3 août 2018 | International, Naval
By CLAUDIA GRISALES | STARS AND STRIPES
WASHINGTON — It could cost more than $1 billion to dismantle the Navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the former USS Enterprise, according to the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm for Congress that routinely reviews U.S. agencies and programs.
The GAO estimate was unveiled as the Navy is assessing its options to dismantle and dispose of the carrier, which has been inactive since 2012 and was decommissioned in 2017 after more than 50 years of service.
The carrier's “dismantlement and disposal will set precedents for processes and oversight that may inform future aircraft carrier dismantlement decisions,” the GAO report said in a 56-page report released Thursday.
The GAO wrote it found the Navy's typical budget and reporting on the effort doesn't give enough information to support oversight for a project of this size and cost. A Senate report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018 included a provision for the GAO to review the Navy's plans for the former carrier.
Full article: https://www.stripes.com/gao-report-1-billion-to-dismantle-navy-s-first-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-1.540771
19 juin 2023 | International, C4ISR
Raytheon in September was named to the U.S. Air Force’s ABMS Digital Infrastructure Consortium alongside four other defense industry heavyweights.
21 août 2018 | International, Naval
by James Langford Defense contractor BAE Systems won a $146 million contract for work on the USS Gettysburg, part of a class of guided-missile cruisers whose weapons and computer systems are undergoing upgrades to ensure they reach their 35-year service life. Work on the Gettysburg, which will be performed at London-based BAE's shipyard in Norfolk, Va., is scheduled for completion by 2020, and includes maintenance, modernization and repair, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday. The contract includes options that could bring its total value to $151.3 million. Built by Bath Iron Works, Gettysburg was commissioned in 1991 under former President George H.W. Bush. It belongs to the Ticonderoga class, which was first deployed in 1983 and uses Aegis technology to track aerial targets. Carrying Tomahawk missiles, the vessels can support carrier strike groups as well as conduct independent operations. The modernization program for the cruisers includes updates to computer and display equipment as well as electrical and mechanical systems. Weapons and sensor sets will be modified to improve submarine-combat capabilities, the Navy said, and electro-optical systems will be added that can monitor the ship's surroundings without radar emissions. Full article: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/business/bae-wins-146-million-contract-to-upgrade-navy-cruiser-gettysburg
20 mai 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Le 18 mai, United Launch Alliance (ULA) a placé le satellite d'alerte avancée Sbirs-Geo 5 sur orbite de transfert géostationnaire. SBIRS GEO-5,construit par Lockheed Martin, est le 5ème et dernier satellite rejoignant l'OPIR (Overhead persistent infrared), une constellation équipée de puissants capteurs de surveillance. « Ces gardiens orbitaux 24h/24 et 7j/7 détectent les lancements de missiles, soutiennent la défense antimissile balistique, élargissent la collecte de renseignements techniques et renforcent la connaissance de la situation sur le champ de bataille », précise Lockheed Martin. Estimant que le monde est désormais « un endroit menaçant avec plus de 1000 lancements de missiles balistiques chaque année », Tom McCormick, vice-président de la zone de mission OPIR de Lockheed Martin Space, déclare que le système de satellites SBIRS constitue « le fer de lance de la défense antimissile » afin d'assurer la sécurité nationale et celle des forces armées américaines. Air & Cosmos du 20 mai