NATO to kick off nuclear drills involving B-52 bombers on Monday

Sur le même sujet

• 

  12 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  State clears first three foreign military sales of Biden administration

  By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has approved three Foreign Military Sales requests for Jordan, Chile and a NATO agency, with a combined potential price tag of more than $200 million. The approvals mark the first FMS cases moved since President Joe Biden took office. The last FMS cases approved by the State Department came in late December; the Biden team has since announced a pause and review of a number of weapon sales approved by the Trump administration, most notably on weapons purchased by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The three approvals were announced on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. DSCA announcements mean that the State Department has decided the potential FMS cases meet its standards, but this does not guarantee the sales will happen in their announced forms. If the U.S. Congress does not object, the foreign customer begins to negotiate on price and quantity, both of which can change during the final negotiations. Jordan was approved for an F-16 Air Combat Training Center and related equipment, with an estimated cost of $60 million. That package would include “mission trainers, combat tactics trainers, instructor/operator stations, tactical environment simulators, brief/debrief stations, scenario generation stations, database generation stations, mission observation centers, and other training center equipment and support,” per the DSCA notice. The center would “enhance” Jordan's pilot training for their fleet of F-16s, the oldest of which entered service in 1997. Work will primarily be done at Lockheed Martin's Rotary & Mission Systems center in Orlando, Fla. Chile was approved to purchase up to 16 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IIIA missiles, along with support equipment and contractor assistance, with an estimate price tag of $85 million. The anti-air weapons are slated to be used aboard two recently transferred former Adelaide-class frigates to the Chilean Navy. Work would be preformed by Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson, Ariz. The NATO alliance's Communications and Information Agency to buy 517 AN/PRC-158 Manpack UHF SATCOM radio systems, worth an estimated $65 million. Also included in the package would be “crypto fill devices, man-portable ancillaries, vehicular ancillaries, deployed Headquarter ancillaries, power support, and operator and maintenance training,” per the DSCA notice. The sale would “ensure NATO warfighters have access to the latest C3I systems and technologies, and will be interoperable with U.S. forces,” the announcement states. “An updated UHF TACSAT radios in the hands of NATO allies and partners will offer significant C3I capabilities at all echelons, from the operational level down to the lowest small unit tactical formation.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2021/02/11/state-clears-first-three-foreign-military-sales-of-biden-administration/

• 

  2 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Sécurité

  Sikorsky HH-60W: The US Air Force's new combat rescue helicopter

  A new generation of Combat Rescue Helicopter AirMed&Rescue's special correspondent Joetey Attariwala was one of a select few journalists invited to Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, to cover the roll-out ceremony of the US Air Force (USAF) new Combat Rescue Helicopter – the Sikorsky HH-60W, affectionately known as the ‘Whiskey'. It was there that he had the opportunity to see the aircraft firsthand and interview program executives from Sikorsky and the USAF. The USAF describes the mission of the Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) system as ‘one which provides Personnel Recovery (PR) forces with a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is quickly deployable and capable of main base and austere location operations for worldwide PR missions'. The CRH system activities may be required during any phase of a service / joint / coalition operation, across the full range of military operations, in any land or sea location, within the areas covered by the relevant defence planning scenarios. The aircraft will be self-supporting to the maximum extent practical; and an in-flight air refueling capability extends the combat mission range. The CRH system may conduct combat search and rescue (CSAR) airborne mission commander duties; and may also conduct other collateral missions inherent in their capabilities to conduct PR, such as non-conventional assisted recovery, national emergency operations, civil SAR, international aid, emergency aeromedical evacuation, disaster and humanitarian relief, counter drug activities, support for National Aeronautics and Space Administration flight operations, and insertion / extraction of combat forces. The CSAR and PR mission is currently being conducted by the HH-60G Pave Hawk, which over the past 30 years has seen extensive use around the world, most notably in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. The Pave Hawk platform has seen modernization over its lifetime; however, system add-ons have increased maintenance and support requirements over the years. Speaking to this point was General James Holmes, Commander of Air Combat Command, who said: “Over 90 per cent of our legacy airplanes – the HH-60G fleet – have sustained combat damage or structural fatigue over the 30-plus years they have been in service, and the current availability rate is well below the requirement.” With statistics like that, it is no wonder the HH-60W is a highly anticipated platform for the USAF. Introducing the Jolly Green II The HH-60W is a highly modified variant of the battle-proven UH-60M Black Hawk, with the ‘Whiskey' variant providing significant capability and reliability advancements over the HH-60G to better support the full range of combat rescue and other special missions. The HH-60W specification drives more capable defensive systems, vulnerability reduction, weapons, cyber security, environmental, expanded adverse weather sensor capabilities, and more comprehensive net-centric requirements. The CRH contract consists of the original Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) award, which was issued on 26 June 2014, and five additional System Demonstration and Test Article (SDTA) aircraft options, which were awarded in January 2017. In all, the CRH program of record calls for 113 helicopters, of which nine are EMD / SDTA aircraft and 104 will be production aircraft. In addition to purchasing the aircraft, the contract includes development and fielding of the aircrew and maintenance training systems along with product support. https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/long-read/sikorsky-hh-60w-us-air-forces-new-combat-rescue-helicopter

• 

  29 mars 2019 | International, Autre défense

  Lockheed Martin Uses Virtual Reality And 3D Printing To Reduce Injuries On The Job

  BETHESDA, Md., March 26, 2019 – Four Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) teams advance as finalists in the 22nd Applied Ergonomics Conference Ergo Cup® Competition, which showcases innovation aimed at reducing risk of injury in the workplace. Lockheed Martin will be one of over 20 companies discussing their ergonomic innovations in the Ergo Cup Competition. “With more than 100,000 employees developing a broad portfolio of products and solutions for national defense, cyber security, logistics and energy we must modernize our approach to ergonomics, safety and health,” says Lockheed Martin Fellow and Corporate Ergonomist Anthony Banks. “This requires new techniques and tooling. Some examples of this include 3D printed tools for helicopter assembly, performing ergonomic evaluations in a virtual environment, and drastically improving manufacturing applications. By focusing on safety, wellbeing and improved business practices, Lockheed Martin is committed to prioritizing sustainability to innovate for the future.” The Lockheed Martin teams competing include: Virtual Reality to Enhance Ergonomics Integration, THAAD Missile Canister Shock Isolator Compression Tool, Weightless High Torque Motor Application for F-35 Vertical Tails Installation and the CH-53K helicopter harness installation from Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. Since their implementation in the workplace, each of the team's ergonomic innovations have yielded outstanding sustainability results and are projected to deliver continued cost savings. The 22nd Applied Ergonomics Conference (AEC) convenes in New Orleans March 25-28 for the annual meetup and exchange of ideas and best practices in ergonomics, healthcare, safety, human resources and risk management. To learn more about #AppliedErgo2019, visit www.iise.org/AEC. https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-03-26-Lockheed-Martin-Uses-Virtual-Reality-and-3D-Printing-to-Reduce-Injuries-on-the-Job