DARPA head resigns, moving on to industry

Sur le même sujet

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  29 octobre 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  L3Harris awarded $121 million to upgrade Space Force weapons

  L3Harris will upgrade 16 Counter Communications Systems for the U.S. Space Force.

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  10 octobre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  Embraer Predicts E175-E2 First Flight By Year-End

  Helen Massy-Beresford Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer expects the E175-E2 to make its first flight later this year, with an entry into service for the latest member of its new-generation E-Jets family expected at the end of 2021. Meanwhile, the E195-E2, Embraer's largest commercial aircraft, which offers up to 146 seats and boasts lower operating costs per seat, better fuel consumption and lower emissions, is partway through a global demonstration tour. The tour has just left Europe and is now in North America before heading to Africa next month. “The first prototype of the E175-E2 is being built, and the engine is being hung. We're looking forward to going into service at the end of 2021 and to the first flight at the end of this year,” Martyn Holmes, Embraer Commercial Aviation's VP for Europe, Russia, Central Asia and Leasing, told a press conference at the European Regions Airline Association general assembly Oct. 9. “I think there are great opportunities for the E175-E2 in western continental Europe, I think it will be a great hub feeder. We're stepping up our activity with airlines–watch this space.” As for the E195-E2, following certification by Brazilian, European and U.S. authorities in April, Embraer delivered its first aircraft Sept. 12 to Brazilian low-cost operator Azul, the type's global launch operator, and to lessor AerCap. The E195-E2 is due to enter service with Binter Canarias and Helvetic Airways in the next few weeks. Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO John Slattery also said the manufacturer is considering the turboprop market. “There's absolutely a place in the world for turboprops but the current technology for turboprops is over three decades old,” he said. “I do believe there is an opportunity to significantly improve the operations and the emissions against what's available in the market today in turboprops. “This is something we have been looking at now in earnest for quite some time. We're continuing to spend meaningful dollars in continuing our review. We're always running the ruler over what's next. We're also running the ruler over what should come after the turboprop: What should we be doing on electric hybrid or autonomous travel, for example. There's a role for turboprops, and I'd like to own a piece of that, but we haven't quite closed the business case yet.” Embraer has spoken to operators and lessors in the turboprop segment around the world who “uniformly” see a market for a new-technology turboprop that would yield reduced operating costs and emissions, Slattery added. https://aviationweek.com/crossover-narrowbody-jets/embraer-predicts-e175-e2-first-flight-year-end

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  14 février 2019 | International, Naval

  Navy Awards Boeing $43 Million to Build Four Orca XLUUVs

  By: Ben Werner The Navy awarded Boeing a $43-million contract to build four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) that will become multi-mission for the service, according to a Wednesday Pentagon contract announcement. Boeing based its winning Orca XLUUV design on its Echo Voyager unmanned diesel-electric submersible. The 51-foot-long submersible is launched from a pier and can operate autonomously while sailing up to 6,500 nautical miles without being connected to a manned mother ship, according to the Navy. Eventually, the Navy could also use the Orca XLUUV for mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare and strike missions, according to a Navy outline of the system's capability development. The company acknowledged a USNI News request for a statement on the award but did not issue one as of this posting. The Navy also considered the Lockheed Martin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle system. In October 2017, both companies received design phase awards – $43.2 million to Lockheed Martin, $42.3 million to Boeing. Meanwhile, the Navy is also exploring the possible use of Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUVs) as another rapid acquisition program. The LDUUV would be a vehicle launched from either a Virginia-class fast attack submarine or from a surface ship. LDUUVs could perform similar missions as the XLUUV, however, the LDUUV would need to remain relatively close to the mother ship instead of operating autonomously like the XLUUV. The following is the Navy contract announcement: The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $43,000,000 fixed-priced-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for the fabrication, test, and delivery of four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) and associated support elements. The Orca XLUUV will be an open architecture, reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. The Orca XLUUV will be modular in construction with the core vehicle providing guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, and mission sensors. The Orca XLUUV will have well-defined interfaces for the potential of implementing cost-effective upgrades in future increments to leverage advances in technology and respond to threat changes. The Orca XLUUV will have a modular payload bay, with defined interfaces to support current and future payloads for employment from the vehicle. The competition for XLUUV requirements is still in source-selection, and therefore the specific contract award amount is considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101 and 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, California (29 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (27 percent); Waukesha, Wisconsin (8 percent); East Aurora, New York (7 percent); Concord, Massachusetts (7 percent); Camden, New Jersey (5 percent); Smithfield, Pennsylvania (4 percent); Attleboro, Massachusetts (3 percent); City of Industry, California (3 percent); El Cajon, California (3 percent); Fairfield, New Jersey (2 percent); Ontario, California (1 percent); and Farmingdale, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $43,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. https://news.usni.org/2019/02/13/41119