Supplier bottlenecks threaten US Navy effort to grow arms stockpiles

On the same subject

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  October 5, 2021 | International, Naval

  US Navy acquisition chief outlines FY22 priorities

  Next year will be a big one for Navy readiness, setting up the fleet for future success through F-35 sustainment, shipyard overhauls and IT transformation.

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  January 26, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Tribune : « Préservons l'industrie de Défense »

  Dans une tribune publiée par Les Echos, des élus locaux, dont, notamment, Xavier Bonnefont, maire d'Angoulême, Yann Galut, maire de Bourges, et François Cuillandre, maire de Brest, appellent à « préserver l'industrie de Défense ». Ils alertent sur le risque que représente le manque de financements : au-delà du rôle de l'Etat, le financement de l'innovation de Défense « repose aussi sur le financement bancaire, qui se réduit du fait de l'accumulation de normes internationales qui conduisent les banques et les fonds d'investissement à exclure certains secteurs, comme celui de la Défense ». Cette exclusion touche les grands groupes, mais surtout les startups, ETI et PME, observent-ils. Ils soulignent qu'« à côté de quelques groupes d'envergure internationale qui font la fierté de notre pays », la base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD) française repose essentiellement sur des milliers de PME, ETI et TPE sur l'ensemble du territoire : « Chaque département accueille des entreprises du secteur de la Défense, soit un tissu de plus de 200 000 emplois de haute technicité, non délocalisables, qui contribuent positivement à la balance commerciale. Dans plusieurs régions, la Défense représente plus de 7% des emplois industriels ». Les élus appellent à « veiller impérativement à ne pas exclure des entreprises stratégiques qui bénéficient d'une avance technologique et sont le terreau de notre souveraineté nationale ».

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  August 28, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Drone maker General Atomics lays off hundreds

  By: Joe Gould and Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON ― Privately held drone maker General Atomics, of San Diego, is laying off approximately 630 of its roughly 10,000 employees. “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. can confirm a reduction in force involving 6% of its workforce,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to Defense News late Wednesday. “This reduction was made to balance resources with customer requirements.” The layoffs were announced internally Wednesday and confirmed by the company, which did not specify which operations were impacted. General Atomics and Northrop Grumman were two beneficiaries of the Trump administration's recent decision to ease restrictions on overseas sales of unmanned aircraft. In addition, lawmakers are expected to boost Reaper buys in the near term, with House appropriators proposing to give General Atomics $344 million for 16 more MQ-9s in fiscal 2021. But the company was also dealt a blow earlier this year when the Air Force announced it would stop buying the MQ-9 Reaper in fiscal year 2021, at least four years earlier than expected. And now the future of the program remains uncertain, with the Air Force looking at options to replace the MQ-9 Reaper. Over the past two decades, the Reaper has served as one of the Air Force's workhorse drones for surveillance and for striking targets in the Middle East. But service leaders believe it is ill-suited for a war with Russia and China. In addition, they believe it costs too much time and money to keep the aircraft ready for operations in low-threat environments. “The Reaper has been a great platform for us. Four million flight hours, just undeniable overmatch in a low-end uncontested fight, and it is certainly saving lives,” Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper told lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee hearing this March. “But as we look to the high-end fight, we just can't take them into the battlefield. They are easily shot down.” In June, the Air Force issued a request for information for an MQ-9 successor, underscoring the service's plan to transition from the Reaper to a new surveillance and strike drone. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/08/27/drone-maker-general-atomics-lays-offs-hundreds/