News

06/09/2020 GMV has won a contract under the Spanish MoD's RAPAZ program for the supply of four Class I Seeker RPASs, to be integrated into the intelligence units of the Paratrooper Brigade and the Tercio de Armada de Infantería de Marina (Marine Infantry Protection Force), thus providing them with the most advanced version of the unmanned aircraft Seeker. The UAS Seeker is an autonomous, rapid-deployment system developed by Aurea Avionics and supplied by GMV, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over a 15 kilometer range with a 90-minute endurance and a weight of 3.5 kg. This aircraft represents a qualitative leap forward for the armed forces, strengthening their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to ensure better operational capability and tactical superiority of Spanish troops. Seeker constitutes the core of a situational awareness system providing real-time intelligence. It is designed for rapid-deployment and high-mobility military applications carrying out low-level intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Within this project, due for delivery by October 2020, GMV will be running the design and manufacturing activities and also the various flight campaigns scheduled to check that the systems work properly before handover to the MoD. https://www.gmv.com/en/Company/Communication/News/2020/06/Seeker.html

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Deliveries of a new precision-guided bomb under development by Raytheon for the F-35 and other fighter jets have been at a standstill for about a year as the company struggles to correct a technical problem involving a key component. A fix for the issue, which brought production of the Small Diameter Bomb II to a halt in July 2019, could be approved by the government as soon as July, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Jake Bailey in response to questions by Defense News. However, a June report by the Government Accountability Office pointed out that continued technical issues have already caused a delay in fielding the munition, with Raytheon forced to redesign a key component and retrofit all 598 bombs already delivered to the Air Force and Navy. The Small Diameter Bomb II — also known as the GBU-53 StormBreaker — was designed with a tri-mode seeker that includes a millimeter wave radar, imaging infrared and semi-active laser that allow the weapon to engage targets in all weather conditions and environments where visibility is obscured by dust and debris. The Air Force and Navy plan to integrate SDB II with a range of fighter aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35 joint strike fighter, but the munition has been mired in development for more than a decade. This latest stoppage in production was prompted by internal audits by Raytheon, which found that the clips used to hold the bomb's fins in place “suffered vibration fatigue over long flight hours,” Bailey said. The clips serve “as the backup fin storage device” used to keep the fins in place in case other components fail, noted Bailey, who added that there have been no incidents during tests involving the SDB II fins inadvertently deploying. However, the GAO wrote that the premature deployment of the fins, which help guide the bomb in flight, could damage the weapon as well as cause a safety hazard for the aircraft carrying it. “While this problem could affect all aircraft carrying the bomb, officials said the greatest impact is to the F-35, because the bomb is carried in the aircraft's internal weapons bay and could cause serious damage if the fins deploy while the bomb is in the bay,” the GAO stated. Raytheon declined to comment on this story, directing questions to the Air Force. Raytheon plans on mitigating the issue with a newly designed clip that reduces the vibration of the fins, and will completely pay for developing the fix and retrofitting it on the bombs that have already been delivered, the GAO said. The Air Force confirmed that testing of the new device has already been completed and is going through final reviews. But while Raytheon and the Air Force had hoped to restart production in April, travel restrictions caused by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic contributed to further delays. The government now hopes to approve the fix in July, after which production will restart and the retrofit process for existing bombs will begin. “The fin clip failure is the sole reason production was partially halted; once final government approval is obtained, ‘all up round' production can resume,” Bailey said, using a phrase that describes a fully assembled weapon. The Air Force estimates that retrofits will be completed by August, as Raytheon's supplier has already begun manufacturing the replacement component, which are easily installed on the outside of the weapon. “Until production resumes, the total Lot 3 deliveries remain at 204 of the 312 assets on contract,” Bailey said. All this puts initial operational capability at least a year later than the service's original timeline, which predicted IOC would occur in September 2019. The Air Force declined to name a current estimate for when IOC would be achieved, but said it would happen after a separate milestone known as the “initial fielding decision,” which involves the approval of the head of Air Combat Command and is set for the third quarter of 2020. The issue with SDB II's fins is just one of several technical problems with which Raytheon is grappling. The program completed operational tests in 2019, but hardware and software changes are needed after 11 failures were reported. Two hardware fixes have already been put in place, and eight failures were related to software problems that will be addressed in future updates, the GAO said. The sole outstanding issue involves an anomaly with SDB II's guidance system. Fixing it could require Raytheon to redesign the component and conduct retrofits on all bombs already delivered, according to GAO. A review