14 juin 2023 | International, Naval
Hydraulic warfare is here to stay. NATO should plan for it.
Sophisticated tanks and fighter jets are important to shift the balance of power in Ukraine. But water is equally critical.
23 janvier 2019 | International, C4ISR
An Air Force radio that can run for a week in the sun
By: Adam Stone
The Pentagon has long been looking for a way out from under its tradition of massive, multi-year, multi-billion-dollar projects. With the rapid pace of technological development, military leaders have sought tools and strategies for more rapid acquisitions.
There's the Defense Innovation Unit, or DIUx, a Defense effort to make faster use of emerging technologies. Some organizations have also turned to contractual tools such as the OTA, or other transaction authority, as a means to accelerate the technology buying process.
Recently, technicians at McConnell Air Force Base proved that homegrown ingenuity can make a difference, too. Workers there used a local partnership and a modest development effort to craft a portable, solar-powered communications system.
“The military needs to be ready to go anywhere and solar enables that,” said Tech. Sgt. Clayton Allen of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing.
As a non-commissioned officer in charge of the wing's XPX innovation team, Allen led the effort to shrink down the standard communications package and make it self-sustaining. The three-man team got the job done in about 400 hours, working in cooperation with Wichita State University's GoCreate rapid-innovation lab.
“We took it from a box the size of a small room and made it something you can drag behind you like luggage, weighing about 150 pounds,” he said.
An expeditionary force typically might have to spend a couple of days setting up its communications operation. The newly-developed unit works right out of the box and costs about $12,000 less, the team said. As a solar-power unit, it also does not rely on the presence of a generator, making it easier to deploy in a wider range of circumstances.
“It is completely self-sustainable, powered by solar power, and the solar panel can extend the [battery life] out almost indefinitely,” Senior Airman Aaron Walls, an XPX innovation team member, said in an Air Force news release.
Full article: https://www.c4isrnet.com/c2-comms/2019/01/23/an-air-force-radio-that-can-run-for-a-week-in-the-sun
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Sweden angles to fill a void in NATO’s space plans
The Swedish government has adopted the country’s first-ever defense and security space strategy, which seeks to make Stockholm a space hub for allies.
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25 septembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Boeing gets $227 million delivery order for landing gear to support Super Hornet readiness
Aerospace giant Boeing Co. has been awarded a $227 million U.S. Navy delivery order for the procurement of main and nose landing gear assemblies in support of the Super Hornet aircraft. According to a statement issued Monday by U.S. Department of Defense, Boeing awarded a delivery order for the landing gears for the F/A-18E/F multirole fighter aircraft and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The period of performance for this delivery order begins in October 2019 and will be completed by March 2023 with no option periods. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri. The combat-proven Super Hornet delivers cutting-edge, next-generation multi-role strike fighter capability, outdistancing current and emerging threats well into the future. The Super Hornet has the capability, flexibility and performance necessary to modernize the air or naval aviation forces of any country. Two versions of the Super Hornet – the single-seat E model and the two-seat F model – are able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. As to the EA-18G Growler, this is the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform and is the only one in production today. A variant of the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growler provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to U.S. military forces and allies around the world. https://defence-blog.com/news/boeing-gets-227-million-delivery-order-for-landing-gear-to-support-super-hornet-readiness.html