October 21, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Sikorsky Exploring Ways to Link Next-Gen Helicopters to F-35
It’s part of Lockheed’s push to network all of its weapons.
November 2, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Lockheed to supply F-35 training systems to Marine Corps
By Tauren Dyson
Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a contract modification for $64 million from the U.S. Navy to produce F-35 training systems for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The fixed-price-incentive-firm contract, announced Wednesday by the Defense Department, calls for one lot of F-35 Lightning II Training Systems.
The system prepares pilots for the aircraft by blending multiple training media that include simulators, electronic classroom lessons, flight events and other lesson formats.
For training, pilots start in the classroom, with interactive courseware and training support, then they move to the F-35 Full Mission Simulator's 360-degree display system. It uses F-35 software and a 360-degree visual display system that reproduces the jet's sensor and weapons employment.
While the Full Mission Simulator acts as the primary teaching tool for pilots, some use the Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer, which is used aboard aircraft carriers, or the Mission Rehearsal Trainer, a smaller version of the Full Mission Simulator.
The training system can support programs for all three variants of the aircraft flown by the U.S. military.
Work on the contract will be performed mostly in Florida and Virginia, with the rest taking place in Oregon, Ohio, California and the United Kingdom.
The Navy has obligated the full amount contract at the time of the award from fiscal 2019 Navy aircraft procurement funds, with none of the funding expiring at the end of the fiscal year.
Work on the contract is expected to be completed by July 2021.
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November 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace
German military refuses new A400M deliveries over safety concerns
CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU The Bundeswehr, the German military, announced it would not accept deliveries of two A400M Atlas transport aircraft due to recurring technical problems. While defining the aircraft as the “backbone” of its air transport capabilities, the Bundeswehr is concerned about recurring technical problems affecting its fleet. “During routine inspections of the mounting nuts on the propellers of the A400M already in flight, it was found that not all 24 nuts per propeller have the intended tightening torque,” revealed the Luftwaffe, the German air force, in a statement. Increased inspections of the engine mounts, combustion chambers, and engine flap, as well as crack testing on several points, are also required and reduce the readiness of the A400M fleet. In addition to technical deficiencies, the two latest aircraft that were about to be delivered did not meet the “contractually guaranteed properties”, leading to the refusal. So far, the Bundeswehr has received 31 of the 53 A400M it ordered. In total, 174 A400M airlifters were ordered, with 84 already in service. Outside of the partner countries of the program, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Turkey that total 170 orders, the remaining four were acquired by Malaysia. AeroTime has reached out to Airbus for comment but did not receive an answer at the time this article was published. The A400M is a military transport aircraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space. It entered service in 2013, and is offered as a successor for older transporters such as the C-130 Hercules or the C-160 Transall. It recently achieved the certification flight test for the highly awaited simultaneous dispatch of paratroopers from both side doors. The feature had been delayed by the design shortcomings of static lines. https://www.aerotime.aero/clement.charpentreau/24189-german-military-refuses-new-a400m-deliveries-over-safety-concerns
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September 6, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
Artificial intelligence expert gets top job at French defense innovation agency
By: Pierre Tran PARIS — French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly has appointed Emmanuel Chiva, a specialist in artificial intelligence and training simulation, as director of the newly formed agency for defense innovation, the ministry said. Chiva took up the post Sept. 1, when the innovation office was officially set up, the ministry said in a Sept. 4 statement. Parly made the appointment in consultation with Joël Barre, head of the Direction Générale de l'Armement procurement office. The innovation agency will report to the DGA. The agency will be the key player in a new strategy for innovation, seeking “to bring together all the actors in the ministry and all the programs which contribute to innovation in defense,” Parly said in an Aug. 28 speech to a conference held by Medef, an employers' association. The innovation office will be open to Europe, while allowing experiments to stay close to their operational users, she said. Parly has set a budget of €1 billion (U.S. $1.2 billion) for the agency, which will seek to coordinate attempts to apply new technology to military applications. Chiva has more than 20 years of experience in AI and training simulation. He previously held a senior post for strategy and development at Agueris, a specialist in training simulation for land weapon systems. Agueris is a unit of CMI Defence, a Belgian company specializing in guns and turrets for armored vehicles. Agueris was on the CMI stand at the Eurosatory trade show for land weapons in June. Agueris held three conferences on AI, with Chiva speaking at a roundtable debate on innovation. Chiva is a graduate of Ecole Normal Supérieure and a specialist in biomathematics, the study of the application of math to biology. “His appointment perfectly illustrates my vision of defense innovation: open to research and the civil economy, in which entrepreneurship is not a concept but a reality,” Parly said. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2018/09/05/artificial-intelligence-expert-gets-top-job-at-french-defense-innovation-agency