board of the problem is in the “final stages of analysis,” Bailey said. The Air Force and Raytheon plan to establish whether a replacement component is necessary no later than June 30. Although the weapon has not even been officially fielded, some components are already becoming obsolete. A Raytheon subcontractor that makes circuit cards used in the guidance system is expected to stop producing those components years sooner than anticipated. As a result, that the Defense Department may have to order all circuit cards needed for the program of record before December, according to the GAO. That timeline has now been extended to January 2022, “which provides ample time for program office action before the new deadline,” Bailey said. Despite the bomb's ongoing problems, Raytheon continues to rake in contracts for the program. In February, the Defense Department awarded a $15 million increase to a previous SDB II contract for additional technical support. In September, the company received a $200 million contract for lifecycle support during the bomb's engineering and manufacturing development phase. According to a Raytheon news release, the Navy recently completed the first guided release of SDB II from a F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/12/production-of-one-of-the-f-35s-most-anticipated-bombs-has-been-on-hold-for-almost-a-year

Mark Pomerleau The Army released its highly anticipated request for proposals June 11 for a contract that could be worth as much as $1 billion to provide cyber training for the Department of Defense. The Cyber Training, Readiness, Integration, Delivery and Enterprise Technology (TRIDENT) is a contract vehicle to offer a more streamlined approach for procuring the military's cyber training capabilities. The Army is running the contract on behalf of the joint force. The largest part of that contact will be the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE). PCTE is an online client in which members of U.S. Cyber Command's cyber mission force can log on from anywhere in the world for training and to rehearse missions. Cyber Command leaders have said this element is one of the organization's most critical needs. Currently, no integrated or robust cyber training environment exists. To date, two companies have announced their teams that will be pursuing the contract. ManTech and General Dynamics announced late last year they are joining forces to compete for the opportunity. Raytheon announced at the end of April that it will also compete for the contract. In its announcement, it said it is partnering with Red Hat and VMware. Responses are due Aug. 6. https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/cybercom/2020/06/12/army-releases-1b-cyber-training-request/

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON —The Trump administration reportedly plans to reinterpret a key arms agreement that governs the sale of unmanned aircraft, opening the door for more countries to buy drones from U.S. defense contractors. According to Reuters, the Trump administration plans to loosen its interpretation of the Missile Technology Control Regime, an agreement among the U.S. and 34 other nations that governs the export of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The report does not exactly lay out how the White House's interpretation of the MTCR will change, but it likely involves how the administration construes the phrase “strong presumption of denial.” Currently, the U.S. government's interpretation of that clause leads to a blanket denial of most countries' requests to buy “category-1” systems capable of carrying 500-kilogram payloads for more than 300 kilometers. The White House's National Security Council is set to review the change during a June 16 meeting, according to Reuters. The departments of Commerce, Energy, Justice and Homeland Security signed on to the new interpretation in May, and key industry stakeholders — including General Atomics and Northrop Grumman — have already been notified. The State Department could approve the first UAV sales under the new interpretation as soon this summer, a U.S. official and multiple industry executives told Reuters. The Trump administration has made loosening arms sale restrictions a major priority, but so far the changes to drone export policies have not had the impact desired by defense companies, which argue that they continue to lose sales to China and Israel. During a June 3 event on drone export policy, Keith Webster, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's defense and aerospace export council, said the administration has made some positive changes — including the approved sale of General Atomics MQ-9 Sea Guardian drones to India — but “for the policy changes, it has been disappointing.” In April 2018, the White House announced changes in policy allowing companies to sell certain unmanned aircraft through direct commercial sales to international militaries rather than having to go through the more laborious Foreign Military Sales process, where the U.S. government plays a large role in negotiating an agreement. It also struck rules that categorized unarmed drones with laser-designator technology as “strike enabling,” which grouped them with more highly restricted armed drones. The United States also attempted to change the MTCR by proposing language that would assign drones that fly under 800 kilometers per hour to “category-2” status, where sales are subject to approval on a case-by-case basis, said Heather Penney, a senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies. However, that proposal was not approved by all members of the regime and was thus denied. “We have information that the U.S. is potentially looking at an additional airspeed proposal, not from 800 kilometers per hour, but dropping that to 600 kilometers per hour — which is roughly about 320 knots,” she said at a June 3 event hosted by the Mitchell Institute. “This does not solve the problem set. It enables the look of advancement, the look of change, but really it does not move the ball forward.” Webster agreed, calling proposed changes to the MTCR a Band-Aid. “That buys us a year or two, but we're right back to square one because we haven't resolved the issue,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/12/trump-administration-considering-new-plan-to-ease-drone-export-rules/

