Saab fait voler une pièce de fuselage d’avion de combat imprimée en 3D

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  July 2, 2019 | International, Other Defence

  Army awards key contracts to build virtual trainers

  By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army has awarded several key contracts to build virtual trainers, which make up a critical part of the service's developing Synthetic Training Environment (STE). Cole Engineering Services, Inc. (CESI) was selected from a pool of vendors with solutions for ground and air virtual trainers on June 28 to build a prototype of the Army's Synthetic Training Environment's Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT). The Army sifted through a total of 11 responses to a request for solutions issued in April — eight RVCT solutions that address aircraft, two that address ground platforms and one that covered both air and ground capability in a comprehensive solution. “As a result of a multi-stage competition, the comprehensive solution, provided by Cole Engineering Services Inc., was selected as the winning vendor providing best value to the government,” a June 28 statement sent to Defense News from Army Contracting Command- Orlando said. The total value of the prototype project, if all phases and options are exercised, is $81.4 million. The Army also awarded a $95 million contract June 19 to VT MAK, a subsidiary of Singapore company ST Engineering in the United States, to deliver both Training Simulation Software (TSS) and a Training Management Tool (TMT) — two essential elements that, when combined with One World Terrain, form the STE's Common Synthetic Environment (CSE). The CSE enables the RVCT, the Soldier Squad Virtual Trainer and the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). The awards mark big progress in developing the STE — essentially a virtual world in which to train soldiers for war and aims to move the service away from its stove-piped training systems from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The new system will allow soldiers to train collectively — which is critical to preparing for multidomain operations across air, ground, sea, cyber and space — with greater fidelity. The STE will ultimately also be used as a mission planning tool. The idea is to be able to click on any place on a virtual globe and go there. Soldiers can then train virtually in an exact environment in which they can expect to operate in reality. The STE was prioritized through the establishment of Army Futures Command and has its own cross-functional team led by Maj. Gen. Maria Gervais to push efforts forward quickly. Prior to the standing up of the new four-star command aimed at rapidly building and procuring more modern equipment, the STE wasn't going to be ready until 2030. Now that timeline has been shrunk through new approaches in development and acquisition. The contracts awarded this month, for example, are Prototype Other Transaction Agreements under the Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX), which allowed the service to move more quickly through a competitive process. The plan moving forward for the RVCT is “upon successful completion of this prototype effort,” the Army would award a follow-on production contract “without the use of competitive procedures,” according to the ACC-Orlando-issued statement. But if the vendor fails to “demonstrate progress” or “be unsuccessful in the accomplishment of the goals of this prototyping effort,” the Army “reserves the right to return to the results of this competition and award additional Other Transaction Agreements to one or more of the vendors that responded to the initial Request for Solutions, as appropriate within the scope and evaluated results of the competition,” the statement notes. Should the vendor move forward, a follow-on effort could include continued development, further scaling of the solution and integration of future capabilities. The Army estimates the fielding quantity for the prototype would be 210 (or greater) RVCT-Air trainers and 656 ground versions “at various locations for Full Operational Capability,” according to the statement. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/06/28/army-awards-key-contracts-to-build-virtual-trainers/

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  November 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  L'Allemagne commande 38 avions de chasse Eurofighter à Airbus

