February 2, 2021 | International, Naval
By: The Associated Press
GROTON, Conn. — General Dynamics Electric Boat plans to add 2,200 jobs this year in Connecticut and Rhode Island as it tackles a $39 billion backlog of work, the submarine maker's top executive said Monday.
Kevin Graney, Electric Boat's president, made the announcement during a video briefing for stakeholders.
He said the company is facing the largest backlog of work in its history, with orders to build two new ballistic missile submarines and 19 new attack submarines, 11 of which are currently under construction.
The company added more than 2,000 jobs a year ago, much of it at the company's Quonset Point site in Rhode Island.
The new jobs will include shipyard workers, engineers and support staff, Graney said, and the firm expects to be in a “stable hiring mode pretty much for the next decade.”
“We're going to need to sustain the Rhode Island workforce as we grow the Connecticut workforce,” he said.
Electric Boat employs more than 17,000 people, including about 12,000 at its Groton shipyard and more than 4,000 in Rhode Island.
Congress increased funding for submarine programs from about $11.1 billion during the last fiscal year to $11.6 billion this fiscal year.
Members of Connecticut's all-Democrat congressional delegation, who took part in the video conference, said the defense contractor can expect to continue receiving work under the Biden administration.
“It may be unmanned as well as manned weapons platforms, but the future of the submarine is critically important,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.
March 17, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Lockheed Martin received its first F-16 from the U.S. Air Force as part of the $900 million IDIQ contract to provide sustainment support and depot-overflow services for F-16 aircraft.
October 3, 2018 | International, C4ISR
Self-funded teams also invited to compete; media teleconference with program manager Sept. 27 OUTREACH@DARPA.MIL The world beneath us leaves much to be discovered. These uncharted environments pose immense challenges to military and emergency personnel as they respond to threats from adversaries or natural disasters. DARPA has selected nine teams to compete in the Subterranean (SubT) Challenge – seven in the physical Systems track and two in the Virtual track – to develop new approaches to rapidly map, navigate, and search underground environments. The competition seeks to better equip warfighters and first responders to explore human-made tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks that are too dangerous, dark, or deep to risk human lives. SubT program manager, Timothy Chung, will be available for media Q&A at noon EDT, Sept. 27. Interested reporters must contact outreach@darpa.mil for teleconference details. The SubT Challenge physical Systems and software-focused Virtual competitions aim to create a community of multi-disciplinary teams from distinct fields to foster breakthrough technologies in autonomy, perception, networking, and mobility for underground environments. Teams in the Systems competition will develop and demonstrate physical systems in real-world environments. DARPA has selected seven teams to compete in the funded track of the Systems competition: Carnegie Mellon University Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia iRobot Defense Holdings, Inc. dba Endeavor Robotics Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology University of Colorado, Boulder University of Nevada, Reno University of Pennsylvania Teams in the Virtual competition will use simulation models and physics-based environments focusing on software-driven advances. The following organizations have received a contract to compete in the DARPA-funded track of the Virtual competition: Michigan Technological University Scientific Systems Company, Inc. Teams participating in the challenge will be tasked with designing and developing novel solutions that address the challenges of subterranean environments in circuits for each of the subdomains to include tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks, culminating with a final event encompassing elements from all three environments. DARPA also is seeking self-funded competitors for both the Systems and Virtual competitions. Self-funded teams will compete for prizes in each of the subdomain circuits. DARPA-funded and self-funded teams will vie for a $2 million prize in the Systems track, while the winner of the Virtual track will earn a $750,000 prize. Competitors Day will take place Thursday, Sept. 27, to convey the vision, schedule, registration information, and additional details for the DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge, engage potential entrants, and provide a forum for technical exchange and teaming opportunities. For additional information on the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, please visit www.subtchallenge.com. Please email questions to SubTChallenge@darpa.mil. Image Caption: The DARPA Subterranean Challenge explores innovative approaches and new technologies to rapidly map, navigate, and search complex underground environments. Click below for high-resolution image. # # # Media with inquiries should contact DARPA Public Affairs at outreach@darpa.mil Associated images posted on www.darpa.mil and video posted at www.youtube.com/darpatv may be reused according to the terms of the DARPA User Agreement, available here: http://go.usa.gov/cuTXR. https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2018-09-26
February 10, 2024 | International, Land
We have been warned — over and over again lately — that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an inflection point in history. And while the soaring political rhetoric may have sounded good over the last few years, it's very likely that this week, we truly arrived at that turning point.