February 23, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
La Commission européenne a présenté, lundi 22 février, un plan d'action afin de créer des synergies entre les secteurs de la défense, du civil et du spatial. Le commissaire européen Thierry Breton a souligné que le FED (Fonds européen de défense), dont la vocation est de pousser les entreprises du secteur à former des alliances transfrontalières, afin de doper l'innovation, représente « un moyen très puissant à notre disposition ». Des synergies peuvent être créées entre ce fonds et d'autres programmes de l'UE, dans les domaines du spatial, du numérique, de la sécurité intérieure, notamment. Le plan d'action de Bruxelles repose en particulier sur l'identification d'industries clés pour l'avenir. La Commission va créer un « Observatoire des technologies critiques », qui fournira des rapports bisannuels, visant à orienter les efforts sur quelques domaines ciblés. Les secteurs du cloud, des processeurs, du spatial et des technologies quantiques ont notamment été mis en avant. Trois projets sont déjà cités, concernant les drones, la connectivité aux réseaux par satellite et la gestion du trafic spatial. Le plan entend inclure les PME, les startups ou les petits centres de recherche, en les aiguillant au mieux vers les mécanismes de financement auxquels ils pourraient prétendre au-delà de leur domaine traditionnel. « Nombreuses sont les innovations qui sont nées dans des petits labos », a souligné la vice-présidente de la Commission européenne, Margrethe Vestager.
Les Echos et Le Figaro du 23 février
December 26, 2022 | International, C4ISR
Jennifer Swanson spoke to C4ISRNET on the sidelines of the Armyâs Technical Exchange Meeting 9, a military network-and-communications forum in Tennessee.
February 16, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Posted on February 15, 2018 by Ken Pole Canada has joined an international program which is expected to yield a new generation of maritime surveillance aircraft that will eventually replace platforms such as the extensively-upgraded CP-140 Auroras first deployed by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in the early 1980s. The Department of National Defence confirmed in a statement that Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, in Brussels for the latest North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defence ministerial meeting, had signed a letter the previous day signalling Canada's intent to join the Maritime Multi-Mission Aircraft (M3A) forum, where the allies would “share force development resources and knowledge, in the pursuit of maritime patrol aircraft recapitalization.” Poland also confirmed plans to join France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey on developing follow-on solutions for aging fleets of maritime anti-submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft which are becoming increasingly costly to maintain. The original six began collaborating last June, hoping that a common approach could help to contain the cost of developing new aircraft. “This joint effort recognizes the fact that the majority of allies' maritime patrol aircraft fleets will be reaching the end of their operational lives between 2025 and 2035,” said NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller during the signing ceremony. Gottemoeller, a United States career diplomat, said the eight countries now needed to push on to the implementation phase for the M3A. “The goal here isn't just a drawing board design,” she said. “We need a new generation of aircraft . . . fulfilling what is an increasingly important mission.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/canada-joins-alliance-seeking-new-maritime-surveillance-aircraft/
December 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force has found a new manager for its expanded prototyping organization — the Space Enterprise Consortium — which will oversee $12 billion in awards for space-related projects over the next 10 years. The Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development Corps selected National Security Technology Accelerator, known as NSTXL, to manage its SpEC Reloaded portfolio to adopt ever-evolving innovations before they're outdated. SMC expects to issue the award on Dec. 31, following a required 30-day congressional notification period. Launched in 2017, SpEC has doled out prototyping awards for everything from new ground systems to a Link 16-enabled space vehicle that shows the location of friendly and enemy forces. SpEC has reduced contract award timelines by 36 percent, grown membership by 55 percent year over year to 441 members, and awarded 80 prototype efforts cumulatively valued at $856 million, according to SMC. “There's no question that SpEC has been an overwhelming success for the government programs that have utilized it to accelerate their prototyping, and for the consortium members to gain a better understanding on the USSF's architectural direction,” said Col. Tim Sejba, program executive officer for SMC's Space Development Corps. Perhaps most importantly, SpEC provides an opening for nontraditional companies to begin working with the Department of Defense on space systems. SpEC helps connect vendors with organizations including the Space Rapid Capabilities Office or even the intelligence community's National Reconnaissance Office using other transaction authorities. OTAs allow “us to get on contract much faster than traditional approaches,” SMC head Lt. Gen. John Thompson said in November. “In addition, the vehicle really lowers the bar for nontraditional contractors to become part of national security space efforts, makes it easier for them to get in the door. In fact, 350 of those 430 members of the consortium are really nontraditional contractors or academic organizations.” The Space Force awarded the initial $100 million SpEC management contract to the Advanced Technology Institute in 2017 to manage the consortium through November 2022. However, the consortium's early success convinced the Space Force to revamp the effort with a significantly larger budget and an increased focus on cybersecurity. “We are honored to contribute to U.S. space advancement,” NSTXL CEO Tim Greeff said. “This has been a very successful program thus far, and we look forward to taking it to next level to unlock more value for the U.S. military by engaging more nontraditional defense companies and bringing great innovation to the nascent Space Force.” NSTXL also supports the U.S. Army's Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX), the Navy's Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS), and the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Energy OTA. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/12/15/space-force-selects-new-prototype-consortium-manager/