teams Act would create permanent teams of cybersecurity specialists within DHS that the government and industry could call on to help them recover from network breaches. “When cyberattacks occur, immediate expertise is needed to mitigate damage and ensure organizations are restored,” the bill's primary sponsor Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said. “Cyber incident response teams provide that expertise and function as our cyber first responders.” The teams, which will be housed under the DHS's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, could also include cybersecurity experts from the private sector as members. McCaul said the bill fosters “collaboration between the public and private sector to ensure that our nation can continue to adapt to the constant changes in the cyber landscape.” Reps. John Katko, R-N.Y.; Jim Langevin, D-R.I.; John Ratcliffe, R-Texas; and Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., also sponsored the bill. The House bill was introduced in February as companion legislature to the bipartisan DHS Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio. The Senate version of the bill was approved by Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in April. https://www.fifthdomain.com/congress/capitol-hill/2019/06/12/congres

  • Fonds européen de défense : 100 millions d'euros pour l'eurodrone

    March 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    Fonds européen de défense : 100 millions d'euros pour l'eurodrone

    Par Justine BOQUET La Commission Européenne a annoncé qu'un budget global de 525 millions d'euros avait été débloqué au titre du fonds européen de Défense, dont 100 millions devraient être attribués pour le programme Eurodrone. La Commission Européenne a détaillé le 19 mars la répartition du budget du fonds européen de défense pour la période 2019-2020. Un budget initial de 500 millions d'euros a ainsi été approuvé. A cela s'ajoute « un montant supplémentaire de 25 millions d'euros [qui] a été affecté à l'appui aux projets de recherche collaboratifs dans le domaine de la défense en 2019 », rapporte la Commission Européenne. Deux projets ont d'ores et déjà été sélectionnés, lesquels bénéficieront d'un soutien financier émanant du FED. Parmi eux, figure l'eurodrone. Le drone male européen, développé par Airbus, Dassault et Leonardo, obtient ainsi un financement de 100 millions d'euros. Le programme de communications militaires ESSOR hérite lui d'une enveloppe de 37 millions d'euros. L'institution a par la même détaillé les domaines qui devraient hériter d'un financement, dans le but de soutenir la BITD européenne et pour permettre aux Etats Membres de se doter d'équipements leur permettant d'assurer leur sécurité. « L'accent sera mis sur des domaines tels que la technologie des drones, la communication par satellite, les systèmes d'alerte rapide, l'intelligence artificielle, la cyberdéfense ou la surveillance maritime », précise la Commission. Afin de sélectionner les programmes qui bénéficieront d'un soutien européen, l'Union Européenne réalisera un appel à propositions pour 21 projets sur la période 2019-2020. Parmi les axes technologiques soutenus par la Commission Européenne, on retrouve la prévention des menaces NRBC et le domaine de l'anti-drones, volet qui hérite d'un montant de 80 M€. La cybersécurité, la cyberdéfense, la surveillance de l'espace, les capacités d'alerte rapide et de surveillance maritime bénéficieront d'une enveloppe globale de 182 M€. « 71 millions d'euros soutiendront la mise à niveau ou le développement de la prochaine génération de capacités de frappe de précision au sol, de capacités de combat au sol, de capacités de lutte aérienne et de futurs systèmes navals », ajoute la Commission Européenne. Pour soutenir le domaine de l'intelligence artificielle, de la réalité virtuelle et des cybertechnologies, l'Union Européenne débloquera une enveloppe de 27 millions d'euros, laquelle permettra par ailleurs d'appuyer les PME dans la conduite de leurs projets. http://www.air-cosmos.com/fonds-europeen-de-defense-100-millions-d-euros-pour-l-eurodrone-121705

  • Navy Buys Tech that Can Land F-35s on Carriers with Pinpoint Accuracy

    June 25, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    Navy Buys Tech that Can Land F-35s on Carriers with Pinpoint Accuracy

    By Hope Hodge Seck When the Navy's F-35C Joint Strike Fighter embarks on its first carrier deployment in 2021, it's expected to take with it a pinpoint-accurate landing system that purports to make the terror of night approaches and high sea-state traps all but a thing of the past. Raytheon announced this week that the Navy awarded a $234.6 million contract for a low-rate initial production of 23 of its Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems, or JPALS -- enough to outfit every carrier and L-class amphibious assault ship with the technology. The contract also will include retrofitting three earlier systems that had been installed, a Raytheon executive said. Delivering to the Navy will start late next year, and installation will begin shortly thereafter, retired Navy Rear Adm. C.J. Jaynes, Raytheon's JPALS technical executive, told Military.com this week. The work is expected to be completed by August 2023, according to a published contract announcement. The system, which uses shipboard-relative GPS to guide planes in for landings and communicates with the aircraft from the deck of the carrier up to 200 nautical miles out, is accurate within 20 centimeters, or about 8 inches, Jaynes said. "It hits the third wire every time," she said. "It's [reliable in] all-weather and all sea states, including Sea State 5 (waves of roughly 8 to 12 feet)." For Navy pilots, catching the third of four wires on tailhook landings (or the second of three wires) has historically been a game of skill and precision that becomes orders of magnitude more difficult in the dark or in low-visibility weather conditions. Marine Corps F-35B pilots, who use the aircraft's vertical-landing configuration to put it down on the smaller flight decks of amphibious ships, face the same problems. And those issues may actually be exacerbated by a number of F-35-specific issues pending resolution. The custom-made, $400,000-per-unit helmet that F-35 pilots wear -- a piece of technology that allows them to "see through" the plane via a display for better situational awareness -- features symbology that emits a green glow, interfering with pilots' vision in low-light conditions. A video that emerged in 2017 showed an F-35 pilot landing "in a fog" on the amphibious assault ship America at night, his vision obscured by the helmet display. A recent Defense News report highlighted another issue with the helmet display at night that obscures the horizon. JPALS, which has already deployed in an early-development version with F-35Bs aboard the amphibious assault ships Wasp and Essex, would decrease reliance on visibility for accurate landings. Another F-35C-installed tool, Delta Flight Path, will keep aircraft on a steady glide slope for carrier landings, reducing inputs and corrections required from pilots. Early reports from the JPALS deployments with the Marines have been extremely positive, Jaynes said. "The pilots absolutely love it. It's been 100 percent accuracy, always available, they haven't had any issues at all," she said. "We know they have not had to abort any missions due to weather or due to sea state." Raytheon is now pitching an expeditionary version of JPALS, easily transportable and designed to guide aircraft to safe landings on bare airfields. The whole system can fit in five transit cases, be transported by C-130 Hercules, and be assembled within 90 minutes, Raytheon says. The Navy's future tanker drone, the MQ-25 Stingray, will also be JPALS-equipped; Jaynes said Raytheon is in talks with the service now about selling expeditionary JPALS for the MQ-25 program for shore-based tanker landings at locations like Norfolk, Virginia, or Point Mugu, California. Meanwhile, she said, the Marine Corps is considering buying a single expeditionary JPALS system for testing in order to develop a concept of operations to employ it. But "the closest customer outside of MQ-25 is actually the U.S. Air Force," Jaynes said. "They'd be able to move their aircraft possibly every 24 to 48 hours and do island-hopping in the Pacific. We're going over to [United States Air Forces in Europe -- Air Forces Africa] in July to talk with them about the system," she said. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/06/21/all-navy-carriers-amphibs-get-f-35-precision-landing-system.html

All news