10 juillet 2019 | International, Aérospatial

ORDERS RECEIVED IN TOTAL WORTH 2 BILLION NOK FOR DELIVERIES TO F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) has finalized a contract with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics adding up to 2 Billion NOK for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, where 700 MNOK has been incrementally ordered in previous quarters. The agreement covers production lots 12-14 for rudders, vertical leading edges and main landing gear closeout panels for all three versions of the F-35, totalling more than 500 aircraft.

“This contract confirms KONGSBERG's strong and long term position in the F-35 Program. The F-35 program will produce aircraft for many years to come. This order secures continuous production at KONGBERG's factory, and just as important, paves the way for future contracts”, says Eirik Lie, President Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS.

https://www.kongsberg.com/news-and-media/news-archive/2019/orders-received-in-total-worth-2-billion-nok-for-deliveries-to-f-35-joint-strike-fighter/

Sur le même sujet

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 26, 2019

    27 novembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 26, 2019

    NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $831,008,187 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides for the production and delivery of 15 lot 14 F-35A aircraft and associated red gear in support of the Government of Australia. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (59%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Non-U.S. Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $831,008,187 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $327,950,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract to procure long lead material, parts and components in support of the Lot 15 production and delivery of 48 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35%); El Segundo, California (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Florida (10%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%), and is expected to be completed in June 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $327,950,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0009). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $29,180,420 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously-awarded contract N00024-16-C-5103 for additional Aegis combat system engineering, computer program maintenance, in-country support, staging support and implementation studies in support of current and future Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Aegis shipbuilding programs in support of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, Spanish Armada, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy, with scope available to support other potential FMS customers. The current Aegis FMS programs supported include the Japanese Kongo and Atago-class ships, Korean KDX III class ships, Spanish F-100 and F-110 program, Norwegian F310-class ships and Australian Hunter and Hobart-class ships. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (96%); Tokyo, Japan (1%); Seoul, South Korea (1%); Bergen, Norway (1%); and Adelaide, Australia (1%), and is expected to be completed by June 2020. FMS funding in the amount of $29,180,420 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, was awarded a $27,248,586 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Short Pulse Research, Evaluation and non-Space, Weight and Power (SWAP) demonstration for Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS). Work will be performed in Kansas City, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. The period of performance is 55 months including a 48-month base period, three 24-month option periods, two 32-month option periods, and three 36-month option periods, which will run concurrently Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of of $8,314,445 are obligated at time of award and incrementally funded with a base period valued at $7,913,051 and options at $19,335,535, and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was originally competitively procured under N00014-18-S-B001 FY18 long range broad agency announcement (BAA). Since proposals will be received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation cannot be determined at this time. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia is the contracting activity (N00014-18- C-1017-P00006). (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Applied Physical Sciences Corp, Groton, Connecticut, was awarded a $23,225,953 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the multi-disciplinary tools, technologies, and experimental methods in support of future naval platform stealth and operations. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (87%); and Cheswick, Pennsylvania (13 %), and is expected to be completed by October 2024. The total cumulative value of this contract including the base period is $23,225,953. This contract has no options. Fiscal year 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of $146,749 are obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-19-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology.” Since proposals will be received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation cannot be determined at this time. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014- 20-C-0001). (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $17,620,319 fixed-price-incentive (firm target), cost and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-5104 to exercise options for ship integration and test of the AEGIS Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. The contract provides for AEGIS shipboard integration engineering, AEGIS test team support, AEGIS modernization team engineering support, ballistic missile defense test team support, and AWS element assessments. This contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for five new construction DDG 51 class ships, the major modernization of five DDG 51 class ships, and the major modernization of six CG 47 class ships. It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS baselines up to and including ACB 12. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (44%); Everett, Washington (42%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (4%); Bath, Maine (3%); Moorestown, New Jersey (3%); Camden, New Jersey (2%); and various places below one percent (2%), and is expected to be complete by November 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy-OPN); fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy-OMN); and fiscal 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy-SCN) funding in the amount of $10,882,412 will be obligated at the time of award, and $589,453 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year — fiscal 2020 OPN, 92%; fiscal 2020 OMN, 5%; and fiscal 2013 SCN, 3%. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $13,741,368 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-20-F-0338) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This delivery order provides production engineering support for the installment and integration of weapon systems on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. This delivery order also includes an option for research development, test and evaluation production engineering support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (82%); and St. Louis, Missouri (18%), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,641,692 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Centurum Information Technology Inc., Marlton, New Jersey, is awarded an $11,665,502 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide technical sustainment engineering, logistics and modernization support for integrated and non-integrated shipboard and ashore installations of satellite communications systems. Support will be provided to the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army, Air Force and Department of Homeland Security programs. This one-year contract includes four one-year options, which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contact to an estimated $59,414,364. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (40%); onboard Navy ships (40%); and at the contractor's facilities in Marlton, New Jersey (20%). The period of performance of the base award is Nov. 26, 2019, to Nov. 25, 2020. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Nov. 25, 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-18-R-0119, which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Two proposals were received and one was selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-D-0119). University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, was awarded an $8,514,445 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract N00014-18-C-1017. The total value of this contract is $27,248,586, including base and exercised options. This modification provides for the short pulse research, evaluation and non-space, weight and power demonstration for counter-small unmanned aerial systems. Work will be performed at Kansas City, Missouri, with an expected completion date of March 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,314,445 are obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $8,314,445 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $7,993,893 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) for littoral combat ships (LCS) industrial post-delivery availability (IPDA) support for LCS 24. This contract modification is for IPDA efforts for LCS 24. Austal USA will provide shipboard support to implement approved engineering change proposals, approved government-responsible deficiencies identified during test and trials, and crew-related activities and preventative maintenance. Austal will also provide program management support and logistics support for technical documentation affected by the work performed. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (80%); and Pittsfield, Massachusetts (20%), and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-11-C-2301). AIR FORCE M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $101,871,372 modification to previously awarded contract FA4890-16-C-0005 for the backshop and flight line maintenance of multiple aircraft types on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional year of maintenance support under the multiple year contract. Work will be performed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $526,894,462. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $101,871,372 will be obligated at the time of the award. The Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity. The Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a $93,000,000 bilateral modification (P00002) to previously awarded contract FA8819-18-D-0009 for additional engineering support services, systems engineering for complex systems, specialized research and development and other support functions. This modification increases the ceiling of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the previously awarded amount of $93,000,000 to $186,000,000. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by May 10, 2025. The total ceiling of the contract is $186,000,000. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance; and fiscal 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 research and development funds are being used and no funding is being obligated at the time of the award. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. Coulson Aircrane Ltd., Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, has been awarded a $39,262,254 firm-fixed and cost-type contract to procure design, engineering, development, manufacture and install of a 4000 gallon fire retardant delivery system for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The contract award provides a 27 month period of performance. Work will be performed at Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, and is expected to be completed by February 2022. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $39,262,254. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $36,730,820 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8504-20-C-0001). Phoenix Management Inc., Austin, Texas, has been awarded a $12,097,480 face value, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, labor hour modification (P00004) to previously awarded contract FA6606-19-C-A003 for base operations support services at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. This contract modification is for the addition of an option for an additional 12 months of service. Work will be performed at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $20,942,258. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The 439th Contracting Flight, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Corp., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded an $8,517,484 modification (P00093) under previously awarded contract FA8705-14-C-0001 to exercise the interim contractor support, data and travel option for Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal. Work will be performed at Largo, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. The total cumulative value of the contract is now $348,366,192. Fiscal 2019 other procurement funds in the amount of $8,517,484 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Material Command, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. The Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded an $8,308,308 cost-plus-fixed-fee change order contract modification (P00148) to the previously award contract FA8705-13-C-0005 for the Software InfoSec Module (SIM) Support Fixture (SSF). The contract modification is for the development and test of the SSF, which is used to maintain operational spare SIMS on the shelf to maintain the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals Operation availability requirement for fielded sites. Work will be performed at Marlborough, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $400,411,224. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation in the amount of $500,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. ARMY Leidos, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $71,539,840 modification (P00010) to contract W52P1J-18-C-0047 for support services at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant, Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant and the Anniston Field Office. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 23, 2028. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation Army funds in the amount of $6,941,878 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Complete Mobile Dentistry,* Windsor, Wisconsin, was awarded a $19,832,365 firm-fixed-price contract for personal services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 21 received. Work will be performed in Windsor, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 Department of Defense acquisition workforce development funds in the amount of $19,832,365 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-20-F-0011). Complete Mobile Dentistry,* Windsor, Wisconsin, was awarded a $15,013,694 firm-fixed-price contract for personal services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 21 received. Work will be performed in Windsor, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 Department of Defense acquisition workforce development funds in the amount of $15,013,694 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-20-F-0014). Pick Electric Inc.,* Spokane, Washington, was awarded a $9,157,622 firm-fixed-price contract for upgrades to the direct current system and low voltage switchgears at the lower Granite Lock and Dam powerhouse. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Pomeroy, Washington, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 11, 2023. Fiscal 2020 firm-fixed-price funds in the amount of $5,351,690 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla, Washington, is the contracting activity (W912EF-20-C-0003). Crawford Consulting,* East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $9,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for engineering and construction management services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 10 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-20-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Sustainment Technologies LLC, Bryan, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $32,500,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 101 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with a Nov. 25, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0024). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Georgia, was a awarded a maximum $93,000,000 modification on an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (H92403-18-D-0002-P00002) for operational flight program upgrades on SOF C-130 fixed wing aircraft along with systems engineering and integration support activities encompassing multiple third party systems sources for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The work will be performed in Marietta and is expected to be completed by April 2024. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis. USSOCOM Headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2027618/source/GovDelivery/

