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By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — As part of the Air Force's push to boost its number of operational squadrons to 386 total, and the service may need additional C-17s, the head of Air Mobility Command said Friday. The service's expansion plan, which was named “The Air Force We Need” and unveiled this September, called for one airlift squadron and 14 tanker squadrons to be added by 2030. At the time, service leaders from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to AMC Commander Gen. Maryanne Miller, said more work would need to be done in order to determine the mix of aircraft needed to get to the 386 squadron goal, which is 74 more than the service has now. But now, AMC has a better idea of what it could require, Miller told reporters during an Oct. 26 roundtable. The analysis from “The Air Force We Need” supports adding three new C-17 Globemaster III squadrons and cutting two C-130 Hercules squadrons from the airlift inventory, she said. That would bring the total number of airlift squadrons up to 54, an increase of one squadron. But Boeing's C-17 production line in Long Beach, California is dead, with the company having manufactured the final Globemaster in 2015. Increasing the number of C-17s could entail restarting the production line — an expensive proposition for any aircraft — but Miller said the Air Force had not yet begun discussing the possibility with Boeing. "Those are the details that we have not looked at,” Miller said. “That will be the next discussion as we proceed, talking with Congress and working with Congress, because the same would apply for the tanker fleet,” she said. “An additional 14 squadrons by 2030 — what would be the path to get there? Something we're looking at, but again, this is just the initial stages of talking with Congress and getting this concept out there." It's unclear what other options would exist to increase the number of C-17 squadrons aside from restarting the production line. The U.S. Air Force currently operates 222 C-17s, but began retiring some of the oldest Globemaster IIIs in 2012. It may be possible that those C-17s could be taken out of storage and revitalized. A spokeswoman for Boeing had no comment. Miller stressed that discussions about the makeup of the future airlift fleet are still in the beginning stages, and will be informed not only by Congress but also by an ongoing AMC study. That Mobility Capabilities Requirements Study is slated to be delivered to Capitol Hill in a couple of months, and may have different recommendations than the “Air Force We Need” analysis on how many airlift squadrons are needed, and of what aircraft models. “The two studies took slightly different approaches to that,” she said. “The results of each of those studies will be reviewed and I think there will be a combination somewhere in there to try to validate the results of those studies put together.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/airlift-tanker-annual/2018/10/26/could-the-air-force-restart-the-c-17-production-line

By: Jeff Martin The KC-135 refueling tanker and the C-130J airlifter will be the next two aircraft to be part of the Air Force's predictive maintenance program, part of the service's effort to do maintenance before airplanes break--and improve mission capable and availability rates, according to Air Mobility Command's logistics director. "The bottom line is to get to where we are scheduling all of our maintenance, rather than reacting to the maintenance,' said Brig. Gen. Steven Blaymaier, who oversees Air Mobility Command's logistics, engineering and force protection, in an interview at the 2018 Airlift Tanker Association symposium outside Dallas, Texas. “We want our units to achieve their mission-capable rates on a sustained basis.” According to the latest available data, from FY2017, the KC-135 fleet had, on average, a 74 percent mission capable rate, and the C-130J fleet had a 77 percent mission capable rate. As for the rest of the mobility fleet, by that same data, the C-5M fleet stood at 60 percent, the C-130H fleet was at 73 percent, and the C-17 fleet was at 84 percent mission capable. The concept, known as conditions based maintenance, has already been rolled out to the C-5 fleet within AMC, and the B-1 fleet in Air Force Global Strike Command. It uses algorithms based on reams of data to create models to predict when a part might break, rather than waiting for it to fail. Its a standard practice in the commercial aviation industry, and is now making its way into the Air Force. Blaymaier says the KC-135 fleet will join the program in spring of 2019, and the C-130J fleet will follow in the summer. Blaymaier also added that the other aircraft in AMC's fleet would be joining the program eventually, like the C-17 and KC-10. “They're all in work at their program offices right now,” he said. “What we learn from C-5 will be incorporated into the other aircraft.” Blaymaier also said the Air Force was modelling their effort after Delta Airlines's Tech Ops division's procedures, and that the service was at the beginning or “crawl stage” of the process. He also noted that Delta took “eight years” to get achieve the results they were looking for, and that the Air Force was working on that path. In September, Lt. Gen. Robert McMurray, commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, told Defense News that the conditions-based maintenance program was critical to increasing the readiness of the Air Force's aircraft. "Given the aging fleet situation that we have, we probably need to be using data better to take care of it — which is a drive toward what most everyone right now is saying is the right way to manage fleet sustainment, which is through condition-based maintenance and data analytics,” he said at the time. Another benefit Blaymaier described was that the service will be