June 27, 2024 | International, Security
How to Use Python to Build Secure Blockchain Applications
Learn how to build secure blockchain applications in Python with AlgoKit, the comprehensive toolkit for Algorand developers.
January 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Les 4 projets militaires et spatiaux de Boeing à suivre en 2019
Drone MQ-25, Boeing MH-139 ou T-X, programme Starliner... Boeing dresse le bilan de son actualité militaire et spatiale de 2018 par le biais de deux courtes vidéos. L'occasion pour l'Usine Nouvelle de revenir plus en détails sur les principaux projets du géant aéronautique américain.
1 - Boeing MH-139 :
A destination de l'US Air Force, les Boeing MH-139 permettront à l'armée américaine de remplacer ses célèbres UH-1N "Huey", en service depuis plus de 40 ans. Les petits nouveaux serviront pour la protection des bases hébergeant des missiles balistiques intercontinentaux ainsi que pour le transports des militaires et des membres du gouvernement américain. Les premières livraisons sont prévues pour 2021.
2 - Boeing MQ-25 :
En début d'année, Boeing a présenté un prototype de son nouveau drone, le MQ-25. Cet appareil sans pilote aura pour mission de ravitailler en carburant et en plein vol les différents engins Boeing de l'armée américaine, comme les F/A-18 Super Hornet, les EA-18G Growler et les Lockheed Martin F-35C fighters. Le drone est désormais prêt, et devrait être mis en service pour l'US Navy "dès que possible".
3 - Boeing T-X :
Boeing fournit également à l'armée américaine son nouveau système de formation pour pilotes. Constitué d'un modèle spécial d'avion, d'une base au sol et de divers supports, il devrait permettre à l'US Air Force d'entraîner au mieux ses équipes. Un vol test avait déjà eu lieu en mai dernier. Autre source de fierté outre-Atlantique, 90% de l'appareil T-X est conçu aux États-Unis, et le programme devrait fournir plus de 17 000 emplois dans 34 Etats.
4 - Boeing Starliner :
2018 aura été une année bien remplie pour les équipes du programme spatial de Boeing. Elles développent leur nouveau véhicule spatial CST-100 Starliner en collaboration avec la NASA, pour le transports des équipages vers la station spatiale internationale. Le Starliner a été conçu pour accueillir jusqu'à sept passagers pour des missions en orbite basse. Dans le cadre des prochains voyages jusqu'à l'ISS, quatre membres de l'agence américaine accompagnés de matériels et de données scientifiques feront le trajet. Chaque Starliner est utilisable jusqu'à dix fois, avec une période de six mois entre chaque voyage. Il est également équipé du wi-fi et d'une interface tactile.
Pas moins de 3 Starliners sont développés actuellement au sein du célèbre Kennedy Space Center de la NASA, en Floride. En avril dernier, Boeing a publié sur Youtube la vidéo à 360° ci-dessous. Elle permet de voir un court instant ce qu'il se passe entre les murs de l'usine, pour la conception de l'une des navettes.
Enfin, pour les plus passionnés, Boeing propose une interview (en anglais) de Chris Ferguson. Ancien capitaine de la Navy, il est surtout connu pour avoir été pilote et commandant de 3 missions spatiales de la NASA, STS-115 en 2006, STS-126 en 2008 et STS-135 en 2011. Il travaille depuis avec Boeing dans le cadre du programme Starliner, et devrait être le premier astronaute que la société enverra dans l'espace.
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February 8, 2023 | International, Other Defence
Amentum Awarded $487M Contract to Deliver Logistics Solutions for U.S. Military Equipment
Under this program, Amentum professionals will be stationed outside the continental U.S. including Europe to provide multiple levels of sustainment solutions
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April 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Could a commercial drone replace the MQ-9 Reaper? The Air Force is considering it.
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Air Force is looking for a replacement to the stalwart MQ-9 Reaper and intends to explore options ranging from commercial drones built by emerging tech firms to high-end unmanned aircraft, the service's top acquisition official said Tuesday. Will Roper, the Air Force's assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the service is working on a study that will inform the fiscal 2022 budget and lay out a path for replacing the MQ-9 Reaper made by General Atomics. "The Reaper has been a great platform for us. Four million flight hours, just undeniable overmatch in a low-end uncontested fight, and it is certainly saving lives,” Roper told lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. “But as we look to the high end fight, we just can't take them into the battlefield. They are easily shot down.” The MQ-9 Reaper and its precursor, the MQ-1 Predator, have been the Air Force's workhorse drones in the Middle East over the past two decades, providing both real-time video surveillance and the ability to strike targets. But looking forward, the Reaper is ill-suited to a war with Russia and China while at the same time seen by the Air Force as requiring too much money and manpower to sustain for continued operations in low-threat environments. There likely won't be a single, one-size fits all solution for replacing the MQ-9, Roper said. The Air Force may need drones that “are more high-end, military-unique” systems, and “they'll likely be expensive,” he acknowledged. There may also be room for unmanned attritable aircraft, which are reusable but are cheap enough that they can be shot down in battle without incurring massive financial losses. For lower-end missions, the Air Force sees promise in the emerging unmanned systems market, where new entrants have begun creating long-loiter drones for applications in agriculture, communications and the oil and gas sector. “A lot of companies are targeting that market, not thinking about defense because we've been buying Reapers forever,” Roper said, who added that by buying from promising commercial drone makers, Air Force may be able to influence those companies to keep their supply chains out of China and to incorporate military-specific features — potentially even weapons. “I think if we do the program right on the commercial side, we might be able to bring a new entrant into defense without making them a defense prime,” he said, adding that funding from the Air Force could help a commercial company move from making prototypes to building up a stable production line that could further be grown to manufacture drones on a more massive scale. “Working with the Defense Department, you don't need the kind of production capacity that the globe does. So, we're a pretty good first stop,” he said. However, the Air Force may face an uphill battle in getting Congress to support a plan to replace the Reaper. The service in its FY21 budget request has asked for 24 more MQ-9s before ending the programs of record — a move that would curtail the program from 363 to 337 Reapers. The early shutdown of the line would have major financial implications for General Atomics, said Chris Pehrson, the company's vice president of strategic development, in a February interview with Air Force Magazine. “We're actually going out about 22 months ahead of delivery and procuring the long-lead item parts, ... whether it's [satellite communication] equipment or engines ... to negotiate the best prices and get the best deals for the government,” Pehrson said. “Having the rug pulled out from under your feet at the last minute kind of disrupts all your supply chain investments that you're making.” Top generals in the Middle East and Africa have also raised concerns about the demands for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and privately helped stave off retirements of the MQ-9 by the Air Force in FY21. In its unfunded wish list, U.S. Central Command included additional contractor-flown MQ-9 hours as its number one priority, at a cost of $238 million. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/03/12/could-a-commercial-drone-replace-the-mq-9-reaper-the-air-force-is-considering-it