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY US Foods, Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a maximum $525,250,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with a June 12, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3278). Sysco Hampton Roads, Inc., Suffolk, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $377,791,948 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a two-year base contract with one one-year option period and one two-year option period. Location of performance is Virginia, with a June 9, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3277). Federal Contracts Corp., Tampa, Florida, is sharing a maximum $189,261,484 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for agricultural equipment. This was a competitive acquisition with 10 responses received. Other contracts have been awarded under this solicitation (SPE8EC-17-R-0007) and additional awards are expected. Awardees will compete for a portion of the maximum dollar value. This is a five-year base contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a June 11, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8EC-20-D-0060). NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a not-to-exceed $375,488,269 undefinitized contract modification (P00014) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-19-C-0013). This modification provides non-recurring efforts to design and develop unique hardware and software for the Multi-Role Helicopter MH-60R development program for the government of India. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (81%); and Stratford, Connecticut (19%), and is expected to be complete by June 2025. Foreign Military Sales funds for $117,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $183,815,073 modification (P00096) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification incorporates additional operation, security and technical services in support of the F-35 Lightning II program for the Republic of Korea. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be complete by January 2021. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $183,815,073 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Scientific Systems Co. Inc.*, Woburn, Massachusetts, is awarded a $9,575,556 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N68335-20-F-0006) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-15-G-0030). This order provides for continuing improvement of the software development processes to enhance cybersecurity and software safety for the Image Based Navigation for Vertical Take-off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Shipboard Landing program in support of the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle. This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III for research and development performed under the SBIR topic numbers N112-127, N03-025 and AF06-149. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (95%); and Bedford, New Hampshire (5%), and is expected to be complete by June 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds for $50,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Engility Corp., Andover, Massachusetts, is awarded a $7,956,180 modification (P00010) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable order (N68936-19-F-0379) against a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Multiple Award Contract (GS00Q14OADU336). Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (90%); Whidbey Island, Washington (1.67%); Patuxent River, Maryland (1.67%); China Lake, California (1.67%); Baltimore, Maryland (1.67%); St. Louis, Missouri (1.67%); and El Segundo, California (1.65%). This modification exercises an option for engineering, technical and programmatic support services for the development of electronic attack and electronic warfare products within the Airborne Electronic Attack Integrated Program. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $829,056 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California, is the contracting activity. Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC, Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $7,836,200 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the dollar of a contract task order for the upgrade of a cogeneration power plant, government-maintained buildings and the Metasys building automation software under the Energy Savings Performance Contract within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of operations. Work will be performed in Twentynine Palms, California, and provides for contractors to complete the upgrade of the cogeneration plant, government-maintained buildings and the Metasys building automation software. Work is expected to be complete by November 2026. After the award of this modification, the total cumulative task order value will be $194,104,318. For this project, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms has agreed to pay for the costs of services and construction from project financing, which will be obtained by Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC. The NAVFAC Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (DACA87-97-D-0069-EJP3). ARMY Versar Inc., Springfield, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0028); E3 Federal Solutions LLC, McLean, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0029); Accura Engineering,* Atlanta, Georgia (W912PL-20-D-0030); and Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas (W912PL-20-D-0031), will compete for each order of the $300,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support various construction activities along the southern border of the U.S. