20 avril 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval
By: Jen Judson
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Several major players in the helicopter industry pitched possible solutions at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference for the Navy's next initial-entry, rotary-wing training helicopter as the service signals stronger intentions to replace its aging TH-57 Sea Ranger fleet.
The Navy has announced during recent congressional hearings that it plans to buy a new training helicopter in fiscal 2020. For years, the service has put out requests for information asking industry for training helicopter options with the latest coming out in October 2017.
That RFI left some requirements open-ended such as whether the aircraft should have one or two engines, but has asked for the helicopter to be Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) certified, an obvious requirement when flying over sea or in reduced visibility environments. It's also assumed the Navy wants a commercial off-the-shelf aircraft.
The TH-57 is more than reaching the end of its life, having first been fielded to the Navy's training fleet in the 1970s.
So three companies — Airbus, Bell and Leonardo — all brought examples of possible training helicopters to the Navy's biggest trade show.
Airbus H135
Airbus is keeping all of its options on the table for a Navy trainer because the service has yet to define all of its requirements, according to John Roth, senior director of business development for Airbus Helicopters Inc.
“We have a broad product range that goes from light, single-engine into light, twin-engine to medium and heavy twin-engine platforms,” Roth told Defense News at Sea-Air-Space. “Our approach is we will evaluate those requirements and offer based on those requirements. However, given the nature of training and how the complexity of training has evolved over time, we do have recommendations for the Navy as it relates to having the best possible solution to accomplish all of their missions.”
And one recommendation is the H135 light, twin-engine helicopter Airbus had on display at the show.
“We believe this is certainly a very capable potential solution that meets all the Navy requirements as a commercial off-the-shelf product,” Roth said.
The H135 is similar to the EC-145 helicopter that the Army now uses for its trainer, replacing its TH-67 Creek helicopters with LUH-72A Lakota light utility helicopters already in the service's inventory beginning in 2014.
The Army's decision to retire the TH-67s and replace them with Lakotas was met with much debate as to whether it made sense to teach helicopter pilots basic skills in a more complex digital glass cockpit helicopter with twin engines.
And the decision was even met with a lawsuit. Leonardo — then known as AgustaWestland — sued the Army over its decision not to compete for a new trainer but to instead sole-source a helicopter already fielded by the service. Leonardo initially won the lawsuit but the decision was overturned in the appellate court.
The Army is still filling out its Lakota training fleet, but, Roth said, “from a qualitative perspective, we've got some very positive feedback that talks to capability of the aviators when they complete the training and having them more prepared for the advanced aircraft once they arrive at their advanced training stations.”
The fact that both the Lakota and the H135 have advanced digital glass cockpits, four-axis autopilot and twin-engine capability with Full Authority Digital Engine (FADEC) controls “all prepared them for the type of vehicle that they are going to get in when they get into their advanced training,” Roth said.
The Army has taken tasks normally taught in the more expensive advanced aircraft and brought those down to basic training, he added.
“There has been a lot of advantages realized from that decision that we think the Navy will be able to take advantage of as well,” Roth said.
The H135s, if purchased by the Navy, would be built at its Columbus, Mississippi, production line where commercial EC135s and Lakotas are built.
The helicopter pitched to the Navy is also used by approximately a dozen countries with nearly 130 aircraft serving as a primary trainer worldwide, Roth said.
Bell 407 GXi
Bell would be the incumbent in a competition for a new Navy trainer, being the current manufacturer of the TH-57.
The company plans to offer up its 407 GXi, according to Steve Mathias, Bell's vice president for Global Military Business Development.
Bell has already built and sold 1,500 407s worldwide which have flown over 4.75 million hours, he said, so the helicopter is “very reliable, sustainable, maintainable glass cockpit, just a great overall aircraft,” Mathias said.
And from a programmatic perspective, he said, choosing Bell's trainer offers “a lot less risk because it's very similar to the TH-57 that the Navy currently has, so a transition from a Bell product to a Bell product would be a lower risk, I would think, to the customer.”
Bell also provides many of the helicopters the Navy and Marine Corps fly today such as the UH-1Y Venom, the AH-1Z Viper and the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor and therefore has a high level of experience working with the services on a day-to-day basis “so we very closely understand what the Navy requirements are,” Mathias argued.
The company is hoping the Navy chooses to go with a single-engine aircraft because it would “be less costly to operate” and less complex to train, according to Mathias. He added that he believes the choice would offer the best value to the service.
Leonardo TH-119
Italian company Leonardo is making a play for the trainer with plans to submit its TH-119, which puts them, like Bell, into the single-engine camp, according to Andrew Gappy, who is in charge of the company's government sales and programs.
The helicopter is a variant of the AW119Kx, a single-engine, full-spectrum training aircraft and can be used for training from the basics like learning how to hover above the ground all the way to advanced tactics.
And while Leonardo is a foreign company, all of the 119s worldwide are manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The 119 is also IFR certified to meet that Navy requirement.
The helicopter is known for its significant power, which means the aircraft's training mission sets can grow and change over time without affecting its performance, Gappy said.
It's important for the Navy to buy a new trainer now because, Gappy said, he trained on the TH-57 “a long time ago.” The aircraft averages roughly 70,000 flight hours a year and will become more and more costly to operate as it continues to age.
“When I went through, the TH-57 had a lot in common with combat aircraft, how the aircraft flew and instrumentation training was really relevant,” he said.
“It's so disparate now with glass cockpits and all of them are multi-bladed rotor systems that fly differently than the twin rotor system, so it's really resetting the baseline,” which allows the service to incorporate more advanced training into the basic courses that has migrated away from that training due to the loss in power margin, Gappy said.
