Space Force Hopes for Wear Testing of Uniforms in Spring 2023 - Air Force Magazine

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  December 22, 2022 | International, Aerospace

  Air Force, Space Force priorities largely supported in funding bill

  The Air Force is set to receive more than $216 billion in the fiscal 2023 federal spending bill released Monday.

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  October 17, 2019 | International, Land

  U.S. Army Pursues Alternatives To GPS

  Jen DiMascio In its attempt to ensure that soldiers have access to GPS-like information, even when access to those U.S. Air Force satellites may be compromised, the U.S. Army is in the process of fielding an alternative system on certain ground vehicles. The Army began fielding the first iteration of the Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing System (MAPS), an anti-jam GPS alternative, on General Dynamics Stryker vehicles in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment this year. The service will field 300 such systems to the 2nd Cav this year, according to Willie Nelson, director of the Army's Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing Cross Functional Team. Thousands are supposed to be installed into vehicles in U.S. European Command by 2028. On Oct. 15, the U.S. Army announced it had chosen Collins Aerospace to provide a next-generation MAPS for manned ground vehicles. Collins will make MAPS Gen II, systems that will be evaluated for a year and potentially be fielded to 8,000 additional vehicles. The Collins Aerospace system combines the NavHub-100 navigation system and Digital GPS Anti-jam Receiver-100. The system adds a military code capability and modernized signal tracking to improve reliability and integrity, Collins says. The MAPS program is part of the U.S. Army's focus on modernization. But it is also a response to a request from commanders in Europe and Korea, according to Gen. John Murray, commander of Army Futures Command. The Army maintains that its effort to look for alternate means of positioning, navigation and timing is aligned with the U.S. Air Force's plans for GPS satellites. Asked about the threat from Russia, Brig Gen. Robert Collins, program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, said the U.S. needs confidence not just in the ability of U.S. assets to withstand jamming attacks but to be able to fend off spoofing efforts as well. “The electromagnetic spectrum is becoming contested and people are operating in that space,” Collins said. “We recognize that our traditional GPS today is not where we need it to be from a survivability perspective. So we have looked at how to make it more hardened.” Along with those efforts, the Army has also planned an industry day for Oct. 29-31, as it seeks new inertial measurement unit and timing technologies. https://aviationweek.com/defense/us-army-pursues-alternatives-gps

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  January 18, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  CAE USA continues Fixed-Wing Flight Training Service with U.S. Army

  CAE announced today that CAE Defense & Security has been awarded the competitive re-compete for Fixed-Wing Flight Training Service by the United States Army. The contract provides comprehensive initial and recurrent training for more than 600 U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force fixed-wing pilots annually. The firm-fixed-price award has an approximate total value of US$250 million through 2032 distributed from an initial base period and seven single-year options. “We are honored that the U.S. Army has once again selected the CAE Dothan Training Center to support the readiness of their future fixed-wing aviators,” said Dan Gelston, Group President, CAE Defense & Security. “The training center is a prime example of delivering live, virtual and constructive training with adaptive technologies and agile learning to deliver the highest quality instructional solutions to our military customers.”  CAE Defense & Security has provided Army Fixed-Wing training at the company-owned company-operated Dothan Training Center in Alabama since the initial contract award in 2016.  The state-of-the-art facility, near the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Rucker supports initial and recurrent training for transitioning Army rotary-wing aviators and Army initial-entry fixed-wing students. “CAE provides a world-class training program that balances academics, simulation, and aircraft flight training,” said Merrill Stoddard, Vice President and General Manager, CAE Defense & Security Readiness Solutions. “We leverage modern training solutions to deliver scenario-based training specific to the Army’s fixed-wing requirements.” The Fixed-Wing Flight Training Service program features academic, simulation and aircraft flight training, including the CAE Trax Academy which augments the current ground-based training assets with self-paced virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) training in both the C-12 and Grob G-120TP.  CAE also provides Grob G120 TP flight training devices and a suite of desktop trainers and courseware in addition to a fleet of C-12U King Air aircraft owned and maintained by the U.S. Army and operated by CAE instructors to deliver C-12 King Air aircraft flight training.