International industry partners announce collaboration agreement for GCAP advanced electronics

Sur le même sujet

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  19 juillet 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  Contract award for US Air Force’s Huey replacement helicopter at risk of delay until FY20

  By: Valerie Insinna FARNBOROUGH, England — The U.S. Air Force's contract for a replacement to the UH-1N Huey helicopter could be delayed until fiscal 2020 unless Congress adds another $83.4 million to the program. According to a reprogramming request sent by the Defense Department to Congress, the UH-1N replacement effort is currently considered a “high risk” program due to a pre-award protest by competitor Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, which was dismissed in May. The protest had temporarily put a hold source selection, deferring a contract planned for June to September. Current funds would expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, meaning that if an award was further delayed it would take until FY20 to inject more money to continue on with the program, the request stated. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson acknowledged in May that the contract could be awarded sometime this fall. “We're going to try and not let that slip too much because we know we need to get the Hueys replaced, but we did get a delay,” she had said. The Air Force's aging UH-1Ns are most well-known for the role they play defending nuclear missile sites, and it is the importance of this mission that has led to criticism from leaders in Congress and in the U.S. military — including U.S. Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten — who have said the service needs to move more quickly to procure new helicopters. Three companies are competing for the Huey replacement award, with the first of a total of 84 new armored helicopters expected for delivery as early as 2020 — although if a contract is delayed until FY20 it seems likely that fielding will not be possible for another couple of years. Sikorsky is offering the HH-60U, a version of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with modifications like a rescue hoist and electro-optical sensor. Sierra Nevada Corp. has pitched a modernized, life-extended version of used Army UH-60L aircraft that its calling “Sierra Force.” Meanwhile, Boeing and Leonardo are partnering on the MH-139, a militarized version of the Italian firm's civilian AW139 helicopter. Boeing submitted the final proposal for the aircraft Tuesday, it confirmed in a statement. “The Boeing MH-139 is capable, affordable, and ready to serve the United States Air Force's urgent UH-1N replacement needs,” the company said. "With a hot production line in Philadelphia, we are well-positioned to meet the USAF's delivery requirements for fielding this vital platform as soon as possible.” While the requirements for the helicopter were not made public, the Air Force has specified nine fully loaded troops without needing to be refueled for an endurance of at least 225 nautical miles. They also should be able to fly three hours while maintaining a 135-knot cruise speed. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/07/18/contract-award-for-air-forces-huey-replacement-helicopter-at-risk-of-delay-until-fy20

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  21 décembre 2018 | International, Terrestre

  US Army moves closer to equipping an active protection system on Bradley Fighting Vehicles

  By: Jeff Martin WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has chosen to move forward with the Iron Fist Lightactive protection system for its Bradley Fighting Vehicle, after evaluating the APS' ability to be installed on the vehicle. The Army will now install the system onto a number of Bradley vehicles for a second phase of more extensive testing and evaluation, according to a release from the industry team providing the system. That team, made up of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Israeli companies IMI Systems and Elbit Systems, are working to integrate and test the system, designed to protect the Bradley from threats like anti-tank missiles, rocket propelled grenades and other weapons. Iron Fist It uses a variety of sensors and countermeasures to stop those threats before they reach the vehicle. They include a electro-optical “soft kill” jammer and a physical “hard kill” interceptor to stop threats from getting closer to the vehicles. “We are excited to move into Phase II and bring the vast capabilities of our Active Protection System to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Army on advancing this important technology as well as enhancing integration capabilities across multiple Army platforms” Steve Elgin, vice president and general manager of armament and platform systems for GD-OTS, said in a statement. While the release announcing the progress in testing did not say what the next phase would look like, it could mirror the same process the Army has used to qualify and evaluate Rafael's Trophy for the Abrams tank. More advanced tests will likely be against multiple types of threats in a simulated urban environment. The decision can be seen as a vote of confidence in the system and could mean further fielding on a larger number of vehicles down the road. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/12/20/army-moves-closer-to-equipping-an-active-protection-system-on-bradley-fighting-vehicles

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  5 décembre 2022 | International, Aérospatial

  US Army makes largest helicopter award in 40 years

  The Army has selected who will build its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft to replace the iconic Black Hawk helicopter.