Air Force to fall nearly 150 pilots short of annual training goal

Sur le même sujet

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  2 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre

  En Allemagne, la plupart des équipements militaires qualifiés de non opérationnels

  Véhicules de combat d'infanterie Puma, avions de transport militaire Airbus A400M, avions de combat Eurofighter Typhoon, hélicoptères Tigre et NH90... Ces équipements militaires allemands qui devraient être la fierté de la Bundeswehr ne sont plus considérés dans la plupart des cas comme opérationnels, selon le secrétaire d'État allemand à la Défense. Seul un tiers de matériel militaire mis en service en Allemagne en 2017 peut être aujourd'hui considéré comme opérationnel, a annoncé le journal Stuttgarter Nachrichten en se référant au rapport présenté par Peter Tauber, le secrétaire d'État allemand à la Défense. Selon l'homme politique, sur les 97 véhicules de combat livrés, seuls 38 peuvent être utilisés, soit environ 37% du total. Dans le même temps, la Bundeswehr a l'intention d'augmenter leur taux d'aptitude opérationnelle jusqu'à 70%. «Nous pensons toujours que l'industrie doit atteindre les indicateurs convenus le plus vite possible», est-il indiqué dans le rapport de Peter Tauber. La principale préoccupation du ministère de la Défense concerne les véhicules de combat d'infanterie Puma et les avions de transport militaire Airbus A400M. Ainsi, sur les 71 Puma livrés à la Bundeswehr l'an dernier, seuls 27 sont considérés comme aptes au combat, tandis que sur huit A400M, seuls quatre avions de transport militaire peuvent être utilisés. En outre, seul un avion de combat bi-réacteur Eurofighter Typhoon sur quatre a été qualifié d'opérationnel. Sur sept hélicoptères Tigre, seulement deux sont opérationnels, et sur sept hélicoptères polyvalents NH90, seuls quatre sont en état d'être utilisés par la Bundeswehr, indique Die Welt. À la fin d'août, The National Interest avait qualifié de «honteux» l'état de la Marine allemande. Selon le média, la flotte du plus riche pays de l'Union européenne se retrouve pratiquement dans la même situation qu'en 1941 lorsque les navires allemands n'avaient pas pu faire face aux b'timents modernes des Alliés. https://fr.sputniknews.com/defense/201810311038714446-allemagne-equipements-militaires-non-oprationnels/

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  29 avril 2020 | International, Sécurité

  Army tweaks new goggles to scan for fevers

  Kyle Rempfer Researchers made adjustments to the digital thermal sensors on their Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS goggles, so the devices can now detect a fever, service officials said this week. A version of the IVAS goggles are now being used at Fort Benning, Georgia, on hundreds of soldiers arriving each day to train at the post, which hosts basic combat training, Airborne School and Ranger School. Five seconds was all it took for the goggles to detect the forehead and inner eye temperature of troops as they filed in through a processing center. The temperature of a soldier is registered through the goggle-wearer's heads-up display. Those who registered a fever were moved to a medical station for further evaluation. The goggle screening system cleared a group of about 300 soldiers in roughly 30 minutes, according to the Army. The process could also be more sanitary than traditional screening measures, which require closer contact between medical personnel and patients. “We've always planned for an agile software system and a digital platform that can be upgraded and adapted to use against emerging threats in the future. No one anticipated the next threat to emerge would be a virus, but that's the enemy we face today,” said Tom Bowman, director of the IVAS Science and Technology Special Project Office, who helped orchestrate the thermal tweaks to the devices. However, even though fevers are a known symptom of coronavirus, it's far from an absolute predictor. Up to 25 percent of people with the virus may never show symptoms, Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Robert Redfield has previously warned publicly, meaning symptoms could be a less effective gauge of troop health than originally hoped. IVAS goggles — which combine night vision, a rifle-linked targeting scope and navigational markers within a soldier's field of view — are still undergoing field tests, including one at Fort Pickett, in Virginia, in late October and early November. The version of the goggles used to screen troops at Fort Benning are an earlier iteration of “non-ruggedized” goggles. They can't be used outdoors, instead requiring a stable room temperature so the goggles can be accurately calibrated. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, an instructional unit for the Army Infantry School, were trained to use the devices to scan others. “That's the genius of this system; we can use this technology today to fight the virus, even as we shape it into the combat system our soldiers need tomorrow. This shows the extensibility of the IVAS technology and the system,” said Brig. Gen. Tony Potts, who directs the modernization of infantry equipment. IVAS goggles are the signature technology coming out of the Army's Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team. The devices are designed in partnership with Microsoft using the company's HoloLens. Brig. Gen. Dave Hodne, the Army's chief of infantry who has a major role in testing the new technology, told reporters on April 17 that the Army still plans to field the devices in the final quarter of fiscal year 2021, even if a second wave of coronavirus hits during the fall testing period. “It would come at a cost of a two-week isolation period in advance of beginning the test,” said Hodne, adding that students trying to vie for a Ranger tab at the moment are already doing two-week isolation periods. “We've got 8,000 infantry trainees on Sand Hill who are executing a 22-week one-station unit training, you got an Airborne class that just graduated on Wednesday jumping out of airplanes,” Honde said. “The Army has frameworks for operating in biological hazards. It just requires us to make adjustments.” https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/04/28/army-tweaks-new-goggles-to-scan-for-fevers/

