The Space Force wants to manage acquisitions by portfolio

On the same subject

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  August 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Canadian companies eligible for UK – US International Space Pitch Day (deadline Aug 19)

  An email was recently circulated from the U.S. Embassy in Montreal regarding a new competition jointly organized by U.S. and the UK called the International Space Pitch Day that is open to “space entrepreneurs” around the world. The registration questionnaire deadline for the International Space Pitch Day is Wednesday, August 19, 2020 7:00 a.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. BST). Proposals must then be submitted by 7:00 a.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. BST) on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020. The email provides the following information: The International Space Pitch Day is a joint U.S. – UK initiative that aims to find, fund and fast-track innovation and technology that gives advantage to military operations in space. The competition is open to innovators from all over the world and delivered through the UK Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA). The endeavour is jointly funded by the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Royal Air Force and the U.S. Air Force. A grand coalition of Dstl, DASA, Royal Air Force, UK Strategic Command, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been assembled to find, fund, and fast-track the best ideas from start-up innovators to the front line. The competition is seeking solutions to six challenges set by the U.S. and UK Space teams: Visualisation of key events and information for combined space operations with allies and commercial partners. Understanding current satellite systems relevant to the operations of a particular commander. Understanding the present and potential impact of space weather on users across all domains. Provision of training against realistic threats and opportunities, incorporating live data, and integrating space across multiple domains. Enabling common and user-defined operational pictures to support multi-national space domain awareness and command and control. A verification and comparison tool for Space domain awareness, which can take orbital observation data from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats and produce a single, reliable operational picture. £800k (approximately US$1M) is available to fund up to 15 proposals, with a maximum value of £53k (approximately US$67k) each. The duration of each of the funded projects is to be no longer than 3 months.

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  December 9, 2020 | International, C4ISR, Security

  DoD and Australia ink first-ever cyber training partnership

  Mark Pomerleau WASHINGTON — The U.S. military and Australia announced a first-of-its-kind agreement to develop a virtual cyber training range together. U.S. Cyber Command will incorporate Australian Defence Force feedback into the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE), per a Cyber Training Capabilities Project Arrangement signed Nov. 3. This agreement is valued at $215.19 million over six years and provides the flexibility to develop cyber training capabilities for the future, Cyber Command said in a release Dec. 4. PCTE is an online client that allows Cyber Command's warriors to log on from anywhere in the world to conduct individual or collective cyber training and mission rehearsal. In the physical world, military forces regularly go to a training facility, such as the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, to work on particular concepts or rehearse before deploying. But a robust environment has not existed for the Department of Defense's cyber warriors, creating readiness gaps. The program is run by the Army on behalf of the joint cyber force. “Australia and the U.S. have a strong history of working together to develop our cyber capabilities and train our people to fight and win in cyberspace,” said Australian Army Maj. Gen. Marcus Thompson, the Australian signatory and head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force. “This arrangement will be an important part of the ADF's training program, and we look forward to the mutual benefits it will bring.” In the past, the two countries created cyber training ranges separately, which could take months and stymied cooperation efforts, Cyber Command noted. U.S. officials have long held that the military will never fight alone, and this extends to cyberspace. “This project arrangement is a milestone for U.S.-Australian cooperation. It is the first cyber-only arrangement established between the U.S. Army and an allied nation, which highlights the value of Australia's partnership in the simulated training domain,” said Elizabeth Wilson, U.S. signatory and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation. “To counter known and potential adversarial threats, the Army has recalibrated our strategic thinking; we've made smart decisions to refocus our efforts to invest in the new, emerging and smart technologies that will strengthen our ability to fight and win our nation's wars.” Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, has made partnerships — with other nations, private sector actors and academia — a key pillar of his tenure. Cyber Command has deployed personnel to other nations to conduct what it calls hunt forward missions, which serve the dual role of helping shore up defenses of partners while allowing U.S. cyber personnel to potentially uncover tools used by adversaries to better understand their techniques. Congress, in the annual defense policy bill for fiscal 2021, also authorized a pilot program with Vietnam — which many cyber experts assert is rapidly growing its cyber capabilities — Thailand and Indonesia to enhance their cybersecurity, resilience and readiness of military forces. https://www.c4isrnet.com/cyber/2020/12/04/dod-and-australia-ink-first-ever-cyber-training-partnership/

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  January 5, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  New fighter jets to look for in 2021

  While commercial aviation stalled in 2020, many military programs did not so. As a result, 2021 is going to be an eventful year for aviation enthusiasts. Let's see, what new fighter jets are going to see the skies or finish their development cycle in the new year. Shenyang FC-31 A decade ago, China surprised the world with Chengdu J-20, becoming the second nation in the world with domestically-produced fifth-generation fighter jets in operational capability. But J-20s are large and expensive, and just as the United States several years before, China became interested in smaller, cheaper alternatives. One alternative was offered by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. While not much is known about the secretive aircraft, it is likely it was export-oriented at first, and repurposed as a light, possibly carrier-based companion to the J-20 later. The prototype of FC-31 first flew in 2012, but disappeared from the public eye shortly after. The aircraft returned in 2020, much improved, and with the rumors that the mass-production is about to start. We will probably see the resolution of its story in 2021: the aircraft may be officially adopted, deployed, or at least showcased in its primary role on one of China's aircraft carriers. KAI KF-X The first Korean fifth-generation fighter jet entered the development back in 2001. The project evolved, partnering with Indonesian Aerospace and United States' Lockheed-Martin, and gaining more and more government's interest as the geopolitical situation in the region heated up. KAI began building several prototypes in 2019, at least part of them scheduled for completion in mid-2021. According to the developers, the work is going as planned, so, the rollout of the first prototype will likely happen in the coming summer, followed by a round of ground tests. The maiden flight is scheduled for 2022 though, so, we will have to wait another year to see the new jet taking to the skies. Boeing F-15EX https://www.aerotime.aero/26839-New-fighter-jets-to-look-for-in-2021