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  November 7, 2018 | International, Land

  The Army is looking to make a sports bra that also measures soldier performance

  By: Meghann Myers The Army has issued uniform items from top to bottom and inside out, except for one very important piece of clothing: a bra. Turns out, the service once took a stab at creating a tactical women's undergarment, but abandoned the idea because it didn't suit a variety of shapes and sizes. A designer at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center has taken up the cause again — however, this time adding an element of performance measurement. “So, I thought, let's kill two birds with one stone. Let's give them something that fits well and also create a platform where we can run the same tests and analysis that previously had been done on the male majority,” Ashley Cushon said in an Oct. 25 Army release. She dubbed the project BAMBI ― Biometric Algorithm Monitoring Brassiere Integration. And no, the acronym didn't come before the name. “Although BAMBI is still in its very early research stages, I wanted an innovative name that alluded to the end goal of the item ― which is to function as an integrated platform for physiological sensing specifically designed to the female soldier's biology,” Cushon told Army Times in a statement. “Most importantly, I wanted it to be an acronym that was functional and distinctive, yet relatively feminine and impactful.” While testing the prototype, soldiers will be hooked up to a Holter monitor to measure Heat Strain Index, heart rate and core temperature to predict heat stroke, exhaustion and fatigue, according to the release. NSRDEC has done these tests before, Cushon said, but could only do them on men because of the design of the vest that houses the sensors. “There are certain fit parameters that weren't accounted for when it came to the final test item and its ability to be unisex,” Cushon said. “Due to the lack of industry items that are properly suited to meet the sizing requirements of the female soldier population, we were unable to collect female data during those particular tests.” Her team will use measurements and 3-D scans taken from thousands of soldiers during 2012′s Army Anthropometry Survey to create a sports bra with proper sizing. It's not difficult to create a sensor-mounting garment, but it is a lot of work to make sure it can be worn by enough soldiers to collect significant data. “Developing a female undergarment is no simple task,” Cushon said in the release. “There's too large of a variety of body shapes and sizes to meet every need. Currently, there is no industry solution that accommodates the sizing needs of our female soldiers.” And so, few women have been able to participate in NSRDEC's push to get sensors on soldiers. “Currently, if soldiers are wearing physiological monitors in the field, they're either wearing wrist-mounted devices or some variation of a chest strap,” Cushon said. “Of the two, the chest strap is the most accurate but can cause chaffing or is otherwise not very compatible with the rest of their gear.” Using an algorithm, Natick researchers can take heart rate and core temperature data to calculate heat stress on the body, which can lead to casualties. “The long-term goal is for us to create an effective female-centric platform for introducing integrated sensing technology into the Army's effort of improving soldier and squad performance,” Cushon. Aside from health data, the Army is using sensors all over, from measuring parachute jumps to creating situational awareness for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. A woman-specific garment increases the likelihood that women can contribute to and benefit from research with wearable sensors. “Female soldiers are making invaluable contributions to our great nation, and they deserve clothing and equipment designed with them in mind,” Cushon said. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/11/06/the-army-is-looking-to-make-a-sports-bra-that-also-measures-soldier-performance

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  March 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  OTAN : les dépenses de Défense en hausse

  19 mars 2018 | Par Justine BOQUET L'OTAN a publié le 15 mars son étude sur les dépenses de défense des pays membres de l'Alliance transatlantique. Ce document établit un comparatif et étudie l'évolution de ces investissements militaires sur la période 2010 – 2017. L'année 2017 a enregistré une hausse des dépenses de Défense au niveau de l'OTAN, à hauteur de 4,87%. Les investissements réalisés par les Alliés dans le domaine militaire s'établissent dès lors à 917 Md$ (sur la base des prix et des taux de change de 2010). Ce montant est largement atteint gr'ce à la participation américaine, qui représente 618 Md$. A l'inverse, les Etats de l'OTAN situés en Europe et le Canada ont investit ensemble à peine la moitié du montant américain, soit 300 Md$. Cette hiérarchie se retrouve également au niveau des cibles OTAN à atteindre. Ainsi, au regard de l'objectif des 2% du PIB, les Etats-Unis sont loin devant avec des dépenses équivalent à 3,57% de leur PIB. Au sein de l'Alliance, seuls quatre pays membres atteignent cette cible. Aux Etats-Unis s'ajoutent donc la Grèce (2,36% du PIB), le Royaume-Uni (2,12%) et l'Estonie (2,08%). La France n'est pas très loin de l'objectif et a investit en 2017 1,74% de son PIB dans sa défense. Enfin, loin derrière on retrouve le Luxembourg, dont l'armée reste de taille relative. Ainsi, en 2017, le Grand-Duché consacre 0,46% de son PIB aux dépenses militaires. Au niveau de l'ensemble de l'OTAN, on atteint 2,42% du PIB de la zone. En terme de dépenses d'équipements, la tendance évolue. En effet, l'OTAN prévoit que 20% du budget militaire des Etats Membres de l'Alliance soit consacré aux dépenses d'équipement. Douze Etats atteignent cet objectif. Roumanie : 33,20% Luxembourg : 32,99% Lituanie : 31,09% Turquie : 30,40% Bulgarie : 29,54% Etats-Unis : 28,43% Norvège : 25,52% France : 24,17% Pologne : 22,14% Royaume-Uni : 22,03% Italie : 20,94% Slovaquie : 20,42% Loin derrière on retrouve la Slovénie, qui avec 4,01% de son budget dédié aux dépenses d'équipement est encore loin de la cible. http://www.air-cosmos.com/otan-les-depenses-de-defense-en-hausse-108729

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  August 31, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Airbus unveils B-model Lakota helos to enter US Army fleet next year

  By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The newest version of the UH-72B Lakota light utility helicopter will enter the U.S. Army fleet in 2021, aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Aug. 28 at the National Guard Association of the United States virtual trade show. Beginning with the newest orders placed in 2020, Airbus will deliver 17 UH-72Bs next year after supplying 460 UH-72As across the Army, Navy and National Guard. In September, the last UH-72A (the 463rd) will roll off the production line in Columbus, Missouri, according to the statement. The “B” model will look distinctly different from the “A” variant. The aircraft is based off the Airbus H145 and will feature a Fenestron tail rotor, which the current A model does not have, according to Airbus. The B model will also have more powerful engine technology, “enhanced” controls and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite, the company said. The new helicopter variant will go to the Army National Guard. “Since we first began operations with the UH-72 Lakota some 15 years ago, this helicopter has been the workhorse of the Army and National Guard, saving lives, assisting in disaster relief, training thousands of pilots, and, more importantly, helping to protect our communities and our country,” Col. Calvin Lane, the Army's project manager for utility helicopters, said in the statement. “Procuring the UH-72B Lakota provides tremendous value with no research and development costs for the Army.” Since the program's inception in 2006, the Army and National Guard have logged nearly 800,000 flight hours, serving as the initial entry rotary-wing training aircraft for the Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and has flown search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief missions as well counter-drug operations at the Southwest border. The Army chose to make the Lakota the primary training helicopter and retire its TH-67 aircraft when it restructured its entire aviation fleet in 2013. The decision met some resistance. Several companies like Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland were hoping at the time to sell military training helicopters to several armed services, including the Army. AgustaWestland, a Leonardo subsidiary, filed a lawsuit four years ago in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over the Army's plan to buy 16 of the aircraft for the training fleet. The court ruled in favor of AgustaWestland, and the Army was barred from buying the Lakotas. But the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's decision in early 2018, allowing the service to move forward in procuring Lakotas. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/28/airbus-unveils-b-model-lakotas-will-enter-us-army-fleet-in-2021/