14 novembre 2018 | International, Terrestre

BAE Systems Leverages Industrial Network As Ramp-Up Of Armored Vehicle Production Approaches

In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, production of heavy armored vehicles like tanks and troop carriers almost became a lost art in America. The Army and Marine Corps repeatedly deferred development of new vehicles, leaving industry with little work besides upgrading combat systems developed during the Reagan years. As a result, there are only two integrated manufacturing sites left where new heavy vehicles can be produced -- one for tanks, the other for almost everything else.

I wrote about the nation's sole surviving tank plant on November 2. Today's piece is about the plant where almost everything else is produced -- the sprawling BAE Systems manufacturing complex at York, Pennsylvania. BAE Systems is a contributor to my think tank and a consulting client, so I have a fairly detailed understanding of what goes on there. At the moment, York is in the midst of a renaissance, having recently won orders for a new Army troop carrier and a new Marine amphibious vehicle.

It is also upgrading the Army's Bradley fighting vehicle and Paladin self-propelled howitzer. The company is investing heavily in new machining systems and other capital equipment to sustain an expected surge in output, and is hiring hundreds of workers who must be trained to a high level of proficiency in specialized skills such as the welding of aluminum armor. This is all good news for the local economy, but to a large degree what BAE Systems is doing at York involves building back capacity that was lost during the Obama years.

BAE Systems has been highly successful at booking new business in the armored-vehicle segment of the military market as Army and Marine leaders have become increasingly worried about their reliance on Cold War combat vehicles. An industrial-base study released by the White House in September stated that over 80% of new armored-vehicle production for the two services will occur at York. The study speculated that all the new work might stress the production capabilities of the site.

However, that issue was thoroughly analyzed by the Army before it awarded recent contracts for Paladin howitzer upgrades and a new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle to replace Vietnam-era troop carriers in its armored brigades. The Army found no significant capacity constraints so long as BAE makes suitable investments and hires skilled workers. The findings of the Army's industrial-base analysis are not reflected in the White House report. Here are a few reasons why capacity concerns are overblown.

First, although York is the final assembly point for diverse armored vehicles, it is only one part of a nationwide manufacturing network on which BAE Systems relies to produce combat vehicles. The company operates other manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Oklahoma and South Carolina, including one of the nation's largest integrated forges for producing track components. It also works closely with Army depots (as does the tank plant), and has a supplier network containing over a thousand industrial partners.

Second, preparation of the White House report predated release of some details concerning how BAE Systems plans to invest in robotic welding, advanced machining technology and other cutting-edge capital equipment. The combination of these investments and programs with schools near manufacturing sites to train the necessary workforce will provide BAE Systems with more production capacity than it requires to address projected levels of demand.

Third, the current level of production capacity at York is the inevitable result of uneven demand from U.S. military customers over the last decade. The White House report identifies lack of stable funding as a key factor explaining the fragility of the military supplier base, but fails to explicitly make the connection in explaining why York is facilitized to its current capacity level. BAE Systems is now investing heavily to meet future demand, but it is understandably wary about building capacity much beyond what it expects to need.

The latter factor is critical in understanding why there are only two sites left in America capable of integrating heavy armored vehicles. There were many more in the past when high levels of demand were sustained for decades, but industry can't carry capacity indefinitely if no customer is prepared to fund the resulting costs. The reason the workforce assembling Abrams tanks at the Ohio plant dwindled to less than 100 personnel during the Obama years was that nobody was buying tanks. This is not a hard connection to grasp.

York has some advantages over the tank plant because it produces a diverse array of vehicles for multiple customers, and the industrial skills required are fungible across its portfolio. But if the Army or Marine Corps were to trim their production objectives for ground vehicles as they have repeatedly over the last decade, it is inevitable that production capacity will adjust to match the reduced level of funding. That's how an efficient industrial base works: supply matches demand.

At the moment, the York plant is generating products that satisfy all customer technical standards. There are no outstanding issues -- which is a good thing, because BAE Systems and its legacy enterprises have been the sole providers of Marine amphibious vehicles since World War Two and today manufacture a majority of the combat vehicles in the Army's armored brigades. Company executives do not anticipate problems as they gradually ramp up to two shifts per day at the site.

But the point they stressed to me is that York is the central node of an industrial network scattered across the nation, and there is adequate capacity going forward not only to meet expected demand, but also to cope with potential surges. The company estimates that combined demand from the Army and the Marine Corps will be the equivalent of one-and-a-half armored brigades worth of equipment per year, and that should be easily manageable within the limits imposed by planned capacity.

