28 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
By COLIN CLARK
WASHINGTON: The head of Strategic Command must be very happy this evening, having learned that the Air Force is finally buying a new helicopter to guard America's ICBM fields. The Boeing-Leonardo team won the contract to supply 84 helicopters.
UPDATE BEGINS “The award of this contract is great news; today is a good day,” Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command said in a statement. “I've been vocal about the need to quickly replace the UH-1N, which is an important part of our multi-layered ICBM defense system. Awarding this contract is a huge step in the right direction in ensuring our Nation's nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, effective, and ready. I'm grateful to the Air Force and Congress for prioritizing the UH-1N replacement.” UPDATE ENDS
Here's how strongly Hyten felt: “Of all the things in my portfolio, I can't even describe how upset I get about the helicopter replacement program,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April 2017. “It's a helicopter, for gosh sakes. We ought to be able to go out and buy a helicopter and put it in the hands of the people that need it. And we should be able to do that quickly.”
The helicopters will execute a range of missions, including moving security crews in the event of threats to our nation's ICBM fields, escorting convoys moving nuclear weapons, flying senior government officials out of the capital in the event of an emergency and providing support to the US Embassy in Japan.
The Air Force, clearly happy to be putting this tortured acquisition behind them, quoted Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson claiming the deal saved taxpayers $1.7 billion over the service's original estimate of $4.1 billion, thanks to “strong competition.”
When Boeing, the prime on the program, showed the helicopter off to reporters last year executives stressed it would save the US taxpayer $1 billion. Lockheed Martin also bid for the program, offering its HH-60U.
This evening's contract award of $375 million is for the first four helicopters and includes the integration of non-developmental items. The fixed price contract pays for up to “84 MH-139 helicopters, training devices, and associated support equipment.”
The MH-139 has five rotor blades, which, with their tapered ends, significantly reduce the amount of vibration. The helicopter was also noticeably quieter than most of its conventional military competitors. We flew up to 150 knots and it felt as smooth as a large Mercedes sedan on the highway.
The helicopters, based on Leonardo's commercial AW139 helicopter, will be assembled by the Italian company at its northeast Philadelphia plant. Boeing will integrate military components at its facility south of Philly.
https://breakingdefense.com/2018/09/boeing-leonardo-team-scoops-up-2-38b-uh-1n-replacement-deal/
23 juin 2022 | International, Terrestre
The Norwegian Defence Material Agency is expected later this year to issue a request for information on new infantry fighting vehicles, and another RFI for a long-range precision fires system, namely multiple launch rocket systems.
17 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Auteurs d'une « mission flash » sur les hélicoptères et leurs carences, deux députés, Jean-Pierre Cubertafon (MODEM) et Jean-Jacques Ferrara (LR), demandent l'achat de 12 Caracal neufs plutôt que la location de H225 pour l'Armée de l'Air, un projet actuellement en cours au sein du Ministère des Armées. L'Armée de l'air bénéficie d'une commande de huit Airbus Helicopters Caracal dans le cadre du plan de relance aéronautique mais cette commande ne sera passée que d'ici la fin de l'année, rappellent les deux députés. L'achat des Caracal supplémentaires aurait un effet bénéfique pour Airbus Helicopters mais aussi Safran Helicopter Engines et plusieurs sous-traitants car la quasi-totalité des Caracal sont en effet produits en France avec des composants français. Air & Cosmos du 16 juillet 2020
18 septembre 2018 | International, C4ISR
By: Justin Lynch Spurred in part by Russia's campaign of hybrid warfare in Ukraine, the Pentagon will purchase more electronic warfare equipment, a move that could lead to consolidation in the cybersecurity industry, an analyst said in a new report. Russia's use of electronic warfare combined with conventional combat tactics during its 2015 invasion of Ukraine exposed how the Department of Defense needed to increase its spending on cybersecurity, Brad Curran, an analyst at Front & Sullivan told Fifth Domain. Greater use of offensive cyber and electronic weapons by Russia means that the U.S. is expected to boost defense of its communications systems, and possibly look to increase its own offensive weapons. A September report from Frost & Sullivan projected a 2.9 percent compound annual growth rate in cybersecurity spending from the Pentagon through 2023. Securing electronic communications “is a high priority,” Curran said. The Defense Department is “just getting started” and it will be “a continuous effort to make sure our combat networks are secure.” The focus could benefit firms like Raytheon, which have invested heavily in electronic warfare, Curran said. Curran said that government purchases of enterprise systems will likely stay the same or even shrink because many of the acquisitions are meant to boost efficiency. One example is the government's investment in the cloud. But he predicts an increase in purchases of electronic warfare and offensive cyber capabilities, which will favor larger defense firms. The result will be consolidation of the cybersecurity industry among the biggest companies. During the Black Hat conference, one cybersecurity firm described the industry as “cut-throat” and added they expected industry consolidation because of purchases from the largest contractors. In 2017, the Pentagon awarded more than $1.22 billion to cyber contractors. That money went to 69 prime contractors and 50 different companies. The Pentagon's 2019 budget request for cybersecurity totals $3.6 billion, according to the report, half of which is dedicated to operations and management. The Air Force has the largest share of cybersecurity programs, at $2.19 billion. Booz Allen Hamilton was the top recipient of public contracts from the Pentagon in 2017 with a total of $115.4 million in awards, according to the report. In August, the Pentagon awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a $91 contract to manage cybersecurity for the Ballistic Missile Defense System. But while artificial intelligence will be an area that the U.S. government focuses its investments on the future, Curran said it is not currently a major factor in acquisition. “The future is AI but right now it is more of a concept," he said. https://www.fifthdomain.com/industry/2018/09/17/pentagon-spending-could-lead-to-consolidation-of-cybersecurity-industry