Biden speaking five languages shows potential, risks of deepfake tech

Sur le même sujet

• 

  20 janvier 2022 | International, Terrestre

  Industrie de l'armement : la taxonomie, un enjeu pour l’investissement

  La Tribune rappelle les enjeux liés à la taxonomie en matière de financement des industries de défense. Le quotidien évoque une note de la Banque de France sur la finance durable, datée d'octobre dernier, qui estimait que « les stratégies d'investissements responsables peuvent revêtir plusieurs formes », dont « des stratégies d'exclusion », et que « certaines entreprises sont exclues en raison de la nature de leur activité (par exemple : tabac, alcool, armement, jeux d'argent) ». Une telle classification avait suscité la réaction de la ministre des Armées, Florence Parly : « J'ai constaté, non sans une grande surprise, qu'un projet qui sera soumis à l'Union européenne place les industries de défense sur le même plan que les entreprises des secteurs pornographique ou des jeux d'argent », avait-elle indiqué, soulignant :« nous ne pouvons pas laisser faire cela sans réagir. La taxonomie influe sur le traitement réservé à un secteur d'activité selon sa classification ». La Tribune rappelle que Guillaume Faury, président du GIFAS et CEO d'Airbus, a estimé, lors de ses vœux à la presse début janvier, que le financement des activités de défense est « un vrai sujet de préoccupation » : « Il existe un certain nombre de réticences, parfois des grandes, des organismes financiers, pour des raisons qui sont plus ou moins systémiques ». Dans ce contexte, « on attend très clairement un message positif », a-t-il expliqué. Soulignant le rôle positif et sociétal de la défense, le dirigeant a déclaré souhaiter, de la part des pouvoirs publics, « une influence sur les critères de sélection des bons investissements. Un investissement qui va dans la défense permet d'assurer la sécurité, la prospérité, l'équilibre et la stabilité » d'un pays en général, et de la France en particulier. Plus particulièrement, Guillaume Faury attend « un message positif et une direction claire des autorités en général sur tout ce qui est ESG (Environnement, Social, Gouvernance) et taxonomie », a-t-il insisté. Le président du comité défense du Conseil des Industries de Défense Françaises (CIDEF), Eric Béranger, par ailleurs PDG de MBDA, avait averti également, en juin 2021, lors du Paris Air Forum organisé par La Tribune : « ce qui va sortir du projet de taxonomie de la Commission européenne va être extrêmement important : si les activités de défense sont qualifiées de non durables et, donc, d'une certaine façon non propice à des investissements financiers, ce sera une prescription très importante à destination de tous les investisseurs ». La Tribune du 17 janvier

• 

  29 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Kratos Awarded $400 Million Five-Year IDIQ Contract for U.S. Air Force Skyborg Development

  San Diego, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), a leading National Security Solutions provider, announced today that Kratos Unmanned Systems Division has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at up to $400 million for the development, integration, and prototype air vehicle delivery in support of the U.S. Air Force's Skyborg program. Work under the program award will be performed at secure Kratos manufacturing and production facilities located in Oklahoma and California over the next 60 months. Steve Fendley, President of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, “Skyborg is a critical U.S. Air Force Vanguard program that will ensure the United States maintains our technological dominance in a period of significant nation-state competition and our readiness for the future of aircraft-based warfare. Kratos has been and remains committed to advancing affordable unmanned technologies, and we are proud to be a Skyborg prime contractor, helping enable the DoD to significantly increase mass and effect at dramatically reduced cost compared to traditional aircraft programs.” Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos Defense, said, “Kratos operates at the nexus of advanced jet drones, space and satellite communications, microwave electronics, next generation jet engines, missile defense, and hypersonic vehicles. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we are executing on our plan to be a disruptive leader providing affordable systems to our DoD and National Security partners and customer base which we work extremely closely with. We believe that this plan is completely complimentary to the Skyborg mission, and we look forward to supporting the Skyborg program for the USAF.” About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies and commercial enterprises. Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for these industries are rapidly brought to market through proven commercial and venture capital backed approaches, including proactive research and streamlined development processes. Kratos specializes in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems, training, combat systems and next generation turbo jet and turbo fan engine development. For more information go to www.KratosDefense.com Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 29, 2019, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos. Press Contact: Yolanda White 858-812-7302 Direct Investor Information: 877-934-4687 investor@kratosdefense.com View source version on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.: https://ir.kratosdefense.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kratos-awarded-400-million-five-year-idiq-contract-us-air-force

