April 9, 2024 | International, Land
How Patriot proved itself in Ukraine and secured a fresh future
What might have looked like an aging system not long ago now appears to be a workhorse that could be used for years to come.
June 25, 2020 | International, Naval
Navy buys two used MQ-9A Reaper drones
The Navy has purchased its first two MQ-9A Reaper drones, awarding General Atomics Aeronautical Systems nearly $27 million on June 22 for the unmanned air systems and associated ground control equipment.
The MQ-9A Reaper is a multimission, medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft that is remotely piloted. According to the June 22 contract announcement, the Reapers will be used for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions as well as persistent strike efforts.
The contract procures two MQ-9A Reapers, one dual-control mobile ground control station, one modular data center and one mobile ground control station.
This is the first time the Navy has purchased Reapers, but it's already been using the unmanned aircraft overseas.
According to fiscal 2020 fiscal 2021 budget documents, the two MQ-9A aircraft the Navy is purchasing have been used by the Marine Corps in a contractor-operated, contractor-owned arrangement since September 2018 to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to Task Force Southwest in Afghanistan. Because they are used, the Reapers will cost less than brand-new systems. The FY21 budget request estimates the cost of each system as being just under $12 million.
Work is expected to be completed by December 2020.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/06/24/navy-buys-two-used-mq-9a-reapers/
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February 22, 2023 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Space Force may hire companies to service orbiting satellites
The head of the Space Force's mobility enterprise said this week the service wants to buy commercial on-orbit logistics capabilities.
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September 11, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Boeing gets $2.9B for more KC-46 tankers
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Boeing on Monday bagged a $2.9 billion contact for the fourth lot of KC-46 tankers, raising the total to 52 aircraft on order. The award, announced Sept. 10, covers the production of 18 KC-46s and other associated gear like spare engines and parts, support equipment and wing air refueling pod kits. “We're excited to partner with the Air Force on an aircraft that will provide its fleet unmatched capabilities and versatility,” said Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager. “This is another big milestone for the team and we look forward to delivering this next-generation, multi-role tanker for years to come.” Monday's announcement follows a contract in December for the first foreign KC-46 order: a single tanker for Japan. The first two U.S. Air Force buys were finalized in August 2016 for a total of 19 aircraft, and a third order for another 15 KC-46s was added in January 2017. The service plans on buying 179 KC-46s over the course of the program. Technical problems have kept Boeing from delivering the first KC-46, and the company has already missed an initial August 2017 deadline to deliver 18 fully-certified tankers to the service. However, it appears the company is getting ever closer to that milestone. Earlier this year, Boeing and the Air Force came to an agreement on the schedule for the first KC-46 delivery, currently slated for October. Last week, Boeing disclosed that the KC-46 had received a supplemental type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration — a series of tests that validate the aircraft's refueling and avionics systems meet FAA requirements and a prerequisite for aircraft delivery. Gibbons called the event “one of the last major hurdles in advance of first delivery to the U.S. Air Force” in a Sept. 4 statement. However, the KC-46 still needs to achieve a military type certificate from the Air Force, which validates its military-specific systems. Boeing concluded its testing in July and the certificate is expected to be granted “in the coming months,' the company said in a statement. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/09/11/boeing-gets-29b-for-more-kc-46-tankers