  • US Army commissions ‘world’s largest 3D printer’

    22 juillet 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

    US Army commissions ‘world’s largest 3D printer’

    3D Systems and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) have been awarded a US$15 million contract by the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to create what they say will be the ‘world's largest, fastest, and most precise metal 3D printer'. The machine will be used for long-range munitions, combat vehicles, helicopters, and air and missile defense applications, the company said. According to the US Army, it already uses additive manufacturing (AM) to refurbish worn parts and create custom tools. Plans are to develop large-scale systems for installation in its depots and labs. Subsequently, 3D Systems and its partners also aim to make the new 3D printer technology available to aerospace and defense suppliers. The printer's build envelope is planned to be 1000 mm x 1000 mm x 600 mm, with ability to build minimum wall thickness of 100 µm and layer thickness of 30 µm. This is a significant increase over current large-scale metal 3D printers with a build envelope of 500 mm x 500 mm x 500 mm, 3D Systems said. 'Up until now, powder bed laser 3D printers have been too small, too slow, and too imprecise to produce major ground combat subsystems at scale,' said Dr Joseph South, ARL program manager. 3D Systems also plans to integrate the new technologies and processes into its existing range of 3D printers. https://www.materialstoday.com/additive-manufacturing/news/us-army-commissions-worlds-largest-3d-printer/

