22 novembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Here's what stood out at the 2021 Dubai Airshow
While the show is dedicated to both commercial and defense aircraft, this year's edition seemed to lean heavily toward the former.
30 octobre 2020 | International, Naval
Marine Hovercraft From Textron Flawed by Propeller Cracks
The U.S. Navy accepted delivery this year from Textron Inc. of the first two in a new generation of hovercraft for the Marines despite “extensive propeller blade cracking” that will require a redesign, according to service officials and documents.
The previously undisclosed problem was discovered during mid-2019 tests of the $5.7 billion program to build new air-cushion hovercraft to move Marines from ship to shore.
Even with the cracks unresolved, the Navy awarded Textron a $386 million contract for 15 more hovercraft that Congress had approved for fiscal years 2017-2020. But ordering those vessels was held up pending resolution of other technical problems, including issues with the main gearbox, drive-train integration and lubrication system, navigation electronics and bearings. The first two deliveries, in February and August, were each three years late.
Hovercraft “have always been important for supporting the Marine Corps' ability to land forces ashore, and in coming years they are to form part of the toolkit for implementing the Corps' new wartime island-hopping strategy for countering Chinese military forces in the Western Pacific,” Ronald O'Rourke, an analyst with the Congressional Research Service, said.
Taking delivery of the first two hovercraft allowed the Navy to begin initial operator training and “to move into the post-delivery test and trials period as we identify long-term” solutions for vessels in production, Navy spokeswoman Colleen O'Rourke said in an email. She described the flaws as “micro-cracks” in the composite structure of the blades that don't pose a safety hazard or “an immediate impediment” to operations.
“The program is the first major naval acquisition program in more than 15 years to be designed ‘in-house' by the Navy rather than by private industry,” according to a Navy fact sheet.
Reinforced Blades
O'Rourke said the Navy, Providence, Rhode Island-based Textron and subcontractor Dowty Propellers, a division of General Electric Co., conducted a study “to understand the underlying cause and mechanisms to improve propeller blade performance.” That led to a near-term plan to provide “reinforced blade sets that will deliver later this year” while production and post-delivery testing continue and “blade redesign efforts are underway,” she said.
She added that the eventual solution for the 73 hovercraft, known as Ship to Shore Connectors, “is not anticipated to result in any significant program cost increases.”
Scott Donnelly, Textron's chief executive officer, told analysts Thursday on an earnings call that the program is “steadily improving” and “we're starting to feel good about that.” He said the contractor has “started to get more craft deliveries, the production lines are starting to run better, we're starting to get supply parts coming in at the right time” so “that's a program that obviously is going to start to be a contributor to the profit in the rest of the businesses.”
Textron rose 6.6% to $34.21 at 10:24 a.m, the most since July 30, after third-quarter earnings per share from continuing operations beat the average analyst estimate.
Currently, 12 additional hovercraft are under construction in Slidell, Louisiana. The vessels will replace the aging Landing Craft Air Cushion vehicle that became operational in 1986.
The Ship-to-Shore Connector is a “franchise program” for Textron's Marine & Land Systems division, “which could more than double in revenue over the coming years as production accelerates,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Douglas Rothacker said in an email. Textron reports third-quarter earnings Thursday.
Procurement funding is projected to soar from $20 million the Navy requested for this fiscal year to almost $380 million by 2025, according to program documents.
The Navy's fiscal 2021 Selected Acquisition Report, obtained by Bloomberg News, said initial “Builders Trial” testing in mid-2019 uncovered “technical concerns with the propeller blades.” This resulted in a decision to divide the subsequent formal acceptance test into two events -- “unloaded” and “loaded,” which simulated carrying a 74-ton M1 tank.
“After the loaded builders test, craft inspection revealed extensive propeller blade cracking,” it said. “To avoid additional blade loss,” the first vessel's acceptance tests “were conducted unloaded.”
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30 septembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Here’s what Lockheed will have to do to make up for F-35 spare parts problems
Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Defense Department and Lockheed Martin reached a handshake agreement that will require the defense giant to invest about $70.6 million to fix an ongoing problem with F-35 spare parts, one that resulted in increased government labor costs, the department announced Sept. 29. For the past few months, Lockheed and the Defense Contracts Management Agency have been locked in a dispute over more than 15,000 F-35 spare parts sent to the U.S. military with incorrect or incomplete “electronic equipment logs” or EELs, which allow the parts to be absorbed into the F-35′s logistics system and installed on the jet. Lockheed and the Defense Contracts Management Agency expect a final agreement to be formalized sometime within the next two weeks or so, said DCMA spokesman Matthew Montgomery, who confirmed the $70.588 million deal to Defense News. The use of EELs — which allow the government to track the usage and lifespan of major F-35 parts — is unique to the joint strike fighter program and is meant to help inform smarter, more cost-effective maintenance and buying practices. But when parts are delivered with inaccurate EEL information, it can take hours for military maintainers and Lockheed support personnel to track down the correct data that will allow a part to be uploaded into the system and installed in the aircraft. Instead of paying back the government directly for the added costs associated with the EELs, Lockheed will “compensate the government with Lockheed Martin investments” that will ultimately ensure spare parts are delivered with accurate electronic logs, said Lockheed spokesman Brett Ashworth. “We appreciate the partnership with the Defense Contract Management Agency and the F-35 Joint Program Office, and we remain focused on ensuring the warfighter has the support they need to employ the F-35′s game changing capabilities,” he said. The final sum of the agreement is less than half of the $183 million sum that DCMA initially projected that the government had spent to correct wrong or incorrect EELs since 2015. It was not immediately clear why DCMA had agreed to a compensation deal worth so much less than the department's estimated costs. During a July hearing, lawmakers from the House Oversight and Reform Committee chastised Lockheed for its failure to deliver parts ready to fly. “That's $183 million that the American taxpayers were forced to pay because Lockheed Martin failed to meet the requirements of its contract,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the committee's chairwoman. But Greg Ulmer, Lockheed's vice president for the F-35 program, said then that the company should not take all of the blame for the spare parts problems. “It's not all associated with Lockheed Martin performance. There are many aspects associated with [parts that are] not ready for issue,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/09/29/heres-what-lockheed-will-have-to-do-to-make-up-for-f-35-spare-parts-problems/
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11 février 2021 | International, Terrestre
Oshkosh announces production of its 10,000th JLTV
Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Oshkosh Defense recently produced its 10,000th Joint Light Tactical Vehicle -- more than half it's orders for the vehicle -- the company announced Tuesday. Oshkosh officials pointed to the JLTV becoming a central piece of the U.S. military's ground force, as both the Army and Marine Corps plan to adopt the vehicle, as making the milestone significant. Oshkosh Defense has received orders for 18,126 JLTVs for a total contract value of more than $6 billion. "Producing the 10,000th JLTV in under five years is further evidence of our ability to meet the demands of our domestic and international customers," George Mansfield, vice president and general manager of joint programs for Oshkosh Defense, said in a press release. The JLTV was developed by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Army to replace the Marines' aging fleet of Humvees. The vehicle includes variants with multiple mission package configurations, including packages for personnel, heavy guns and close combat weapons. The first contract for JLTVs was awarded in 2015 and the first orders were placed in 2016. In addition to outfitting the United States with JLTVs, Oshkosh has received orders for the vehicles from overseas allies and partners including, Britain, Belgium, Montenegro, Slovenia, Lithuania, Brazil, and North Macedonia. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/02/09/Oshkosh-announces-production-of-its-10000th-JLTV/4471612895785/