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September 13, 2023 | International, C4ISR

See the ultralight cardboard drone donated to Ukraine

Made with cardboard, wooden dowels and rubber bands, this disposable drone adds another flexible option to militaries around the world — including Ukraine.

https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/09/13/see-the-ultralight-cardboard-drone-donated-to-ukraine/

On the same subject

  • L'Espagne rejoint la France et l'Allemagne dans le projet d'avion de combat du futur

    February 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    L'Espagne rejoint la France et l'Allemagne dans le projet d'avion de combat du futur

    Frédéric Dubessy FRANCE / ESPAGNE. Le projet SCAF - pour système de combat aérien du futur - s'enrichit d'un nouveau partenaire. Après la France et l'Allemagne, l'Espagne s'associe à cette initiative comme l'a indiqué Margarita Robles, ministre espagnole de la Défense, jeudi 14 février 2019 au siège de l'Otan à Bruxelles. Une lettre d'intention a été signée le même jour entre les trois pays. Alors que l'Allemagne a pris les commandes du projet de char européen au niveau industriel, c'est la France qui se trouve à la tête de cet avion du futur avec Airbus Defence and Space, filiale d'Airbus, et Dassault Aviation. Fin avril 2018, les deux entreprises paraphaient un accord industriel. Le 31 janvier 2019, elles se voyaient attribuer le contrat de l'architecture et du concept (65 M€) alors que Safran et MTU Aero Engines développeront le moteur. Annoncé en juillet 2017, le nouvel avion de combat européen constituera la matrice d'une défense européenne en étant connecté à d'autres avions, à des satellites, des systèmes de l'OTAN et des systèmes de combat terrestres et navals. L'avion de combat du futur devrait être opérationnel "à l'horizon 2040", selon Florence Parly, ministre française de la Défense. Il viendra alors remplacer le Rafale du Français Dassault aviation et l'européen Eurofighter EF-2000 (ou Typhoon) développé par la Grande-Bretagne, l'Allemagne, l'Italie et l'Espagne (la France s'étant retirée en 1986 pour sortir le Rafale). Aucun budget n'est pour l'instant fixé, et aucun coût réparti entre les trois pays, le projet n'en étant qu'à une phase d'études. https://www.econostrum.info/L-Espagne-rejoint-la-France-et-l-Allemagne-dans-le-projet-d-avion-de-combat-du-futur_a25249.html

  • The Marine Corps wants to protect its Hornets from GPS jammers

    July 11, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

    The Marine Corps wants to protect its Hornets from GPS jammers

    By: Shawn Snow The Corps is looking to install antennas in its F/A-18 C/D Hornets to help the aircraft defeat GPS jammers. In a request for information posted in early June by Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, the Corps wants to install the anti-jam antennas known as the Air Navigation Warfare Program, or NAVWAR, in 120 of the legacy Hornets. The anti-jamming antenna “provides Global Positioning System (GPS) protection for Naval Air platforms by allowing for continued access to GPS through the use of Anti-Jam (AJ) Antenna Systems designed to counter GPS Electronic Warfare threats from intentional and unintentional interference,” Michael Land, a spokesman for NAVAIR, told Marine Corps Times in an emailed statement Tuesday. The development comes as U.S. aircraft have faced mounting electronic warfare attacks against aircraft in Syria. Army Gen. Tony Thomas, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, told audience members at a conference in April that adversaries were trying to bring down AC-130 gunships in Syria using electronic warfare, or EW. “Right now in Syria, we're in the most aggressive EW environment on the planet, from our adversaries,” Thomas said. “They're testing us every day, knocking our communications down, disabling our AC-130s, et cetera.” The Corps is amid an overhaul of its forces and equipment to prepare for a potential fight with near-peer adversaries like Russia and China. Both countries boast an impressive array of electronic warfare capabilities. Russia has been using the Syrian battlefield to hone its EW skills. The top Marine has oft repeated the threats posed to GPS systems from rising adversaries and says the Corps needs to be prepared to fight in GPS denied environments. The F/A-18 is the Corps' bridging aircraft as it moves to the new high-tech F-35. As the Corps transitions the older legacy Hornets are undergoing a service life extension, meaning the aircraft are being updated to handle the modern battlefield. “Installation in F/A-18 A-D helps ensure continued mission capability as the service life of the aircraft is extended and facilitates supportability by using more common equipment,” Land said. The Navy and the Marine Corps already use the anti-jamming GPS antenna in a number of airframes, according to Land. “Typical installations replace a platform's existing GPS antenna with a NAVWAR antenna and separate antenna electronics, while leaving a platform's GPS receiver in place,” Land added. The Corps expects the F/A-18 to be in sunset by 2030. As the Corps moves to the F-35 and phases out its Hornets, the legacy fighters will consolidate on the West Coast by 2018 with the exception of VMFA (AW)‐242, which will remain aboard the Corps' air station at Iwakuni, Japan until it transitions to the F-35 in 2028, according to the Corp's 2018 aviation plan. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/07/10/the-corps-wants-to-protect-its-hornets-from-gps-jammers/