• 

  10 septembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  GBSD, B-21 Spending Could Top $10B In 2027: Cowen Group

  B-21 production costs, the Cowen analysis finds, will ramp up fast, from $202 million in 2022 to $4 billion in 2027. By THERESA HITCHENSon September 09, 2020 at 6:05 PM WASHINGTON: The Air Force's combined spending on the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) and the B-21 bomber is likely to triple by 2027 to some $10.2 billion annually, as production begins to ramp up under both programs, the Cowen Washington Research Group estimates. The $13.3 billion GBSD contract, announced yesterday by the Air Force, covers engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) of the new ICBMs through 2029. The Cowen analysis, out today, notes that while the contract announcement does not explain whether LRIP is included, it can be assumed. This is because Air Force budget justification documents detail plans for “five option years” under the contract to include “early production and deployment,” author Roman Schweizer explains. GBSD, which will replace the aging LGM-30G Minuteman III missiles that first became operational in 1970, represents one third of DoD's top priority nuclear modernization effort. The third leg of the modernization program is the Navy's planned buy of 12 new Columbia-class nuke-launching submarines, which the Pentagon's 2021 budget documents estimate to cost $110 billion to buy. The Congressional Budget Office in 2019 estimated the price tag for the total DoD triad modernization effort at $234 billion through 2028. This ginormous price tag does not include spending by the Energy Department to build the nuclear warheads that would be carried by DoD's ICBMs, bombers and subs. Northrop Grumman was the sole bidder for the GBSD program following Boeing's decision last year to drop out over concerns about Northrop's acquisition of one of the two makers of solid rocket motors in the country, Orbital ATK. Cowen estimates that research and development spending for GBSD will jump from $1.5 billion in 2021, peaking at $3.07 billion in 2024, and decreasing to $1.9 billion in 2027. Production, the analysis says, will begin in 2027 with a budget of $2 billion. The Air Force's press release yesterday says that it expects to begin deploying GBSD in late 2020. For the B-21, the analysis estimates that R&D spending will steadily decline from the $2.8 billion in the Air Force's 2021 request to $1.2 billion in 2027. But production costs, the analysis finds, will ramp up: from $202 million in 2022 to $4 billion in 2027. The analysis is largely based on Air Force budget estimates through 2025, and Schweizer's own projections. Of course, this means the numbers are squishy. That's especially true for the B-21, whose program is highly classified. Indeed, the number of B-21 bombers the Air Force intends to buy, originally set at 100, remains unclear. As Breaking D readers know, senior service officials have been hinting loudly that they need more. In addition, unit costs for the stealth bomber's production are also classified. Way back in 2015, when the Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman the B-21 contract, it put a cap on the Average Production Unit Cost per aircraft of $550 million in 2010 dollars. “The APUC from the independent estimate supporting today's award is $511 million per aircraft, again in 2010 dollars,” the release added. No updated assessments have been released. Several high officials have said the program is on budget and on schedule, without providing any details. Finally, the production schedule and the count of how many are to be built each year, is classified, along with the planned annual procurement costs. That said, our colleagues at Bloomberg reported in February that internal Air Force budget documents show procurement starting in 2022 budgeted at $193 million. That jumps to $4.3 billion in 2025. Schweizer said in an email that his estimates are based on those numbers, and that the projections for 2026 and 2027 are his own. Cowen's analysis notes that Congress is by and large supportive of both efforts. While some have fretted that presidential candidate Joe Biden might reconsider building the GBSD, the document says that is not likely. After all, the Obama administration, during which Biden served as Veep, actually started the program. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/gbsd-b-21-spending-could-top-10b-in-2027-cowen-group