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Les questions de défense ont dominé le conseil des ministres franco-allemand organisé à Toulouse. Un accord pour harmoniser les exportations d'armes a été annoncé. Face à l'accroissement des tensions dans le commerce international, les deux dirigeants ont aussi envoyé un message fort à Airbus. Par Grégoire Poussielgue Publié le 16 oct. 2019 à 19h15 Priorité à la défense. Le climat, les droits d'auteur et l'innovation ont, entre autres, été au menu du conseil des ministres franco-allemand qui s'est tenu mercredi à Toulouse, mais les questions de défense ont occupé une place prépondérante. Dans l'enceinte de la préfecture de Haute-Garonne, Emmanuel Macron et Angela Merkel ont pu lever les points de friction et aller plus loin dans leur politique commune de programmes d'armement. Les « blocages importants ont été levés » sur les programmes de développement du char et de l'avion de combat du futur, ont annoncé les deux dirigeants. La date de janvier 2020 a été retenue pour notifier les crédits tant attendus par les industriels de l'aéronautique qui visent la réalisation de prototypes à l'horizon 2025. La question sensible des exportations d'armes a aussi trouvé une issue. La France et l'Allemagne ont annoncé un accord « juridiquement contraignant sur les règles de contrôle d'exportations d'armement pour les programmes développés en commun ». Cet accord était indispensable pour mener à bien les programmes communs en matière d'armement. Un « résultat concret qui permettra davantage de sécurité », s'est félicitée la chancelière allemande. Un accord obtenu non sans mal car, depuis un an, les tensions sont fortes. Après l'assassinat, il y a tout juste un an, du journaliste saoudien Jamal Khashoggi, l'Allemagne a suspendu ses ventes d'armes vers l'Arabie Saoudite, ce que la France n'a pas fait. Avec l'invasion du Kurdistan syrien, les pays européens ont suspendu leurs exportations d'armes vers la Turquie. Symbole fort sur l'économie Entre Emmanuel Macron et Angela Merkel, il fallait aussi un geste symbolique fort pour marquer la solidité d'un couple franco-allemand « souvent mis à l'épreuve », comme le dit l'Elysée, et ce avant le Conseil européen de la fin de la semaine. Entre le dossier brûlant du Brexit et le rejet de la candidate française, Sylvie Goulard, à la Commission européenne , sans oublier les tensions commerciales croissantes avec les Etats-Unis, l'environnement européen traverse une zone de fortes turbulences. La relation franco-allemande n'y échappe pas. « J'entends parfois dire que la relation franco-allemande est difficile, c'est la situation du monde qui est difficile. S'il n'y avait que nous, les choses seraient plus simples et avanceraient plus vite », a dit le président français après le conseil. Pour le premier conseil des ministres franco-allemand depuis la signature, en janvier dernier, du traité d'Aix-la-Chapelle , qui renforce leur coopération, la chancelière allemande et le président français ont aussi manié le symbole. Avant les rencontres bilatérales et le conseil des ministres à la préfecture de Toulouse, les deux dirigeants ont longuement visité la chaîne de montage de l'A350 sur le site Airbus de Toulouse. Un symbole de « l'excellence européenne » selon le président français et un fer de lance de la coopération franco-allemande depuis un demi-siècle. Rassurer les salariés Après l'augmentation des droits de douane décidée par les Etats-Unis, il s'agissait aussi de rassurer les salariés français et allemands travaillant sur le site de Toulouse. « Nous tenions à venir aux côtés d'Airbus pour dire notre confiance dans l'entreprise et tout ce qui est devant elle. Vous allez construire le futur de cette entreprise. Il y a parfois des moments de doute et d'inquiétude mais c'est une entreprise formidablement solide », a déclaré Emmanuel Macron à l'occasion d'une rencontre avec les salariés. Angela Merkel y est aussi allée de son couplet. « Nous ferons tout pour garantir le succès de cette entreprise dans les années à venir », a-t-elle dit. https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/europe/defense-merkel-et-macron-trouvent-un-accord-pour-renforcer-leur-cooperation-1140681

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army is building what is essentially a “cloud in the sky” for its current aviation fleet as it prepares the aircraft to fight alongside a future fleet under development, according to Brig. Gen. Thomas Todd, the program executive officer for Army aviation. The general spoke to Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference. The current fleet won't dissolve into thin air when future helicopters are fielded, and they will be expected to fly together in operational environments across multiple domains. The Army is aiming to field a future attack reconnaissance aircraft and a future long-range assault aircraft by 2030. “We have to figure out a way to host a common server so that we can store data, process data and transport data quicker,” Todd said. “So while they work on the future vertical lift architecture, we still have to make the enduring fleet, that will fly alongside it, work and be capable.” So