Contract award for US Air Force’s Huey replacement helicopter at risk of delay until FY20

Sur le même sujet

• 

  25 octobre 2019 | International, Naval

  Naval Group launches the construction of the first digital frigate for the French Navy

  October 24, 2019 - The steel-cutting ceremony of the first defence and intervention frigate (FDI) took place on the Naval Group site of Lorient. The ceremony was led in the presence of the Minister for Armed Forces, Florence Parly, the Head of the French Armament Directorate (DGA) Délégué général pour l'Armement, Joël Barre, the Chief of Staff of the French Navy Christophe Prazuck, the Chief of the Hellenic Navy Nikolaos Tsounis, many French officials and foreign delegations as well as Naval Group CEO, Hervé Guillou. The First of class will be delivered in 2023 and is part of a series of five vessels. Sylvain Perrier, Naval Group Director of the FDI program declared during this event: “Today, after the successful completion of the initial studies and development phases, we are proud, to reach this first industrial milestone. This ceremony is the first for this major program for which, the DGA will be in charge of prime contract management to the benefit of the French Navy. Thanks to this program, Naval Group will also keep on developing its international exposure. This program will increase to fifteen the number of first-rank frigates of the French Navy, as planned in the French military spending plan (LPM). We were able to uphold our commitment thanks to the collaborative work model we adopted with our client and to the mobilisation of state and industrial actors.” A digital multi-mission 4,500 tons-class frigate The FDI is a high sea vessel with a 4,500 tons class displacement. Multipurpose and resilient, she is capable of operating, alone or within a naval force, through all of types of warfare: antisurface, anti air, anti-submarine and allows for special forces projection. Strongly armed (Exocet MM40 B3C anti-surface missiles, Aster 15/30 anti-air missiles, MU90 antisubmarine torpedoes, artillery), the FDI is able to embark simultaneously a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) . She can also receive a Special Forces detachment with their two commando boats. The FDI will be the first French frigate natively protected against cyber threats, with a Data Centre accommodating a great part of the ship applications. The FDI introduces the concept of a dedicated system for asymmetric threats warfare, distinct from the operation room. Located behind the bridge, it will lead asymmetrical warfare against air and surface threats such as mini-UAVs or tricked boats. The FDIwhich gathers the best of French technology in a compact platform. She is a powerful and innovative frigate, designed for facing evolving threats. The design and production of the FDI build onthe experience of the FREMM program: Naval Group benefits from the operational feedback given by the French Navy. Key figures: – Displacement: 4,500 tons class – Length: 122 meters – Beam: 18 meters – Max. speed: 27 knots – Autonomy: 45 days – Accomodation: 125 + 28 passengers A large-scale industrial collaboration that particularly mobilises the Naval Group site of Lorient Five defence and intervention frigates (FDI) have been ordered in April 2017 by the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) to the benefit of the French Navy. The build of the first of class represents around one million hours of work for the teams of the Naval Group' site of Lorient. Furthermore, it contributes to the economic development of its suppliers and subcontractors, to local employment around Lorient but also to the other Naval Group sites that brought their specific know-how to the program. The conception and development studies also represent around one million hours of work for the entire series. Industrial key figures: – A 100% digital conception – zero paper plans – 1 million hours of production work for each unit of the series on the Naval Group' site of Lorient – 1 million hours of conception and development for the program – 400 subcontractors – 20 km of tubes and 300 km of cables for each FDI Many export opportunities The future frigate targets the intermediary tonnage ships segment for which there is an international demand. Thanks to its modularity, the ship can be configured to fulfil diverse missions depending on the expressed needs. Thus, with on the one hand the Gowind 2,500- tonnes corvette, on the other hand the 6,000-tonnes FREMM and now the FDI, Naval Group proposes a complete offer for strongly armed military ships. A Letter of Intention was signed on the 10th of October 2019 by the Greek Minister of Defence, Nicolaos Panagiotopoulos and the French Minister for Armed Forces, Florence Parly. This announcement is in line with the strategic cooperation between the two countries and will allow a close dialogue in order to bring the best answer to the needs of the Hellenic Navy Contact presse : Emmanuel GAUDEZ Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 59 55 69 Mob. : +33 (0)6 61 97 36 63 emmanuel.gaudez@naval-group.com Bérengère GOURAUD Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 59 56 44 Mob. : +33 (0)7 76 86 53 79 berengere.gouraud@naval-group.com Klara NADARADJANE Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 59 51 16 Mob. : +33 (0)6 45 03 11 92 priya-klara.nadaradjane@naval-group.com View source version on Naval Group: https://www.naval-group.com/en/news/naval-group-launches-the-construction-of-the-first-digital-frigate-for-the-french-navy/