able to track maintenance needs by individual aircraft, rather than by a general fleet-wide standard. That could reduce time in depots and increase mission capable rates, a top priority of senior Pentagon leaders. “As we move forward with conditions based maintenance plus (CBM+) and predictive analytics, we'll be able to know by tail number which parts are going to fail on certain aircraft," he said."It'll be much more surgical [and] operational." Blaymaier added that while the transition to conditions based maintenance might be a long journey, it would lead to huge benefits for the Air Force. “Ultimately we want to achieve those aircraft availability standards that we established for each of our fleets that are required to meet our wartime taskings,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/airlift-tanker-annual/2018/10/27/kc-135s-and-c-130js-are-the-next-aircraft-to-enter-the-air-forces-data-driven-maintenance-program

DND Ombudsman, Management & Program Consultants, L3 Technologies, Ultra Electronics, CAF/NATO. https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/5/10562-Who%27s-Where%3F

October 25, 2018 – Ottawa, ON – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces has concluded Operation RENAISSANCE – Indonesia, a part of Canada's humanitarian assistance efforts in Palu, Indonesia. Over the course of the 14-day operation, at the request of the government of Indonesia, a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130J Hercules transported and delivered Canadian relief items and provided a tactical airlift capability to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian supplies in earthquake and tsunami affected areas. A total of 121,867 kilograms of supplies was airlifted and delivered. Supplies consisted of food, water, shelter kits and other miscellaneous humanitarian assistance equipment. Canada was one of 21 countries, and non-governmental organizations active in the area to support Indonesia following the devastating September 29 Sulawesi earthquakes and resulting tsunami. Quotes “I am proud of the professionalism and dedication exhibited by our Canadian Armed Forces and Global Affairs Canada during Indonesia's time of need. Our thoughts are with the people of Indonesia as they continue to rebuild after the recent earthquake and tsunami.” The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence Quick Facts · The Canadian Armed Forces' contribution consisted of a CC-130J Hercules aircraft and 20 personnel. · The aircraft flew a total of 13 airlift missions over the course of the operation. · The CC-130J Hercules was based out of Balikpapan, across the Makassar Strait from the affected areas of Palu. - 30 - Associated Links Operation RENAISSANCE 2018 - Indonesia Social Media @CFOperations - Twitter @OperationsFC - Twitter Contacts Media Relations Department of National Defence Phone: 613-996-2353 Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — A privately owned Turkish drone specialist has installed the wings on its unmanned fighter jet currently in development. Selçuk Bayraktar, the chief technology officer at Baykar Makina, announced the progress on the Uçan Balık/Akıncı program (Flying Fish/Raider in Turkish). Bayraktar shared photos of the Akıncı on social media after the assembly of the aircraft's wings. “It [the program] is progressing as scheduled,” Bayraktar said. Turkey's vice president, Fuat Oktay, visited the Baykar Makina production unit to inspect the Akıncı. Bayraktar believes the platform's development foreshadows a more advanced version of itself down the road. “We are hoping to have our first unmanned fighter aircraft by 2023. We are also hoping to fly our first unmanned aerial vehicle that can carry up to 1.5 tons of payload for strategic missions in 2019,” Bayraktar said. Baykar is Turkey's leading privately owned drone specialist. It has supplied 58 unarmed and armed drones to the Turkish military that are mainly deployed in areas (southeastern Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq) where the country is fighting Kurdish militants. Fifteen Baykar drones are simultaneously on duty for counterterror missions. The company wants to raise that number to 50. Baykar's TB-2, a drone that comes in both armed and unarmed versions, is mainly deployed in Turkey's southeast to combat Kurdish militants. The armed version uses the MAM-L and MAM-C, two miniature smart munitions developed and produced by state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan. Industry sources say Turkey's industry also is developing BSI-101, a signals intelligence system, for the TB-2 to end the country's dependence on American-made SIGINT systems for drones. The TB-2 can fly at a maximum altitude of 24,000 feet for up to 30 hours. Its communications range is 150 kilometers. The aircraft can carry up to 55 kilograms of payload. “We (the world) are decades away from fully unmanned fighter aircraft. But for countries like Turkey that fight asymmetrical warfare, the gear built between full unmanned fighters and today's armed drones will be crucial,” a senior defense procurement official said. Increasing asymmetrical threats on both sides of Turkey's Syrian and Iraqi borders have urged the country's military and procurement and industry officials to boost existing drone programs and launch new ones. The Akıncı is the latest version of a family of drones Turkey thinks could best fight insurgency at home and abroad. In June, Turkish officials said a contract had been signed for the development and production of the 4.5-ton Akıncı. