NATO Navies need more Airborne ISR

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  23 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Nearly all defense companies have reopened from COVID-19

  By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — As large chunks of the country begin to scale back restrictions caused by COVID-19, the companies of the defense industrial base have largely reopened for business, the Pentagon's top acquisition official said Monday. Speaking to reporters, Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said that only 33 total companies in the industrial base, largely smaller services providers tracked by the Defense Logistics Agency, remain closed for business. “Out of 10,509 companies [the Defense Contract Management Agency] tracks: we are down to two closed, and 267 companies having closed and reopened,” Lord said in her remarks. “Out of 11,413 companies DLA tracks: 31 are closed with 661 having closed and reopened.” That is an improvement from April 30, when Lord said there were 93 defense-related companies tracked by DCMA closed, with 437 of the DLA tracked companies shut down at that time. “We see an enormous amount of recovery in the defense industrial base. It depends on location and what type of work is being performed, but there is enormous progress coming back,” she said. “Obviously, for manufacturing, we need people on the line. So, we're doing things differently in terms of following CDC guidelines and so forth. “We don't know what that new normal will be on speed, but we see an enormous amount of recovery.” Lord acknowledged that the efforts to stabilize the defense industrial base would be ongoing, noting officials “continue to see the greatest impacts both domestically and internationally in the aviation and shipbuilding supply chains.” She added that advanced progress payments to companies has hit over $2 billion, and that all of the prime contractors have “confirmed their detailed plans to work with their supply chains to accelerate payments to identify distressed companies, and small businesses.” The department is still tracking a roughly three-month period of delays that could have repercussions on major defense programs, Lord said, although she declined to give any specific examples. “We have seen inefficiencies across most programs,” Lord said. “DoD continues to partner with our industry partners to do everything possible to keep programs on schedule and to minimize the cost and schedule impacts. This is obviously a dynamic situation, and the overall impacts will not be completely known for a while as we work through how we operate over the next few months.” https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/06/22/nearly-all-defense-companies-have-reopened-from-covid-19/

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  12 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Sécurité, Autre défense

  Air Force gets new stopgap system for GPS 3 satellites

  By: Nathan Strout The U.S. Air Force's first next-generation GPS satellite launched in December and the second GPS III satellite is slated to liftoff in July. But there Air Force has a problem: The ground system currently in use isn't fully capable of controlling GPS III satellites. Worse, a new ground system that can, formally known as the next-generation operational control system (OCX), is five years behind schedule and won't be delivered until June 2021 at the earliest, according to the Government Accountability Office. Enter the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) software—a critical stop gap measure that will update the current ground control system and allow it to access some of the more advanced features of the GPS III satellites until the next-generation operational control system is ready. On July 11, primary contractor Lockheed Martin announced that it had delivered the COps upgrade to the Air Force. “Positioning, navigation and timing is a critical mission for our nation and COps will allow the Air Force to gain early access to its new GPS III satellites,” said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin's vice president for Navigation Systems. “We just finished final qualification testing and delivery on COps, and it will be integrated and installed on the [Architecture Evolution Plan Operational Control System] over the summer. We look forward to the Air Force ‘flying' a GPS constellation on the COps OCS which includes the new GPS III satellites, later this year.” The new GPS III satellites are built to be more robust and accurate than their predecessors and come with advanced features such as the ability to use M-Code, an encrypted GPS signal for use by the military. The COps upgrade will allow the current ground system to control the GPS III satellites as well as the legacy GPS satellites. It will also allow the current system to access M-code Early Use, an encrypted GPS signal with improved anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities, beginning in 2020. The Air Force contracted with Lockheed Martin to deliver the patch in 2016, the same year that the OCX program triggered a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach—a type of violation caused by significant cost growth that requires a program to be shut down unless the Department of Defense intervenes and approves a new cost estimate. The $6.2 billion OCX program is already five years behind schedule, and a May 21 Government Accountability Office report warned that the OCX program could be delayed even further. In addition, the Air Force has acknowledged that delays are possible during the seven-month testing period following delivery. Raytheon, the primary contractor behind OCX, rejected the GAO report, claiming that its findings were inaccurate. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/c2-comms/2019/06/11/air-force-gets-new-stopgap-system-for-gps-3-satellites/

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  31 juillet 2019 | International, Terrestre

  UK Ministry of Defence Exercises Option to Purchase T7 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robots from L3Harris Technologies

  MELBOURNE, FLA. Jul 30, 2019 Highlights: L3Harris T7TM robotic system to provide U.K. security forces with advanced EOD capabilities Features unique, highly intuitive control interface, haptic feedback and human-like dexterity Contract modification reaffirms program success and strategy to grow robotics business globally The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MOD) has exercised a $46 million (£36 million) contract option with L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) to provide T7™ robotic systems to support domestic explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) missions. This award is an option to the $70 million (£55 million) contract the MOD awarded L3Harris in 2017 for T7 robotic systems for the military's overseas EOD missions. The T7 robot's interface provides ease of use for operators and unmatched command and control. The robot provides operators with human-like dexterity and haptic force feedback from the robot arm to the remote-control handgrip. Its precision control and dexterity shorten task completion time and improve mission effectiveness, and its rugged track system provides outstanding mobility and maneuverability required for rough terrain, which uniquely positions T7 as a ready-made solution for all large EOD robot requirements around the world. A variety of attachments enable use of standard-issue sensors, disruptors and tools that support a wide range of missions, including hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and the ability to disable and defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted inside vehicles. The systems will be part of the MOD's Project STARTER and will help to defeat a wide variety of explosive threats within the U.K., including IEDs and unexploded ordnances (UXO). The T7 supports the demanding requirements of domestic deployed missions, including HAZMAT cleanup, EOD, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and special weapons and tactics missions. L3Harris is producing the systems at its Palm Bay, Florida factory and has established a repair depot in Brighton, U.K. “This award will bring life-saving technology to U.K. armed forces and reaffirms the importance of highly reliable, precise and easy-to-use robotic systems for EOD operators,” said Ed Zoiss, President, L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems. “The exercising of this contract option reaffirms that Project STARTER program execution has gone exceptionally well and performance of the T7 systems to date are exceeding the customer's expectations.” L3Harris has been supporting U.K. customers for more than 100 years. The company has about 2,000 employees in 21 locations throughout the U.K., supporting a variety of government and commercial programs. L3Harris' Space and Airborne Systems segment provides space payloads, sensors and full-mission solutions; classified intelligence and cyber defense; avionics; and electronic warfare solutions. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, with customers in 130 countries. L3Harris.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about the value or expected value of orders, contracts or programs and about system capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. https://www.l3harris.com/press-releases/2019/07/87556/uk-ministry-of-defence-exercises-option-to-purchase-t7-explosive-ordnance-disposal-robots-from-l3harris-technologies