Navy Rushes To Get F-35s on USS JFK; Other Ford Carriers Wait Their Turn

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  November 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval

  Northrop Grumman to build Coyote supersonic target missiles for Navy, Japan

  By Ed Adamczyk Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A $57 million contract with Northrop Grumman to build supersonic target missiles for the U.S. Navy and Japan has been announced by the U.S. Defense Department. The deal calls for manufacture and delivery of 19 GQM-163A Coyote sea-skimming targets -- 16 for the U.S. Navy and three for the Japan Self-Defense Force -- according to a Tuesday Pentagon statement. The Japanese government will provide $9.01 million of the funding for the contract, the statement said. The maneuverable, sea-skimming missile is used as a cost-efficient simulation of an anti-ship cruise missile, and is capable of traveling at 2.5 times the speed of sound. It has sea-skimming capabilities, indicating that it can operate 20 feet above the surface of the ocean, and is used as a target. It can also provide research into ship defense systems and support fleet training exercises. First test-launched in 2004, the United States, Japan, Australia and France include the missile in their arsenals. Rail-launched from Navy test and training ranges, the18-foot long missile reaches its high speed after it separates from following the separation of a Hercules MK-70 first-stage solid-fuel booster rocket. The contract calls for work to be completed by 2023. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/11/04/Northrop-Grumman-to-build-Coyote-supersonic-target-missiles-for-Navy-Japan/5501604515149

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  May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Coronavirus Hampering Defense Contractor Operations, Reader Survey Finds

  t's harder to win business amid a pandemic, said one-third of industry respondents in a Defense One reader survey. Federal contractors and private-sector workers say the coronavirus pandemic is hurting business and their ability to compete for government work, a new survey of Defense One readers has found. More than 75 percent said COVID-19 had a moderate, major, or extreme impact on their company's day-to-day operations. About 22 percent said the virus had a minimal impact; 2 percent, no impact. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents said coronavirus has forced them to slow or pause production. Nearly 40 percent said their business has seen disruptions to its cash flow. Defense One commissioned the survey, which was conducted by Government Business Council, a division of Defense One's parent company, Government Executive Media Group. The survey was conducted May 8-14 and received 677 responses, yielding a 5 percent margin of error. Of those, 313 self-identified as a government contractor or private sector employee. Related: 62% Disapprove of Trump's Coronavirus Response, Reader Survey Finds In March, the Pentagon began paying its contractors more money up front so these large firms could send more money to the smaller companies that make up their vast and diverse supply chains. Collectively, companies have sent or pledged to send billions of dollars to their suppliers in a quicker fashion. Still, Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said last month that she was expecting a three-month slowdown in weapons deliveries as companies faced shutdowns and modified their processes and procedures to comply with social distancing and other guidelines. About 30 percent of contractors and private sector workers said their business has experienced supply-chain disruptions. While more than one-third of respondents said social distancing has hurt their company's ability to compete for government contracts, more than half said social distancing has made no difference in their company's ability to win contracts and 12 percent said restrictions have helped their company's competitive advantage. More than 17 percent said their business has had to lay off employees; 18 percent said their companies have furloughed workers. One-quarter of respondents said lack of access to senior officials and decision makers and the inability to attend networking events has affected their business. With conferences, trade shows and other in-person events on hold indefinitely, trade associations and event organizers have looked for virtual ways to replicate not only speaker presentations, but the sideline discussions and other types of networking that many consider essential to doing business in the defense sector. “Your ability to pull somebody off the stage coming off a panel, the ability to ask a question in the question-and-answer period in this environment, is a little bit challenging,” Hawk Carlisle, a retired Air Force general who is CEO of National Defense Industrial Association, said in an interview late last month. “It is having an effect and I do believe the longer this goes on it will continue to have an effect.” This week, NDIA, which represents 1,700 large and small companies and has 70,000 individual members, became the first to transform a large conference and trade show into a fully virtual conference. Typically, its SOFIC event is held in Tampa, near the U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters. This year, the speeches and panel discussions were broadcast online. What's more, the organization facilitated meetings between companies and government officials. NDIA, which usually hosts dozens of events around the country each year, is considering new ways to hold its gatherings, including hosting hybrid events, with some people in attendance and others attending virtually, Carlisle said. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2020/05/coronavirus-hampering-defense-contractor-operations-reader-survey-finds

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  February 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  L'Espagne rejoint la France et l'Allemagne dans le projet d'avion de combat du futur

  Frédéric Dubessy FRANCE / ESPAGNE. Le projet SCAF - pour système de combat aérien du futur - s'enrichit d'un nouveau partenaire. Après la France et l'Allemagne, l'Espagne s'associe à cette initiative comme l'a indiqué Margarita Robles, ministre espagnole de la Défense, jeudi 14 février 2019 au siège de l'Otan à Bruxelles. Une lettre d'intention a été signée le même jour entre les trois pays. Alors que l'Allemagne a pris les commandes du projet de char européen au niveau industriel, c'est la France qui se trouve à la tête de cet avion du futur avec Airbus Defence and Space, filiale d'Airbus, et Dassault Aviation. Fin avril 2018, les deux entreprises paraphaient un accord industriel. Le 31 janvier 2019, elles se voyaient attribuer le contrat de l'architecture et du concept (65 M€) alors que Safran et MTU Aero Engines développeront le moteur. Annoncé en juillet 2017, le nouvel avion de combat européen constituera la matrice d'une défense européenne en étant connecté à d'autres avions, à des satellites, des systèmes de l'OTAN et des systèmes de combat terrestres et navals. L'avion de combat du futur devrait être opérationnel "à l'horizon 2040", selon Florence Parly, ministre française de la Défense. Il viendra alors remplacer le Rafale du Français Dassault aviation et l'européen Eurofighter EF-2000 (ou Typhoon) développé par la Grande-Bretagne, l'Allemagne, l'Italie et l'Espagne (la France s'étant retirée en 1986 pour sortir le Rafale). Aucun budget n'est pour l'instant fixé, et aucun coût réparti entre les trois pays, le projet n'en étant qu'à une phase d'études. https://www.econostrum.info/L-Espagne-rejoint-la-France-et-l-Allemagne-dans-le-projet-d-avion-de-combat-du-futur_a25249.html