  • BAE execs explain the thinking behind their latest acquisition

    26 mars 2020 | International, C4ISR

    BAE execs explain the thinking behind their latest acquisition

    By: Mark Pomerleau In late January, Arlington, Virginia-based BAE Systems Inc. announced two acquisitions to bolster its electronic systems sector, a move that reflected a combined investment of $2.2 billion. The purchase included $1.9 billion for Collins Aerospace's GPS receivers business and $275 million for Raytheon's tactical airborne radios. Company leaders saw an opportunity. GPS receivers could provide secure and resilient position data that would help precision-guided munitions become more accurate. Airborne tactical radios, typically installed on rotary, fixed-wing aircraft and drones, would create a new business for BAE's electronic systems sector. The properties became available because of a proposed merger between United Technologies and Raytheon, and BAE's two top executives said they see the purchase as a way to more closely hew their businesses toward the Pentagon's long-term needs. Specifically, they point to the 2018 National Defense Strategy. A closing is dependent on the Raytheon-United Technologies merger and is expected in the first half of 2020. C4ISRNET's Mark Pomerleau spoke recently with Jerry DeMuro, BAE's chief executive, and Tom Arseneault, company president and chief operating officer, about the thinking behind the investment. C4ISRNET: How do you see these acquisitions fitting into BAE overall? What opportunities could this create? Jerry DeMuro: As we look at the National Defense Strategy and we look at the service modernization priorities and where we think customers are headed in our core markets, we think that these two businesses are very relevant. We have capabilities in those areas that these properties complement very well. Both of them happen to be very mature, well-established, strong technology-based businesses that are on the cusp of significant growth because of the relevance to the service priorities. [It's a] unique opportunity [that] only came about because of the UTC-Raytheon merger. We were very pleased to see it [and we were] opportunistic in going after them. Tom Arseneault: Precision and autonomy are two key things that run through the Defense Strategy and priorities in the services and the technologies that [Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering] Dr. [Mike] Griffin talks about. With autonomy, you need to know where you are. Position data is important. Secure, resilient position information. Military GPS is a critical underlying technology. With Collins, you've got a company that's been doing this for 40-plus years and a million and a half of these devices are out there going to M-Code [a new military signal used for GPS]. Autonomy, ditto. You need to know where you are ... certainly with precision-guided munitions. You're also relying on secure communications. You need to know where you are, and you need to be able to communicate with the systems around you. C4ISRNET: How do you see these new businesses complementing what you already have and allowing you to pursue contracts that you couldn't before? DeMuro: We've been working for a number of years now — most people don't know — but we have a precision-guided munitions business. We provide the seekers for the THAAD [Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense]; we provide all the smarts in terms of combining EW, precision locating and navigating in the LRASM [Long-Range Anti- Ship] missile. We just won the [Precision Guidance Kit] contract — precision-guided mortar. We are also the provider of the high-velocity projectile and putting these kinds of capabilities in there. It's a great fit for that business, but also in many of the other things that we produce. Combining this kind of capability gives us a whole new market that we can bring their capabilities to. And the same thing applies in the radio world, software-defined radios. We can take some of those waveforms and incorporate them in devices that we have today in our C4ISR portfolio. It's not about cost synergies; it's really about market synergies in those places where we're headed already. C4ISRNET: Obviously, some of those capabilities, such as THAAD, are dependent on a lot of disparate systems. Does this acquisition help BAE become more interoperable with a lot of other systems? DeMuro: Think about a product that we make today, the Link 16 [military tactical data link network]. Arseneault: We own the Link 16 waveform as part of the fundamental portfolio of our current communications business. Now we'll be able to add that family of waveforms, we'll be able to use it on these acquired radios and then vice versa. There's a number of waveforms — software-defined radio waveforms — that come with this portfolio, that we will be able to then market out through our existing communication devices. THAAD was more on the precision side. While THAAD, itself, is a seeker of a type, I think this is more applicable to some of the new next-generation seekers that will want to be multimodal. So it's [electro-optical/infrared], it'll be radio frequency and GPS. [We want to] have as many opportunities to get a really good sense of what's driving precision. With a million-and-a-half devices out there, there is a whole wide set of customers that these will continue to supply. But this will also be a good opportunity for us to incorporate that technology into some of our roadmaps. SECTR [Seeker Cost Transformation] is a DARPA program, a next-generation multimodal seeker. So, GPS will be a piece of that. The idea being where seekers are more modular and so you can use a seeker on multiple weapon types and reduce costs and have greater efficiency. C4ISRNET: Are you thinking of a card you can plug in? Or more software adaptable? DeMuro: Chip sets, right. Combined functionality ... because it's all about size, weight and power and cost as you get out there. But the presence of these two product families, and what has to happen to upgrade them in and of itself, supports the business case. We didn't really include a lot of synergies in the business case, but we see some real opportunity there. C4ISRNET: Can you expand on the autonomy side? I see how the GPS, and linking GPS to radio, can lead to greater precision, but where do you see opportunities on the autonomy side? Arseneault: Autonomous systems need to know where they are. Secure, resilient position information is critical ... DeMuro: Anti-spoofing. Arseneault: These sorts of devices are going to find their way into many if not all of the modern autonomous systems. Likewise, you need to be able to communicate with things around you. As we're headed to swarms, they want to know where they are. They want to know where all of their surrounding platforms are. Manned-unmanned teaming is another version of autonomy where you want to know, and you want to be able to communicate with your wingman as they call it. DeMuro: If you think about anti-access/aerial denial, doing all of this in a contested environment — it's got to be secure. M-Code is absolutely essential to that. These waveforms, low probability of intercept, low probability of detection and also software-defined radios are very agile in moving around to enable that in contested environments. Both of these properties help accomplish that. C4ISRNET: You mentioned the National Defense Strategy; what role do these non-kinetic capabilities play in future conflicts? DeMuro: They're foundational. If you don't have them, you can't operate in the future environment. https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2020/03/23/bae-execs-explain-the-thinking-behind-their-latest-acquisition

Toutes les nouvelles