January 29, 2021 | International, Naval

Rheinmetall, MBDA building high-energy lasers for Germany’s Navy

STUTTGART, Germany — Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland have officially been tasked to build, test and field a high-energy laser weapon system for the German Navy over the next year.

The consortium, dubbed ARGE, was awarded a contract “in the low double-digit million euro range” by Berlin's military procurement office, the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). Work will be conducted through the end of 2021, with trials scheduled for 2022 aboard the Navy frigate Sachsen, per a joint press announcement released Thursday.

The work is to be split on a “roughly equal basis,” the companies said. Rheinmetall will be responsible for the laser weapon system, the beam guiding system, cooling, and integrating the weapon system with the overall laser source demonstrator. MBDA will focus on the operator console along with tracking technology and command-and-control system integration. Details have yet to be revealed about where the system's development will take place.

This latest contract continues the companies' collaboration on high-energy laser efforts, which was first announced in August 2019. Rheinmetall and the Germany military have been testing high energy laser technologies in the maritime domain since 2015, a company spokesman told Defense News.

“The contract marks a systematic extension of the functional prototype laser weapon successfully tested in recent years, with the experience gained now dovetailing into one of the most ambitious projects in the field of laser weapon development in Europe,” said Alexander Graf, head of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition's laser weapons program, and Markus Jung, who leads the company's laser weapon development segment.

Once the demonstrator is installed, it will be used to test other aspects of the laser weapon system, such as the sensor suite and combat management system, and evaluate rules of engagement, said Doris Laarmann, MBDA's head of laser business development, in the release.

The German arm of MBDA announced a restructuring of operations in late 2020, following mixed signals from Berlin regarding the status of the Tactical Air Defense System (TLVS) program. Executives have expressed skepticism that a contract award would emerge soon for the follow-on work of the former Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). In 2015, the German government announced it would use MEADS as the basis for TLVS, which would eventually replace the nation's 1980s-era Patriot air defense systems.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/28/rheinmetall-mbda-building-high-energy-lasers-for-germanys-navy

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January 21, 2021 | International, C4ISR

General Dynamics wins nearly $700 million IT contract for U.S. Army Europe
Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — General Dynamics Information Technology was awarded a $695 million task order to provide IT services to U.S. Army Europe, the company announced Jan. 19. Under the five-year contract, GDIT will provide support services for USAREUR's enterprise IT, and communications and mission command support services to USAREUR's headquarters, NATO operations and other Department of Defense organizations and Regionally Aligned Forces in Europe. One goal of the contract is to expand theater communications and increase interoperability between the Army and its European allies. “GDIT looks forward to the opportunity to continue supporting the USAREUR G6 and its growing need for expanded theater communications and greater interoperability to enhance Army and Allied mission command systems” said Amy Gilliland, GDIT president. GDIT will provide cybersecurity services under the contract to “further optimize critical mission command networks and systems enabling USAREUR operations to advance its global mission,” the announcement said. The General Services Administration awarded the task order under the Enterprise Mission Information Technology Services contract in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the GDIT announcement. The contract has a one-year base with four one-year options. In 2016, GDIT won a task order for USAREUR's G6 Theater Mission Command Contract, a predecessor to the Enterprise Mission Information Technology Services contract. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2021/01/20/general-dynamics-wins-nearly-700-million-it-contract-for-us-army-europe
March 18, 2021 | International, Land

The military has lots of stuff. The port can move it. A $15 million deal brings them together.
Under a five-year, $15 million contract, the Port of Virginia will provide dockworkers and facilities to move cargo including tanks, helicopters and food supplies.
July 25, 2018 | International, Aerospace

Boeing proposes designs for new ICBM deterrent
By Stephen Carlson July 24 (UPI) -- Boeing has proposed design options to the U.S. Air Force for design of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, a possible replacement for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. "We offered the Air Force cost and performance trades for a deterrent that will address emerging and future threats," Frank McCall, vice president for Boeing Strategic Deterrence Systems, said in a press release. "By considering the various capabilities and opportunities for cost savings, the Air Force can prioritize system requirements as we progress toward the program's next phase," McCall said. Boeing received a $349 million contract from the Air Force last August for work on the GBSD, and completed a design review in November. A system functional review will be completed later this year, while Boeing is expected to present the completed design to the Air Force in 2020. Along with Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are competing for development contracts on the new missile. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrence program is the U.S. Air Force effort to replace the venerable LGM Minuteman II ICBM, which is nearing the end of its lifespan. Upgrades of the Minuteman series of ICBMs have been in service since the early 1960's. Much of its components are over 50 years old and making replacement necessary. The GDSM program is still in its early stages but is expected to start entering service in 2027 and is planned to be in service until 2075. The current Minuteman III is an underground silo-launched missile armed with nuclear warheads with up to a 350 kiloton yield. It has a range of well over 6,000 miles, though the exact maximum range classified. The Minuteman III can carry up to three multiple independent reentry vehicle warheads but is restricted to one per missile by treaty. The United States currently has 450 ICBMs in service. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/07/24/Boeing-proposes-designs-for-new-ICBM-deterrent/7861532445298

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Rheinmetall, MBDA building high-energy lasers for Germany’s Navy

On the same subject

The military has lots of stuff. The port can move it. A $15 million deal brings them together. Under a five-year, $15 million contract, the Port of Virginia will provide dockworkers and facilities to move cargo including tanks, helicopters and food supplies.

The military has lots of stuff. The port can move it. A $15 million deal brings them together.
Under a five-year, $15 million contract, the Port of Virginia will provide dockworkers and facilities to move cargo including tanks, helicopters and food supplies.