Belarus says it sends more troops, aircraft, armoury to border with Ukraine

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  9 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  Bulgaria ready to start talks with U.S. on F-16 jet deal

  Angel Krasimirov, Tsvetelia Tsolova SOFIA (Reuters) - The Bulgarian government has approved a plan to start talks with the United States on buying eight new F-16 fighter jets to replace its ageing Soviet-made MiG-29s and improve compliance with NATO standards, the defense minister said on Wednesday. A deal for Lockheed Martin's F-16V Block 70 would be worth around 1.8 billion levs ($1.1 billion), Bulgaria's biggest military procurement since the fall of Communist rule some 30 years ago. The decision still requires parliament's approval. Other bidders had included Sweden, with Saab's Gripen jets, and Italy, with second-hand Eurofighters. Senior defense ministry and army officials say the F-16 is a multi-role fighter plane that had been tested in battle and had a long lifespan. The defense ministry has previously said that the United States does not need additional licenses and agreements to supply the war plans with the necessary weaponry and licenses, unlike the offers from Sweden and Italy. “The government is proposing to the parliament to allow it to start talks with the United States to acquire new war planes,” Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov told reporters. The center-right coalition government has a thin majority in parliament, which is expected to vote on the move next week. The plan has spurred heated political debates in the Black Sea country with supporters hailing it as a strategic choice for Bulgaria, whose NATO neighbors are also flying F-16s, while critics accused the government of breaching the tender rules. On Tuesday, the White House said the United States was ready to work with the government to tailor a deal that will fit Bulgaria's budgetary and operational requirements. Its bid at present exceeds the tender's estimated limit, officials said. “We believe that the F-16 Block 70 offers Bulgaria the best possible combination of price, capability and interoperability with other NATO air forces,” U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said in a statement. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, a former air force commander and frequent critic of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, is believed to favor the Swedish bid and has criticized the process as flawed and “a triumph of lobbying”. Critics have questioned whether the United States can deliver the first two F-16 jets within two years as required and pointed to a U.S. proposal for a one-off payment upon contracting rather than offering a long-term payment scheme as preferred in the tender. Sweden has expressed its disappointment over the decision and said its offer was well below the estimated budget, provided for deferred payment and was ready to deliver on time. The question of which warplanes to buy has been vexing successive governments in Bulgaria for more than a decade. Borissov's government re-launched the tender in July, after a parliament commission ruled that a previous process which favored the Gripen jets, should be reviewed. ($1 = 1.7057 leva) Editing by Kevin Liffey and Susan Fenton https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bulgaria-defence-jets/bulgaria-decides-to-start-talks-with-u-s-on-f-16-jet-deal-idUSKCN1P30W9

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  27 août 2019 | International, Terrestre

  Rowan University Project Will Develop Composite Materials Used to Protect Soldiers

  By Kimberly Hoodin Rowan University will lead a $14.5 million Department of Defense/Army Research Lab project to create new composite materials – and ways to process those materials – that will help modernize the Army and improve the safety of soldiers in the field. The project, titled “Advancing Structural Materials for Army Modernization Priorities via Direct-Write Approaches,” will be led by researchers from Rowan University teamed with PPG, Drexel University, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to create new advanced composite and plastic materials and ways to process them. The project is driven by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. The team will work on developing innovative materials by using “cold-spray” advanced manufacturing technologies. The work will focus on polymers, starting with polystyrene, then move on to more advanced composite materials and systems, as designated by the Army. “The high particle velocity of cold spray enables rapid cure and adhesion of polymers. This should result in the fast and efficient production of high-performance composite parts or repair of parts,” said John La Scala, associate chief the ARL's Materials and Manufacturing Sciences Division and cooperative agreement manager for the research program. “Additionally, this novel manufacturing methodology is a layer-by-layer production of composites, which should reduce void and flaw content. This should improve strength and durability significantly, thereby opening the potential of using this manufacturing technique to prepare composites for extreme conditions, while replacing the current expensive manufacturing methods with a much more economical methodology.” Researchers hope to develop materials to be used for making military equipment stronger and lighter, soldiers more agile and vehicles more durable. Longer-term, the team sees the potential for use of the materials in the fields of civil aviation, automotive, health care and space exploration. “We will work to make materials more quickly, to make them better and easier to repair offsite and, importantly, onsite in the field,” Dr. Joe Stanzione, associate professor of chemical engineering at Rowan University said. “That includes everything from parts for tanks and jeeps, to usable tools, and helmets.” http://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/2019/08/rowan-university-project-will-develop-composite-materials-used-to-protect-soldiers/

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  10 juin 2022 | International, Terrestre

  Congress moves to establish electric vehicle pilot program for Defense Department

  The House advanced legislation on Thursday that would require the Defense Department to set up a pilot program that would transition entire nontactical vehicle fleets at certain installations to electric vehicles.