They are confident the company can deliver what warfighters need, when they need it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2018/11/13/bae-systems-leverages-industrial-network-as-ramp-up-of-armored-vehicle-production-approaches

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3 octobre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

Lockheed Martin Reveals New Human Lunar Lander Concept
DENVER, Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Bremen, Germany, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) experts revealed the company's crewed lunar lander concept and showed how the reusable lander aligns with NASA's lunar Gateway and future Mars missions. Concept video: https://vimeo.com/293133933 Lockheed Martin Crewed-Lunar-Lander The crewed lunar lander is a single stage, fully reusable system that incorporates flight-proven technologies and systems from NASA's Orion spacecraft. In its initial configuration, the lander would accommodate a crew of four and 2,000 lbs. of cargo payload on the surface for up to two weeks before returning to the Gateway without refueling on the surface. "NASA asked industry for innovative and new approaches to advance America's goal of returning humans to the Moon, and establishing a sustainable, enduring presence there," said Lisa Callahan, vice president and general manager of Commercial Civil Space at Lockheed Martin Space. "This is a concept that takes full advantage of both the Gateway and existing technologies to create a versatile, powerful lander that can be built quickly and affordably. This lander could be used to establish a surface base, deliver scientific or commercial cargo, and conduct extraordinary exploration of the Moon." The unique orbit of the lunar Gateway provides global lunar access for a lander. Having the ability to visit multiple sites with a reusable lander supports many international, commercial, and scientific communities, in addition to NASA's sustainable exploration of the Moon. After a surface mission, it would return to the Gateway, where it can be refueled, serviced, and then kept in orbit until the next surface sortie mission. "The Gateway is key to full, frequent and fast reusability of this lander," said Tim Cichan, space exploration architect at Lockheed Martin Space, who presented the lander concept at IAC. "Because this lander doesn't have to endure the punishment of re-entering Earth's atmosphere, it can be re-flown many times over without needing significant and costly refurbishment. That's a major advantage of the Gateway and of a modular, flexible, reusable approach to deep space exploration." The investments made in technology developed for Orion can be re-used to reduce the cost, complexity and development timeline. Some of the human-rated, flight-proven systems used in the design include avionics, life support, communications and navigation systems, and a light-weight version of its crew module pressure vessel. Reusable landers are enabled by the lunar Gateway and are important for sustainable exploration. Additionally, landed human lunar missions and a lunar orbiting outpost are valuable to prepare for sending humans to Mars. While the Moon doesn't have an atmosphere, there are still many lessons that apply to a future crewed Mars lander, such as: operations experience in a challenging and dynamic environment, operating and refueling out of orbit, long-duration cryogenic propulsion, and terminal descent navigation, guidance and control. To learn more about the Lockheed Martin's crewed reusable lunar lander concept, visit: Lander animation: https://vimeo.com/293133933 Lander illustrations: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/albums/ 72157671935059557 Lander white paper: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/space/documents/ahead/LM-Crewed-Lunar-Lander-from-Gateway-IAC-2018-Rev1.pdf About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2018-10-03-Lockheed-Martin-Reveals-New-Human-Lunar-Lander-Concept
13 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial

Griffin joins Rocket Lab board following Pentagon exit
Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — Just over a month after leaving the Pentagon, former Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin has joined the board of Rocket Lab, a small launch provider with increasing business with the U.S. government. “Rocket Lab has established itself as the leader in dedicated small satellite launch, and it's a privilege to be joining the board at an exciting time for the business as it continues to increase launch cadence and expand into satellite manufacturing and operations,” Griffin said in a statement. “Space continues to be a highly contested domain crucial to our national security, and it's also a domain that presents significant commercial opportunity. The Rocket Lab team has a proven track record of executing on a clear vision to make space accessible to these diverse communities, and I look forward to supporting that vision.” As the U.S. government has sought to leverage the growing small launch market in recent years, Rocket Lab has been there to pick up the contracts. The U.S. Air Force has awarded the company multiple launch contracts in recent years, and the U.S. Space Force is expected to launch a payload with the company in the coming months. At the same time, the National Reconnaissance Office launched its first payload from New Zealand on one of the company's Electron rockets earlier this year. Although the company recently saw one of their launches fail to reach orbit, resulting in the loss of all commercial payloads onboard, a subsequent investigation has cleared Rocket Lab to resume launch activities and both NRO and the Space and Missile Systems Center have said they plan to continue doing business with the company. Griffin's addition to the board certainly reflects the company's desire to continue pursuing national security small launch contracts. “We are honored to welcome Mike to Rocket Lab's board of directors,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the civil, defense, and commercial space sectors that will be invaluable to our team as Rocket Lab continues to grow and meet the ever-evolving launch and space systems needs of the national security community and commercial sector alike.” Griffin has a long history in the space arena. In 2005 he became the 11th NASA Administrator, a position he held until his resignation in 2008. During his tenure he initiated development of the agency's first commercial cargo delivery service to orbit. More recently at head of R&E for the Department of Defense, Griffin was heavily involved in rethinking how the Pentagon approached the space domain. Griffin oversaw the establishment of the Space Development Agency in 2019, despite resistance from inside and outside of the Pentagon. Griffin was the agency's most high profile advocate, pushing for funding for the nascent organization from Congress and arguing that it should remain independent from the U.S. Air Force's traditional space acquisitions structure—at least initially. Over the agency's first year and a half, he helped articulate a unique identity for the SDA in developing a new proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit, which will eventually be made up of hundreds of satellites. That National Defense Space Architecture is now expected to be a key component to two of DoD's most pressing issues: Hypersonic missile warning and Joint All Domain Command and Control. During his tenure, Griffin was well known for his strong personality, which ruffled the feathers of both his colleagues at DoD and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Most notably, he clashed with former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson over the establishment of SDA, and the day before he announced his resignation the House Armed Services Committee recommended removing the Missile Defense Agency from under his control. Griffin announced his resignation June 23, officially exiting the building July 10. He and his deputy, Lisa Porter—who resigned at the same time—have since opened up a new business together called Logiq Inc. White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios was announced as Griffin's successor. Aaron Mehta in Washington contributed to this story. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/08/12/griffin-joins-rocket-lab-board-following-pentagon-exit
21 novembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

