Britain’s ‘next generation’ Tempest fighter jet secures huge funding boost

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  29 octobre 2020 | International, Naval

  SECNAV Touts New Frigate for Possible Sale to Allied, Partner Navies

  Richard R. Burgess ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy is bullish on the future Constellation-class guided-missile frigate (FFG) and said it may be a possible candidate for sale to the nation's allied and partner navies. In an Oct. 28 webinar discussion with retired Rear Adm. Frank Thorp IV, president and CEO of the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite sees the potential for service in many nations' navies for the FFG, liking the potential of sales to the large number of customers for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. “Why can't we create a Joint Strike Frigate?” Braithwaite mused. “Why can't we take that same platform and offer it to our allies and partners around the world? After all, it is an amalgamation of an Italian-U.S. joint effort to build that ship in a U.S. shipyard. It's already got an international footprint.” Thorp pointed out a comment Oct. 26 from National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, where the Constellation, will be built, that building two frigates would not be enough. “We're going to need two, three, four frigates built a year to get to the numbers of where we want to be,” O'Brien told employees during a visit to the shipyard, reported Paul McCleary in the Breaking Defense website. “This yard has the capability to build two or three of them itself.” “It's great to have that kind of support in the White House and I'd love to see us build [more],” Braithwaite said. “I'm a huge fan of that ship. It is an incredibly capable vessel. ... I spent a lot of time picking the name for that ship to make it fit into the culture piece of who we are and what we are as the United States Navy. Braithwaite noted that the Navy's FFG program of record calls for 20 to be built but predicted that “we'll build more than 20 of those.” He also noted that many navies operate ex-U.S. Navy Knox- and Perry-class frigates, which could be replaced by new frigates. https://seapowermagazine.org/secnav-touts-new-frigate-for-possible-sale-to-allied-partner-navies/

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  15 septembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contracts for September 14, 2021

  Today

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  3 septembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

  Virtual reality pilot training program graduates latest class, including Brits

  By: Stephen Losey Fourteen students graduated Thursday from the Air Force's Pilot Training Next program, which includes using virtual reality systems to teach aspiring aviators to fly. The latest class, which is the second iteration of Pilot Training Next and began this January, included some students from the U.S. Navy and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. In a Thursday release, the Air Force said the graduates include two Air National Guardsmen who were selected to fly airframes including the F-35 Lightning II, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the C-17 Globemaster III, the B-2 Spirit, and others. The two Navy graduates will fly the T-45A Goshawk, and the lone RAF graduate will fly the Typhoon. “It definitely made the process more difficult having to push through burgeoning technology, but I am glad that I could be a part of the development process towards a more efficient and thorough version of learning for the future,” said 2nd Lt. Aaron Sless, a distinguished graduate of the program and winner of the Warrior Award, who is slated to become an F-35 pilot. “I am excited to see how PTN progresses technology and learning in the future and how it will be applied to undergraduate pilot training, and the Air Force at large.” Air Force Recruiting Service Commander Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, who made history as the Air Force's first female fighter pilot, said at the graduation that the students represent the future of aviation and are on the “leading edge” of a new way to learn to fly. “The fact is, we are looking at a whole new way of learning in a non-standard way from the Air Force perspective,” Leavitt said. “Remember, dream big, be bold and learn to take calculated risk.” Pilot Training Next uses advanced biometrics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality systems to try to find ways to streamline how the Air Force trains new pilots. The program uses off-the-shelf VIVE Pro VR headsets and stations with sticks, throttles and other equipment to simulate virtual cockpit and practice maneuvers. The AI tracks students' biometrics, including stress, to tailor the simulation environment and train them most efficiently. The program also includes time flying actual aircraft. The Air Force's first PTN class began in April 2018 in the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Austin, Texas. In May, the program moved to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas. The third class is scheduled to begin in January, the Air Force said. The Air Force eventually wants similar VR training programs to more efficiently teach airmen to be maintainers or go through other technical training programs. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/08/30/virtual-reality-pilot-training-program-graduates-latest-class-including-brits