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  1 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Spirit selected to lead MOSQUITO uncrewed fighter development

  Thursday, 28 January 2021 Autonomous ‘loyal wingman' aircraft create the opportunity to expand, diversify and rapidly upgrade combat Air Forces in a cost-effective way - so the UK has committed funding for a new prototype. The UK's first fleet of uncrewed fighter aircraft is one step closer to reality following a £30-million contract to design and manufacture a prototype in a three-year deal supporting more than 100 jobs in Belfast. The uncrewed combat aircraft will be designed to fly at high-speed alongside fighter jets, armed with missiles, surveillance and electronic warfare technology to provide a battle-winning advantage over hostile forces. Known as a ‘loyal wingman', these aircraft will be the UK's first uncrewed platforms able to target and shoot down enemy aircraft and survive against surface to air missiles. In a boost for Northern Ireland's defence industry, Spirit AeroSystems, Belfast, has been selected to lead Team MOSQUITO in the next phase of the project. Using ground-breaking engineering techniques, the team will further develop the RAF's Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) concept, with a full-scale vehicle flight-test programme expected by the end of 2023. Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis says: "This is fantastic news and underlines the distinct strengths in Northern Ireland's economy, through its advanced engineering and manufacturing capabilities. This ground-breaking project will involve significant investment which will not only support local employment, but also reinforce Northern Ireland's contribution to the security of our nation." Team MOSQUITO, which also includes Northrop Grumman UK, will mature the designs and manufacture a technology demonstrator to generate evidence for a follow-on LANCA programme. If successful, Project Mosquito's findings could lead to this revolutionary capability being deployed alongside the Typhoon and F-35 Lightning jets by the end of the decade. Defence Minister, Jeremy Quin said: "This is a great win for the Northern Ireland defence industry and will showcase some of the most pioneering engineering work currently being undertaken in the UK. The £30 million project will accelerate the development of the UK's future air power by delivering cutting-edge uncrewed aircraft, maintaining our position as a world leader in emerging technologies." Working with innovative partners from across the UK, Project Mosquito is transforming traditional approaches to combat air to enable the rapid development of technology. By utilising the latest software development techniques and civilian aerospace engineering and manufacturing expertise, the project will deliver dramatic reductions in costs and development timelines, so their innovations can reach the front-line quicker than ever before. This game changing research and development project will ensure the final aircraft design will be capable of being easily and affordably updated with the latest technology so we remain one step ahead of our adversaries. The aircraft's flexibility will provide the optimum protection, survivability and information as it flies alongside Typhoon, F-35 Lightning, and later, Tempest as part of our future combat air system. Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff says: "We're taking a revolutionary approach, looking at a game-changing mix of swarming drones and uncrewed fighter aircraft like Mosquito, alongside piloted fighters like Tempest, that will transform the combat battlespace in a way not seen since the advent of the jet age." Director Future Combat Air, Richard Berthon adds: "Project Mosquito is a vital element of our approach to Future Combat Air, rapidly bringing to life design, build and test skills for next generation combat air capabilities. Autonomous ‘loyal wingman' aircraft create the opportunity to expand, diversify and rapidly upgrade Combat Air Forces in a cost-effective way, now and in the future." As announced by the Prime Minister in November 2020, the UK's Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme is set to benefit from a portion of the extra £1.5 billion investment into military research and development, which will help ensure our Armed Forces are prepared to meet the threats of tomorrow. LANCA originated in 2015 in Dstl to understand innovative Combat Air technologies and concepts that offer radical reductions in cost and development time and is a RAF Rapid Capabilities Office led project under the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative (FCAS TI). The UK MOD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) provides the project management and is the MOD's technical authority for LANCA and Project Mosquito on behalf of the RCO. https://www.airframer.com/news_story.html?report=20244