the Army is building an Aviation Mission Common Server, or AMCS, that is a stack of storage, data processing and transport capability “that's very much a flying cloud, if you will,” Todd said. The AMCS “will reside inside every aircraft. It has to reside in every aircraft because there has to be onboard processing and storage power,” Todd said, adding that it will be the engine that drives the associated user interface and apps as well as provide connectivity to the network overall. The user interface will be built upon the technology developed by Northrop Grumman for the Victor-model Black Hawk. The "V" model is an L-model UH-60 with a digital, modern cockpit like the "M" model, the latest Black Hawk variant, but not with an M-model price tag. Additionally, the interface in a V model can take on new capability through apps like a smartphone. The V model wrapped up its initial operational test and evaluation in September at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, Brig. Gen. MacMcCurry, who is the Army G-3/5/7 aviation director inside the Pentagon, told Defense News in a separate interview. He reported the tests went well and the service looks forward to building out the fleet. The Army is currently assessing integrating the same user interface into Mike-model Black Hawks, according to Todd. The effort to build the server is part of a larger effort to ensure the current fleet is ready to fight in multidomain operations. The Army wants to obtain multidomain dominance by 2035. “We took a look at Army Futures Command's guidance on exactly what those combat aviation brigades would have in them and what would be enduring. For example, the Apache would be there indefinitely,” Todd said. “We also found that the requirements for data, the transport of and use of was exponential. So ultimately it's a problem that exists for the entire fleet, so we need to get after, at a minimum, making the enduring fleet compatible with future vertical lift, if not more capable.” There are several cross-cutting initiatives for the current fleet to make the aircraft more agile, interoperable, survivable and integrated in multidomain operations, Todd said, and the network will play an integral role. For example, the Army is working with the network community to replace its AN/ARC-201 radios with radios with the TSM waveform, which will improve and comply with future air-to-ground radio communications, according to Todd. There is also work being done within the position, navigation and timing community and with the Air Force to develop antennas, processors and software that hep the current fleet to survive battle, Todd added. And the service is working to improve power sources onboard aircraft. “There is a huge demand requirement coming, a demand signal for onboard systems and the power requirements of those is exponential. So given that it's not linear and it's going to grow exponentially, we have to get after alternative means,” Todd said. The same team that is in charge of the Improved Turbine Engine Program — which will replace engines in Apaches and Black Hawks and be the engine for the future attack reconnaissance aircraft — is looking at supplemental power units, upgrades to generators and upgrades to batteries to better power onboard systems that may not require the main power system anymore, Todd said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/2019/10/15/the-us-army-is-building-a-cloud-in-the-sky-for-its-aviation-fleet

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army spent years internally developing its own multimission launcher for the Indirect Fires Protection Capability program — designed to counter threats like rockets, artillery and mortars as well as cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft systems. But that grand plan is now officially off the table. The service has purchased two Rafael-made Iron Dome systems as an interim solution to get after the cruise missile defense capability gap, but it's taken a step back to rethink its enduring IFPC program strategy. While much is up in the air, it's certain that the launcher that will ultimately be part of the IFPC program won't be the MML. “It'll be something different that we will develop,” Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson, who is in charge of the Army's air-and-missile defense modernization, told Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference. As of 2016, the Army had spent $119 million to build MML prototypes, which included owning the technical data rights. The cost of developing the system outside of the Army would have been about three times as much according to the service at the time. Over the course of its development, the launcher was able to defeat a cruise missile target and an unmanned aircraft system using an AIM-9X missile at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and fired the Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) and Tamir missiles as well. The U.S. Army had awarded three $2.6 million contracts in the summer of 2018 for the first phase of a program to find a second interceptor — the Expanded Mission Area Missile (EMAM) — for the MML. Also already