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September 7, 2021 | International, Security

Military cyber software developers fix weaknesses, create mission tools faster

The services say in-house coders allow them to be more flexible during missions, rather than relying solely on contractor support to build cyber tools.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/cyber/2021/09/03/military-cyber-software-developers-fix-weaknesses-create-mission-tools-faster/

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  • To build stockpiles of weapons, UK looks at two-pronged approach

    January 9, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    To build stockpiles of weapons, UK looks at two-pronged approach

    By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — When the U.K. rolled out its Modernising Defence Programme report last month, it highlighted a need to increase stores of weaponry to deal with threats from great powers around the globe. In his speech unveiling the document, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson specifically stated that to “improve the combat effectiveness of our forces, we will re-prioritize the current defense program to increase weapon stockpiles. And we are accelerating work to assure the resilience of our defense systems and capabilities.” But what does that actually entail? During a Tuesday visit to Washington, Director for Strategic Planning Will Jessett said the U.K. plans to go about increasing weapon stockpiles in two ways. The first is the easy route: throw money at the problem. And a certain amount — the Ministry of Defence employee wouldn't say exactly how much — of the recent budget increase given by Parliament will indeed be going toward increasing stockpiles of armaments. The second part is more difficult, but goes to a throughline for the strategy document: the need to be smarter about how the British military uses its gear. “We've spend a shedload of money on producing the force structure that we have already. We're not necessarily generating and using it as effectively as we might have done,” Jessett said. “The first thing to do is to make sure that we are making the best of the existing capability that we have, and that [includes] making sure that we've got both the weapon stockpiles and the spares to make sure that you can actual[ly] generate the right numbers of aircraft squadrons." “So some of this will be the new money out of the couple of billion but a lot of this is going to be telling the services themselves,” he added. “There isn't a dollar figure, but there are strong incentives now back on the services to say: ‘Guys, you've got to [use] the capabilities that you've got already.' ” Looking at the Pentagon's efforts over the last few years shows that may be easier said than done. Pushing to find new efficiencies inside the U.S. Defense Department is an annual affair, with the latest attempt delayed by the removal of Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson and the fallout from the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. And building up missile stockpiles is a logistical challenge for the department right now, with the Pentagon warning last May that producers of vital parts and materials are on the verge of going out of business or beholden to foreign ownership. Jessett acknowledged the Brexit-shaped elephant in the room, noting that the ability of the MoD to invest funding into new defense priorities will be directly impacted by any deal reached between Britain and the rest of Europe, particularly with foreign-made equipment. “Amongst the reasons we started to face this affordability delta in 2017 were because exchange rates did fall, relative to where they were in 2015,” he said. “I think back to this [question] about the terms of the deal. If we get a deal that's OK, I can imagine, personally, exchange rates not just stabilizing but somewhat improving. If not, it is by definition going to add further pressure into this.” But, he added, “that's not what we're planning for at the moment.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/01/08/to-build-stockpiles-of-weapons-uk-looking-at-two-pronged-approach

  • Rafale : la DGA commande des nacelles NARANG supplémentaires

    February 11, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    Rafale : la DGA commande des nacelles NARANG supplémentaires

    Par Justine BOQUET La DGA a commandé quatre nacelles de ravitaillement NARANG supplémentaires, qui viendront équiper les Rafale M. La direction générale de l'armement a annoncé le 7 février avoir notifié une commande de quatre nacelles de ravitaillement NARANG à Zodiac Aerotechnics. Cette nacelle de ravitaillement de nouvelle génération viendra équiper les Rafale Marine F3-R, standard qualité le 31 octobre dernier. Comme le rappelle la DGA, l'emploi de nacelle de ravitaillement permet d'accroître le rayon d'action des Rafale du groupe aérien embarqué « en particulier lorsque le porte-avions est déployé en opération loin du territoire national ». Gr'ce à ce dispositif de nacelle « nounou », les Rafale M pourront ravitailler en vol d'autres chasseurs. « Par rapport à la génération précédente, les nouvelles nacelles permettent notamment de réduire le temps de ravitaillement du fait de leur augmentation de débit », rapporte la DGA. Les NARANG disposent également d'une meilleure disponibilité gr'ce à une maintenance simplifiée. La livraison de ces quatre nacelles supplémentaires est attendue entre 2021 et 2022. Quant aux douze NARANG commandées au préalable, elles devraient être réceptionnées entre mi 2019 et fin 2021. http://www.air-cosmos.com/rafale-la-dga-commande-des-nacelles-narang-supplementaires-120263

  • Israeli, British firms to deliver unmanned vehicles for UK experimental program

    September 22, 2021 | International, Land

    Israeli, British firms to deliver unmanned vehicles for UK experimental program

    The British government's Future Capability Group wants to identify future military requirements of unmanned ground vehicles through a series of trials.

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