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2020. The Akıncı features an altitude of 40,000 feet and a payload capacity of 1,350 kilograms, which it can carry for up to 24 hours. The aircraft is powered by two turboprop engines, each generating 550 horsepower. The engine is under development by Tusas Engine Industries, or TEI, a state-controlled engine maker of the PD170. TEI has been working on the PD170 since December 2012 when it signed a development contract with SSM (now SSB), the country's procurement agency,. The 2.1-liter, turbo-diesel PD170 can produce 170 horsepower at 20,000 feet, and 130 horsepower at 30,000 feet. It can generate power at a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet. The PD170 was designed for the Anka, Turkey's first indigenous medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. The Akıncı has a 20 meter wingspan, and is 12.5 meters long and 4.1 meters high. It can be equipped with indigenously developed satellite communications technology; a common aperture targeting system FLIR; a wide area surveillance system; electronic and signals intelligence systems; an electronic support measure pod; a collision avoidance system; a multirole active electronically scanned array air radar; and a synthetic aperture/ground moving target indicator radar. The Akıncı can be armed with a wide range of air-to-ground munitions including MAM-L, MAM-C, CIRIT, Mk81 and Mk82 general-purpose bombs, smart munitions (such as HGK, KGK and LGK) with various guidance kits, and SOM air-launched cruise missiles. https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2018/10/25/wing-installation-at-turkish-drone-maker-signals-progress-on-indigenous-unmanned-tech

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Belgium has officially selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter, becoming the 13th country to join the program, the Belgian government announced Thursday. With that decision, Lockheed Martin has defeated a bid by the governments of Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom for the Eurofighter Typhoon, as well as an informal offer by France for the Dassault Rafale and an option for Belgium to upgrade its existing F-16s. Belgium plans to buy 34 F-35As to replace F-16 inventory, which numbers about 54 jets. The U.S. State Department has already approved the deal, which has an estimated value of $6.5 billion. According to Reuters, Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput told reporters on Oct. 25 that the F-35 beat the other contenders in all seven selection criteria. “We are investing heavily in defense,” Vandeput tweeted, citing Belgium's decision to buy F-35s and new land vehicles. Meanwhile, U.S. stakeholders immediately began celebrating the outcome of the competition. “Lockheed Martin is honored by the Belgian government's selection of the F-35A Lightning II for their future national security needs,” the company said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting the U.S. government in delivering the F-35 program to meet the requirements of the Belgian government.” Vice Adm. Mat Winter, head of the the F-35 joint program executive office, said the decision to join the program will strengthen the U.S.-Belgian relationship. “We look forward to working closely with our Belgian teammates as they mature plans for purchasing their F-35s,” he said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels tweeted a response to Vandeput, stressing how Belgium's F-35 selection would add to NATO interoperability. “Belgium will fly @thef35 alongside some of its closest @NATO allies & longtime partners in air defense. US is extremely proud of our enduring air partnership w/ Belgium,” it said. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, said Belgium's F-35 buy “reaffirms Belgium's military and strategic partnership with the United States, as well as builds Belgium's defense capabilities as a strong NATO ally.” Turner had interfaced with Belgian officials over the past year, providing assurances that the U.S. Congress would support an F-35 sale to Brussels, he said in a statement. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/10/25/f-35-officially-wins-belgian-fighter-contest

Graham Warwick | Aviation Week & Space Technology From armed scout to heavy lift, modernizing rotorcraft fleets has become a priority for the U.S. Defense Department. But whether the U.S. Army and other services will have the budgets to fulfill its ambitious renewal plans remains to be seen. http://aviationweek.com/defense/guide-us-military-helicopter-modernization

NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded not-to-exceed $131,555,000 for order N0001919F2410 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This undefinitized contract action is for the procurement and upgrade of weapon replaceable assemblies to optimize the Block I low-rate initial production F/A-18E/F Infrared Search and Track systems, including technical risk reduction in support of engineering change proposal development and F/A-18 integration and tactics development. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (73 percent); and St. Louis, Missouri (27 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $42,969,654 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. The MIL Corp., Bowie, Maryland, is being awarded an $84,551,798 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for systems engineering, integration/production support, system-based test and evaluation services and in-service life cycle-based engineering support for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission-based products and systems. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (80 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. No funds are being obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0002). L3 Technologies Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, is awarded a $35,757,711 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide for the demonstration and test of existing technologies and associated technical data that may potentially provide a solution for an airborne wideband low radio frequency band jamming application in support of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (Increment 2) program. