Tech maturing too fast for multiyear drone buys, Army’s Bush says

On the same subject

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  March 20, 2019 | International, Naval

  Les français Naval Group et ECA Robotics fourniront 12 chasseurs de mines à la Belgique et aux Pays-Bas

  PAR LAURENT LAGNEAU Après avoir, dans la foulée de l'accord de partenariat stratégique conclu entre Paris et Canberra, signé le contrat de design pour les 12 futurs sous-marins Shorfin Barracuda destinés à la Royal Australian Navy, le constructeur naval français Naval Group, associé ECA Robotics, vient de remporter l'important marché portant sur le renouvellement des capacités de lutte anti-mines des forces navales belges et néerlandaises. Lancé en 2016 sous la responsabilité de la Belgique, ce marché, pour lequel une enveloppe de 2 milliards d'euros était prévue, vise à remplacer les chasseurs de mines de type Tripartite [CMT, conçus à Lorient] qui, en service depuis plus de 30 ans au sein des forces navales belges et néerlandaises, arriveront en fin de vie en 2023. Concrètement, le consortium emmené par Naval Group et ECA Robotics aura à livrer 12 chasseurs de mines à la Belgique et aux Pays-Bas mais surtout à imaginer ce que sera la guerre des mines de demain. « La future capacité utilisera des systèmes non habités en surface, au-dessus du niveau de l'eau et sous l'eau afin de détecter puis neutraliser des mines. Gr'ce à cette nouvelle méthode de travail, le vaisseau-mère et son personnel pourront rester hors du champ de mines car seuls les drones y seront actifs », a ainsi résumé le ministère belge de la Défense. Deux autres concurrents étaient en lice pour ce marché, dont le néerlandais Damen, associé à l'allemand Atlas Elektronik et à Imtech België, ainsi que le français Thales [actionnaire de Naval Group à hauteur de 35%, ndlr] allié aux chantiers navals de Saint-Nazaire et à Socarenam. Selon la presse d'outre-Quiévrain, le tandem Naval Group et ECA Robotics s'est imposé en faisant l'offre la moins disante à 1,756 milliad d'euros tout en assurant qu'il y aurait des retombées pour les industriels belges et néerlandais. Ainsi, la production d'une cinquantaine de robots sous-marins devrait se faire à Zeebruges. Quoi qu'il en soit, en obtenant ce marché visant à équiper des forces navales qui passent pour être parmi les plus performantes dans le domaine de la lutte anti-mines, Naval Group et ECA Robotics ont fait un coup de maître. En outre, dans le cadre de l'Otan, et avec 11 autres alliés, la Belgique et les Pays-Bas ont signé une lettre d'intention en vue de coopérer à la création de systèmes maritimes sans pilote, notamment en vue de réduire les coûts en réalisant des économies d'échelle. Et sur ce point, les deux industriels français sont sans doute désormais bien placés pour obtenir d'autres contrats à l'avenir. « Les mines marines sont des armes relativement peu coûteuses et disponibles. Elles peuvent aisément empêcher l'accès aux ports et aux voies navigables. Un incident survenu sur l'Escaut ou dans la mer du Nord peut représenter une perte économique quotidienne de cinquante millions d'euros. Garantir la sécurité des voies navigables et des ports est donc crucial pour notre économie. Chaque semaine, nos navires sont engagés. Ils participent à des missions internationales », a par ailleurs fait valoir le ministère belge de la Défense, qui estime que ce contrat renforcera la position de la Belgique « au sein de l'Otan en tant qu'expert et pionnier dans le domaine ». http://www.opex360.com/2019/03/16/les-francais-naval-group-et-eca-robotics-fourniront-12-chasseurs-de-mines-a-la-belgique-et-aux-pays-bas/

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  May 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Citing TransDigm, DoD seeks new acquisition powers, and trade groups oppose

