13 mars 2023 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon seeks 21% boost in cyberspace spending
The fiscal 2024 budget blueprint arrives days after the Biden administration shared its latest national cybersecurity strategy.
18 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
Netherlands signs letter of acceptance for $1.2 billion Apache helicopter upgrade
Officials from the Netherlands signed a letter of offer and acceptance to proceed with a $1.2 billion (€878 million) upgrade of the Dutch fleet of AH-64D Apache helicopters with the United States.
State Secretary of Defence for the Netherlands, Barbara Visser and U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency Principal Director for Security Assistance Michèle Hizon signed the letter at Gilze-Rijen Air Base on Friday, September 14, the DSCA said.
The agreement was first announced in February when the U.S. State Department approved the upgrade of 28 Dutch AH-64D Apache attack helicopters to the AH-64E configuration for an estimated cost of $1.191 billion. The principal contractors are Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The Netherlands received its last Apache delivery in 2002 and the helicopters have become technically and operationally out of date after 20 years of service.
The first aircraft will be modernized beginning in 2021 and the first modernized Apaches will be reintroduced to the fleet by mid-2022, according to the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands.
“Reinforcing the armed forces is in full swing. This contract signing is a good example of this. Our operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali have demonstrated the importance of Apaches,” Visser said on Friday. With this modernization our Apaches remain the versatile combat helicopters that our armed forces need.”
Also on Friday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands would pull its F-16 fighter jets from the Islamic State mission in Iraq and Syria by the end of the year. A handful of Dutch special forces will stay in the country to continue training Iraqi forces, while a further 20 military and civil experts will remain part of NATO's capacity-building mission in Iraq, which focuses “on the strengthening of the Iraqi security sector,” the government said.
In June, the Dutch defense ministry said that the Netherlands would end its troop contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali next May. Those troops will be sent to Afghanistan to “extend and intensify” the Dutch contribution to NATO's Resolute Support mission, according to the ministry.
https://thedefensepost.com/2018/09/17/netherlands-apache-helicopter-upgrade-letter/
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30 novembre 2020 | International, Terrestre
Textron Systems readies all-electric Ripsaw M5 UGV
by Melanie Rovery Textron Systems has developed an all-electric version of the Ripsaw M5 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). Delivery of the platform for experimentation and trials will take place in 2021. The Textron Systems-led team, selected by the US Army in January 2020, are to provide four Robotic Combat Vehicles – Medium (RCV-M) with the Ripsaw M5 offering. In addition to the baseline hybrid electric drive (HED) platform, the team will also be delivering an all-electric version called the Ripsaw M5-E. The US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDC, also known as DEVCOM) will receive an M5-E in a flat-deck configuration to support weapons integration testing. Deliveries will start in the second quarter of 2021. The Ripsaw M5 platform is designed and built by Textron Systems' subsidiary Howe and Howe Inc, drawing from the latter's experience in UGV and specialty vehicle development. Despite Howe and Howe's knowledge, there are common issues associated with HED and electric drive (ED) development. One concern is ensuring there is sufficient battery capacity to power the electric motors. A Textron spokesperson told Janes that the company's experience “has allowed us to continually refine our [ED] systems and incorporate these lessons learned into the M5-E, which is designed to provide an all-electric test bed for our customer”. Future challenges for the HED/ED include electric efficiency and charge rates. Textron believes this will be mitigated by improved technology. “Our current solution leverages increased fuel efficiency and is enabled by agile logistics, ensuring adequate fuel is available,” the spokesperson explained. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/textron-systems-readies-all-electric-ripsaw-m5-ugv
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1 février 2024 | International, Aérospatial
Boeing defense biz reports $139M loss across three major programs
Charges on Boeing's five major defense fixed-price programs also totaled $1.6 billion throughout 2023.