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah (57 percent); Boulder, Colorado (16 percent); Carlsbad, California (9 percent); Stuart, Florida (5 percent); Waco, Texas (1 percent); Reston, Virginia (1 percent); Guthrie, Oklahoma (1 percent); Stow, Massachusetts (1 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (1 percent); and in Europe (4 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,704,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a broad agency announcement; four offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0014). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is awarded a $35,180,752 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide for the demonstration and test of existing technologies and associated technical data that may potentially provide a solution for an airborne wideband low radio frequency band jamming application in support of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (Increment 2) program. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (42 percent); Bethpage, New York (38 percent); North Amityville, New York (8 percent); Melville, New York (8 percent); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (1 percent); Hollywood, Maryland (1 percent); Melbourne, Florida (1 percent); and Redondo Beach, California (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,704,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a broad agency announcement; four offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0015). BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services, Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded $19,470815 for modification P00035 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable contract (N00421-15-C-0008) to exercise an option for support for Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Ship and Air Integrated Warfare Division (Code 4.11.3). Support to be provided includes integrating communications and information systems radio communications into Navy ships. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (75 percent); and California, Maryland (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2023. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $5,850,000 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Barkens Hard Chrome, Compton, California (FA8224-19-D-0001); Chromal Plating Co. Inc., Los Angeles, California (FA8224-19-D-0002); Kryler Corp., Fullerton, California (FA8224-19-D-0003); Quality Plating Co. Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah (FA8224-19-D-0004); and Sunvair, Inc., Valencia, California (FA8224-19-D-0005), have been awarded a ceiling $98,000,000 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for metal plating to remanufacture existing and future assets in support of 309 Missile Maintenance Group and 309 Commodities Maintenance Group programs. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Vandenberg AFB, California; and other geographically separated units. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2018 Consolidated Sustainment Activity Group -- Maintenance funds in the amount of $10,000 ($2,000 per awardee) are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity. Williams International Co. LLC, Pontiac, Michigan, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $50,000,000 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I program. The mission of the ATTAM Phase I program is to develop, demonstrate, and transition advanced turbine propulsion, power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. Work will be performed in Pontiac, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by October 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition via a broad agency announcement; 54 offers were received. The first task order will be incrementally funded with fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,000 at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (IDIQ contract FA8650-19-D-2064 and initial task order FA8650-19-F-2115). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $16,512,048 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Precision Real-Time Engagement Combat Identification Sensor Exploitation program. This program will develop technologies that continue to advance combat identification for warfighters. This contract provides for the technical assessments, prototype hardware and software modifications and development, systems engineering, performance simulations, system integration and demonstrations. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland, and is expected to be completed Jan. 31, 2024. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $400,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-1672). Maintenance Engineers Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded an $8,700,000 ceiling, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for grounds maintenance services. This contract provides grounds maintenance services for approximately 4,000 acres of improved and semi-improved grounds. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base and Little Mountain, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 24, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and six offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds will be obligated at the task order level. Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8201-19-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Geo-Med LLC,* Lake Mary, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $35,000,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 20 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and other federal civilian agencies. Location of performance is Florida, with an Oct. 24, 2023, performance completion date. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-19-D-0001). