March 15, 2023 | International, Land
Lithuania wants 54 new tanks in tweak to land forces layout
The country's chief of defense has proposed an emphasis on heavy units at the expense of infantry formations.
August 19, 2019 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon seeks $104.29 billion military research budget for 2020 -- an increase of 8.7 percent
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is asking Congress for an 8.7 percent increase in the military's research and development budget next year, in what would be a major boost for crucial enabling technologies in communications, surveillance, computers, electronic warfare (EW), electro-optics, and related electronics technologies.
By John Keller
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is asking Congress for an 8.7 percent increase in the military research and development budget next year, in what would be a major boost for crucial enabling technologies in communications, surveillance, computers, electronic warfare (EW), electro-optics, and related electronics technologies.
DOD officials are asking for $104.29 billion for electronics-rich research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) projects in the department's fiscal 2020 budget request, which was released this week. That's up 8.7 percent from the $95.96 billion DOD researchers received this year. Federal fiscal year 2020 begins next Oct. 1.
The research budget typically is heavy in technology development, and is where the Pentagon pays for electronics technologies considered to be critical for tomorrow's weapon systems.
Of this RDT&E request, the U.S. Air Force is asking for $46.07 billion; defense agencies for $25.17 billion; the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for $20.43 billion; and the U.S. Army for $12.4 billion. This represents a plus-up for each service branch over this year: 11 percent for the Air Force; 4.6 percent for defense agencies; 9.5 percent for the Navy and Marine Corps; and 9 percent for the Army.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), one of the Pentagon's premiere research organizations, would receive a 3.8 percent increase in 2020, increasing from $3.43 billion to $3.56 billion.
In applied research in 2020, DARPA is asking for $512.4 million for network-centric warfare technologies -- an 18.1 percent increase; $232.1 million for command, control, and communications systems -- a 24.8 percent increase; $163.9 million for sensor technologies -- an 11.7 percent reduction; and $128.6 million for advanced electronics technologies -- a 15.8 percent increase.
In basic research DARPA is asking for $442.6 million for information and communications technologies -- a 9.3 percent increase; $337.6 million for tactical technology -- a 9.1 percent increase; and $332.2 million for electronics technology -- a 5 percent reduction.
In other defense agencies, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in 2020 is asking for $7.25 billion -- a 1.7 percent increase. In advanced technology development, MDA is asking for $1.16 billion for the ballistic missile defense midcourse defense segment -- a 44 percent increase; $727.5 million for Aegis shipboard ballistic missile defense -- an 18.7 percent reduction; $571.5 million for ballistic missile defense enabling programs -- an 8.6 percent reduction; and $564.2 million for ballistic missile defense command and control -- an 11.1 percent increase.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is asking for $5.29 billion for research and development in 2020 -- a 10.2 percent reduction; the Chemical and Biological Defense program is asking for $1.05 billion -- a 5.4 percent increase; the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is asking for $820.3 million -- a 34 percent increase; and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is asking for $542.9 million -- a 92.4 percent increase.
In Special Operations Command advanced technology development programs, SOCOM is asking for $245.8 million for aviation systems -- a 39.8 percent increase; $167.6 million for operational enhancements -- a 62.8 percent increase; $72.6 million for maritime systems -- a 71 percent increase; $68.3 million for warrior systems -- a 9.1 percent reduction; $42.4 million for unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) -- a 6.1 percent reduction; and $20.7 million for the MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -- a 12.5 percent increase.
On the same subject
-
-
October 7, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Italy Air Force chief wants in on US next-gen helicopter tech ' pronto
Gen. Luca Goretti said Italy urgently needs to get in on the ground floor of development of the technology to avoid playing catch-up later.
-
December 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace
“Innovations for FCAS”: Airbus concludes cooperative pilot phase with startup companies in Germany
Munich, 09 December 2020 – Airbus has concluded a pilot phase of the “Innovations for FCAS” (I4 FCAS) initiative which aims at involving German non-traditional defence players -covering startups, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and research institutes- in the development of Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This initiative which was launched in April 2020 was funded by the German Ministry of Defence. “The initiative shows that FCAS does not compare with previous larger defence projects. By implementing young and innovative players, some of whom have never been in touch with the defence sector, we ensure to leverage all competencies available for a game-changing high-tech programme such as FCAS”, said Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space. “It will also foster technological spill-overs between the military and civil worlds. It is our ambition to continue the initiative in 2021 and beyond, and make it a cornerstone of our FCAS innovation strategy.” During the pilot phase, 18 innovative players worked on 14 projects in different areas, covering the whole range of FCAS elements: combat cloud, connectivity, new generation fighter, remote carriers, system of systems, sensors. Among these 14 projects, Airbus engineers have worked closely with SMEs and startups to achieve concrete results such as: · A first flight-test approved launcher of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from of a transport aircraft. This project is the result of a cooperation between Airbus as A400M integrator, Geradts GmbH for the launcher and SFL GmbH from Stuttgart for UAV integration and supported by DLR simulations. An agile design and development approach allowed for rapid prototyping and flight readiness in only 6 months. · A secure combat cloud demonstrator: a first time transfer of secured operating systems into a cloud environment. Kernkonzept GmbH from Dresden together with Airbus CyberSecurity have shown how IT security can be used for highest security requirements on a governmental cloud system. · A demonstrator of applied artificial intelligence on radio frequency analysis. Hellsicht GmbH from Munich trained their algorithms on Airbus-provided datasets, allowing for a unique capability of real time fingerprinting of certain emitters, such as radars. As Europe's largest defence programme in the coming decades, FCAS aims at pushing the innovation and technological boundaries. Its development will bring disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, manned-unmanned teaming, combat cloud or cybersecurity to the forefront. https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/12/innovations-for-fcas-airbus-concludes-cooperative-pilot-phase-with-startup-companies-in-germany.html