US Air Force's 'flying car' coming to an exercise near you

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  February 7, 2019 | International, Land

  French vehicle maker Arquus sets its sights on new European battle tank

  By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS – Arquus, formerly Renault Trucks Defense, is keen to get a piece of the emerging Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) program. "We think we have things to contribute, notably concerning fuel cells, hybrid drivetrains and robotization,” CEO Emmanuel Levacher told reporters in Paris on Tuesday. While the Franco-German program is generally thought of as a future main battle tank, Arquus is thinking more along the lines of the program's official name: a combat system. “Will tomorrow's tank even be a tank?” asked Arquus' director of innovation, François Deloumeau. He argued that “pushing existing concepts further is not very interesting,” contending that the MGCS was “unlikely to be a super Leclerc tank or a Leopard 3.” Arquus is not being financed to develop ideas for the MGCS, “but we are thinking about it and thinking out of the box,” said Levacher. He mentioned that France and Germany “are not yet aligned in terms of concept, or even of their needs,” which means nothing has been set in stone. “We are talking with the end-users, the DGA and other manufacturers about this,” Levacher said, using shorthand for the French government's defense-acquisition organization. Also on the subject of Germany, Levacher remarked that Arquus was forced to find alternative suppliers of components such as joints, automatic gear boxes or engines designed for civilian vehicles but destined for inclusion in military products for export. That is because Germany export approval procedures “are extremely long” for these types of products, he explained. In addition, the list of countries that Berlin will not give approval for “is getting longer,” with Indonesia and India recently added to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Levacher said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/02/06/french-vehicle-maker-arquus-sets-its-sights-on-new-european-battle-tank/

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  January 22, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Les 15 projets prioritaires du couple franco-allemand. La liste

  (B2) Pour « mettre en œuvre le Traité d'Aix-la-Chapelle », Français et Allemands ont ciblé « 15 projets prioritaires, dont le suivi sera assuré par le Conseil des ministres franco-allemand ». En voici la liste : sympathique, mais pas vraiment très enthousiasmant... Coopération accrue au sein du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies, à l'occasion du mandat de deux ans de l'Allemagne, notamment par le « jumelage » des deux présidences du Conseil de sécurité (la France en mars et l'Allemagne en avril 2019, en 2020 soit en mai/juin soit en juin/juillet). Création de quatre instituts culturels franco-allemands intégrés (Rio, Palerme, Erbil, Bichkek) et co-localisation de cinq instituts français et allemands (Cordoba, Atlanta, Glasgow, Minsk, Ramallah). Création d'une plateforme numérique franco-allemande de contenus audiovisuels et d'information. Élargissement des programmes de mobilité, par exemple dans le cadre de l'Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse, notamment pour les jeunes ayant des besoins spécifiques, les stagiaires et les apprentis, et fixation d'objectifs quantifiables. Mise en place d'un Fonds citoyen commun destiné à appuyer les projets conjoints d'acteurs de la société civile, notamment les initiatives citoyennes et les jumelages de communes. Mise en place d'un comité de coopération transfrontalière chargé de définir une stratégie commune pour le choix de projets prioritaires, d'assurer le suivi des difficultés rencontrées dans les territoires frontaliers et d'émettre des propositions en vue d'y remédier. Mise en œuvre conjointe d'un projet de territoire portant sur la reconversion de la zone de proximité de la centrale nucléaire de Fessenheim dans le contexte de sa fermeture, au travers d'un parc d'activités économiques et d'innovation franco-allemand, de projets dans le domaine de la mobilité transfrontalière, de la transition énergétique et de l'innovation. Amélioration des liaisons ferroviaires transfrontalières, par exemple : Colmar-Fribourg, en reconstruisant le pont traversant le Rhin en fonction des résultats de l'étude de faisabilité en cours, mais aussi liaison entre Strasbourg et l'aéroport de Francfort, liaison Strasbourg-Palatinat, liaison entre Sarrebruck et Paris. Renforcement de la coopération bilatérale de haut niveau en matière d'énergie et de climat, notamment concernant les plans nationaux pour l'énergie et le climat. Cela doit permettre de partager des hypothèses sur l'évolution du mix électrique, d'étudier la possibilité d'instaurer un plan commun franco-allemand dans les stratégies nationales, et de créer des incitations afin de faciliter la réalisation des objectifs nationaux en matière de transition énergétique. Création d'un réseau franco-allemand de recherche et d'innovation (« centre virtuel ») pour l'intelligence artificielle, reposant sur les structures existantes des deux pays. Coopération dans le secteur spatial en suivant trois axes prioritaires : promotion d'une stratégie commune pour une Europe plus innovante au sein de la nouvelle économie spatiale ; coopération permettant d'accroître la compétitivité de l'industrie spatiale, notamment dans un cadre industriel optimisé ; consolidation de l'accès autonome de l'Europe à l'espace gr'ce à des investissements en recherche et développement, la rationalisation industrielle et la préférence accordée aux lanceurs européens. Promotion de directives au niveau international sur l'éthique des nouvelles technologies et de valeurs communes dans la sphère du numérique et la société numérique. Création d'un groupe d'experts dans le domaine social, comprenant les partenaires sociaux, sur « l'avenir du travail ». Coopération au sein de l'Union européenne dans le domaine des services et des marchés financiers, afin de parvenir à un cadre de régulation de haute qualité, notamment sur la finance durable. https://www.bruxelles2.eu/2019/01/22/les-15-projets-prioritaires-du-couple-franco-allemand-la-liste/

