October 18, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Lockheed sees progress in drone 'wingman' development for US Air Force
Company teased the release of more details on its drone wingman program in the next earnings call in January.
March 20, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
US Army chief: How COVID-19 will impact modernization is a wait-and-see situation
By: Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — It's realistic for the U.S. Army to wait and see how the new coronavirus might affect its ambitious plans to modernize the force, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told Defense News in a March 18 interview.
With major economic centers on both U.S. coasts restricting public gatherings, and with most of the country attempting social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus, industry as of this week appeared to still be sorting out how it would handle its own workforce and keep employees safe from infection.
Much of what the Army is doing to address its top modernization priorities depends on industry collaboration and efforts.
“We're watching what is happening,” McConville said. “We do have some high-priority tests that we think are continuing to go, and industry is doing the same thing that we're doing — they're putting measures in place with their people. They're weighing risks to the force and, really, risk to their missions as they do that.”
Some high-priority tests will continue, he said, while “other ones will slow down.”
While he did not list all high-priority tests that would likely go on, McConville noted that the Army is still moving forward with contract awards and making progress where it can. He pointed to the service's recent contract awards to Bell and Sikorsky to continue to develop and test aircraft for the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program.
That contract was awarded on the expected timeline.
The Army also tested its Extended Long-Range Cannon Artillery system at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, on March 6, but that was only as uncertainty was just beginning to build in the U.S. regarding the spread of COVID-19.
The service has an abundance of important milestones planned across its modernization priorities this year, to include a robust flight test program for the Precision Strike Missile at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and a likely imminent flight test of a jointly developed hypersonic glide body.
The Army also plans to award contracts to build Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft prototypes this month.
But it's unclear how other programs will move forward.
The previously troubled Integrated Battle Command System for air and missile defense is finally slated to go into a limited-user test in May this year, which is critical to the program's success.
The Army planned to conduct a series of industry days to restart its effort to competitively procure a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement, but according to sources, a virtual industry day to kick things off has been postponed and the Army plans to post informational slides to industry on Beta.Sam.Gov in the near term instead.
“The acquisition cycle continues to move on,” McConville said, “and we'll have a better idea over the next 30 to 60 days, as more measures are implemented in certain states, what and how that really plays out.”
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November 16, 2021 | International, Aerospace
En France, l’aviation de chasse est à la peine
DÉFENSE En France, l'aviation de chasse est à la peine Dans une vaste enquête, Air & Cosmos pointe les fortes tensions qui pèsent sur les flottes de l'armée française, en particulier dans le secteur stratégique de la chasse. Si au Sahel, 58% des frappes aériennes en 2020 ont été réalisées par des drones Reaper, cette efficacité apparait en partie due à la nature asymétrique du conflit qui se joue dans la bande sahélo-saharienne. Or, la plupart des autres conflits nécessiteront probablement des chasseurs, polyvalents, réactifs et adaptables. Dans ce contexte, l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AAE), qui s'est vu prélever 12 appareils à destination de la Grèce, fait face à une réduction de ses équipements, alors qu'au moins 12 autres avions devraient suivre afin d'honorer le contrat passé avec la Croatie. Une situation qui, d'après Air & Cosmos met à mal la situation de l'AAE, fragilisée par le manque de personnels (ses effectifs ont décru de 25% en quelques années) et les ponctions export. Une situation qui justifierait l'établissement d'un plan d'urgence pour assurer la modernisation et la soutenabilité des équipements des armées françaises. Air & Cosmos du 12 novembre
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July 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
L3Harris Technologies Awarded $380 Million IDIQ Contract for WESCAM MX™-Series Products and Support
July 22, 2020 - The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) has awarded L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) an eight-year, $380 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to procure WESCAM MX-Series products and services in support of global U.S. Army surveillance and targeting operations. The contract enables continued upgrades and support for the U.S. Army's robust installed base of fixed-wing, aerostat and unmanned platforms while supporting expanding Foreign Military Sales (FMS) requirements. “L3Harris is proud to once again supply its WESCAM MX technologies and solutions to the U.S. Army, as it highlights our role as a trusted global supplier of advanced imaging solutions to the defense industry,” said Sean Stackley, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. “Through this contract, our highly specialized optics and leading technologies can continue to meet the needs of emerging mission portfolios, including time-sensitive response operations.” L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series products have successfully supported U.S. Army aviation programs for more than two decades. WESCAM MX-Series systems have logged over 4 million hours of combat operations with the U.S. Army and continue to be a resource in on-going global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. L3Harris' portfolio of WESCAM MX-Series systems provide high-precision situational awareness – while delivering an advanced capability to collect critical mission information that assist in overcoming emerging threats. In addition to the U.S. Army, WESCAM MX systems are operational within the U.S Navy and Air Force Special Operations Command where they continue to support programs in the fight against global terrorism. The CCC is Canada's government-to-government contracting organization for sales of defense and security technology and expertise from Canada. Each CCC contract provides the U.S. DOD with the Government of Canada's assurance that the contract will be fulfilled in accordance with its terms and conditions. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 48,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about the value or expected value of orders, contracts or programs and about our system capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200722005473/en/