Feds should stand up for Canadian aerospace and defence industries with CMMA procurement

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  9 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  NAVAIR Orders Five VH-92 Presidential Helicopters from Sikorsky

  Posted on February 8, 2021 by Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor ARLINGTON, Va. — Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Sikorsky a third production contract to build five VH-92A helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. — a Lockheed Martin company — a $478.6 million firm-fixe-price contract modification to build five Low-Rate Initial Production Lot III VH-92As, according to a Feb. 5 Defense Department announcement. The award also includes orders for “interim contractor support, two cabin interior reconfiguration kits, support equipment, initial spares and system parts replenishment,” the release said. Work on the contract is expected to be completed by December 2023. The VH-92A was selected in 2014 to provide transport for the president of the United States, the vice president and other high-level government officials. The helicopter will replace the 19 VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N “White Hawk” helicopters operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One. The Corps plans to acquire a total of 23 VH-92As, 21 for operations and two for testing. The May 2014 engineering and manufacturing development contract procured two test aircraft and four production aircraft. Six VH-92As were ordered in June 2019, followed by six more in February 2020. The presidential helicopter fleet is operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One, based at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia, with a detachment at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington. “Government testing to validate system performance and prepare for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation is progressing on schedule and will support an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) planned for July 2021,” a Navy spokeswoman said. “The VH-92A will enter service post IOC at the determination of the White House Military Office.” https://seapowermagazine.org/navair-orders-five-vh-92-presidential-helicopters-from-sikorsky/

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  25 octobre 2019 | International, Terrestre

  Lockheed Martin Awarded Air Force ICBM Contract

  Valley Forge, Pa., Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $108 million contract for the Mark21A Reentry Vehicle (Mk21A) Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) contract. The potential value of the contract is estimated at $138 million: $108 million awarded in the three-year contract and $30 million as a potential one-year contract. "It is essential that Lockheed Martin continue our long-standing ICBM partnership with the Air Force to provide them with advanced solutions. We will continue to demonstrate, through this TMRR, cutting-edge engineering to defeat rogue nation threats," said John Snyder, vice president of Advanced Strategic Programs for Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin will work closely with the Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration to provide a technically low risk and affordable solution to modify existing Mk21 reentry vehicles with the capability to deliver the W87-1 Warhead for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Weapon System. The Mk21A TMRR contract is a key element of Lockheed Martin's strategy to remain the Air Force's trusted partner for ICBM Reentry Systems and modernization of the deterrent triad. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/icbm About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. SOURCE Lockheed Martin View source version on Lockheed Martin: https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-10-23-Lockheed-Martin-Awarded-Air-Force-ICBM-Contract

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  15 octobre 2019 | International, Terrestre

  How Army IT modernization is reshaping this cadre of soldiers

  By: Mark Pomerleau The Army's efforts to modernize its tactical networks and information technology are expected to reshape its signal corps, according to service officials. One of the Army's efforts includes creating what is known as “expeditionary signal battalion-enhanced," or ESB-E. Expeditionary signal battalions support units that don't have organic communications capabilities. These groups could include military intelligence battalions, chemical battalions, engineering battalions or air defense artillery branches. However, the Army realized it took too long to get equipment to theater, and the units said the gear performed too slowly on the battlefield, Sgt. Maj. Wendle Marshall, the head of 50th ESB-E, told C4ISRNET during a September trip to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In response, the service adopted a more expeditionary approach, hence the “enhanced.” The Army as a whole is working to be more expeditionary and mobile to stay ahead of potential future threats, which will require units to move rapidly. Mobility extends to the overall tactical network modernization effort, for which the ESB-E is part of the first iteration of development to the force in 2021. The 50th ESB-E is the experimental unit, and three of its companies each received different equipment to test. When the Army receives feedback from those units and makes a decision on fielding, it will retrofit the entire battalion with the same gear. In 2021, the Army plans to outfit three ESB-Es out of 24 total ESBs. The biggest difference between the enhanced version of these battalions? Advancements in technology allow them to be more mobile and use less equipment while proving more capable. Soldiers described to C4ISRNET the difference in equipment between two sister battalions in the same signal brigade — one being an enhanced battalion. Based on the current configuration of a company in a typical battalion, six vehicles are needed to establish communications for a battalion or brigade — three vehicles and three trailers totaling six drivers — and three to seven C-17 planes to transport the vehicles. The enhanced versions can deploy that same company in a single C-17 requiring just a four-seat Humvee and one trailer to house equipment and personal gear. “If we had to get somewhere fast, we would not be able to provide the combat power as effective or fast as the ESB-E would,” Lt. Col. Trey Matchin, commander of 67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, a sister battalion of the 50th located at Fort Gordon, Georgia, told C4ISRNET. Marshall said the enhanced battalions also aren't constrained to just satellite communications. “This kit's allowing us to change force structure to meet the needs of the Army,” Col. Matthew Foulk, commander of 35th Signal Brigade, which includes the 50th and 67th, told C4ISRNET in August. Moreover, with less equipment, soldiers' loads are lighter, they are more multifunctional and they rely less on contractor support. “ESB-Es being fielded is going to come to an apex at the perfect time. Which is creating a more multifunctional soldier instead of ‘I only do SATCOM [satellite communications] or I only do baseband, I only do radios.' We're getting away from that,” Foulk said. Marshall demonstrated how the motor pool for the 50th is smaller and simplified compared to sister battalions. One prominent example is an operations cell in which soldiers work on their kits as opposed to contractors. This allows war fighters to become proficient on systems ahead of exercises. https://www.c4isrnet.com/show-reporter/ausa/2019/10/15/how-army-it-modernization-is-reshaping-this-cadre-of-soldiers