October 5, 2023 | International, Naval
Can the US Navy save money by accepting the LCS as a sunk cost?
Decommissioning these ships early amounts to a loss of almost $7 billion based on analysis by Defense News.
December 4, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Par Le Figaro avec AFP
Publié le 02/12/2020 à 14:55
Le «fonds innovation défense», doté de 200 millions d'euros et destiné à financer des start-up et PME portant des projets innovants, sera lancé vendredi, a annoncé mercredi la ministre des Armées Florence Parly en inaugurant le Forum innovation défense. «Je signerai cette semaine avec Bpifrance l'acte de naissance du fonds innovation défense qui s'inscrit dans la stratégie de développement de l'innovation que j'ai souhaitée», a affirmé la ministre dans une allocution retransmise en ligne. Cette signature doit avoir lieu vendredi, selon l'agenda de la ministre.
Le fonds, nommé Definnov alors qu'il était au stade de projet, «sera destiné à des start-up et des PME qui développent des technologies innovantes, transverses et présentent un intérêt pour la défense», a-t-elle expliqué. Il «pourra aller jusqu'à 400 millions d'euros» avec la contribution de Bpifrance et la participation souhaitée d'industriels, selon le cabinet de la ministre. «À ce stade, quelques industriels se sont manifestés, pas forcément les plus grands maîtres d'œuvre industriels de défense que l'on connaît habituellement», selon cette source, sans plus de précisions.
Le fonds innovation défense sera complémentaire du fonds «French Tech Souveraineté», a par ailleurs affirmé Mme Parly. Ce dernier, doté de 150 millions d'euros, vise à défendre les start-up françaises fragilisées par la crise de l'appétit de prédateurs étrangers. Le ministère des Armées prévoit de consacrer un milliard d'euros par an à partir de 2022 aux projets d'innovation ou «études amont», contre un peu plus de 700 millions en 2017. «En 2021, nous approchons du but, en investissant 901 millions d'euros pour les projets d'innovation», a détaillé la ministre.
Organisé en ligne pendant trois jours par l'Agence de l'innovation de défense, le Forum innovation défense doit notamment se pencher sur les questions d'éthique de «soldat augmenté», le militaire dont les capacités physiques ou cognitives sont stimulées afin de renforcer son efficacité. Y seront également lancés les premiers travaux de la «Red Team», une équipe réunissant une dizaine d'auteurs de science-fiction chargés de réfléchir aux scénarios de menaces et de conflits à l'horizon 2030-2060.
«Ce n'est pas un gadget, le but est d'imaginer des scénarios totalement disruptifs qu'on n'aurait pas imaginés dans le travail au quotidien», explique-t-on au cabinet de la ministre.
October 5, 2023 | International, Naval
Decommissioning these ships early amounts to a loss of almost $7 billion based on analysis by Defense News.
August 7, 2019 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Air Force will pay up to $55.5 million for Boeing to redesign the KC-46's boom, but it will cost more than that to field a fix to the problem. According to a Aug. 2 contract announcement, the award will pay for a “system level hardware and software critical design review of the boom telescope actuator redesign,” and Boeing will receive $21 million of the proposed award value immediately. But because the contract has yet to be definitized, Boeing could receive up to $55.5 million once terms of the deal are cemented. And since initial award only covers the redesign of the boom — not the costs of testing, fabricating and retrofitting the new booms on existing aircraft — it stands to reason that the Air Force will owe additional money to Boeing to completely fix the issue. Unlike the other remaining critical deficiencies on the KC-46 program, the Air Force has agreed to foot the cost of fixing the boom problem, as it is a change in the service's initial requirements. Boeing's current boom design meets international standards for thrust resistance, and the Air Force accepted that design at Milestone C in 2016, when the KC-46 was cleared for production. But later flight tests demonstrated that the boom produces too much thrust resistance to refuel the A-10, necessitating a change in design. In January, an Air Force official told Defense News the process of redesigning and manufacturing the new booms could take about two years. The Air Force plans to buy 179 KC-46s over the life of the program. After years of delays due to technical issues, the service signed off to accept the first tanker in January, which was then delivered to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., later that month. The KC-46 made its first flight for the initial operational test and evaluation phase on June 4 at McConnell AFB. Boeing is on the hook to pay for the other major critical deficiency: a redesign of the Remote Vision System, a collection of cameras and sensors that allow the boom operator to steer the boom into the fuel receptacle of the receiving aircraft. The service became aware of this problem after pilots experienced difficulties directing the boom during refueling, sometimes scraping the surface of the receiver aircraft — a mistake that could compromise the low observable coating of stealth aircraft. Despite this issue, the Air Force has decided to accept KC-46 tankers so that pilots can begin training with the new aircraft. However, the service is withholding up $28 million per plane in order to incentivize Boeing to move quickly on a redesigned RVS. About $360 million has been withheld so far, according to Defense One. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/08/06/heres-why-boeing-is-getting-555m-to-fix-a-problem-with-the-air-forces-new-tanker/
January 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Aurora Industries,* Camuy, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $53,594,133 modification (P00008) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1128) with three one-year option periods for coats and trousers. This is a firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a Jan. 10, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AIR FORCE BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $49,620,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (P00026) to previously awarded FA4600-12-D-0002 for additional Air Vehicle Planning System (APS) support. The contract modification is for a ceiling increase to allow the purchase of continued maintenance and sustainment activities, ongoing development activities, increased onsite support requirements and required modifications to APS for new and modified weapons. Work will be performed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Bellevue, Nebraska; and San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2024. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $195,000,826. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds; and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds are being used. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The 55th Contracting Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, is the contracting activity. Kapsuun Group LLC, Lorton, Virginia, has been awarded a $14,535,027 firm-fixed-price contract for A4/A6 staff support services. Work will be performed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and is expected to be complete by July 9, 2025. This award is the result of direct award acquisition with one offer being received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,719,657 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Combat Command's Acquisition Management Integration Center, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-20-C-0002). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2052857/source/GovDelivery/