June 13, 2024 | International, Land
October 29, 2020 | International, Security, Other Defence
Will COVID-Stressed Countries Slow Their Arms Buys?
State Department's political-military leader sees mixed signals from abroad.
Marcus Weisgerber
The coronavirus pandemic might prompt U.S. allies to restructure arms deals for American-made weapons, a top State Department official.
But R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said there is still an appetite for U.S. weapons overseas — especially F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missile batteries.
“If we're looking at long-term modernization plans across the board, we're seeing what I would say is [a] steady state in that place,” Cooper said Wednesday during a virtual Defense Writers Group meeting.
Since April, the State Department has approved more than four dozen foreign arms deals with a potential total value of more than $91 billion. But just because the sales were approved doesn't mean they'll come to fruition. In some cases, U.S. companies are competing against one another and/or overseas firms for contracts.
“On big-ticket modernization, while some states...may have looked to re-frame or push right to a later date particular procurements, we've not seen dramatic changes in their planning,” he said. “What it may mean is how they sequence certain procurements.”
Germany last month canceled a multibillion- dollar helicopter competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, calling the project too expensive. At the same time, Switzerland recently moved forward with a competition to replace its F/A-18 Hornets.
But economic pressures could prompt some countries to adjust payments schedules, Cooper said.
“Based on their national budgets, [countries] might seek some sort of dependable undertaking,” he said. “Some states might seek foreign military financing or grant assistance.”
By the way, Cooper added, the economic downturns could result in more NATO allies meeting the alliance's goal of members spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.
“Bizarrely, we may have some states where their numbers look like they've had an increase [in defense spending] because they've had a drop in GDP,” he said.
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Ursa Major to build rocket motor prototype for US Navy
Under the deal, the Denver, Colorado-based firm will develop and prototype a new design for the Navy’s Mk 104 rocket motor using additive manufacturing.
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September 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Turkey develops AI-based simulator for light fighter jet
Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Aerospace Industries says it has developed Turkey's first artificial intelligence-based simulator, which will be used in the design and development phases of Hurjet, a locally designed light assault aircraft. TAI said the engineering simulator, Hurjet 270, is designed to collect feedback from test pilots to make the design of Hurjet “better, more solid and more efficient.” The simulator is also meant to detect design faults at the development stage. Company officials said the simulator will feature “human eye-level resolution.” Atilla Dogan, TAI's deputy general manager for aircraft design, told the state news agency Anadolu that Hurjet 270 will help engineers improve designing flight control algorithms and avionics software based on feedback from test pilots. The armed trainer Hurjet is a jet engine version of the turboprop Hurkus, Turkey's first indigenous basic trainer aircraft. TAI launched the Hurjet program in 2018, with a target of having the aircraft's maiden flight in 2022. The Hurjet will have a maximum speed of Mach 1.2 and can fly at a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet. The aircraft will have a maximum payload of 3,000 kilograms, including ammunition, radar and camera. Hurkus-C, the armed version of the base variant of Hurkus, features locally developed ammunition including CIRIT, TEBER, HGK and LGK. It can also use INS/GPS-guided bombs, conventional bombs, non-guided rockets and machine guns. Hurkus-C also features armored body parts, a self-protection system, a data link, laser tacking, an electro-optical and infrared pod, an external fuel tank, and advanced avionics. With a 1,500-kilogram payload that can be used through seven external hardpoints, the Hurkus-C can perform light-attack and armed reconnaissance missions. https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2020/09/08/turkey-develops-ai-based-simulator-for-light-fighter-jet/