19 juillet 2022 | International, Aérospatial
The U.S. Department of Defense is nearing an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp for around 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years, three sources said on Monday, amid expectations of a price increase for the most common version of the jet due to lower quantities and inflation.
2 octobre 2023 | International, Aérospatial
The new simulation environment allows for the SH-90 and MH-90 crews to be trained with the highest level of fidelity and accuracy to carry out missions in any kind of operational...
8 novembre 2018 | International, Terrestre
By: Kyle Rempfer The Army has finally selected a company to provide it with the next generation of ultra light-weight, general-purpose camouflage. The Army's Ultra-Light Camouflage Netting System, or ULCANS, will be an all-weather, state-of-the-art signature concealment system that provides multi-spectral protection for troops and equipment. The program aims to replace the legacy woodland and desert camouflage variants developed in the 1990s, and will be developed in light and dark woodland, snow and alpine, desert, and urban variants. The Army hopes ULCANS will better conceal the signatures of troops and equipment from high-end sensor threats on the battlefield. The contract to produce the next-generation camouflage was awarded to Fibrotex USA Inc., according to a company statement provided to Army Times. The contract is a 10-year, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity award, with a total value of $480 million. Fibrotex is expected to begin full-rate production in early 2019, according to the company. ULCANS is the result of nearly two years of testing, trials and data collection conducted by the U.S. Army's Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts. Natick tested camouflage technologies from major global manufacturers against the Army's most advanced battlefield surveillance sensors. Many of the technologies underpinning ULCANS are based on developments by Fibrotex's Israel-based parent company over the last two decades, but have been specially modified for the U.S. Department of Defense. The Fibrotex system will provide multi-spectral camouflage, which conceals objects from detection across several portions of the electromagnetic spectrum at the same time. Traditional military camouflage simply hides an object in the visible spectrum, but the multi-spectral design obscures detection in the infrared, thermal and radar spectrum as well. “Today more than ever, military forces and opposition groups are using night vision sensors and thermal devices against our troops, but by using Fibrotex's camouflage, concealment and deception solutions, we make them undetectable again, allowing them to continue keeping us safe," said Eyal Malleron, CEO of Fibrotex USA. Fibrotex will also deliver the ULCANS material in reversible designs — allowing for the first time a different pattern and capability on each side, enabling soldiers, vehicles and systems to disappear into light or dark woodland, snow or alpine and desert or urban environments in any operational theater. “We have more than 50 years of experience, with thousands of hours in the field and a deep understanding of conventional and asymmetric warfare," Malleron said. "The U.S. Army tested our best camouflage solutions, and the camouflage repeatedly demonstrated the ability to defeat all sensors known to be operating in the battlefield and throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.” ULCANS will also be manufactured stateside, in a new state-of-the-art facility in McCreary County, Kentucky, creating hundreds of new skilled American jobs over the next decade, according to Fibrotex. “I firmly believe we have the best workforce in the country, and that their hard work and dedication has earned these new jobs, helping deliver a vital new military contract from McCreary County," Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said in a press statement. "I take great pride in knowing that our people are crafting these products to keep our warfighters and allies safe, giving them an edge on the battlefield.” The new facility is being established next to Outdoor Venture Corporation, which is a strategic partner to Fibrotex USA and already designs modular personnel tents and command post tents for the Army. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/11/07/more-than-meets-the-eye-army-selects-next-gen-camouflage-system
26 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Andrew Eversden To stop the spread of the new coronavirus, federal agencies could shutter facilities. States and localities are already issuing shelter-in-place orders. And with obscure rules surrounding telework for federal contractors as well as the potential for supply chain disruptions and employee infections, there could be a new level of unpredictability for the contractor community. “There's both a little bit of stability and a fair amount of uncertainty,” said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, an interest group representing more than 400 government contractors. “Things that were normal yesterday are not normal today. Behaviors that were planned for over the last couple days have been changed as government missions are changing,” he added. In the near term, schedules laid out in contracts will likely experience delays and costs may increase due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, said Jonathan Aronie, head of law firm Sheppard Mullin's government contracts practice group. These disruptions could be caused by employees not coming into work, or their suppliers' employees not working. President Donald Trump said March 18 that he's willing to use the Defense Production Act to force companies to manufacture goods the government needs to fight the virus, like ventilators or masks. These orders become “rated,” essentially allowing the government to skip to the front of the line. That poses other challenges. “While some companies are going to have problems that are slowing them down, other companies are going to have the problems associated with an influx of new orders,” Aronie said. Aronie warned of a complex web of orders that companies could have to fulfill, pulling businesses in different directions. For example, he said, companies could get an order from a hospital, an order from a state government with a preexisting contract, and then a rated order from the federal government as well as agencies without rated authorities — potentially overwhelming and confusing manufacturers. “Somehow you're going to have to make sense of this all,” Aronie said. Effects of telework Across the government, federal employees eligible for telework have generally been allowed to do so. But contractors haven't always followed the same rules. Not allowing contractors to telework could have significant ramifications, experts warned. Many contractors are required by their contracts to work in government facilities. But to stop the spread of COVID-19, access to these facilities could be limited or completely shut off. This conundrum leaves contractors with questions for the government. “Are there going to be access issues? Are contractors going to be asked in some cases to work from home where previously they were going into a government facility? What does that mean from a performance perspective? What does that mean from a cost perspective? How do you work that out with the government?” said Roger Waldron, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. “These are some of the thing people are thinking about.” On March 20, the Office of Management and Budget's deputy director for management, Margaret Weichert, released a memo urging agencies to “maximize telework for contractor employees.” But, as reported by Federal News Network, Weichert's memo did not mandate telework for federal contractors, leaving industry frustrated. Several interest groups that represent government contractors called on congressional leaders and the White House to allow contractors to work from home. PSC wrote a letter to OMB on March 18 warning that not issuing guidance regarding extending telework flexibility to contractors could lead to layoffs. “The duration of this is a huge uncertainty, if it does get worse before it gets better, if folks are really unable to perform the kind of work that need to be done at some government locations, that'll have some impact on people,” Chvotkin told Federal Times. Over the last few days, several states such as California and New York have begun following shutdown orders that could leave contractors in tenuous positions. A Justice Department memo from March 20 also directed U.S. attorneys general to tell state and local officials that federal employees must be allowed to travel and commute, “even when travel restrictions are in place.” This action didn't mention contractors either. State governments are going to have to “recognize that exceptions are going to be essential and some federal missions are just going to be so important to continue on that they'll have to accommodate them,” Chvotkin said. How does this compare to the government shutdown? This is the second consecutive year that contractors have faced challenges due to a crisis; last year's was the record 35-day government shutdown. Some aspects of the 2019 shutdown and the coronavirus crisis are the same. For example, Aronie said, both increase delays and incur higher costs on contractors. The big difference is that some companies will receive more work, instead of less. Another significant difference is that employees, both from the federal government and contractors, are still working — many federal employees from home. This increase in telework has increased agencies' demands for IT infrastructure as they work to accommodate the rise in telework. Last week, the White House requested several billion dollars for agencies to improve their IT infrastructure. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the uncertainty is greater than during a government shutdown, experts said, because the ending was solely in the hands of the government. “Even in the shutdown ... everybody recognized that it was going to end sooner or later. It was under both the congressional and presidential control to bring an end to it — not so here,” Chvotkin said. “There's nobody who can just decree that the coronavirus has been cured.” https://www.federaltimes.com/govcon/contracting/2020/03/24/federal-contractors-face-great-uncertainty-as-coronavirus-spreads