Replicator: An inside look at the Pentagon’s ambitious drone program

On the same subject

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  January 27, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Le Royaume-Uni prend quatre Airbus H145 de plus

  Le Royaume-Uni a pris quatre Airbus Helicopters H145 de plus pour sa flotte dédiée à la formation de ses équipages d'hélicoptères dans le cadre du programme UKMFTS. Airbus Helicopters fournira quatre H145 supplémentaires au Royaume-Uni dans le cadre du programme de formation de ses pilotes militaires UKMFTS. Les appareils seront livrés cette année et rejoindront un parc déjà composé de 29 H135 et trois H145. Airbus Helicopters avait été sélectionné par Ascent en 2016 comme fournisseur du UKMFTS. Selon les termes du contrat évalué à 500 M£ sur 17 ans, Airbus Helicopters livre des hélicoptères et une solution de soutien intégrée pendant une période de 18 mois. Ce contrat couvre la construction d'hélicoptères en plus du développement des infrastructures de soutien et de la formation des premiers équipages et du personnel de maintenance. Le contrat prévoit aussi que les H135 et H145 fournis par Airbus Helicopters capables d'assurer chaque année les 28 000 heures de formation requises. Dans le cadre du UKMFTS, le Royaume-Uni avait été le premier pays à prendre livraison de la version améliorée du H135, équipée de la suite avionique Helionix développée par Airbus Helicopters pour augmenter les performances et améliorer la sécurité en vol. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/le-royaume-uni-prend-quatre-airbus-h145-de-plus-22445

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  January 21, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  USAF base to use robotic technology to remove paint from A-10 aircraft

  The 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is leveraging the robotic media blasting technology for the first time to remove paint from the A-10 aircraft at Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in the US. With the use of the new robotic technology, the squadron is expanding its capacity by adding capability. New-generation robots are used to strip paint from A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft that arrive at Hill AFB for depot overhaul and maintenance. The latest process is expected to reduce man-hours and increase safety by removing employees from the blasting atmosphere, resulting in time and costs savings. 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director Tim Randolph said: “There are going to be across-the-board improvements, including a dramatic reduction in exposure to a Hexavalent Chromium dust environment. “Savings will also be seen with reduced operating time and less power consumption, as well as reduced costs in material. We really haven't found a downside to this system.” The new paint removal process is carried out by two robots, which each have four hose attachments that move independently along both sides of the aircraft. 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Corrosion Control Flight chief James Gill said: “Compared to the manual paint stripping method, the robots use half the amount of blast media at half of the air pressure, while removing an extremely precise thickness, uniformly, across the entire aircraft surface. “This translates into a process that is less stressful on the aircraft skins and saves money in media cost, while creating only half the waste stream.” A new laser burn process is also being tested at the AFB on F-16 aircraft. The squadron expects the application of the process to the A-10s going forward. Combined together, the three processes are capable of reducing the total time an aircraft spends in depot maintenance. Last August, Boeing secured a potential $999m 11-year contract to deliver sustainment work on the USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/usaf-base-robotic-technology/

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  September 28, 2022 | International, Other Defence

  French 2023 defense budget adds $3 billion to fund 'war economy'

  The increase was forecast by Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu when he met with French lawmakers this summer.