Air Force, Space Force unveil tool for AI experimentation

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  21 décembre 2018 | International, Terrestre

  Hungary signs deal to buy dozens of tanks, howitzers from Germany’s KMW

  By: Jarosław Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — As part of efforts to modernize the country's land forces and replace Soviet-designed gear, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence has awarded a deal for 44 Leopard 2 A7+ tanks and 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. In addition, Hungary will buy 12 used Leopard 2 A4 tanks for training, KMW said in a statement. The deal was signed Dec. 19 in Budapest. Prior to the signing, Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Benko met with Frank Haun, the chief executive of KMW, the defense ministry said in a statement. Benko said he hoped that the contract would further strengthen the cooperation between the Hungarian and German armed forces. The latest development comes shortly after the Hungarian ministry handed an order for 16 H225M multi-purpose helicopters to Airbus. The aircraft are to be fitted with the HForce weapon management system. On Dec. 17, Hungary and Airbus Helicopters also signed a memorandum of agreement to launch industrial cooperation on long-term aviation projects with a focus on manufacturing parts for helicopter dynamic systems. The latest contracts are part of Hungary's ten-year Zrinyi 2026 military development program whose principal aim is to upgrade the weapons and equipment of the country's armed forces. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/12/20/hungary-signs-deal-to-buy-dozens-of-tanks-howitzers-from-germanys-kmw

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  5 octobre 2018 | International, Terrestre

  Army testing more effective ghillie suits

  By David Vergun, Army News Service FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- The Army is looking for an improved ghillie suit to replace the flame-resistant, camouflage suit now worn by snipers to keep them from being seen by the enemy. The current ghillie suits are bulky, somewhat uncomfortable and hot in warm weather, said Debbie Williams, a systems acquisition expert with Program Executive Office Soldier, Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment. The current suit is known as the Flame Resistant Ghillie System, or FRGS. The replacement the Army is looking for will be called the Improved Ghillie System, or IGS, Williams said. She added that although the term "flame resistant" is not in the new name, the IGS will still have flame-resistant properties. Soldiers will receive most of their protection from the base layer worn under the IGS, such as the Flame Resistant Combat Uniform, or FR ACU. The IGS will be a modular system, worn over the field uniform, she said. It will be modular in that it can be taken apart, with pieces added or subtracted as needed, such as sleeves, leggings, veil, cape and so on. Another change is that the IGS will not come with the accessory kit, like the one supplied with the FRGS, Williams said. It was found that Soldiers were not using a majority of the items in their accessory kit or preferred a different material. Williams said the cost of the IGS will be lower than the current $1,300 FRGS. Mary Armacost, a textile technologist with Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, said the IGS will be made of lighter, more breathable material than the FRGS. Also, the material for the skeins that accompany the IGS will be stiffer than that of the FRGS, thereby making the IGS more effective at camouflaging the Soldier. A request for proposal for the IGS went out Aug. 28 and closed Sept. 24, she said. Vendors must each provide three samples. About 3,500 suits are expected to be produced under the contract for approximately 3,300 snipers in all three Army components, as well as Soldiers in U.S. Special Operations Command, Williams said. After the samples are obtained, lab and field testing will begin at various locations in November, she said. For example, the Army's Night Vision Laboratory will do full-spectrum testing. It will also use night vision goggles to see how well the suits remain hidden in darkened conditions. Daytime testing for visual camouflage effectiveness will take place as well, with sniper-qualified Soldiers at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Williams said. Additionally, acoustic testing will be done by the Army Research Laboratory to determine how much noise the IGS produces in field conditions. ARL will also test the effectiveness of the fabric regarding tear resistance and fire retardant effectiveness, she added. Following all of this, a limited user evaluation should commence next spring using instructors from the Sniper School at Fort Benning, Georgia. https://www.army.mil/article/211933

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  7 septembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Four questions with the head of Air Combat Command

  Gen. Mark Kelly talked about the service's sixth-generation fighter and plans to replace the E-3 airborne warning and control plane, better known as the AWACS.