16 décembre 2024 | International, Aérospatial
SpearUAV Announces $20 Million Contract for Advanced VIPER 300 AI-Based Loitering Munition Systems
The company is expected to deliver the systems as early as 2025.
18 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial
10 winners chosen in International Space Pitch Day
WASHINGTON — Ten winners have emerged from the first International Space Pitch Day, a joint venture between the U.S. and the U.K. designed to encourage and reward innovation that could benefit the two nations' military endeavors in space.
The event was modeled on the U.S. Air Force pitch days — “Shark Tank”-inspired competitions where nontraditional companies can directly present their technology solutions to acquisition officials and walk away with same-day contracts.
The Air Force has held dozens of topical pitch days over the last two years as officials try to identify “defense unicorns.” The first space-specific pitch day was hosted by the Air Force in November 2019, though the since-established U.S. Space Force has taken over those pitch days.
“Pitch Days open the government's aperture to work with commercially-focused companies,” according to Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Competing for technology outside of our fence lines has been a major U.S. Air Force and Space Force theme. Partnering with our allies to compete globally is the natural evolution.”
Open to companies and entrepreneurs from all over the world, the inaugural International Space Pitch Day was jointly funded by the U.S. Air Force and the U.K.'s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the British Royal Air Force. Representatives from those organizations, U.S. Space Force, U.K. Strategic Command and NATO worked through the various proposals, with 15 companies invited to present their solutions during the Defence Space Conference in London.
Ultimately, 10 companies were awarded same-day contracts each worth up to $66,000, according to an announcement from the U.K. government. That funding will help the vendors fast-track their solutions.
“It is the first time two nations anywhere in the world have come together to award defense contracts based around a pitch-style event, similar to Dragon's Den/Shark Tank,” said Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth, the U.K.'s director for military space and air. “It is also the first time two nations have awarded joint defence innovation contracts to an overseas-based enterprise in this way.”
While most of the winners are from the U.S. or the U.K., one company from India and another from Australia won contracts.
The ten winners were:
- 114 AI Innovation Limited (India)
- Clearbox Systems (Australia)
- Clutch Space Systems (U.K.)
- Cognitive Space (U.S.)
- precursor SPC (U.S.)
- Riskaware Limited and Telespazio Vega UK (U.K.)
- Rocket Communications (U.S.)
- Slingshot Aerospace (U.S.)
- Spire Global UK (U.K.)
- Swim.ai (U.S.)
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31 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Le Japon va acquérir 105 avions de combat américains F-35
Le Japon va acheter 105 avions de combat américains F-35 supplémentaires, a annoncé lundi le président américain Donald Trump à l'issue d'un sommet avec le premier ministre japonais Shinzo Abe. « Les États-Unis soutiennent les efforts du Japon pour améliorer ses capacités de défense, et ces derniers mois nous leur avons envoyé une grande quantité d'équipements militaires », a déclaré M. Trump lors d'une conférence de presse, annonçant « l'intention du Japon d'acheter 105 F-35 neufs ». Le Japon, qui avait déjà annoncé fin 2011 l'achat de 42 F-35, est avec cette nouvelle commande le premier client international pour cet avion de combat de cinquième génération. En réalité, l'archipel s'était déjà engagé en décembre à cette acquisition, portant à 147 le nombre de ces chasseurs furtifs en sa possession, selon un communiqué du constructeur aéronautique américain Lockheed Martin publié à l'époque. Le gouvernement de Shinzo Abe, qui a annoncé en décembre un budget record pour la défense, a accru ses importations d'équipements militaires américains sous la pression de Donald Trump. Le but est de contrer la menace militaire de la Chine, mais aussi de réduire le déséquilibre commercial avec les États-Unis, régulièrement dénoncé par le président américain. Lancé au début des années 1990, le F-35 est produit par Lockheed Martin, et ses moteurs par un autre américain, Pratt et Whitney. Selon les derniers chiffres, 390 F-35 ont été livrés dans le monde. C'est le plus cher des programmes d'armement de l'histoire militaire américaine, avec un coût estimé au total à près de 400 milliards de dollars pour l'armée américaine, pour un objectif de près de 2500 appareils à produire dans les décennies à venir. https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/201905/27/01-5227679-le-japon-va-acquerir-105-avions-de-combat-americains-f-35.php
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5 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Drones Cleared For Take-Off As Govt Launches GARUD Portal To Ease Norms
Waking up to the use of drones in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry of civil aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have launched the GARUD portal. The platform will provide fast track exemptions to government agencies for using drones in their operations against the pandemic. GARUD or ‘Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones' was developed by the National Informatics Centre in eight days. Providing exemptions to government agencies by changing Rule 160 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, for easy and fast approvals for drone usage, any government department can apply for these exemptions on the GARUD platform. However, the government has also put restrictions on these exemptions. For instance, the government will provide permission to only battery-operated drones or remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs). Permission won't be granted to autonomous and fixed-wing RPAs. The order also makes the organisation responsible for ensuring safe operations of RPAs. Operations involving RPAs are to be conducted under the supervision of authorised entity while not risking lives, property, or any other aircraft. Moreover, the government has allowed all the government agencies to use either their own drones or use ones offered by third-party providers which are mostly startups. According to the rules, all the drones should have a valid unique identification number (UIN) or drone acknowledgement number (DAN) issued by the DGCA. The agency using the RPAs will have to update the details of the drone on DGCA's Digital Sky platform. Moreover, the drones shouldn't be weighing more than 25 KG and cannot pick up, drop or spray any substance. This provision leaves authorities to use these drones for surveillance. Other restrictions include no flight before sunrise and after sunset. The government also imposed a height limit of up to 200 metres for the drones. Besides surveillance, many drone startups in India are also looking to support the delivery of essentials. They are also being used to back on-ground medical staff. Pune and Silicon Valley-based FlytBase is offering drone services free to government officials until May 2020. Moreover, Hyderabad-based Marut Drones is delivering medicines and collecting blood samples. It has also been deployed to spray sanitizer in the city. Recently, the DGCA also allowed hyperlocal delivery provider Dunzo and Bengaluru-based drone maker Throttle Aerospace Systems to test their long-range drone delivery solutions. These startups are also expected to deliver grocery via drones in the near future. https://inc42.com/buzz/drones-cleared-for-take-off-as-govt-launches-garud-portal-to-simplify-norms/