• 

  28 septembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

  Italy eyes path into US Army’s next-gen helo program, thanks to EU pandemic-relief fund

  Tom Kington ROME – Italy is considering using funds handed over by the European Union for its Covid-damaged economy as a way to fund defense technology programs including the U.S. Future Vertical Lift helicopter initiative. The so-called FVL program to build next-generation helicopters is currently being pursued by the United States only, but is listed as a possible target for Italian investment in a document drawn up by Italy's industry ministry and seen by Defense News. The cash would come from the the European Union's 750 billion euro Recovery Fund, conceived this year to help European member states relaunch their economies after the devastation caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. Rome is due to receive the largest share, totalling just over 200 billion euros in grants and loans. Italy's government ministries have come up with hundreds of ideas for investing the money, with a focus on job creation, green technologies, digital programs that include extending broadband internet access, and building new rail lines and hospitals. Defense also features on the preliminary list. The defense funding, the document states, would “allow a technological leap in research, innovation and the construction of very high performance dual use platforms with a reduced environmental impact, total cyber security and digital innovation.” Examples given are “sixth generation aircraft”, a likely reference to Italy's commitment to the UK Tempest program, “advanced submarine technology”, unmanned technology, artificial intelligence and ships. Guido Crosetto, the head of Italian aerospace and defense industry group AIAD, said new developments in marine propulsion could be a focus for naval funding. The surprising item on the list is “FVL new generation helicopters.” Led by the US Army, the Future Vertical Lift program is split into different projects including a Future Attack Reconnaissance aircraft (FARA), with Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky and Bell chosen to build prototypes. Bell and a Sikorsky-Boeing team have each built and flown technology demonstrator aircraft that will inform the Army's other next-generation aircraft pursuit — the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). Bell has spent almost three years flying its V-280 Valor tilt rotor while Sikorsky trailed behind with its SB-1 Defiant coaxial aircraft due to manufacturing issues. The US Army said this month that eight militaries around the world had already expressed interest in FVL programs. Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, director of the Army's Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, said bilateral deals were being worked on, but did not name the countries. Vincenzo Amendola, Italy's minister for European Affairs, told Defense News that any suggestions about what Italy's EU cash would be used for were a long way off being confirmed. “Italy's plan for spending does not need to be presented to the EU until between January and April 2021,” he said. Crosetto said he was keen to see defense programs make the final shortlist, starting with cash to get involved with FVL. “It's fundamental,” he said. “We are talking about a faster helicopter and we have a world leader in the helicopter business,” he said, referring to Italian defense champion Leonardo. “We cannot ignore it,” he added. “In general, aeronautics needs state aid in normal times, and it is certainly a sector which has been impacted by Covid-19,” he said. Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky, is already holding discussions with Leonardo about teaming on development of Sikorsky's FVL technology, a source with knowledge of the talks told Defense News. “The discussions involve working on a medium-sized civilian version of the coaxial helicopter, with possible government versions also. Lockheed Martin is interested in a European partner to handle European sales and share risk costs,” said the source, who declined to be named. He added, however, that a stumbling block for Leonardo was its need to continue spending money developing its own civilian tilt rotor, the AW609. “It is not clear if Leonardo will have the cash or the engineering capacity to work on the FVL project and the AW609,” he said. A second program which is soaking up helicopter development cash at Leonardo is the AW249, a replacement for the AW129 Mangusta attack helicopter. Jen Judson in Washington contributed to this report https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/25/italy-eyes-path-into-us-armys-next-gen-helo-program-thanks-to-eu-pandemic-relief-fund/

• 

  27 avril 2023 | International, Aérospatial

  GA-ASI Announces FY23 Congressional Funding of Gray Eagle 25M for Army National Guard Units

  GE-25M is equipped with the new Eagle-Eye?multi-mode radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors, and can host a wide range of additional kinetic and non-kinetic payloads.