EU defense ambitions trickle down to industry, but is it good for business?

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  3 août 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Bell Textron Unveils High Speed VTOL Military Aircraft Design Concepts

  Bell Textron Unveils High Speed VTOL Military Aircraft Design Concepts

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  27 juillet 2018 | International, C4ISR

  The Pentagon just got one step closer to awarding its $10 billion cloud contract

  Amanda Macias The Pentagon released its final request for proposal for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, contract. The lucrative winner-take-all deal may be valued at as much as $10 billion. Amazon is considered the front-runner for the contract since the tech giant already services the cloud system used by U.S. intelligence agencies. The Defense Department took a large step forward Thursday in its march toward procuring a secure cloud software, an acquisition potentially worth up to $10 billion. After a nearly two-month delay, the Pentagon released its final request for proposal for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, contract. The long-awaited final request for proposal simply outlines what companies will have to deliver in order to get the lucrative deal. The Pentagon's cloud project will transition massive amounts of data to a commercially operated secure cloud system. The deal is a "single-source" award, meaning that only one company will win the entirety of the contract. Amazon is considered the front-runner for the contract since the tech giant already services the cloud system used by U.S. intelligence agencies. Amazon's cloud boasts the highest possible security level, while many of its competitors' clouds do not. However, other cloud providers — such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle — have worked with government agencies for many decades. That could help their chances of winning the decade-long JEDI contract. The DoD "has an incredibly unique and complex technology estate and finite set of talent and resources," Pentagon Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy said in a statement. "We need help learning how to put in place an enterprise cloud and the JEDI Cloud is a pathfinder effort that will help Department of Defense do that." Experts think the deal could be a seismic development in the defense-tech world. "This award could be market-shaping," Andrew Hunter, director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview. "I think industry's concern is that this will be the premier cloud contract, the flagship one, and that other parts of DoD will gravitate to it," he added. "So, I think whoever wins the contract is likely to have a real advantage in the marketplace going forward but not necessarily a decisive one." The desire to award a multibillion-dollar, two-year cloud contract was largely set into motion after Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Silicon Valley last year. Federal defense agencies widely use Microsoft's server software, which integrates easily with the company's Azure public cloud, and among employees, Windows is the most popular operating system, Leigh Madden, Microsoft's general manager of defense, told CNBC in a prior interview. "I think it certainly should make a difference," he said. Similarly, IBM has worked alongside the military for decades. "We look forward to submitting a thoughtful, comprehensive proposal for a JEDI cloud that will serve the long-term needs of America's men and women in uniform," Sam Gordy, IBM's Federal general manager, said in a statement. In the midst of all this, President Donald Trump has attacked Amazon on Twitter, particularly as he rails against The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, for the newspaper's coverage of his administration. A Vanity Fair report said the Trump administration might try to "cancel Amazon's pending contract" with the Pentagon, but the department maintains that there has been no political pressure from the White House on who should win the multibillion-dollar deal. U.S. Navy Commander Patrick Evans, a Department of Defense spokesperson, reiterated that the Pentagon's process is "transparent" and will remain "a full and open competition." "No companies were pre-selected. We have no favorites, and we want the best solution for the department," Evans said. Similarly, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White also addressed speculation Thursday that Amazon was in the lead to take the lucrative defense contract. "The secretary has been very clear that we need to be good stewards of the American people's money," White said. "So, nothing is taken for granted and nothing is presumed. We will get a full, open and transparent competition, and this is the first of many competitions with respect to the cloud." The Pentagon is scheduled to award the contract in September. — CNBC's Jordan Novet contributed to this report. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/26/pentagon-takes-step-closer-to-awarding-10-billion-cloud-contract.html

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  28 janvier 2021 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR

  Elbit Systems UK to supply British Armed Forces target acquisition solution

  Seth J. Frantzman Elbit Systems' UK subsidiary secured a $137 million five-year deal for future target acquisition solutions for the British Armed Forces. It is part of the Dismounted Joint Fires Integration (D-JFI) program, which will provide close air support and other capabilities to infantry and other ground forces. The acquisition solutions are included in the joint terminal attack controllers and fire support teams portions of system, intended to be in operation by 2027. “We understand the need for full operational sovereignty and freedom of action for the UK. This is why we have invested in new facilities in Kent and Bristol in the last 18 months and will continue to invest in our people as we move forward with the delivery of these vital programs,” said Martin Fausset, the CEO of Elbit Systems UK. The contract is part of series of deals for Elbit in the UK, which has shown interest in Israeli technology. Last year Elbit brought its RHINO mobile command to the Army Warfighting Experiment on Salisbury Plain in the UK to showcase how armies can use more digital technology on the modern battlefield. The company also pitched its Hermes 900 UAV last year for maritime patrols in the UK and announced Jan. 11 that it had received a $166 million contract for modernization of a shore-based naval training facility. “Our successes are not just with the Armed Forces but for the UK as a whole. Last year, using the Hermes 900, we successfully delivered a series of search and rescue demonstrations for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the National Police Air Service, helping them assess their future fleet requirements and operational concepts,” said Fausset, who also pointed to the naval training and simulation contract. The company has seen a strong start to 2021, he said. “We will continue to build on our position in the UK market over the coming months and remain committed to providing high-technology products to the UK Armed Forces through our local supply chain.” The D-JFI solution “is a networked, passive and active target acquisition solution that acquires, generates and communicates target information to effector systems for effective engagement of joint precision and nonprecision fires,” according to the company. Powered with artificial intelligence, it integrates Torch-X and HattoriX systems that are used for precision targeting. Elbit rolled out HattoriX in 2018 and has demonstrated it for eight countries in Western Europe. It consists of a lightweight system with electro-optics that can be packed and deployed in the field. “The D-JFI solution will enable fast and secured transmission of target information across the British and allied armed forces, allowing swift and accurate utilization of artillery and close air support,” the company said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2021/01/27/elbit-systems-uk-to-supply-british-armed-forces-target-acquisition-solution