17 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has scooped up a contract, worth up to $7.2 billion, for the latest batch of next-generation GPS satellites.
The award decision comes as little surprise, as Lockheed Martin is the incumbent on the GPS III program responsible for manufacturing the first 10 satellites. It was also the sole bidder on the most recent contracting vehicle, which will span an additional 22 satellites.
“The world is dependent on GPS, from getting directions to getting cash from an ATM machine or trading on the stock exchange,” said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in a statement. “These satellites will provide greater accuracy and improved anti-jamming capabilities, making them more resilient.”
Three companies — Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman —won Phase 1 contracts for the follow-one program in 2016 to perform feasibility studies, but the Boeing and Northrop Grumman dropped out of the competition.
Boeing in April 2018 confirmed that it did not bid on the opportunity, stating that the solicitation “emphasized mature production to current GPS requirements and did not value lower cost, payload performance or flexibility.”
Full article: https://www.c4isrnet.com/space/2018/09/14/air-force-awards-next-gps-satellite-contract
3 octobre 2024 | International, Terrestre
The US Department of Defense has restructured its Security Cooperation workforce to meet the unprecedented demand from partner nations.
7 octobre 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Safran Electronics & Defense annonce que son drone Patroller a « montré sa capacité à répondre à des besoins de surveillance maritime au profit de Marines nationales ou d'agences européennes de surveillance maritime », dans le cadre du projet européen OCEAN2020 financé par la Commission Européenne au titre de l'Action Préparatoire de Recherche de Défense. Des exercices navals ont été organisés en mer Baltique, à la fin du mois d'août, rassemblant 18 partenaires dont 5 Marines nationales pour la démonstration finale OCEAN2020, ayant pour objectif de « montrer que l'emploi combiné de drones de tous milieux (aériens, de surface et sous-marins) fournit une meilleure perception de la situation tactique maritime au commandement », précise Safran. Zone Bourse.com du 7 octobre
19 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM, BY: GARRETT REIM After completing static, drop and durability testing on the F-35A, Lockheed Martin believes that early results indicate potential for an increased service life certification of the stealth fighter. The F-35's service lifetime is designed to be 8,000h, but each test airframe is required to successfully complete two lifetimes of testing, the equivalent of 16,000h. The F-35A exceeded the requirement by completing three full lifetimes of testing, 24,000h, prompting Lockheed to moot the potential service-life extension. “We look forward to analyzing the results and bringing forward the data to potentially extend the aircraft's lifetime certification even further,” said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “Already certified for one of the longest lifetimes of any fighter, an increase would greatly reduce future costs for all F-35 customers over several decades to come.” The USAF plans to fly the F-35A until at least 2070, so a longer lifespan per aircraft may allow the service to reach that goal without having to purchase new fighters. However, as aircraft age they become more expensive to maintain and operate, making it unclear if a service life extension of the F-35A would be economical. The F-35A airframe completed its testing at BAE Systems in Brough, England. The F-35B and C variants were tested at Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas, though the company did not release the results for those variants. All variants will eventually undergo final teardown inspections at the National Institute for Aviation Research in Wichita, Kansas. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/f-35-stress-tests-raise-possibility-of-longer-servic-451964