NATO statement to include intent to bolster allies' air defences, says Romanian president

Sur le même sujet

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  9 avril 2024 | International, Terrestre

  How Patriot proved itself in Ukraine and secured a fresh future

  What might have looked like an aging system not long ago now appears to be a workhorse that could be used for years to come.

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  1 octobre 2020 | International, Terrestre, Autre défense

  US Army scraps ERCA autoloader plans, heads back to the drawing board

  Ashley Roque Weight and mobility challenges have forced the US Army to abandon a government-designed autoloader for its Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) programme and the service is now looking for help from six tech companies. Brigadier General John Rafferty, the head of the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, spoke at a virtual Fires Conference on 29 September and provided an update of programmes under his purview. One notable change is an army's decision not to move forward with an autoloader that it had been developing for the new weapon based off BAE Systems' Paladin M109A7 self-propelled howitzer. “The integration challenge for [it] was too much of a trade with mobility and durability, and some of the results from putting 3,000 miles on a combat vehicle [out at Yuma Proving Ground] weighted up with the centre of gravity issue that we had,” the one-star general told the audience. “It was an easy decision to say that we can't do that.” Instead the army is looking to a group of six companies previously picked to help find artillery munition resupplying solutions – Actuate, Apptronik, Carnegie Robotics, Hivemapper, Neya Systems, and Pratt Miller. Although Brig Gen Rafferty did not provide in-depth information on the path ahead, he noted that a future capability may not be an autoloader at all. ”I've learned that it was really stupid to go into this saying, ‘Hey, we want an autoloader'. I don't want an autoloader; What we want is an improved rate of fire,” he added. ”What I told them is I don't care if there's cannoneer there setting fuses if we're able to get the six to 10 rounds a minute,” Brig Gen Rafferty furthered. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-scraps-erca-autoloader-plans-heads-back-to-the-drawing-board

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  3 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Fifth missile warning satellite ready for launch, Lockheed Martin announces

  By Ed Adamczyk Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The fifth missile warning satellite of the U.S. Space Force has been constructed and is ready for launch, manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced on Wednesday. The Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit, or SBIRS GEO-5, is scheduled to be launched in 2021 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. ULA is a Boeing and Lockheed Martin consortium. The first satellite in the series was launched in 2011, but the newest version features the LM 2100 military combat bus. The bus, the space vehicle that carries the satellite's sensors and electronics, is designed to "provide greater resiliency and cyber-hardening," Lockheed said in a statement. The new satellite also includes "enhanced spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics; common components and procedures to streamline manufacturing, and a flexible design that reduces the cost to incorporate future, modernized sensor suites," according to the company. The next satellite in the series, GEO-6, and future Next Gen OPIR [Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning] satellites, will also include the upgrade. GEO-6 is expected to launch by 2022, with the OPIR satellites expected to launch beginning in 2025. The constellation of U.S. Space Force missile warning satellites are equipped with powerful scanning and staring infrared surveillance sensors. The sensors collect data useable in discovering missile launches It also supports ballistic missile defense, expands technical intelligence gathering and improves battlefield situational awareness. "SBIRS' role as an ever-present, on-orbit guardian against global ballistic missile threats has never been more critical," Tom McCormick, Lockheed Martin's vice in a statement on Wednesday. "In 2019 alone, SBIRS detected nearly 1,000 missile launches, which is about a two-fold increase in two years." https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/12/02/Fifth-missile-warning-satellite-ready-for-launch-Lockheed-Martin-announces/8311606933697