9 juin 2021 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR, Sécurité
EASA provides industry with the first concrete guidance on certification requirements for AI in safety-critical applications.
13 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY LiteFighter System LLC,** Canton, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $200,000,000 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for commercial-off-the-shelf shelters and tents. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a 12-month base contract with three one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Kentucky, Mississippi and Georgia, with a May 9, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1130). Buffalo Supply Inc., Lafayette, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $42,422,105 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical/surgical supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with 16 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no options. Location of performance is Colorado, with a May 9, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-19-D-0008). Varec Inc., Norcross, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $25,998,175 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for electronic point of sales and supporting services for fixed facility fuel distribution devices. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year base contract with 10 one-year option periods. Location of performance is worldwide support, both in the continental U.S. and outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS), with a May 9, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Columbus, Ohio (SP4702-19-D-0002). Transaero Inc.,* Melville, New York, has been awarded a maximum $10,504,719 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for air data computers. This was a limited competitive acquisition using justification from Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2), which states only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, and extended to include only one or a limited number of responsible sources. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are New York and the United Kingdom, with a May 10, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-19-D-0074). ARMY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Sierra Vista, Arizona, was awarded a $163,588,331 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Hunter unmanned aircraft system fleet support for operations, maintenance, engineering, re-engineering and remanufacturing. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Sierra Vista, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of May 9, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $41,883,787 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-C-0033). Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $101,333,802 modification (P00014) to contract W31P4Q-17-C-0194 to procure Tactically-Launched Optically-Tracked Wireless-Guided missiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2017 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $101,333,802 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. HHI Corp.,* Ogden, Utah, was awarded a $48,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract repair and construction at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 9, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-19-D-0071). G.L.H.C. Services Inc.,* Lumberton, North Carolina, was awarded a $13,000,000 modification (P00003) to contract W912HN-17-D-0004 for general construction and design-build construction. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Trend Construction Inc., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $13,000,000 modification (P00004) to contract W912HN-15-D-0001 for general construction and design-build construction. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $10,508,635 modification (P00049) to contract W31P4Q-16-C-0102 to develop and qualify a modular rocket pod and launch tubes for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that will be adaptable to future munitions. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2018 missile procurement, Army funds in the amount of $10,508,635 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Milliman Solutions LLC, Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $9,010,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command a commercial web-based prescription medication reporting system. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2024. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-19-D-0017). Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $8,339,000 modification (0001 34) to contract W31P4Q-18-A-0011 for systems engineering support. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 3, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,339,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Harris Corp., Clifton, New Jersey, has been awarded $71,761,512 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services. This contract provides for nonrecurring engineering services for AN/ ALQ-172 countermeasures systems, to include performing a form, fit, function, and interface replacement of the AN/ALQ-172 Line Replaceable Unit (LRU)-2, and LRU-3, documents and/or technical orders. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 9, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 consolidated sustainment activity group-engineering funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8522-19-C-0003). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an $11,205,341 indefinite-delivery requirements contract for F-15 sustaining engineering services. This contract provides for post-production support tasks/services unique to the original equipment manufacturer as required to maintain an adequate level of continuous sustaining engineering and logistics support for the Air Force and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) F-15 fleets. Work will be performed primarily in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 9, 2027. This contract involves FMS to Saudi Arabia and Israel. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contacting activity (FA8505‐19‐D-0001). *Small business **Service-disabled veteran-owned small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1844479/source/GovDelivery/
2 octobre 2019 | International, Terrestre
DETROIT, October 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems, a joint venture formed by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Rheinmetall Defence, has submitted its bid for the U.S. Army's new Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, or OMFV, program. The team will offer the next-generation Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Lynx is a next-generation, tracked armored fighting vehicle designed to address the critical challenges of the future battlefield. The vehicle provides ample growth capacity to support new technologies over its lifetime, and features lower life-cycle costs. "U.S. Army soldiers deserve the best possible fighting vehicle when they go into battle and that's exactly what this team is offering," said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. "Lynx provides unparalleled troop protection and features advanced technology that will keep our men and women in uniform ahead of the threat." Scheduled for fielding in 2026, the OMFV is expected to replace the Bradley fighting vehicle. "Our team has spent the last year assembling a U.S. supply chain to ensure that Lynx will be built in America by American workers," said Ben Hudson, global head of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems division. "This next-generation combat vehicle will help save lives on the battlefield and further bolster the U.S. industrial base - now that's a win-win." Raytheon technology earmarked for the Lynx includes the company's advanced weapons, Active Protection System, third-generation thermal sights, Coyote® unmanned aircraft system and cyber protection. About Rheinmetall Headquartered in Düsseldorf, the publicly traded Rheinmetall AG is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the twin modern imperatives of mobility and security. Founded in 1889, the group today consists of two operational components: Rheinmetall Defence and Rheinmetall Automotive. One of the world's leading suppliers of military systems and equipment, Rheinmetall's Defence arm comprises three divisions: Vehicle Systems, Electronic Solutions and Weapon and Ammunition. The group's 23,000-strong global workforce generated sales last year of $6.9 billion. Follow us on Twitter. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I(®) products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. Media Contacts Raytheon John B. Patterson +1.520. 440.2194 rmspr@raytheon.com Rheinmetall Oliver Hoffmann Head of Public Relations, Rheinmetall AG +49-(0)211-473 4748 oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-rheinmetall-land-systems-submits-bid-for-us-army-combat-vehicle-competition-300929126.html