Pentagon launches six satellites to boost missile tracking capability

On the same subject

• 

  December 4, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Airbus Helicopters signe un contrat de soutien global pour le Tigre

  Des engagements en matière de niveau de performance ont été pris afin d'augmenter le taux de disponibilité et de garantir les capacités de soutien des hélicoptères Tigre dans les dix prochaines années. Marignane – Airbus Helicopters et l'Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement (OCCAR) ont signé un contrat de soutien global trilatéral visant à accroître le taux de disponibilité des hélicoptères Tigre exploités par les forces armées françaises, allemandes et espagnoles. Cet accord de soutien à long terme garantit la disponibilité et la facilité de maintenance du Tigre au-delà des dix prochaines années. Ce contrat couvre des éléments critiques tels que l'amélioration continue et le traitement des obsolescences, ainsi que les réparations et la livraison des pièces de rechange garanties par tous les fournisseurs concernés. Il répond par ailleurs aux besoins individuels de chaque client, en fonction de ses scénarios opérationnels et de déploiement. En France, par exemple, l'accord garantit un taux de disponibilité des pièces de rechange allant jusqu'à 98 % et une simplification de la logistique, Airbus Helicopters assurant directement l'approvisionnement en pièces neuves, ainsi qu'en pièces réparées et autres consommables. « Nous sommes fiers d'assurer le soutien à long terme du Tigre, certains de ces appareils étant constamment déployés sur d'importants thé'tres d'opérations. Ce contrat permet à nos clients de planifier avec fiabilité leurs opérations de soutien pour les dix prochaines années », a déclaré Bruno Even, CEO d'Airbus Helicopters. Les 183 Tigre livrés à la France, à l'Allemagne, à l'Espagne et à l'Australie cumulent jusqu'ici plus de 130 000 heures de vol. Déployé pour la première fois par la France en Afghanistan en 2009, et peu après par les forces armées allemandes et espagnoles, le Tigre continue de jouer un rôle décisif sur les thé'tres d'opérations, gr'ce à sa grande polyvalence, sa capacité furtive et sa grande manoeuvrabilité. https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/fr/2019/12/airbus-helicopters-signs-global-support-contract-for-tiger-helicopters.html

• 

  October 9, 2019 | International, Land, C4ISR

  Beetle-like Iranian robots can roll under tanks

  By: Kelsey D. Atherton On screen, the small robot slides perfectly underneath the textureless tank. It is a modern iteration of an old promise in remote warfare, rendered with all the processing power of a desktop PC from 1994. Can a small, cheap robot prove useful against the vehicles of an enemy at war? A recent exhibition of unmanned ground vehicles by Iran suggests that the possibility, if not the reality, is already in development. Designed by the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the Iranian Army, the Heidair-1 is almost certainly bound for life as an expendable battlefield platform. “There are many countries and forces using small [unmanned ground vehicles] for ISR and other roles — many belligerents in the Middle East have them, including several DIY models made by non-state actors,” said Samuel Bendett, an adviser at the Center for Naval Analyses. The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces, or NEZAJA, shared pictures of the new machine on Twitter Oct. 3. The default body of the robot is a six-wheeled tan box, with a pair of antenna sticking out toward the rear of the machine. Of the six Heidair-1 platforms featured, two were models with assault rifles mounted on top of the little rovers, magazines pointed skyward. “NEZAJA had an expo in Tehran where it unveiled several concepts, including this small UGV, Heidar-1. It appears to be a proof of concept, and there is no evidence of this UGV taking part in combat,” Bendett said. In the same video, NEZAJA shows one of the robots driving toward a rough tank-like shape. It explodes, fulfilling the promise of the simulation, and hearkening back to an earlier era of anti-tank warfare. In World War II, Germany fielded thousands of Goliath remote-control anti-tank mines, designed to crawl under parked tanks and detonate through the softer armor below. “This is the first time we have seen Iran unveil such a vehicle,” said Bendett, a fellow in Russia studies at the American Foreign Policy Council. “Equally interesting is their claim that this will be a ‘networked' system of vehicles that can presumably function in more or less autonomous mode. At this point, however, they are remote-controlled devices.” In a video demonstration, the rovers are either single-use mines or armed with machine guns. They are shown being used as combined arms with flying multirotor scouts. Whatever the guts of the new rolling rovers, the ability to guide them remotely to targets spotted by drone adds to the range of threats small robots can pose to armored vehicles. “This Heidair-1UGV may act ... as a kamikaze vehicle that may sneak up on its target much faster given its overall small size,” Bendett said. “We may not see this UGV operate in Iranian Army, but we may see such a vehicle operated by Houthis in their campaign against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its aligned forces.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2019/10/08/beetle-like-iranian-robots-roll-under-tanks/

• 

  January 23, 2024 | International, C4ISR

  NATO concludes contracts for another $1.2 billion in artillery ammunition

  On Tuesday (23 January 2024), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and General Manager of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) Stacy Cummings concluded contracts for the purchase of around 220,000 155-millimetre artillery shells worth 1.2 billion US dollars.