  By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― Four defense industry trade associations “strongly oppose" a handful of Pentagon-backed procurement reform proposals that they say would harm the defense industrial base, and they're asking Congress to reject them. Two of the proposals aim at controversial pricing practices used by TransDigm by requiring contractors to submit cost information for commercial items and by requiring contracting officers to conduct a commercial item determination for every procurement. Others would set a preference for performance-based contract payments and authorize the Defense Department to release or disclose detailed manufacturing or process data. The May 6 protest letter came from the Acquisition Reform Working Group — made up of the National Defense Industrial Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, the Computing Technology Industry Association and the Information Technology Industry Council — to the the House and Senate armed services committees. It comes as the panels were readying their drafts of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The Pentagon has worked to monitor its network of suppliers from the economic shocks associated with the coronavirus pandemic and to protect suppliers by using emergency funding from Congress to speed payments and improve cash flow along the supply chain. The trade groups noted they represent “thousands of small, mid-sized, and large companies in addition to hundreds of thousands of employees that provide goods, services, and personnel to the Department of Defense,” and said the four proposals a “could have significant consequences for the defense industrial base.” Congress focused ire at TransDigm last year after the Defense Department's Inspector General found for $26.2 million in parts the military bought from TransDigm, it earned $16.1 million in excess profit. Transdigm was the only manufacturer of the majority of the parts, which let it set the market prices even for competitively awarded parts. Though DoD has argued its contractors need new latitude to make commercial item determinations and obtain cost or pricing information to prevent the excessive pricing TransDigm was accused of, the trade groups argue the TransDigm's actions weren't facilitated by an inappropriate reliance on improper commercial item determinations, or insufficient access to pricing data. “As illustrated by the TransDigm Group, Inc's pricing practices, generally once a conversion to a commercial product or commercial service is made, it is common for prices to increase and subsequent contracting officers find it difficult to obtain data necessary to determine price reasonableness and negotiate fair and reasonable prices on behalf of the taxpayer,” the department said in its proposal. Another proposal would require a contractor to submit uncertified cost information for commercial item proposals or contracts less than $2 million. The idea behind the reform is DoD wants to be able to get more insight into the costs of sole-source items and put itself in a more favorable position to negotiate with sole-source companies. Congressional hearings on TransDigm's excessive pricing showed Defense leaders need the authority to obtain the data “to the extent necessary to determine price reasonableness is paramount in ensuring that such excessive pricing practices are curtailed.” But the trade groups argue that levying the new regulations would “add a significant barrier to commercial item acquisition, reduce information sharing, further burden the system, and impede—rather than enable—the delivery of capabilities to the warfighter at the ‘speed of relevance'—all with little to no added protection for the government or the taxpayer." The trade associations also opposed DoD's legislation to set a preference for performance-based contract payments. The groups said a DoD proposal to “recouple” total performance-based payments to total cost incurred would reverse Congress's previous work to emphasize performance over cost and contradict a spate of defense acquisitions rules. DoD's argument is that it shouldn't be reimbursing a contractor more than its actual costs, or it “would result in negative levels of contractor investment,” and create a disincentive for contractors to deliver. Another disputed proposal would let DoD release detailed manufacturing or process data, or DPMD, pertaining to privately funded commercial or noncommercial items outside of the government to third parties seeking to compete against the original equipment manufacturer. It's the latest episode in a running game of tug-of-war between industry and DoD over intellectual property. While Congress has in recent years prodded DoD to set intellectual property strategies early in acquisition programs and negotiate for IP rights on a case-by-case basis, the trade groups argue the proposal would give DoD “an automatic default authority” and “eliminate the possibility of a negotiated solution.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/05/15/citing-transdigm-dod-seeks-new-acquisition-powers-and-trade-groups-oppose/

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  July 13, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Calspan Awarded DARPA Air Combat Evolution (ACE) Contract

  July 08, 2020 10:04 ET | Source: Calspan photo-release DARPA ACE Buffalo, New York, July 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calspan Corporation has been awarded a $14.1M, four-year contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop full-scale air combat experimentation infrastructure for its Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. The overall focus of ACE is to develop and measure human trust in artificial intelligence (AI). The technologies developed within the ACE program will ultimately enable future pilots to confidently offload some high workload tactical tasks like visual air-to-air engagements so they can better focus on managing the larger battlespace. Under this contract Calspan Flight Research will modify up to four Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros jet trainers with Calspan's proprietary autonomous fly-by-wire flight control system technology to allow implementation and demonstration of advanced Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) and AI algorithms. Flight tests and demonstrations will be conducted from the Calspan Flight Research Facility at the Niagara Falls, NY, International Airport and flown in the Misty Military Operating Area (MOA) over nearby Lake Ontario. “Calspan is proud of our selection by DARPA to build an airborne air combat experimentation lab for the ACE program,” said Peter Sauer, Calspan President. Louis Knotts, Calspan Owner and CEO added “Since 1947, Calspan has been the world's premier innovator, developer, and operator of in-flight simulators and UAV surrogates. This program presents an outstanding opportunity for Calspan to partner with DARPA for the use of our programmable flight control technology and provide them with a safe and flexible means to flight test these advanced algorithms.” The program will be conducted over three phases of development with Phase 1 beginning immediately. About Calspan For more than 75 years, Calspan has been providing research and testing services in the aviation and transportation industries. Internationally recognized for safety research and innovation, the company's headquarters is located in Buffalo, NY, housing a variety of research and testing facilities, including a transonic wind tunnel, ground vehicle crash testing, dynamic sled testing and research, and tire research and performance testing. Calspan conducts flight testing, flight training, and aircraft modifications in Niagara Falls, NY where they own a fleet of seven airborne testbeds. Calspan also has prototype test device manufacturing capabilities in Newport News, Virginia, as well as force measurement equipment manufacturing capabilities in San Diego, California. For more information about Calspan, please visit http://www.Calspan.com. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/08/2059382/0/en/Calspan-Awarded-DARPA-Air-Combat-Evolution-ACE-Contract.html