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 11, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. Advanced Technology International, Summerville, South Carolina, was awarded an Other Transaction Authority agreement with a ceiling of $180,752,982 for enhanced technology maturation and risk reduction for Precision Strike Missile. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas; and Summerville, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $180,752,982 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-18-9-1008). Valiant Integrated Services, San Diego, California, was awarded a $68,045,249 hybrid (cost-no fee, firm-fixed-price) contract to provide an immersive training environment. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0013). L3 Combat Propulsion Systems, Muskegon, Michigan, was awarded a $44,529,726 firm-fixed-price contract to procure hydro-mechanically propelled transmission, operational reliability, 800 series transmissions in two configurations. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 weapons and tracked combat vehicle procurement, Army funds; 2019 overseas contingency operations funds; and 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $44,529,726 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0124). Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Vancouver, Washington, was awarded a $38,875,500 firm-fixed-price contract to replace a full-depth concrete ramp, taxiways and shoulders. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Klamath Falls, Oregon, with an estimated completion date of June 27, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army National Guard funds in the amount of $38,875,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Oregon, is the contracting activity (W50S8Z-20-C-0002). Walsh Federal LLC, Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $22,955,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide labor, materials, equipment and supervision necessary for upgrading the main gate access control point at Defense Depot San Joaquin. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Tracy, California, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 23, 2021. Fiscal 2020 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $22,955,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-C-0011). Avion Solutions Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $19,825,503 modification (0002 33) to time-and-materials Foreign Military Sales (Bahrain, Egypt, Latvia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates) contract for utility helicopter logistics support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of June 11, 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement, Army; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $19,825,503 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-15-A-0029). ICF Inc. LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $13,444,607 modification (P00036) to contract W911QX-17-C-0018 to extend mission critical defense cyber operation services provided by ICF. Work will be performed in Adelphi, Columbia, Fort Meade, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 15, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $13,444,607 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Orion Marine Construction Inc., Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $10,499,080 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 30, 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 civil construction funds; and 2017, 2018 and 2020 non-federal funds in the amount of $10,499,080 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0015). Torch Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $7,484,308 modification (P00049) to contract W31P4Q-19-F-C003 for technical and engineering support for research and development. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of July 10, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $7,484,308 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 10, 2020) AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $202,600,272 definitive contract for F-15 sustainment. The estimated value of the options is $112,670,298. This contract provides support for the APG 82(V)1 radar modernization program depot activation in support of the Air Force. These services will include the engineering services required to support depot activation. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California; Forest, Mississippi; and McKinney, Texas. Work is expected to complete Dec. 11, 2024. This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $89,929,974 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8505-20-C-0001). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $24,570,275 definitized, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (PZ0011) to contract FA2103-18-C-0061 for the B61-12 Life Extension Program. The contract modification is to definitize contract action for Lot One and Lot Two. Work will be performed in Saint Charles, Missouri, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $72,091,114; and 2020 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $19,545,218 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $148,572,879. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. IBM Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,964,932 firm-fixed-price modification (P00010) to contract FA7014-19-F-A152 for advisory and assistance support. This modification exercises Option Year One that continues support for the development, implementations, analysis and provision of policies, guidance, oversight, career field management and human capital management programs across the civil engineer enterprise. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and if all options are exercised, work is expected to be completed Aug. 2, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,340,387 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $37,442,009 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Blackjack program, Phase 2. This contract provides for the research, development, and demonstration of an Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) payload for Blackjack. Raytheon will complete design, fabricate, test, and deliver in quantity space-flight ready OPIR payloads capable of integrating with multiple Blackjack buses and Pit Boss subsystem supporting an on-orbit constellation level demonstration. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, with an estimated completion date of April 2023. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $24,934,144; and fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original broad agency announcement, HR001118S0032. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001120C0096). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2218996/source/GovDelivery/

Mark Pomerleau Following a significant merger and reorganization of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and cyber enterprises, Air Force leaders are turning their attention to how these functions can work more closely together. “We're maturing this organization, moving past merging and focusing on integration,” Lt. Gen. Mary O'Brien, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, said during a Joint Service Academy Cybersecurity Conference webinar June 11. “We find that our intelligence and cyber roles are focused increasingly interdependent and interconnected.” Within the last 18 months, the Air Force reconfigured its intelligence shop, formerly known as the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and added cyber effects operations. That change was followed by the merger of two numbered Air Forces – 24th Air Force and 25th Air Force – to create 16th Air Force last fall, the service's first information warfare entity. Officials have said in this new setup the deputy chief of staff handles the workforce, concepts, training, platforms, tools and integration. This is done so operators at 16th Air Force have the guidance they need. O'Brien added that the Air Force is now working at integrating the 2018 ISR flight plan and the 2019 cyber warfare flight plan. Each sought to chart a path for how the Air Force will fight in each respective area into the next decade as part of a great power competition. The ISR flight plan examined transforming the enterprise to meet future threats as opposed to modernization. The cyber flight guided funding, resourcing, training and capabilities for Air Force cyber offices. O'Brien also said integration related to network defense has proven critical with the increased telework during the pandemic. Intelligence and cyber experts are “identifying the threats and they're posturing to defend against them,” she said. "This was not always the case.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/information-warfare/2020/06/11/integration-is-the-next-step-for-air-force-information-warfare-leaders/

Par Michel Cabirol | 13/06/2020, 8:00 | L'Italie va vendre deux frégates FREMM à l'Égypte, autrefois cliente de l'industrie d'armement française. Rome souhaite également vendre de 12 à 24 Typhoon au Caire. L'erreur majeure de la France en Égypte continue d'exploser à la figure de Paris. Comme prévu, l'Italie va réussir à vendre au Caire deux frégates FREMM, qui était initialement destinées à la marine italienne, pour un montant de 1,2 milliard d'euros. Depuis la visite du 28 janvier 2019 d'Emmanuel Macron en Égypte où il s'était autorisé à donner la leçon sur les droits de l'homme au maréchal Abdel Fattah Sissi chez lui, la France s'est fait complètement sortir du marché de l'armement égyptien au profit notamment de l'Italie et de l'Allemagne. Les nouvelles ventes de Rafale et de corvettes Gowind semblent définitivement enterrées. La vente de deux FREMM italiennes va se concrétiser alors que l'affaire entre Le Caire et Rome portant sur l'étudiant italien Giulio Regeni, retrouvé mort et atrocement mutilé et torturé, n'a jamais été résolue en dépit des demandes de l'Italie. Quelle ironie du sort pour la France, qui a joué la carte des droits de l'homme début 2019 alors que l'Italie a quant à elle préféré la realpolitik même si elle tente de ménager son opinion publique : "Le gouvernement et les institutions italiennes continuent d'exiger la vérité des autorités égyptiennes par le biais d'une coopération réelle, efficace et effective", a assuré mercredi aux députés le ministre des Affaires étrangères Luigi di Maio. "La vente des frégates est une opération commerciale qui n'a rien à voir avec la recherche de la vérité sur la mort de Giulio Regeni. Au contraire, c'est seulement en maintenant les canaux ouverts que nous pouvons penser obtenir quelque chose de l'Egypte", ont pourtant expliqué des sources gouvernementales relayées par le quotidien La Repubblica. Un feu vert imminent Le gouvernement italien a donné jeudi soir son feu vert à la vente des deux frégates à l'Égypte. Ces deux frégates seront prélevées sur le programme de la Marina militare (9e et 10e) : Spartaco Schergat et Emilio Bianchi. Fincantieri s'est notamment appuyé pour cette vente sur un intermédiaire proche de Sissi, l'homme d'affaires Ahmed Elsewedy. Il ne reste plus que l'accord formel d'une administration en charge des exportations d'armements pour rendre définitive cette vente. Le feu vert pourrait être donné ce dimanche, selon nos informations. Le projet est financé à 100% par un crédit comme le souhaitait Le Caire. Il est piloté par Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) associé à la banque... https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/armement-l-italie-au-nirvana-en-egypte-la-france-aux-oubliettes-850137.html