  Le parlement allemand a donné son feu vert à un investissement de 5,4 milliards d'euros pour 38 avions de chasse de quatrième génération pour la Luftwaffe. Airbus salue une commande qui représente 100.000 emplois en Europe. Par Anne Bauer Publié le 5 nov. 2020 à 21:13Mis à jour le 5 nov. 2020 à 21:14 La commission budgétaire du Parlement allemand a approuvé un contrat d'achat de 38 avions de combat Eurofighter à Airbus pour un montant évalué à 5,4 milliards d'euros. Un contrat très attendu par le constructeur aéronautique, éprouvé par la crise du covid. Pour la Luftwaffe, l'armée de l'air allemande, il s'agit d'une première tranche sur un objectif de commandes à long terme de 93 Eurofighter ainsi que de 45 F-18 auprès de Boeing. 5,4 milliards d'euros Le président d'Airbus Defense and Space, Dirk Hoke, s'est réjoui de cette décision. « La décision du Bundestag d'acheter 38 Eurofighters de dernière génération est une bonne décision pour l'armée allemande mais aussi pour l'Europe et l'industrie de défense européenne », a-t-il déclaré, en soulignant que plus de 100.000 emplois dépendent d'une telle commande. Il a aussi déclaré que ce soutien affirmé de l'Allemagne au programme Eurofighter était un bon signal pour la crédibilité des campagnes à l'exportation en cours, notamment en Finlande et en Suisse. De son côté, le groupe britannique BAE Systems, partenaire de l'Eurofighter, a aussi salué cette décision : « l'engagement pris aujourd'hui par la Luftwaffe d'acheter 38 avions Eurofighter renforce le rôle de Typhoon au coeur de la défense européenne pour les décennies à venir. Notre équipe au Royaume-Uni est prête à travailler aux côtés de nos partenaires à travers l'Europe pour honorer nos engagements ». Une confirmation européenne La commande allemande est importante car elle grave dans le marbre l'abandon de la tentation d'acheter le F-35, l'avion de chasse de Lockheed Martin, que les Etats-Unis voulaient à tout prix vendre à Berlin. Par ailleurs, les 38 appareils seront d'une quatrième génération et vont embarquer de nombreuses nouvelles technologies, lesquelles vont préparer la route vers le Futur système de combat aérien franco-allemand qui doit prendre la relève vers 2040. Gr'ce au feu vert du Parlement allemand, le contrat Quadriga sera signé en novembre. L'arrivée des 38 nouveaux appareils devrait intervenir entre 2025 et 2030, en remplacement d'Eurofighters de première génération. Pour l'avionneur et ses partenaires européens, la commande tombe à pic alors que 570 appareils ont été livrés, dont 143 à l'Allemagne, sur 623 exemplaires commandés. https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/lallemagne-commande-38-avions-de-chasse-eurofighter-a-airbus-1262506

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  June 1, 2020 | International, C4ISR

  US joins G7 artificial intelligence group to counter China

  By: Matt O'Brien, The Associated Press The U.S. has joined an international panel for setting ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence, a move previously dismissed by the Trump administration. The White House's chief technology officer, Michael Kratsios, told The Associated Press on Thursday it is important to establish shared democratic principles as a counter to China's record of “twisting technology” in ways that threaten civil liberties. “Chinese technology companies are attempting to shape international standards on facial recognition and surveillance at the United Nations," he said. The Trump administration had been the lone holdout among leaders of the Group of Seven — the world's wealthiest democracies — in setting up the Global Partnership on AI. The partnership launched Thursday after a virtual meeting between national technology ministers. It was nearly two years after the leaders of Canada and France announced they were forming a group to guide the responsible adoption of AI based on shared principles of "human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth.” The Trump administration objected to that approach, arguing that too much focus on regulation would hamper U.S. innovation. But negotiations over the past year and changes to the group's scope led the U.S. to join, Kratsios said. “We worked very hard to make it clear that it would not be a standard-setting or policy-making body,” he said. U.S. involvement is important because of the large role that American tech firms play globally and its historic advocacy for human rights, said Kay Mathiesen, an associate professor focused on computer ethics at Northeastern University in Boston. “U.S. tech companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple are all concerned about what guidelines they should be following to use AI responsibly,” she said. “Given their global presence, the fact that the U.S. wasn't involved does not mean that they would not end up having to follow any regulations developed by the rest of the G7.” The U.S. push to scrutinize AI-assisted surveillance tools built by China also fits into a broader trade war in which both countries are vying for technological dominance. Beijing on Monday demanded that Washington withdraw the latest round of export sanctions imposed on Chinese tech companies accused of playing roles in a crackdown in its Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang. https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2020/05/29/us-joins-g7-artificial-intelligence-group-to-counter-china/