6 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Le H160 d'Airbus Helicopters vient de décrocher son certificat de type auprès de l'Agence européenne de la sécurité aérienne (EASA), ouvrant la voie à sa prochaine mise en service. L'hélicoptériste européen prévoit que sa certification FAA suivra dans peu de temps, alors que la première livraison est destinée à un client américain qui n'a pas été dévoilé. Le nouvel hélicoptère biturbine multirôle de moyen tonnage d'Airbus se positionne comme le successeur direct de la famille Dauphin (SA365 à EC155). Il est motorisé par deux turbines de nouvelle génération conçues et produites par Safran Helicopter Engines.
Journal de l'Aviation du 1er juillet 2020 – Les Echos du 2 juillet 2020
30 mars 2022 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
U.S. Air Force is approaching sustainability as a mission requirement, with reduced fuel use translating to more mission capability.
29 septembre 2020 | International, C4ISR
Andrew Chuter LONDON — British efforts to introduce a new family of long-endurance, medium-altitude drones has moved a step closer with an announcement by the Ministry of Defence Sept. 28 that the first General Atomics Protector RG Mk1 off the production had made its maiden flight. The MoD said the first production version of the drone flew in California on Sept. 25. The flight comes just over two months after the British announced they had inked a £65 million (U.S. $83 million) deal with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to supply the first three of an expected fleet of at least 16 drones. Three ground control stations and other associated support equipment were also included in the deal. The contract contains options for a further 13 air vehicles and supporting equipment valued at around £180 million. A commitment for the additional drones could come in April next year. Progress with the Protector test schedule follows a two-year delay imposed on the program by the MoD in 2017 after the British ran into wider defense budget problems. The delay was primarily responsible for a 40 percent hike in Protector program costs, top MoD official Stephen Lovegrove said in a letter to the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee published earlier this year. The Protector vehicles will replace General Atomics Reaper drones widely used by the Royal Air Force in operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East, most recently providing reconnaissance, surveillance and strike capabilities in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Protector is the British version of General Atomics latest Predator variant, the MQ-9B Sky Guardian. The RAF drone will fly longer and, armed with Brimstone and Paveway IV precision weapons, hit harder than the Reaper. Crucially, the machine is also in line to be approved to fly in non-segregated airspace in places like the U.K. British Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said the inaugural flight of the production drone was a welcome step in development. “With increased range and endurance, greater ISR and weapons capacity and improved weather resilience, Protector will play a vital intelligence and deterrent role in countering future threats,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. For the moment the first Protector will stay in the United States to support systems testing as part of an MoD, U.S. Air Force and General Atomics team. Following completion of the work the drone will be delivered to the MoD in the summer of 2021. The platform will continue to be based in the United States to allow the RAF to complete its test and evaluation program. Operating from its base at RAF Waddington, eastern England, Protector is scheduled to enter service by mid-2024. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/28/britains-new-protector-drone-completes-maiden-flight/
12 février 2021 | International, Naval
By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has sealed its participation in the upcoming development of the European Control Corvette, a signature naval program that is part of the European Union's defense efforts. Company executives signed a memorandum of understanding to that effect with the Naviris consortium, the companies announced Feb. 11. Naviris is a 50-50 joint venture between France's Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri. The notional European Patrol Corvette is meant to be a coast guard-type ship able to perform missions of fighting pirates and smugglers as well as border control and show-of-force trips in Europe's waters. At 100 meters and 3,000 tons, it will replace “several classes of ships, from patrol vessels to light frigates” in participating countries come 2027, the companies said. The program has been advancing through the EU's so-called Permanent Structured Cooperation framework, or PESCO, whose goal is to create joint capabilities across the continent. Companies participating in PESCO projects have a shot at subsidies flowing from the multibillion-dollar European Defence Fund. Italy has the lead on the patrol corvette project. The governments of France, Spain and Greece have already signed up, and Portugal is reportedly considering doing the same. All participating navies are expected to submit their design requirements this year, according to the Naviris announcement. The idea is to find “commonality of solutions and modularity for adaptions to national requirements,” the company said. “The ambition of the project ... is to include other European partners to integrate technological bricks, which correspond to innovation streams matching with national EPC requirements and European Commission strategy and guidelines.” The European Defence Agency announced earlier this year that it would lend project management and related support to the program. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/11/spains-navantia-joins-industry-team-for-european-patrol-corvette