selected was the first interceptor for the launcher, the Sidewinder. Lockheed Martin's MHTK missile and two missiles from Raytheon were chosen to be qualified for the launcher: Sky Hunter, the U.S. version of the Iron Dome missile Tamir; and the Accelerated Improved Interceptor Initiative missile. The effort to qualify the MHTK has been paused, Scott Arnold, Lockheed Martin's vice president and deputy of integrated air-and-missile defense with the company's Missiles and Fire Control business, said at AUSA. The company did not have an intercept test, but was able to move the MHTK missile through some testing prior to the Army's decision to pause the program. The Army may take technologies developed as part of the MML effort and spiral them into a future launcher, “but there were a lot of things, with all the right reasons, that launcher turned out the way it did,” Gibson said. An assessment of the launcher determined it was not sufficient for an enduring capability, he added. “All the variables of when you define a new piece of hardware matter and, for air defense, it really comes down to angles you launch things at, whether it's vertical or whether it's horizontal, and the applicability of how many different interceptors potentially you can put in,” Gibson said. “Those are all lessons learned from MML and it matters on the threat set.” The one-star added that he is confident the Army is capable of developing something appropriate on the right timeline when it comes to a launcher for the enduring IFPC plan. And while the service doesn't want to buy beyond the two batteries of Iron Dome already purchased, the Army is considering the feasibility of taking its launcher and missiles for the future IFPC program. The Army has until the end of 2023 to field an initial enduring capability or, by law, will have to buy more interim Iron Dome systems. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2019/10/15/army-developed-multimission-launcher-off-the-table

San Diego, CA, October 14, 2019 - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has been awarded a contract from Dynetics Technical Solutions (DTS) for the manufacture and production of subassemblies for the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). GA-EMS will provide cable, electrical, and mechanical manufacturing to support DTS' three year contract award from the U.S. Army Hypersonic Project Office, part of the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, to produce 20 prototype glide bodies with an option for additional quantities. “We bring expertise in manufacturing highly complex systems, a long standing relationship with Sandia National Laboratories, and prior experience on the Block 0 glide body, to this high priority national security program,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. ”Hypersonic weapon systems will provide our nation with the ability to strike strategic targets across the globe. We look forward to working with DTS to deliver this strategically important capability to the warfighter.” “For over a decade, we have been working directly with Sandia National Laboratories to support the research and development of hypersonic weapon systems for the Army and Navy,” continued Forney. “We have provided design analysis, flight test planning and execution, and manufacturing services for ground and flight hardware for the prototype hypersonic glide body that has already completed successful test flights. We are pleased to now play an important role in transitioning this technology from the lab to the field.” GA-EMS will manufacture its portion of the glide bodies at its San Diego, CA, Huntsville, AL, and Tupelo, MS facilities. About General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Group is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS' history of research, development, and technology innovation has led to an expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions supporting aviation, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and processing and monitoring applications for critical defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide. For further information contact: EMS-MediaRelations@ga.com View source version on General Atomics: http://www.ga.com/general-atomics-awarded-contract-for-manufacture-of-hypersonic-glide-body-prototypes

ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- ImSAR LLC was awarded a $7.2 million contract for work on payload systems and communications packages of the RQ-21 Blackjack unmanned aerial system. The cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order against a previous ordering agreement calls for work to be executed by October 2020, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The RQ-21 Blackjack is 8.2 feet long, weighs 134 pounds and has a wingspan of 15.7 feet. It can carry a payload of up to 39 pounds, and is used primarily for forward reconnaissance. Introduced in 2014, it was designed by Insitu, a Boeing Co. subsidiary. The contract with the U.S. Navy is in support of a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research program effort named "Advanced Radar Concepts for Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft." ImSAR, headquartered in Springville, Utah, will provide research, development, procurement and sustainment of the AN/DPY-2 split aces payload systems and communications relay package aboard the RQ-21A. The SBIR program is coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to aid small businesses conduct research and development for future U.S. government needs, with a goal of technical innovation through investment of federal research funds. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/ImSAR-LLC-wins-72M-contract-for-work-on-RQ-21A-unmanned-aerial-systems

ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced the sale of over 1,000 THOR mini-drones to an unnamed Southeast Asian country in a $153 million deal. The contract for the unmanned aircraft systems, including other unmanned aircraft manufactured by the company, will be executed over a 22-month period, Elbit said earlier this week. The contract calls for THOR multirotor vertical-takeoff-and-landing mini-drones, as well as larger Skylark LEX, Skylark 3 and Hermes 450 tactical models and ground control stations. The drones are light and small, and suited for reconnaissance missions. At nine pounds, it can carry a 1.5-pound payload, typically a camera, to an altitude of 2,000 feet. It features a 4-mile range and can stay aloft for up to 55 minutes. The Israel Defense Force uses the aircraft extensively on its northern border with Lebanon. "This contract award underlines our competitive edge as armies increasingly view multi-layered UAS [unmanned aerial systems] solutions as key to providing superior intelligence and maintaining a high level of operational flexibility," said the Bezhalel Machil, Elbit president. While the receiving country was not named, Asia is a burgeoning market for the aircraft. Israel is a leading developer of unmanned aerial vehicles, once selling up to $500 million per year, a figure reduced in recent years by competition from China. The Philippines reportedly were nearing a deal with Elbit worth $180 million in the summer. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/Israels-Elbit-Systems-sells-153M-worth-of-mini-drones-to-unnamed-country

Graham Warwick Sikorsky is emphasizing growth capability to stay ahead of evolving threats as it unveils its offering in the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition, the Raider-X. The coaxial rigid-rotor compound helicopter is a development of the S-97 Raider prototype now in flight testing. The Raider-X is about 20% larger, with a 14,000-lb. gross weight compared with 11,000 lb. for the S-97, and a 39-ft. rotor diameter compared with 34 ft. for the Raider. The Army requires a rotor diameter of no more than 40 ft. so that FARA can fly between buildings in urban combat. The Raider-X will exceed the FARA's threshold maximum speed of 180 kt. Sikorsky is not saying how fast it will fly, but notes the S-97 has reached 215 kt., and 207 kt. in level flight—exceeding the 205 kt. target in the Army's initial capability document, says Tim Malia, director of Future Vertical Lift - Light. The Army subsequently reduced the threshold maximum speed to enable a wider competition for the FARA program. But Malia says the greater speed and payload capability of Sikorsky's X2 coaxial rigid-rotor compound configuration compared with a conventional helicopter provides growth capacity. “We looked at a single main rotor helicopter for FARA, but it would be minimally compliant in the early 2020s. We need to be able to stay ahead of the threat into the 2030s and 2040s,” he says. Bell is proposing a winged, single-main-rotor helicopter for FARA, while AVX Aircraft is offering a coaxial-rotor, ducted-fan compound. Boeing and Karem Aircraft have yet to unveil their concepts. “Single main rotor will not be able to keep up. It's already tapped out meeting the minimal FARA requirements. It does not have the ability to grow capability over time,” Malia says. “We didn't want to pull out all the stops to be minimally compliant when we had X2 able to carry more payload and go faster.” The Raider-X has four-blade rotors and a pusher propulsor. The coaxial rotors generate lift only on the advancing sides, eliminating retreating-blade stall and enabling higher speed. At high speed, 90% of the engine power goes to the propulsor, says Bill Fell, senior experimental test pilot. The propulsor is declutched at low speed to reduce noise. The Raider-X closely resembles the S-97 prototype, with side-by-side seating. Compared with tandem seating, this improves crew coordination and situational awareness, Malia says. “And we can do it aerodynamically because of the robust performance inherent in X2. We are not trying to get out every last ounce of drag.” Behind the cockpit is a large internal weapons bay. Internal carriage of missiles and unmanned aircraft—which the Army calls air-launched effects (ALE)—is a FARA requirement, but Malia says the cabin-like volume of Raider-X's bay provides growth space for future, larger systems. “The minimum threshold works now, but what if in 2030 there is a new ALE that can be decisive, but can't be carried?” he asks. The Raider-X is powered by a single 