Five Ways The Air Force's F-35A Fighter Is Becoming More Affordable To Operate

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  30 janvier 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  New bill could get Italy its own DARPA

  By: Tom Kington ROME — As consensus grows in Italy that military planners need better access to civilian technology, a new law is being proposed to give the country its own version of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The new bill, which its authors claim has backing from the military and Italy's political parties, envisages the setup of a new agency able to stimulate and coordinate the development of civil technologies for military application. “We want to make the newest technology more accessible,” said Alessandra Maiorino, the Italian senator who is steering the bill through parliament. Established in 1958 in response to the Soviet Union launching its Sputnik satellite the year before, DARPA has since teamed with universities, corporations and government partners to fund research programs to improve America's defense capabilities. Technologies it has worked on have also fed back into civilian applications, notably the internet, voice recognition and small GPS receivers. “Thanks to the DARPA system, avangard civilian technologies are considered to have strategic value. This in turn has a cascade effect on the economy and on innovation in the U.S.,” according to the Italian bill. The bill calls for the new Italian agency to be based near Pisa at an existing military research facility. An eight-person management board would include a military director, three civilian researchers and representatives from the four government ministries involved — the Department of Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Ministry for Education, University and Research. The Joint Centre for Innovation and Strategic Technologies, known by its Italian acronym CINTES, will now be discussed in the Senate's Defence Committee, where representatives from the military, academia and industry will be invited to give their opinions, said Maiorino. The bill does not cite the required funding for the agency — a figure which has yet to be decided. However, it claims that Italy must quickly set up its own version of DARPA to keep up with France and Germany, who are already ahead in launching such an agency. The bill claims France's Innovation Défense Lab is now “allowing France's DGA procurement agency to map out and evaluate civilian technologies and acquire those which are of interest to the defense sector.” Germany's planned ADIC agency is cited in the bill as an example of the government investigating “disruptive” technologies in cybernetics and other key technologies. Maiorino, the senator backing the bill in Italy, is a member of the Five Star party, which has previously taken a unfavourable approach to defense investment. Before entering government in 2018, the party called for the cancellation of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. As such, the party's support for the new bill reflects a progressively more positive view of the defense sector since it entered government. https://www.defensenews.com/smr/cultural-clash/2020/01/29/new-bill-could-get-italy-its-own-darpa/

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  19 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 14, 2020

  NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $904,800,000 modification (P00011) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-19-C-0013. This modification provides for the production and delivery of three MH-60R Seahawk maritime aircraft for the Navy and 21 MH-60Rs for the government of India. Work will be performed at Owego, New York (52%); Stratford, Connecticut (40%); and Troy, Alabama (8%), and is expected to be complete by September 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $113,100,000 and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $791,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Hunter Pacific Group,* San Diego, California, is awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract for cost engineering, value engineering and scheduling services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest Area of Responsibility (AOR). Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to: California (87%); Arizona (5%); Nevada (5%); Colorado (1%); New Mexico (1%); and Utah (1%). Work provides for cost estimates and other cost engineering services in support of analyses, reports, designs and change orders. Cost engineering services may include construction cost reduction evaluations and recommendations, bid analyses and verifications, validations of DD Form 1391 scope/cost estimate, peer review of cost estimates, review and technical analysis of contractor change order cost proposals and assistance with claims, litigations and negotiations with boards/committees. Value engineering services shall include facilitating and forming multi-discipline technical teams to conduct value engineering and/or function analysis concept development (FACD) workshops for a variety of projects. Services in support of value engineering and FACD workshops may include site investigations, preparation and/or review of engineering studies/reports, cost estimates, facility and infrastructure assessments, risk assessments, life cycle cost engineering and/or total ownership cost analyses, and schematic layouts/sketches. Scheduling shall be in support of analyses and change orders and may include preparation of schedules and construction cost loaded schedules, review/analysis of base line contractor schedules and schedule updates, review/analysis of contractor change orders, time impact analysis and assistance with claims, litigations and negotiations with boards/committees. Work is expected to be complete by April 2025. No task orders are being issued at this time. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M (Navy) and O&M (Marine Corps). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and four proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-20-D-0614). PSI Pax Inc.,* California, Maryland, is awarded a $29,286,410 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and provides administrative, business and financial services such as data entry accounting processes, interface error research and analysis, process management, deficiency identification, testing of system changes, professional and analytical support, liaison support, funds management, financial tracking, internal and external data calls, document and records management, specialized analytical support in meeting financial systems requirements, assessing financial systems relative to data integrity, corporate and user reporting requirements as well as centralized support of travel related processes to include help desk support for the entire Naval Air Systems Command. Work is expected to be complete by June 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside via an electronic request for proposal; five offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0073). Mustang Technology Group LP, doing business as L3 Mustang Technology, Plano, Texas, is awarded a $19,082,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-5313 for 658 rounds of 57mm MK 332 High Explosive-4 Bolt Guided (HE-4G) Cartridge ammunition. Work will be performed in Plano, Texas (78%), and Cincinnati, Ohio (22%), and is expected to be complete by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 and 2019 procurement of ammunition, (Navy and Marine Corp) funding in the amount of $19,082,000 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, D.C., is the contracting activity. L3 Harris Technologies Inc., Anaheim, California, is awarded a $12,732,754 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00030) to exercise options under previously awarded and announced contract N00030-18-C-0001. Work will be performed in Anaheim, California (71%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (23%); Washington, D.C. (3%); Bremerton, Washington (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%), and Kings Bay, Georgia (1%). Work will provide services and support for Flight Test Instrumentation and is expected to be complete by August 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,968,016; fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,332,143; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $200,000 are obligated on this award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,968,016 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification is awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. IDSC Holdings LLC, Snap-on Industrial, Kenosha, Wisconsin, is awarded an $11,088,933 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract procures up to 2,064 toolboxes containing 1.423 different types of commercial tools in support of initial outfitting associated with F-35 low rate initial production and maintenance. Work will be performed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is expected to be complete by September 2021. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal and four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0025). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $9,162,847 modification (P00002) to cost-plus-fixed-fee order N00019-19-F-0280 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026. This modification provides systems engineering and program management support for the development, integration, test and delivery of two radar altimeters and two integrated avionics units in support of the BQM-34S Firebee High Performance Aerial Target System, BQM-74E target drones and the Aerial Targets Program Office. Work will be performed in Endicott, New York (62%); San Diego, California (37%); and Clearwater, Florida (1%). Work is expected to be complete by January 2022. Fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,472,396 and fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,690,451 will be obligated at time of award, $4,472,396 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Independent RT Center LLC, Cibolo, Texas, is awarded $8,029,638 for firm-fixed-price delivery order M67854-20-F-5018 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract M67854-20-D-5000 with a maximum ceiling of $62,500,000, for the Rough Terrain Container Handlers Service Life Extension Program. Work will be performed in Cibolo, Texas, and is expected to be complete by January 2030. Fiscal 2019 Congressional funds in the amount of $3,066,228 and fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $4,963,410 are being obligated and will expire Sept. 30, 2021. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers were received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-20-D-5000). Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $7,400,000 not-to-exceed, fixed-price incentive, undefinitized change order modification to contract N00024-15-C-2114 for the installation of Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services AN/USQ-208B (V) 5 Local Area Network drops. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by May 2022. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,700,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Perspecta Enterprise Solutions LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded an Other Transaction Authority agreement with a ceiling of $237,243,000 to develop, integrate, deliver, operate and maintain an enterprise capability for Army training and education information. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 17, 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $14,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-20-9-1118). Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Massachusetts (W81XWH-20-A-0003); Envigo RMS LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana (W81XWH-20-A-0004); and The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine (W81XWH-20-A-0005), will compete for each order of the $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to supply small laboratory research animals and related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 8, 2025. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Quantitech Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $17,686,572 modification (000237) to contract W31P4Q-16-A-0010 for programmatic support for the Utility Helicopters Project Manager's Office. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of May 14, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Australia); other procurement (Army); and research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $17,686,572 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Mantle-Plocher JV,* Worden, Illinois, was awarded a $14,793,000 firm-fixed-price contract for placement and leasing of modular facilities to support approximately 450 personnel at Scott Air Force Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of May 13, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $14,793,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0021). Dawson Enterprises LLC,* Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded a $10,431,915 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of utility infrastructure to support the installation of a modular paint booth and personnel building. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 5, 2021. Fiscal 2019 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,431,915 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity (W912PL-20-C-0017). AIR FORCE Braxton Technologies LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $31,399,226 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00012) to contract FA8806-19-C-0003 for support and delivery network, infrastructure, hardware and architecture solutions under the Cross Mission Ground Communications Enterprise Corps (ECX). This contract award provides for cross-domain solutions, design, integration and rapid delivery team services. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by May 17, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition under the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $55,387,870. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,507,999 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. The Corporation of Mercer University, Warner Robins, Georgia, has been awarded a $9,039,309 task order (FA8523-20-F-0029) on basic contract FA8523-20-D-0001 to provide Laboratory Intelligence Validated Emulators-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) closed-loop engineering test and evaluation of newly developed electronic warfare (EW) systems. This order provides integration of gold-standard Intelligence Community threat definitions into the Electronic Warfare and Avionics Integrated Support Facility, where LVC closed loop operational test – vertical testability demonstration simulations and testing will be conducted to inform the baseline capability and to identify growth areas for improving operational survivability, reliability and mission success of fielded EW systems in support of airborne U.S. warfighting elements. Work will be performed in Warner Robins, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by May 13, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,140,106 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2187605/source/GovDelivery/