Lee Hudson June 11, 2020 Once the global coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., the military moved to ramp up remote pilot training options. But it is unclear if the trend will continue after the contagion passes. Before COVID-19, the Air Force was developing immersive training devices that would help instruct students remotely as part of Air Education and Training Command's Pilot Training Next program, says Lt. Col. Ryan Riley, commander of Detachment 24. Instead of the pupil coming into the office, receiving an in-person brief, locating a training device and executing a mission, Riley's team was looking at how to conduct those events with both the student and instructor at separate locations. Army pauses to assess training options Air Force and Navy immediately pivot to remote instruction “What we wanted to see, prior to COVID-19, was how far [we could] push the bounds of remote instruction,” Riley says. The pandemic turned that desire into a need to provide students the same level of instruction remotely as they would in person. The Air Force and training companies were already working to develop virtual training systems when COVID-19 struck, and the pandemic seems to have accelerated adoption. “There are only so many places to train,” says Todd Probert, defense and security group president at CAE. Though the military was once reluctant to fully tap into distance training, the question has become: “Is there a way to centralize that instruction?” he says. Pilots more than 100 mi. from a training base would be required to quarantine for two weeks once they arrived. The technology, however, was “very glitchy,” Riley says. The main problem was latency. So the team got to work, disassembling hardware and issuing the newest equipment to students and some of the instructor corps. Another issue was the fact that the detachment's home-use devices were running off a laptop. The team discovered that various software programs such as remote screen-sharing were taxing the central processing unit (CPU) heavily, overwhelming laptops, says Lt. Col. Robert Knapp, Detachment 24 operations officer. “No matter how good a laptop you buy, they're just never going to run at the same speed as a desktop computer,” Knapp says. “We took some of our older desktop computers that were in the building and sent those home with students to replace the laptops, which opened up a lot more CPU bandwidth.” The students also were asked to plug their devices into their routers instead of using wireless home internet, which reduced latency and resulted in a more streamlined, less glitchy process. Meanwhile, the Army was tackling similar challenges at Fort Rucker in Dale County, Alabama, where the service produces pilots to fly the Boeing AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. In addition to training its own pilots at Fort Rucker, the service also assists with the training of foreign military aviators from as many as 47 countries annually at the base. The Army established a virtual instructor's course so that the instructor pilots could learn how to teach using a digital platform, says Maj. Gen. David Francis, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general. “COVID-19 has enabled us to really take a look at ourselves and how we're delivering training,” he says. Francis envisions a blend of in-person and virtual training once the crisis passes. As the pandemic took hold, the Navy, too, set up remote instruction with unprecedented speed. With 45 students per class, the service would not have been able to comply with social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Lt. Tim Benoit, aviation preflight indoctrination instructor at Naval Aviation Schools Command located in Pensacola, Florida. So in just five days, the Navy created a digital classroom and launched classes for its student Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy pilots. Benoit had selected flight instructors to test the new digital system, and the next day he prepared a presentation to train the rest of the instructors. “We were able to adapt to this without missing any productivity targets,” Benoit says. The Navy does not plan to employ remote instruction after the COVID-19 crisis but views the technology as an alternative when a natural disaster such as a hurricane hits. The service is recognizing the advantages of remote learning, however, which include saving time and money. Students have access to each session's recording and associated course materials, and the technology would allow students not in Pensacola to take the courses. “It can also be used in conjunction with in-person training to prep students . . . and it's been used to enable guest speakers” in another city, Benoit says. “Those are some things that I think may persist beyond the pandemic.” https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/us-military-turns-remote-pilot-training

DEFENSE Qu'est-ce que la Base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD) ? Selon L'Opinion, l'ancien candidat LREM à la mairie de Paris et porte-parole du gouvernement Benjamin Griveaux se serait vu confié en tant que député une mission sur la « Base industrielle et technologique de défense » (BITD). Durant deux mois, il serait chargé avec le député Les Républicains Jean-Louis Thieriot de se pencher sur la place des industries de défense dans le plan de relance post-Covid-19. L'occasion pour l'Usine Nouvelle d'expliquer dans un article ce qu'est la BITD. L'Observatoire économique de la Défense, rattaché au ministère des Armées, établit chaque année cette Base industrielle et technologique de la défense. Elle regroupe l'ensemble des entreprises contribuant directement ou indirectement à la production ou au maintien en condition opérationnelle des armements : elles sont soit fournisseurs directs du ministère des Armées, soit sous-traitants des grands maîtres d'oeuvre industriels de la Défense. En 2018, il s'agissait d'une dizaine de grands groupes de taille mondiale (groupe Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Naval Group, MBDA, Nexter, Safran, Thales...) et 4 000 PME, soit environ 200 000 emplois, qui étaient comptabilisés. L'Usine Nouvelle du 12 juin 2020