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded a $25,658,223 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRDL1-19-F-0038) against a five-year contract (SPE7MX-16-D-0100) for various electronic components for the M1 Abrams tank. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Michigan and Florida, with a Sept. 27, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan. General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded a $10,229,034 modification (P00002) exercising the one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPRDL1-18-C-0295) for hull mission processor units with containers. 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 firm-fixed-price contract. Locations of performance are Michigan and Florida, with a Nov. 19, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan. ARMY B & K Construction Co. LLC,** Mandeville, Louisiana, was awarded a $31,260,319 firm-fixed-price contract for West Bank Mississippi River Levee. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 22, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $31,260,319 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-19-C-0004). CORRECTION: An additional contractor has been added to the multiple-award contract announced on Sept. 28, 2018, for providing resources in support of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense to include its headquarters, directorates and five joint project managers. Goldbelt, Chesapeake, Virginia (W911QY-19-D0014), will also compete for each order of the $249,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. All other information in the contract announcement is correct. *Service-disabled, veteran-owned small business **Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1672761/source/GovDelivery/

Alexis Pfefferlé Mardi 23 octobre 2018, 0800, Lausanne, entrée en lice des avionneurs américains. Pour rappel, deux avions américains sont en compétition dans le cadre du programme AIR2030, le F/A 18 Super Hornet de Boeing et le F35 de Lockheed Martin. Au menu de cette matinée, le F/A 18 Super Hornet de Boeing. L'avion proposé n'est pas inconnu puisqu'il avait été naturellement envisagé lors de la précédente campagne de renouvellement de la flotte avant que Boeing ne renonce à faire une offre à la Suisse. Boeing avait expliqué à l'époque que « le nouveau Super Hornet est peut-être un avion trop poussé par rapport aux besoins de la Suisse. ». Huit ans plus tard, les besoins exprimés par la Suisse pour son nouvel avion de combat ont évolué et le Super Hornet fait à nouveau office de candidat sérieux. En effet, les F/A 18 Hornet dans leur version C et D sont en service dans les forces aériennes suisses depuis maintenant vingt ans et l'avion est bien connu de nos pilotes et militaires. Quelles différences par rapport au modèle actuel ? Le F/A 18 Super Hornet n'est pas un nouvel avion mais bien une évolution du Hornet que nous connaissons. Il s'agit cependant d'une évolution en profondeur avec une refonte du design, de la signature radar, une mise à jour des systèmes d'armes et de l'électronique embarquée ou encore une augmentation importante de l'autonomie. Aujourd'hui, le F/A 18 Super Hornet E/F est un biréacteur de 4ème génération + disponible en monoplace et biplace comme les variantes C et D de son prédécesseur. Boeing va droit au but La présentation du jour de Boeing est, comme disent les américains, « straight to the point ». Communication à l'américaine oblige, on débute avec un clip vidéo figurant un compte à rebours égrené par une voix féminine à l'issue duquel divers types d'engins fabriqués par Boeing s'élancent dans le ciel dans un panache de fumée incandescent. Sans autre intermède, le représentant de Boeing, Monsieur CRUTCHFIELD, développe directement sur la facilité de transition entre le modèle actuel de l'armée suisse et le Super Hornet, un mois d'entraînement au maximum étant selon lui nécessaire aux pilotes aguerris sur F/A 18 Hornet pour se familiariser avec cette nouvelle version. Quant au matériel d'entretien et à l'armement, il est en partie compatible entre les deux versions. Compte tenu de l'avenir bien incertain des F/A 18 suisses actuels dans le contexte politique tendu des exportations d'armes, le recyclage partiel est un point pour le moins pertinent. Pour Boeing, le Super Hornet est la transition la plus simple et la moins onéreuse pour la Suisse. C'est au tour de Madame Nell BRECKENRIDGE, première femme à s'exprimer pour un constructeur, de prendre le relais. Elle partage premièrement quelques chiffres : Boeing est un géant de l'industrie, qui a l'habitude de l'offset et de travailler avec des partenaires dans le monde entier. Historiquement, l'offset Boeing c'est près de 50 milliards USD dans environ 40 pays depuis 35 ans. Actuellement, c'est 65 collaborations pour un montant de 20 milliards USD dans 20 pays. Efficacité et engagement Viennent ensuite les arguments phares de Boeing pour la Suisse. Premièrement, le géant américain, en tant que constructeur du F/A 18 Hornet, le dernier avion acquis par l'armée suisse, peut s'appuyer sur sa propre expérience dans le cadre du programme offset d'USD 1,3 milliards réalisé en Suisse dans le cadre de l'achat de cet avion en 1997. Détail piquant au pays de la ponctualité, le programme d'offset de l'époque a été complété 3 ans avant le délai prévu. Dans la même veine, un nouveau programme d'offset a été signé par Boeing avec la Suisse en 2009 pour la mise à jour des F/A 18 Hornet, lequel a également été complété, selon Boeing, en avance du calendrier prévu. Au total, toujours selon Boeing, ce sont plus de 600 sociétés suisses qui font ou ont fait affaire avec l'avionneur au cours des vingt dernières années. Sur leur dernier slide de présentation, Boeing déclare : Promises made, promises kept. (Promesses faites, promesses tenues) Tout un programme. https://blogs.letemps.ch/alexis-pfefferle/2018/10/25/air2030-a-la-rencontre-de-boeing-et-du-f-a-18-super-hornet-4-5/