Pegasus Imagery: Imagining a smarter future
by Tania Moffat Initially created to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions for the military, drone technology has had difficulty transitioning to commercial use. Military drones are not well-suited to interact with civilian aircraft and consumer models do not have the necessary range or technology. Alberta-based Pegasus Imagery believes it has bridged the technology gap between military and consumer applications. The company provides real-time intelligence and data solutions at scale to the emergency management, public safety and energy sectors. Owner Cole Rosentreter became an entrepreneur after a parachuting accident cut his decorated 15-year military service short. A paratrooper with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) he actively served on several deployments, including three in Afghanistan. During his tours, he witnessed how drone technology was able to help soldiers work safer, smarter and more effectively. “It was a natural choice to make my next mission to support the guys on the front lines here at home,” he said. Bridging the tech gap Hyperion, the company's long-range drone, was designed to deliver continual airspace awareness during flight and to deliver these solutions at scale. It is based on two prototypes used in commercial contracts earlier this year for the Alberta government, law enforcement, conservation and the energy sector. The aircraft is capable of carrying multiple sensors on a single flight, including connected voice and data comms. In addition to its ability to supply thermal imaging and aerial mapping, it is equipped with military-grade sensors and communications equipment, able to capture and deliver real-time electro-optical and infrared video through a secure connection. “We build our own drones to meet the needs of the market. All of our aircraft are manufactured in Canada and use only components and technology developed in North America,” said Rosentreter, explaining the company's commitment to information security. The first of these drones are already in the manufacturing stage of development. Timing is everything Transport Canada's June 2019 release of its remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) regulations were serendipitous for the company and provided a road map for the integration of drones into the national airspace system. Pegasus Imagery has identified benchmarks and critical areas of interest that it needs to be able to fly beyond visual line of sight (BLVOS) in Canada. This ability is required for the pilots to collect data at scale. Pegasus holds a unique special flight operations certificate from Transport Canada authorizing operations up to 2,000 ft in all restricted airspace across Canada. Pegasus is also working with Transport Canada and early adopters on BVLOS trials in uncontrolled airspace starting in 2020. Since relocating to the Edmonton International Airport last March, the airport authority has become a close partner, helping the company to transition from aircraft development into the trials and beyond. Partnering with commercial aviation The Helicopter Association of Canada expects to see a net loss of 7,000 pilots by 2035. With personnel shortages looming, drones can free up pilots to work where they are most needed. “We are not here to replace jobs; we are here to make jobs more efficient for the people doing them. It's about playing to everyone's strengths. We excel at persistent monitoring and information sharing that enables manned aviation to fly more. “For example, in a wildfire situation, drones can gather data 24 hours a day from above the fire and not put pilots in danger. Very few aircraft fly at night near a wildfire, and the night shift is a natural place to start filling that information void. We're going to see this transition to daytime use as well. By flying a few thousand feet higher than the helicopters, bird dogs, and waterbombers, the real-time information provided allows those pilots to respond where they are needed most,” explained Rosentreter. Drones are also well suited to detecting fires over large areas of land within minutes. “When you look at the root cause of wildfires, you see that from the time a fire starts to when it is detected can be anywhere from minutes to days,” Rosentreter continued. Alberta has 127 lookout towers for fire detection, it is a massive infrastructure and personnel investment. Officers look for smoke on the horizon, but often by the time a fire is big enough to do that, it is too large to be put out by a single helicopter team. The length of time between fire detection and the point where it can no longer be actively engaged and suppressed can be very short. “Unmanned aircraft can operate 24-7 at scale to detect a fire in minutes allowing for the immediate deployment of the best resources,” he further explained. Additionally, after a fire, drones are also able to offer 3D mapping of the affected areas to assist with recovery methods. Rosentreter is passionate about the service Pegasus Imagery is providing. “First responders have the mission of keeping our communities, environment and economy safe here at home. We can provide the tools to assist them. Their mission is really our mission.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/pegasus-imagery-imagining-a-smarter-future

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