US Air Force opens new space lab

On the same subject

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  November 5, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Finland issues revised request for tenders for HX programme

  The Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a revised call for tenders to five companies for the country's programme to replace its ageing fighter aircraft fleet. The MoD has issued a Revised Request for Quotation and the five companies have time to respond until 31 January 2020. The programme for the replacement of the Finnish Air Force's Boeing F-18 Hornet fighter jets is called HX. Contenders to replace the aircraft include Lockheed Martin F-35, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen. The HX programme is crucial for Finland's defence capability as the current fighters will reach the end of their service life by 2030. The Finnish Government has capped the budget for the acquisition of the new aircraft at €10bn. In a statement, the MoD said: “Within the budget set for the project, the tenderers must prepare a performance package that meets the set requirements and includes not only the aircraft but also other technical systems, training systems, necessary maintenance equipment, test equipment and spare parts, along with weapons, sensors and other required type-specific support functions. “The package must also include the changes in management and information systems required for its integration into the defence system, as well as the construction of security-critical infrastructure.” Tendering phase for the HX programme started last year when the MoD issued an initial invitation to negotiate and a request for quotations. The government then started the first phase of the programme negotiations. The revised call for tenders provides contenders with an opportunity to gather the information and present a ‘clear, updated and improved package'. Following the second phase of negotiations, the MoD will release the request for the final offer next year. A final decision on the procurement of the replacement fighters is expected in 2021. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/finland-revised-request-tenders-hx-fighter-programme/

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  April 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Boeing to get $882M in withheld KC-46 funds back for COVID-19

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force will release $882 million to Boeing that it had retained due to ongoing technical problems involving the KC-46 tanker, the service announced Thursday. The move is meant to help the company make ends meet during the novel coronavirus pandemic. “This agreement provides Boeing $882M of withheld payments for previous non-compliance in 33 KC-46 deliveries,” the service said in a statement. “This withhold release is in line with Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense policies to maximize cash flow, where prudent, to combat coronavirus impacts on the industry base." When the U.S. Air Force agreed to take delivery of the first KC-46 tanker in January 2019, it made clear to Boeing that it still maintained a significant piece of financial leverage. The service could withhold a maximum of $28 million every time a new KC-46 was delivered — about 20 percent of the total sum due to Boeing. Air Force officials said they would hold back those funds until they saw measurable progress in fixing technical deficiencies, particularly the tanker's troubled Remote Vision System. By January, when Boeing had delivered 30 planes, the service had withheld about $800 million, according to Defense One. The Air Force and Boeing on Thursday announced a final agreement to fix the RVS, the imaging system used by boom operators to see the position of the receiver aircraft and the movements of the boom itself. According to the deal, Boeing will pay for both incremental fixes to current RVS software and hardware, as well as a complete redesign of the system with new cameras, processors and computers. Speaking with reporters about the decision on Thursday, Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper stressed that the service will be able to re-enact the cost penalties if Boeing's performance begins to slip. However, the service wanted to ensure that Boeing has the funding it needs to begin the RVS redesign, which it is calling RVS 2.0. “Have we given up our leverage? No, I think we've used it well," he said. “Part of what we committed to Boeing is to do an expedited review over the next 120 days for the 159 outstanding noncompliances. Boeing asserts that they have addressed those noncompliances, and we are going to review those quickly. We will not instate withholds over the 120 period, but if we put that some of the corrections that have been put in place don't make our requirement, then we will start withholds again.” As the largest maker of commercial planes in the United States, Boeing has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has spurred travel restrictions and called into question commercial airlines' ability to pay for Boeing aircraft already on order. Meanwhile, Boeing announced last week that it would shutter operations for two weeks at its facilities in the Seattle, Washington, area due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the state. Those production operations include the manufacturing of the KC-46 at Everett and the P-8 submarine-hunting plane in Renton. The Air Force intends to buy 179 tankers over the KC-46 program of record. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/04/02/boeing-to-get-882m-in-withheld-kc-46-funds-back-for-covid-19

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  July 18, 2024 | International, Naval

  Navy missile intercepts target using Army’s new missile defense radar

  The Navy's SM-6 missile intercepted a target in a test during Valiant Shield using the Army's new missile defense radar and battle command system.