January 14, 2021 | International, Aerospace
La ministre des Armées, Florence Parly, répondant à une question lors de son audition à l'Assemblée nationale mardi 12 janvier, a indiqué que le drone MALE européen, ou Eurodrone, n'intégrerait pas les forces de l'armée de l'Air et de l'Espace avant 2028. La ministre a estimé qu'une capacité intermédiaire n'était pas nécessaire. La France dispose déjà de ces capacités avec les drones américains Reaper, dont l'achat a été décidé en 2013. En outre, Mme Parly a rappelé que le ministère des Armées a prévu de doter l'armée de Terre de drones tactiques, les SDT Patroller, développés par Safran Electronics & Defense, qui seront « livrés à nos forces en 2021 ».
La Tribune du 14 janvier
June 19, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Michael Bruno An industry consortium aiming to standardize on-orbit satellite servicing technologies, including many rivals for the burgeoning space market, has figured out how to work together, according to an update June ... http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/darpa-led-satellite-servicing-industry-consortium-forms
December 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace
December 9, 2020 - Rheinmetall has won an order from the German Bundeswehr to inspect, maintain and repair Sikorsky CH-53G transport helicopters. Starting in March 2021, the Düsseldorf-based Group will be operating two maintenance and repair bays belonging to the German Air Force's 64th Helicopter Squadron at Diepholz in Lower Saxony. Worth a figure in the lower two-digit million-euro range, the contract with Rheinmetall Aviation Services GmbH runs for five years, with an option for a one-year extension. In Diepholz, the 64th Helicopter Squadron is responsible for larger maintenance operations in a separate remote squadron, with a total of five Bundeswehr-owned maintenance and repair bays for the CH-53G – an aircraft that has been operated in the Bundeswehr since 1972. An integrated high-tech enterprise dedicated to security and mobility, Rheinmetall's proposal won the tender, so that its subsidiary Rheinmetall Aviation Services GmbH (RAS) will soon be in charge of maintaining and repairing Bundeswehr helicopters in Diepholz. RAS will draw on organizational and aeronautical regulatory support from its sister company Rheinmetall Technical Publications GmbH, an approved aeronautical company located at Bremen Airport. About Rheinmetall Aviation Services: Rheinmetall Aviation Services GmbH, which is also based in Bremen, was founded at the beginning of 2019 as part of the Group's strategic cooperation with Sikorsky in the Heavy Transport Helicopter (STH) procurement programme, with responsibility for maintenance, repairs, training and documentation. Rheinmetall and Sikorsky have been cooperating together intensively in various procurement projects since 2009. Thanks to the new order, expertise gained through this partnership will now be profitably put to work on behalf of the Bundeswehr in Diepholz. Looking ahead, the Bundeswehr also stands to benefit in the long term from the partnership between Rheinmetall and Sikorsky in the STH procurement programme, coupled with experience accumulated at Diepholz Air Base. Rheinmetall AG Corporate Sector Defence Press and Information Oliver Hoffmann Rheinmetall Platz 1 40476 Düsseldorf Germany Phone: +49 211 473-4748 Fax: +49 211 473-4157 View source version on Rheinmetall Group: https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/rheinmetall_ag/press/news/latest_news/index_22144.php
January 10, 2019 | International, Aerospace
By ELIANA JOHNSON and DAVID BROWN Concerns about Patrick Shanahan's Boeing ties have re-emerged since President Donald Trump said he may be running the Pentagon ‘for a long time.' Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan's private remarks during his 18 months at the Pentagon have spurred accusations that he is boosting his former employer Boeing, people who have witnessed the exchanges told POLITICO — fueling questions about whether he harbors an unfair bias against other big military contractors. Shanahan, who spent 31 years at Boeing before joining the Pentagon in mid-2017, has signed an ethics agreement recusing him from weighing in on matters involving the mammoth defense contractor. But that hasn't stopped him from praising Boeing and trashing competitors such as Lockheed Martin during internal meetings, two former government officials who have heard him make the accusations told POLITICO. The remarks raise questions among ethics experts about whether Shanahan, intentionally or not, is putting his finger on the scale when it comes to Pentagon priorities. They also call new attention to a recent decision by the Pentagon to request new Boeing fighters that the Air Force has said it does not want — a request that Bloomberg has reported came after "prodding" from Shanahan. Concerns about Shanahan's ties to his former employer first surfaced during his confirmation hearing to be deputy secretary, but they have re-emerged since President Donald Trump said last month he may be running the Pentagon “for a long time.” In high-level Pentagon meetings, Shanahan has heavily criticized Lockheed Martin's handling of the production of the F-35 fighter jet, which is expected to cost more than $1 trillion over the life of the program, according to one of the two sources, a former senior Defense Department official who was present. Shanahan, this official said, called the plane “f---ed up” and argued that Lockheed — which edged out Boeing to win the competition to build the plane in October 2001 — “doesn't know how to run a program.” “If it had gone to Boeing, it would be done much better,” Shanahan said, according to the former official. As the Pentagon's No. 2, Shanahan repeatedly "dumped" on the F-35 in meetings, calling the program "unsustainable," and slammed Lockheed Martin's CEO, Marillyn Hewson, according to the second source, a former Trump administration official. "'The cost, the out-years, it's just too expensive, we're not gonna be able to sustain it,'" this person said, quoting Shanahan. The former Trump official said Shanahan "kind of went off" about the F-35 at a retreat for Republican lawmakers last year at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. This angered several members of the delegation who had home-district interests in the F-35 program, the former official said. "He would complain about Lockheed's timing and their inability to deliver, and from a Boeing point of view, say things like, 'We would never do that,'" this former official said. Shanahan is the first Pentagon chief to come purely from the private sector since the 1950s and has virtually no government or policy experience. He became the acting Defense secretary Jan. 1, following former Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation over Trump's abrupt decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria and begin drawing down from Afghanistan. He has signed an ethics agreement barring him from weighing in on any matters involving his former employer, the Pentagon's fifth-largest contractor in 2017. Shanahan's experience at Boeing is “his only reference point," the former Trump administration official said. "He doesn't have a lot of other experiences to draw on. He owns it in a powerful way because he doesn't have the military experience, he doesn't have the experience in government. So when he talks about those things, he's very forceful." His remarks about the F-35 stand in stark contrast to those of the president, who regularly praises the stealth fighter despite initially slamming its high costs. The F-35 program, while experiencing a number of setbacks, technical delays and groundings throughout the years, is generally considered to be on the mend. The Air Force and Marine Corps variants have been declared ready to deploy, and the Navy version is expected to reach that point as early as next month. And unit costs have come down for all three variants as the plane matures. Trump has praised Shanahan's ability to cut costs, calling him a “great buyer.” He is now among the candidates the president is considering as a permanent replacement for Mattis. Asked for comment, Shanahan's office released a statement saying he is committed to his agreement to stay out of matters involving Boeing. “Under his ethics agreement, Mr. Shanahan has recused himself for the duration of his service in the Department of Defense from participating personally and substantially in matters in which the Boeing Company is a party,” his office said. Full article: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/09/defense-patrick-shanahan-boeing-pentagon-1064203