February 15, 2023 | International, Other Defence
Des munitions plutôt que des avions. Réunis ce mardi et mercredi à Bruxelles, les ministres de la Défense de l'Otan explorent les moyens d'accélérer la livraison des nouvelles armes promises à l'Ukraine et de relancer la production de munitions.
March 27, 2024 | International, Aerospace
This milestone underscores Bird's unwavering commitment to advancing Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) technology, which is already installed in a broad customer base around the world.
January 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Rome January 14, 2020 - Leonardo, through AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract valued at USD 176,472,608 for the production and delivery of 32 TH-73A helicopters, initial spares, support and dedicated equipment, and specific pilot and maintenance training services. This contract, as Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds, was competitively procured via a request for proposal of various offers. Work will be mainly performed at Leonardo's Philadelphia facility and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer Leonardo said, “On the cusp of celebrating nearly 40 years of operating in Philadelphia, Leonardo is thrilled the U.S. Navy has selected our TH-119-based offer and us as a local and long term partner. We are proud to be a core contributor to the future of U.S. defense.” Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters added, “Today's brilliant news is a ringing endorsement for our solutions setting new industry standards for training. We are committed to working with the U.S. Navy to ensure future pilots meet all evolving service requirements.” William Hunt, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters Philadelphia said, “Our plan since day one has been to offer the U.S. Navy the training capabilities they asked for, without compromise. We are honored to deliver on that promise, build the new fleet in Philadelphia and maintain it from Milton, Florida.” View source version on Leonardo: https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/14-01-2020-leonardo-awarded-contract-for-32-th-73a-helicopters-by-u-s-department-of-defense
September 6, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army faces problems on multiple fronts when it comes to sending business to small companies, the head of Army Futures Command said Wednesday. Gen. John Murray said small businesses struggle under a procurement system that can take years, and then struggle to scale their businesses to meet the Army's needs. “There is a lack of trust [on the part of small businesses] that the government can sustain [a] small-business model,” Murray told the audience at the third annual Defense News Conference. “The way we do budgeting, [program objectives memorandum] POM cycles and all that — a small business can't survive. We're going to have to prove to small businesses that we can adjust our POM cycles to meet their needs. “And from the small business perspective, there are only a few ways that they can scale to the size we are talking about in terms of production. One of those ways is partnering with a traditional [defense contractor], so that's going to be a challenge going forward.” Murray's comments come as the Army tries to engage with a range of partners — from universities and small businesses to the traditional prime contractors such as Raytheon and General Dynamics — to find ways to integrate new technologies into the force. The outreach to small businesses at Army Futures Command is about finding new ways to get after the challenges the service faces, Murray said, but that in and of itself comes with challenges. “This outreach to small business is not because there is anything wrong with traditional defense primes, it's really an outreach to find new ways to solve our problems,” he said. “I've been in the Army 37 years, and I think about solving our problems a certain way. I guarantee a lot of these small businesses think about how to solve problems a different way. “Part of the challenge I have with small business is comfortably describing our problem to them. I can't talk in acronyms, I can't talk with 37 years of experience, I need to talk very clearly and very plainly.” Murray said his teams have staged events aimed at the private sector, such as a recent one where startups gathered to figure out how to move artillery shells 250 meters using autonomous unmanned systems. Such events have been instructive, he noted. Ultimately, however, the Army will choose the business that best meets the service's requirements, he said. “What it really comes down to is what are our problems and where is the best place — whether that's small business or a university or a traditional prime — where is the best place to solve that problem,” Murray said. https://www.defensenews.com/smr/defense-news-conference/2019/09/04/the-us-army-faces-struggles-working-with-small-businesses/