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 11, 2020

    February 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 11, 2020

    U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Institute of Applied Engineering Inc. (IAE), University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, Florida, was awarded an $85,000,000 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92405-20-D-0001) in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for access to applied research and advanced technology development. USSOCOM will collaborate with IAE to conduct research, hardware and software development, test and evaluation, demonstration, prototyping, and limited system production. Additionally, IAE will facilitate access to USF education and training resources. The work will be performed in Tampa and is expected to be completed by Feb. 9, 2025. The contract was awarded through other than full and open competition. USSOCOM headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Feb. 10, 2020) L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, was awarded a $48,715,001 modification on an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and cost reimbursable contract (H9224120D0001) for the Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures program for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This modification for program management, contractor logistics support, field service representatives and travel raises the contract ceiling to $50,000,000. The majority of the work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey. This contract is a non-competitive award in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. USSOCOM headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. NAVY Tekla Research Inc.,* Fredericksburg, Virginia, is awarded an $82,999,168 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides test and evaluation engineering, prototyping, and integration of warfare systems into Navy aircraft and aviation systems. In addition, this contract provides developmental test and evaluation of lab, ground, and flight-testing of newly installed or developmental systems and/or modifications to fleet-deployed systems as well as data gathering to support potentially new systems, improve existing systems, and experimentation and testing of prototypes. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (96.5%); China Lake, California (1%); Point Mugu, California (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%); and Lakehurst, New Jersey (0.5%), and is expected to be completed in March 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was a small business set-aside, competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0024). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri is awarded $19,271,301 for a firm-fixed-priced delivery order N00383-20-F-0AY0 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-18-G-AY01) for the repair of various avionics equipment used on the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in Lemoore, California (99%); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1%). Work will be completed by December 2022. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount of $19,271,301 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One source was solicited for this sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1) and one offer was received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $67,584,243 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (PZ0010) to contract FA8615-16-C-6048 for upgrading F-16s for the government of Singapore. Work will be performed at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth, Texas; and in Singapore. This contract is expected to be completed by June 30, 2023, and is a Foreign Military Sales acquisition for the government of Singapore. This contract was a sole-source acquisition, and the total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,008,584,243. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Cyber Systems & Services Solutions, Bellevue, Nebraska, has been awarded a $17,590,503 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P0009) to contract FA8773-18-D-0002 to exercise Option II for Defensive Cyber Realization, Integration, and Operational Support (DCRIOS) services. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and is expected to be completed Feb. 28, 2021. This modification is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,934,344.00 are being obligated at the time of award. The 38th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity. ARMY Great Lakes Dredge & Deck Co. LLC, Old Brook, Illinois, was awarded a $17,573,575 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging of Baltimore Harbor and York Spit Channel, Chesapeake. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 9, 2020. Fiscal 2020 cost-share and civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $17,573,575 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-C-0006). Safariland LLC, Casper, Wyoming, was awarded an $8,944,506 firm-fixed-price contract for a 12-gauge, direct-fire, low-hazard, non-shrapnel producing shell. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 11, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-20-F-0161). Midwest Construction Co.,* Nebraska City, Nebraska, was awarded a $7,310,007 firm-fixed-price contract for levee rehabilitation. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Papillion, Nebraska, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 civil flood control and coastal emergencies funds in the amount of $7,310,007 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0012). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2081595/source/GovDelivery/

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