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  June 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  US Air Force relaunches effort to replace MQ-9 Reaper drone

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — It has been eight years since the U.S. Air Force canceled its effort to field a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper, but it appears the service might take another swing at developing a new combat drone. On June 3, the Air Force issued a request for information on a next-generation unmanned aircraft with strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, with the intent to accept delivery of the first systems in 2030 and field them in 2031. The solicitation was first reported on by Aviation Week. “With the MQ-9 platform planning for end of service life, a need to identify a solution that continues to provide for this demand is imperative,” the RFI stated. “The purpose of this RFI is to research potential solutions for the Next Generation UAS ISR/Strike platform, the Next Generation Medium Altitude UAS and potential follow-on program to the MQ-9 weapon system.” The Air Force is looking to collect market research on existing technologies as well as systems that are currently under development, with a focus on drones that incorporate advanced technologies such as autonomy, artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital engineering and open-mission systems. In addition, the service is open to attritable technologies — meaning systems that are not cheap enough to be considered expendable, but some losses are still expected in combat. “The Air Force is also interested in researching alternative ways to support future lower-end, lower-cost ISR missions which may include initiatives to modernize, augment, and/or replace existing systems,” the RFI stated. “This RFI inquires about unique and innovative practices that can deliver relevant capability efficiently, timely and at a reduced life-cycle cost.” Although the Air Force has not solidified an acquisition strategy, it intends to hold multiple competitions for the air vehicle itself, as well as its ground control systems and the suite of sensors and data exploitation technology it will use to collect and dissect information. Each technology area will be built to open-architecture standards. Responses to the RFI are due July 20. This latest effort would mark the second time the Air Force has tried to replace the MQ-9 Reaper, currently being manufactured by General Atomics. In its first attempt, known as MQ-X, the service sought to procure a more survivable combat drone that could operate in contested spaces where a Reaper cannot fly. The program was canceled in 2012. Over the years, the Air Force remained mostly quiet about what an MQ-9 replacement could look like. But in 2019, Kenneth Bray, acting associate deputy chief of staff for ISR, said the service has done a fair amount of behind-the-scenes thinking on the topic over the past three to four years. But instead of starting with requirements for the aircraft itself, Bray said the service focused on the data the system would collect and how to optimize the drone's design to to gather and use that information. “We're starting to think not from the sensor or from the platform, we're starting to think from the data and decide: Is it even collecting the right size data, or do I need to have different sensors on those platforms?” he told Defense News. “Are those platforms even relevant anymore, or do I need a different platform because what I need is this type of data, and only this type of platform can get me that type of data? That is how we're going to change our thinking.” In March, Will Roper, the Air Force's top acquisition official, said the service is working on a study that will inform the fiscal 2022 budget and lay out a path for replacing the MQ-9 Reaper. Finding a single replacement to fill the MQ-9′s strike and surveillance mission is unlikely, Roper said, as the service wants to be able to operate in all environments without solely relying on exquisite, pricey systems. The service may need a family of systems that includes high-end, military-specific drones as well as cheaper UAVs that could be sourced from the commercial unmanned systems market, he said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/04/the-air-force-is-looking-for-a-next-gen-replacement-to-the-mq-9-reaper-drone/