3 décembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial

Les critères européens de l'ESG mettent la pression sur les entreprises européennes de défense

Les entreprises européennes du secteur de la défense font face à des difficultés venues des investisseurs mettant en avant leur « responsabilité sociale ». Ces derniers exigent notamment de ces entreprises une plus grande transparence dans la fabrication et la vente d'armes, dans le cadre de la montée en puissance des critères ESG (environnemental, social et de gouvernance). L'ASD (l'association pour "Aeronautics, Space, Defence and Security Industries" en Europe) a écrit à la Commission européenne, soulignant les contradictions entre la volonté de l'UE de renforcer ses capacités en matière de défense et les projets de propositions sur les critères ESG. Déjà, certaines banques et investisseurs coupent les liens avec l'industrie, a déclaré Alessandro Profumo, président de l'ASD et directeur général du groupe de défense italien Leonardo. Plusieurs grandes entreprises de défense européennes, dont le français Thales et le britannique BAE Systems, ont intensifié leurs efforts pour expliquer ce qu'elles font et souligner leurs contributions aux économies et à la sécurité nationale. D'autres cadres européens avertissent qu'un écart d'évaluation est en train de se creuser avec les États-Unis, où les industries de défense sont plus largement acceptées. En considérant l'industrie de la défense comme socialement nuisible, l'UE pourrait mettre en péril sa propre sécurité.

Financial Times du 1er décembre

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    Reaper Replacement Reveals Bold New GA-ASI Vision

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"But we'll go in with both feet planted again and go after it.” Eighteen months later, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is doubling-down on Alexander's commitment, releasing exclusively to Aviation Week a concept rendering of a next-generation unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that reflects the characteristics the company's designers view as essential for the class of aircraft that could replace the MQ-9 by the early 2030s. Ultra-long-endurance UAS proposed GA-ASI hints at propulsion advances GA-ASI was among at least five industry teams that responded to the U.S. Air Force's request for information (RFI) for a next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike UAS to enter service in fiscal 2030. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin shared concepts for next-generation UAS designs on Sept. 11. Boeing and Kratos also responded to the Air Force RFI by the July 15 deadline but declined to release concepts at this nascent stage of the bidding process. Arguably, GA-ASI invented the role of the ISR/Strike UAS with the MQ-9, and the company's concept for the Reaper is no less provocative, featuring a jet-powered aircraft with distinctive, tear-shaped inlets and a long, high-aspect-ratio wingspan that appear optimized for ultra-long-range flight at high altitudes. “We're embracing ultra-long endurance to keep our next-generation ISR/Strike UAS in the fight for longer periods than many ever imagined possible,” Alexander said in a statement to Aviation Week. Although GA-ASI released no specifications with the rendering, it is clear Alexander means the next-generation concept should have even longer range that the 27-hr. endurance currently offered by the Air Force's MQ-9. The Air Force Research Laboratory defined ultra-long-endurance in 2019, when a popular light sport aircraft, the Pipistrel Sinus, was modified to fly autonomously for 2.5 days over the Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The modified aircraft was called the Ultra-Long-Endurance Aircraft Platform. How the new GA-ASI concept achieves ultra-long endurance is likely to include intriguing surprises beyond the disproportionately long, thin-chord and highly swept wings. The tear-shape inlets appear to feed airflow through parallel ducts down the middle of the fuselage into a mysterious propulsion system. Alexander's statement hints that the aircraft's engine is a critical element of the ultra-long-endurance capability. “Our advancements in propulsion technology will give commanders a longer reach than ever before,” Alexander said. In the late-1990s, GA-ASI designed the MQ-9 to perform the hunter-killer UAS mission's three “F's”—find, fix and finish—by itself if necessary, with a targeting sensor embedded beneath the nose and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles along with GBU-12 laser-guided or GBU-38 GPS-guided gravity bombs under the wing. 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GA-ASI's concept is adapted to that approach, Alexander said. “We envision [the] next-gen ISR/Strike [aircraft] as a conduit, supplier and consumer of information,” hesaid. “We believe it is imperative that future unmanned systems are able to communicate, share information and collaborate—together and intuitively with their human counterparts—across systems and domains in record time.” The next-generation UAS also addresses the workforce needed to operate the MQ-9, including separate teams of pilots and sensor operators during cruise flight and takeoff and landing. GA-ASI notes that the company has already qualified technologies to enable the existing fleet to taxi, take off and land automatically as well as a ground control system that allows a single pilot to control six UAS. “Our team has been developing and delivering automation solutions for years,” Alexander said. https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/reaper-replacement-reveals-bold-new-ga-asi-vision

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