France kicks off development of wingman drone for Rafale fighter jet

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  31 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Ilias Solutions signs deal with Lockheed Martin for sustainment and fleet management of the Slovak Air Force F-16 Fighter jets

  Brussels, 31 July 2020 – ILIAS Solutions is proud to announce Lockheed Martin have, once again, chosen them and their defense logistics software to support the implementation and sustainment of the new F-16 Block 70 fleet of the Slovak Republic. ILIAS Solutions will work with the Slovak Air Force to implement its defense logistics software into the Sliač Air Base IT platform. Prior to the fleet's arrival, the staff will be fully trained to manage and sustain the new fleet of F-16 Block 70 fighter jets with the ILIAS Defense Platform. Jean-Pierre Wildschut, Managing Director ILIAS Solutions says, “I'm excited to extend our cooperation with Lockheed Martin and start working with the Slovak Air Force; providing the capability to manage their F-16 fleet at Sliač Air Base. The ILIAS Defense Platform will minimize the logistics footprint of their F-16 fleet while assuring mission readiness at all times.” The ILIAS Solutions-Lockheed Martin collaboration already lead to significantly improved sustainment performance of multiple F-16 fleets and other weapon systems. By bringing together decades of expertise, ILIAS Solutions and Lockheed Martin merge military sustainment know-how via the ILIAS commercially available off-the-shelf software into a long-term capability for the customer. The combined expertise of ILIAS Solutions and Lockheed Martin will provide Sliač Air Base a proven solution to assure mission readiness for their F-16 fleet. Danya Trent, vice president of Lockheed Martin's F-16 program added, “ILIAS Solutions will be instrumental in providing the Slovak Republic first class capabilities for the sustainment and fleet management of these advanced F-16 Block 70 fighter jets. I'm confident in their capabilities, and welcome them on board the Lockheed Martin team that is already working closely with the Slovak Air Force preparing for the arrival and deployment of the F-16 at Sliač Air Base.” The ILIAS software platform will provide the Slovak Air Force with total asset visibility. This will allow them to asses mission readiness and plan deployments of the F-16 for military missions or training. If you would like to know more about the new F-16 Block and the ILIAS implementation, do not hesitate to contact us. View source version on ILIAS Solutions: https://www.ilias-solutions.com/news/ilias-solutions-signs-deal-lockheed-martin-sustainment-and-fleet-management-slovak-air-force-f

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  6 avril 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Bell and U.S Army advance development of V-280 Valor and aviation modernization

  Bell’s flight-proven V-280 Valor design advances from an aircraft with transformational speed and survivability towards a low-risk weapons system ready to support joint combined arms and maneuver operations around the...

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  10 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  US Air Force delays full-rate production decision for KC-46 aircraft

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force will delay a full-rate production milestone for the KC-46 aerial refueling tanker to the end of fiscal 2024 to correspond with a fix for one of the aircraft's key systems, the service announced late Monday. The Pentagon's independent weapons tester — Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Robert Behler — intends to conclude operational testing of the KC-46 only after prime contractor Boeing fixes the tanker's critical deficiencies and has finalized its production configuration. “Accordingly, the Air Force will defer the KC-46 full rate production decision until after the completion of [initial operational test and evaluation], and the receipt of the statutorily-required Beyond Low Rate Initial Production report from [Behler],” the Air Force said in a statement. The KC-46 program has several remaining category 1 deficiencies, the term used by the Pentagon to describe the most serious form of technical problems. Two of the deficiencies involve the aircraft's remote vision system, which is a series of cameras and sensors used by the boom operator to see outside the KC-46 and refuel other aircraft. The Air Force has contended that the RVS does not properly function in all weather and lighting conditions; the service has refused to deploy the KC-46 until the problem is fixed. Boeing in April agreed to completely redesign the system on its own dime, which will take until at least 2023. One other issue involves the KC-46 boom, which was developed to meet NATO-specific requirements but cannot refuel the A-10 aircraft. The Air Force is paying to redesign the boom actuator, as the service signed off on the original design and did not realize until afterward that it did not meet the specifications needed to refuel the A-10. In March, the Air Force announced an additional category 1 deficiency after maintainers found fuel leaking between the tanker's primary and secondary fuel protection barriers. It is unclear whether this is still a problem, as Boeing had already developed a fix and began retrofitting aircraft when the issue was revealed. “Given its confidence in deficiency resolution timelines for both the aerial refueling boom and Remote Vision System, the Air Force is rescheduling the KC-46's Full Rate Production Decision milestone to late Fiscal Year 2024,” the service stated. The Air Force notes that delaying the full-rate production decision will not affect the program's cost — which is locked into place courtesy of a firm, fixed-price deal with Boeing that holds the contractor financially responsible for cost overruns;nor will it cause the service to alter its current delivery schedule. Boeing is already producing KC-46s at “full rate,” which for the program is 15 tankers per year. It delivered the first KC-46 to McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, in January 2019. Since then, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, have also taken on new KC-46s. Boeing is set to produce 179 KC-46s over the program of record. The company has racked up cost overruns of about $4.6 billion in excess of the $4.9 billion contract it was awarded in 2011. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/09/the-air-force-delays-a-full-rate-production-decision-for-the-kc-46/