3,000-shp-class General Electric T901 turboshaft—government-furnished equipment to all FARA bidders. “We do not have an additional engine to increase speed,” Malia says, referring to the supplemental power unit in Bell's 360 Invictus. This augments power from the single T901 to give the single-main-rotor, tandem-seat Invictus a 185-kt. maximum speed. “We use the power available and have a solid design built around it,” he says. “The T901 provides speeds out of the chute in excess of requirements and, as it improves, we can take direct benefit. We have a growth path to additional speed and payload as the T901 power increases.” Sikorsky is using the industry-funded S-97 prototype to reduce risk for its FARA bid, conducting flight testing to validate design models and optimize the Raider-X. This includes flying new rotor blades designed to reduce drag and vibration. “We are getting exactly the results the models said,” Malia says. With two rotor systems and a propulsor, Sikorsky is paying close attention to the Raider-X's cost. “We have done a complete affordability analysis and design to cost. We are extremely confident we will come in under the cost goal,” he says. Several divisions of parent company Lockheed Martin are part of Sikorsky's FARA team, Malia says, including Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control and Rotary and Mission Systems. Swift Engineering will build the airframe if Sikorsky wins one of two FARA competitive prototype contracts scheduled to be awarded in March 2020. The Army flyoff is planned for 2023, with the first unit to be equipped by 2028. “There is a critical cap in vertical lift, in attack/reconnaissance, and that gap is really impactful to the Army in the 2020s, ‘30s, ‘40s, even ‘50s. So there is a need for a long-term solution,” Malia says. “The threat is projected to evolve rapidly, so we require significant capability growth on our side to stay ahead. Raider-X can provide an asymmetric advantage in the 2030s-50s.” https://aviationweek.com/defense/sikorsky-unveils-raider-x-proposal-fara-armed-scout

NAVY Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $434,370,635 contract for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia class submarines. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (94.1%); Newport News, Virginia (4.8%); and Newport and Quonset, Rhode Island (combined 1.1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2020. The contract provides lead yard support for Virginia class submarines that will maintain, update and support the Virginia class design and related drawings and data for each Virginia class submarine, including technology insertion, throughout its construction and post-shakedown availability period. The contractor will also provide all engineering and related lead yard support necessary for direct maintenance and support of Virginia class ship specifications. In addition, the contract provides development studies and design efforts related to the Virginia class submarine design and design improvements; preliminary and detail component and system design; integration of system engineering, design engineering, test engineering, logistics engineering and production engineering. The contractor will continue development studies and design efforts related to components and systems to accomplish research and development tasks, and prototypes and engineering development models required to fully evaluate new technologies to be inserted in succeeding Virginia class submarines. Fiscal 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (SCN) (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and engineering (RDT&E) (Navy) funding in the amount of $68,321,021 will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,050,000; and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and engineering (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,341,250 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year — fiscal 2018 SCN (38.8%); fiscal 2017 SCN (34.9%); fiscal 2019 RDT&E (10.7%); fiscal 2014 SCN (7.1%); fiscal 2019 SCN (5%); fiscal 2016 SCN (3.4%). This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-2120). Space Ground Systems Solutions LLC, West Melbourne, Florida, awarded a $17,082,880 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to overall ceiling for previously awarded contract (N00173-15-D-2015) for spacecraft engineering, software, research and development services to the Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST). Specifically, the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) provides support for software engineering development, maintenance, enhancement and configuration management support for all components contained within the Neptune™ software suite under the direction of the NRL Configuration Control Board, and the VMOC™ software framework under the direction of the VMOC™ program management and software engineering teams. Funding will be obligated for each task order and no funds are obligated on the base IDIQ contract. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia (50%); and West Melbourne, Florida (50%), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded a $9,066,270 modification (P00013) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0081). This modification exercises an option to procure three spare AE1107C engines in support of the V-22 Osprey program for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed in November 2020. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $9,066,270 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. ARMY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $60,619,031 modification (P00185) to contract W31P4Q-08-C-0418 for engineering, logistics, integration, test and evaluation, and program management activities. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia, was awarded an $8,309,050 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to incorporate a requirement to stabilize the legacy nitroglycerin area facility at Radford Army Ammunition Plant. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Radford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $8,309,050 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-F-0021). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a maximum $24,299,972 firm-fixed-priced delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-LT31) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-15-G-001Z) for rudders in support of the F/A-18 aircraft platform. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a seven-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with an Aug. 31, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2026 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Belleville Shoe Co.,* Belleville, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $12,524,036 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Air Force temperate weather, Coyote boots. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with an Oct. 10, 2020, performance completion date. Using customer is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1208). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1988088/source/GovDelivery/

Pascal Kümmerling Le gouvernement finlandais a fixé un plafond de 11 milliards de dollars américains pour l'achat du futur avion de combat a annoncé mercredi le ministère de la Défense. Le plafond financier comprendra le coût d'achat de nouveaux jets, de leurs armes et de divers systèmes au sol. Le projet vise à remplacer la flotte actuelle de 64 avions de combat F/A-18C/D « Hornet » achetés aux États-Unis au début des années 90. Le ministre finlandais de la Défense, Antti Kaikkonen, a déclaré que le nombre de nouveaux avions à acheter pourrait être supérieur ou égal au niveau actuel et espérait qu'il ne serait pas inférieur. Les bases du projet La Finlande ne veut pas sacrifier sa capacité d'engagement en temps de paix et doit pouvoir compter sur une dotation lui permettant un engagement sur de longs mois en cas de situation tendue au niveau international. Pour ce faire la Force aérienne veut un minimum de 64 nouveaux avions de combat multirôle, soit la même dotation qu'actuellement. Pour la Finlande il n'est pas question de sacrifier sa capacité d'action. L'avion doit pouvoir évoluer en réseau connecté avec les systèmes de défenses au sol et le reste de l'armée. A noter, que la Finlande estime que les coûts à l'heure de vol pourraient atteindre trois fois le montant du prix d'achat sur une période de 30 ans. Cette donnée sera prise en compte pour le choix final. Les aéronefs en compétition On retrouve une nouvelle fois les grands classiques du moment, avec le Lockheed-Martin F-35 «Lightning II», le Saab JAS-39 Gripen E MS21, l'Eurofighter «Typhoon II» T3A/B Block20 et le Dassault Rafale F3-R, ainsi que le Boeing F/A-18 E/F « Advanced Super Hornet ». Essais techniques La Finlande a observé avec intérêt les essais des quatre avions effectués ce printemps dans notre pays à Payerne. Le pays procédera également à des tests techniques qui seront effectués en Finlande cet hiver. Mais avant cela, le pays enverra des demandes d'offre plus détaillées aux candidats durant l'automne. Les dernières offres seront organisées en 2020. Le gouvernement finlandais fera son choix en 2021. Le Hornet en Finlande C'est en 1992 que la Finlande décida d'acquérir 64 F/A-18 C/D «Hornet» pour remplacer les bons vieux MiG-21 et Saab J-35 «Draken». A l'époque, les Hornet finlandais ne sont pas complètement équipés, notamment en matière de guerre électronique et d'avionique, ce qui avait permis à l'époque de faire baisser le prix d'achat. Mais dès le début des années 2000, la Finlande décida d'équiper ses « Hornet » des systèmes manquants. Depuis les « Hornet » finlandais ont reçu les missiles air-air à moyenne portée de type AIM-120 AMRAAM avec un système de système de visée plus performant et de doter ceux-ci, du système de guerre électronique AN/ALQ-67. Le groupe de travail du ministère de la Défense finlandais a recommandé que la flotte de F/A-18C/D puisse entrer en retraite durant la période 2025-2030. A signaler, que la Finlande considère que le coût d'un programme d'extension de vie des « Hornet » est à la fois risqué et prohibitif. https://blogs.letemps.ch/pascal-kuemmerling/2019/10/13/helsinki-dispose-de-11-milliards-pour-son-nouvel-avion/