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  2 octobre 2019 | International, Sécurité

  Ces startups du renseignement poussées dans les bras étrangers

  Par Anne Drif Comme Linkurious et Earthcube, plusieurs entreprises innovantes du renseignement et de la défense sont sollicitées par des investisseurs étrangers, dont le fonds de la CIA In-Q-Tel. En France, elles n'ont pas ou peu d'alternatives de financement. "Il faut arrêter Hollywood !" l'che, amer, un entrepreneur français devant le déluge d'images sur l'innovation des armées qui anime la communication du ministère de la Défense depuis quelques semaines. Le "Flyboard Air" de Franky Zapata a failli battre pavillon américain . D'autres projets moins cathodiques sont poussés à prendre un drapeau étranger, faute de trouver les financements adéquats en France. La faille est désormais bien identifiée par les investisseurs étrangers, qui ont ciblé ouvertement ces derniers mois les startup françaises du secteur de la défense et de la sécurité. Le fonds de la CIA, In-Q-Tel, s'est intéressé de près à Linkurious, la startup qui a aidé dans l'affaire des "Panama Papers" en détectant les interconnexions entre personnes à partir de signaux faibles pour les banques, l'armée ou Bercy. Investisseurs américains ou qataris Le fonds d'investissement américain , qui vient de s'installer en Europe, a également approché Earthcube . Cette solution d'intelligence artificielle qui permet d'identifier en quelques secondes des micro pixels sur des images satellites est utilisée par la Direction du renseignement militaire. La société Elika, qui innove dans la linguistique opérationnelle pour permettre aux forces armées de communiquer dans un langage interallié a elle aussi reçu des propositions de fonds américains et qataris. Certaines - par exemple Dataiku, qui travaille pour Tracfin -, ont déjà basculé. La startup d'intelligence artificielle a bouclé un quatrième tour de table de 101 millions de dollars auprès de fonds anglo-saxons de premier ordre, comme Iconiq Capital, proche du CEO de Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Des startup trop connotées De fait, les startup de la défense et du renseignement se lancent gr'ce aux subventions et aux contrats industriels noués avec la Direction générale de l'armement ou la nouvelle Agence d'innovation de la défense, mais peinent très vite à grandir avec des solutions de financement hexagonales. "Si on veut conserver un ADN tricolore, l'écosystème de financement reste à inventer. Les investisseurs français sont hésitants à l'idée de mettre de l'argent dans notre secteur", témoigne Arnaud Guérin, le cofondateur d'Earthcube. Chez Numalis, où l'on gère une méthode de calcul capable de corriger les systèmes critiques des missiles, des fusées ou des centrales nucléaires, on cherche aussi de l'agent frais. La startup, qui mobilise des subventions de BPI et reçoit l'aide d'un fonds régional, a tenté de convaincre des fonds de capital-risque et d'amorçage. En vain. Désintérêts "Nous n'y sommes pas arrivés, explique Arnault Ioualalen, le fondateur. Si l'on ne trouve pas d'acteur français, nous nous efforcerons de nous tourner vers des Européens. Mais les fonds classiques réfléchissent à cinq ans, un horizon beaucoup trop court pour la deep-tech." Les grands fonds français expliquent leur appréhension. "Nous ne pouvons pas investir dans ce qui touche de près ou de loin au commerce d'armes, explique Jean-Marc Patouillaud, managing partner de Partech. Le nombre limité d'acteurs, de clients, la nature des cycles et des processus de vente sont des facteurs de risques, sans compter le droit de regard des pouvoirs publics sur toute transaction." Coup de fil du ministère des armées Même constat de Benoist Grossmann, le directeur général d'Idinvest. "La cybersécurité et la géosurveillance sont peu matures, et il existe plein d'autres opportunités dans d'autres secteurs. Aux Etats Unis, c'est différent, le marché de la défense est beaucoup plus profond", ajoute-t-il. Quand les fonds français osent quand même s'intéresser au secteur, "la première chose qu'ils sondent est Bercy au titre du contrôle des investissements... Dans l'heure, ils reçoivent un coup de fil de la DGA !" témoigne un entrepreneur. En réalité, ce problème n'est pas nouveau. En témoigne la création de Definvest, le fonds de 50 millions d'euros monté l'an dernier par bpifrance pour le compte du ministère des Armées. Mais ce dernier ne répond que partiellement aux besoins, car il intervient uniquement... aux côtés de fonds privés, et ne prend jamais la main. Par le passé, d'autres tentatives semi-publiques avaient déjà échoué . Pré-carré des industriels La défiance est la même du côté des banques. "Nous avons fait le choix de ne pas lever de fonds étrangers, mais nous ne trouvons pas de financement bancaire, même pour 500.000 euros. Nous tentons donc de fonctionner avec des prêts d'honneur de Total, Airbus et Michelin. C'est forcément limité", déplore Karine Joyeux, la présidente d'Elika. Pour les startup, les verrous ne sont pas que financiers. "Ce que nous font comprendre en creux les institutions de la Défense, c'est qu'elles ne veulent pas voir l'émergence de startups qui viendraient concurrencer les grands groupes installés, s'agace un entrepreneur du secteur. L'armée pousse à ce que nous intégrions nos technologies dans ces grands groupes, mais nous voulons garder notre indépendance. Et ce n'est pas ce qui va pousser à créer des technologies de rupture !" Du coup, certaines startup préfèrent l'autofinancement, comme Linkurious. "Nous avons fait le choix de ne pas lever de fonds pour garder notre indépendance", explique le président exécutif Sébastien Heymann. Vers un abandon du secteur défense pour le civil D'autres jeunes pousses renoncent et se réorientent purement et simplement vers la seule clientèle civile. C'est le "pivot" opéré par Flaminem, pourtant présenté comme le futur concurrent français de la société américaine d'analyse de données Palantir. "Nous restons attentifs au marché régalien, mais ce n'est pas un domaine qui réagit suffisamment vite à notre échelle", explique Antoine Rizk, le CEO de Flaminem. La startup s'est donc entièrement tournée vers le vaste marché de la lutte contre la fraude et le blanchiment des banques. Moins sulfureux, mais plus "bankable". https://start.lesechos.fr/startups/actu-startups/ces-startups-du-renseignement-poussees-dans-les-bras-etrangers-16216.php