10 mars 2024 | International, Terrestre
Missile Defense Agency won’t brief public on budget request
The Missile Defense Agency director says he is working on a way to share the organization's budget details in lieu of its usual Pentagon rollout.
29 janvier 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Germany walks away from $2.5 billion purchase of US Navy’s Triton spy drones
By: Sebastian Sprenger
COLOGNE, Germany — The German government has canceled plans to buy Northrop Grumman-made Triton drones to the tune of $2.5 billion, opting instead for manned planes carrying eavesdropping sensors.
The decision to buy Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft comes after officials became convinced that the Global Hawk derivatives would be unable to meet the safety standards needed for flying through European airspace by 2025, a target date for Berlin's NATO obligations.
A defense ministry spokeswoman told Defense News the Triton option had grown “significantly more expensive” compared with earlier planning assumptions.
The U.S. State Department in April 2018 cleared Germany's request to purchase four MQ-4C Triton drones for signals intelligence missions under the country's PEGASUS program, short for “Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System.” The program includes a sensor, dubbed “ISIS-ZB” and made by Hensoldt, for intercepting communications and locating targets by their electromagnetic signature.
The German Defence Ministry for years had been banking on the Triton purchase to come with a pre-installed safety-technology package that would be easily approved by European air traffic authorities. But officials saw their hopes dashed as Italy recently issued a military-type certificate for a sister drone — NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance fleet of Global Hawks, stationed in Sigonella, Sicily — that prescribes tight restrictions on flights over the continent.
Manned aircraft like the envisioned Global 6000 are allowed to routinely fly alongside civilian traffic, a prospect that the Germans see as more palatable than dealing with drone-specific airspace corridors.
Berlin hopes to catch the tail end of Bombardier's Global 6000 manufacturing run, as the model is being phased out in favor of an upgrade. While that strategy could yield a better price, Berlin needs to move soon before the production line goes cold, according to officials.
Letting drones fly in the same airspace as civilian traffic remains an unresolved problem, as the requisite sensing technology and the regulatory framework are still emerging. Germany previously tried filling its signals-intelligence gap with the Euro Hawk, but the project tanked in 2013 after spending $700 million because officials underestimated the trickiness of attaining airworthiness qualification.
With the Triton gone, Germany's next ambition for a fully approved unmanned aircraft lies with the so-called Eurodrone, a cooperation with France. Officials have said that the program is designed from the start with manned-unmanned airspace integration in mind.
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10 juillet 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group awarded support contract for Blue Angels’ ‘Fat Albert’ replacement
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group today announced it has been awarded the contract to support the entry into service of the new replacement for the Blue Angels' iconic Fat Albert, the C-130 support aircraft to the US Navy's air display team. Marshall will carry out the maintenance, paint and minor modifications to the US Navy's replacement ‘Fat Albert'. The aircraft is a C-130J that the US Navy recently purchased from the UK Ministry of Defence to replace the C-130T that the squadron used for 17 years until May this year. The new Fat Albert is a C-130J Super Hercules, four-engine, six-blade turboprop, which will serve as the US Navy's Blue Angels' Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS) logistical support aircraft. Marshall is the global leading C-130 support company outside of the USA and was chosen for its proven expertise with C-130 modification, repair and overhaul (MRO) work and the speed with which the company can make the aircraft operational. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group CEO, Alistair McPhee said: “We are delighted that the US Navy has chosen us to work on the new replacement Fat Albert,” “We have worked on Royal Air Force C-130s for 50 years and we support a number of international Air Force customers who have purchased surplus C-130s from the UK MOD. It feels like a natural progression for us, but very exciting nevertheless. Fat Albert is a head-turner and plays a major part in supporting the Blue Angels' display team.” Lt. Col. Robert Hurst, PMA-207 C/KC-130 Deputy Program Manager, said: “Our partners at the UK MOD and Marshall have been instrumental in executing this extremely challenging acquisition. We have always had a great partnership with the UK and this only adds to the list of ways we accomplish great things together.” Fat Albert takes part in the display team's flying performances, as well as being a crucial support aircraft, carrying the Blue Angels' tools, spare parts and engineers. Marshall will perform depth maintenance on the aircraft, which will include an upgrade to some of its systems to align them to the retired Fat Albert. It will then be repainted in the Blue Angels' iconic blue, yellow and white colours. Fat Albert is expected to be operational in the first part of next year. https://marshalladg.com/insights-news/marshall-aerospace-and-defence-group-awarded-support-contract-for-blue-angels-fat-albert-replacement
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14 décembre 2023 | International, Sécurité
Congress passed the FY24 defense policy bill: Here’s what’s inside
Congress just passed the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. Here's a look at some key provisions.