11 septembre 2024 | International, Aérospatial
Small fleet, fewer flights weaken Army aircraft training, report says
The main trends point to fewer helicopters, fewer flight hours, but more drones and aircraft available for missions.
9 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Pentagon announces $600M in 5G experiments
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense announced $600 million in contracts for 5G experiments Thursday evening for projects at five military bases across the country.
The long-anticipated awards are for a series of 5G experiments, including smart warehouses, advanced radars, and augmented and virtual reality capabilities. The awards are part of a Pentagon effort to work with commercial vendors to advance the 5G capabilities of both the department and industry.
“The Department of Defense is at the forefront of cutting edge 5G testing and experimentation, which will strengthen our Nation's warfighting capabilities as well as U.S. economic competitiveness in this critical field," said Michael Kratsios, acting under secretary of defense for research and engineering, in a statement. “Through these test sites, the Department is leveraging its unique authorities to pursue bold innovation at a scale and scope unmatched anywhere else in the world. Importantly, today's announcement demonstrates the Department's commitment to exploring the vast potential applications and dual-use opportunities that can be built upon next-generation networks.”
The DoD is setting up test beds at several bases where military leaders, industry and academia will work together on a broad range of experiments. The test beds are Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia; Naval Base San Diego, California; and Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Joseph Evans, the DoD's director of 5G, the department plans for the testbeds to be working in a year.
“Each of the experiments has some aspect that's really new and exciting to us,” Evans told reporters. “In addition, it also provides an opportunity for industry to experiment and mature their technologies along those parallel tracks.”
According to a DoD press release, the bases were chosen because of their access to spectrum, and mature fiber and wireless infrastructure.
At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Pentagon will work with four vendors to experiment with 5G-enabled augmented and virtual reality goggles for mission planning, training and operations using mid-band spectrum. The vendors are GBL System Corp., AT&T, Oceus Networks and Booz Allen Hamilton. Evans told reporters that in year three of the work at the base the department wants a “brigade-sized deployment of the technology.”
The department will also address 5G spectrum sharing challenges with cellular networks through an experiment at Hill Air Force Base. The project, according to a DoD press release, will “develop sharing/coexistence system prototypes and evaluate their effectiveness with real-world, at-scale networks in controlled environments.” The department is seeking to allow sharing or coexistence between airborne radar systems and 5G cellular technology in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.
Vendors for the spectrum sharing test bed include Nokia, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, Key Bridge Wireless, Shared Spectrum Company and Ericsson.
The Defense Department is also partnering with AT&T at Nellis Air Force Base for a distributed command and control testbed to enhance C2 survivability in combat. The telecom giant will eventually provide a mobile 5G environment with high capacity, low latency communications to meet the needs of a mobile combined air operations center.
“We're basically trying to make our forces more survivable by taking command and control functions that have long been housed in single buildings and spread them out and make them make them mobile,” Evans told reporters. “So [we're] really trying to change the way our forces are deployed in the field.”
The department will experiment with 5G-enabled smart warehouses at both Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga.
The project in San Diego will focus on transshipment between shore facilities and naval units, while the Marines Corps project will center on vehicle storage and maintenance.
Both projects will work “to increase the efficiency and fidelity of ... operations, including identification, recording, organization, storage, retrieval, and transportation of materiel and supplies,” a DoD press release said.
Industry partners for the San Diego-based project are AT&T, GE Research, Vectrus Mission Solutions Corporation and Deloitte. AT&T will use cullar spectrum in the sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave bands, the DoD press release said.
Partners at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga. are Federated Wireless, GE Research, KPMG and Scientific Research Corporation.
The Air Force also recently chose AT&T to provide 5G capabilities at three bases.
The DoD is also in the process of choosing vendors for 5G experiments at seven more bases. According to Evans, the first solicitation release and industry day for the Navy and Marines Corps bases in that tranche will come in mid-October using the Navy's Information Warfare Research Project consortium. The Air Force and Army solicitations are expected to be rolled out through December through the National Spectrum Consortium, Evans said.
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9 octobre 2019 | International, Naval
Lockheed Martin Australia awards $37m contract to Safran to provide key systems design for Australia’s Future Submarines
October 8, 2019 - SYDNEY, Australia - Lockheed Martin Australia, together with the Department of Defence, today announced the appointment of Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia Pty Ltd (Safran) to design three major Combat System components for Australia's Future Submarine Program. The $36.77 million contract, which will be in force until May 2023, will see Safran deliver the preliminary and detailed designs for the combat system's optronics search and attack mast, navigation radar and navigation data distribution components. The contract scope will also include delivery of prototypes and interface simulators to enable Lockheed Martin Australia, as the combat system integrator, to conduct further test activities and validate the integrated performance of the combat system in its Adelaide-based Combat System Architecture Laboratory (CSAL). While the contract represents the initial phase of development activities (including the development of design up to and including the component-level critical design reviews), it will also see Safran establish sovereign capabilities at its new facility in Botany, NSW, for the build, integration and ongoing sustainment of these components. As part of its delivery of this work, Safran will subcontract two Australian companies, Acacia Systems and Thomas Global Systems, for the design and development of software and hardware, respectively. The contract will result in more than 11 full-time positions being created and sustained locally across Safran and its partners. Speaking at the PACIFIC 2019 International Maritime Exposition, Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive, Joe North, congratulated Safran on the appointment and said he looked forward to working with the Australian team to support the Royal Australian Navy with enhanced sovereign capability. "Lockheed Martin Australia, in concert with the Department of Defence, is committed to maximising opportunities for Australian industry involvement through all phases of the Future Submarine Program," he said. "Safran represents the international benchmark in submarine optronics and navigation systems, and we are honoured to welcome the company and its partners to our Australian combat system team." Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia CEO, Alexis de Pelleport, said the contract represents an important step towards strengthening the company's footprint and workforce in Australia. "The contract with Lockheed Martin Australia and the Department of Defence will allow us to meet our shared objective of supporting local employment and developing Australian expertise at our Botany facility and through our local partners," he said. "We are pleased to be working with Lockheed Martin Australia and the Commonwealth to deliver a superior submarine fleet for the region." About Lockheed Martin Australia Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1000 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. In 2016 Lockheed Martin Australia was announced as the combat system integrator for Australia's Future Submarine Program, charged with collaborating with the Department of Defence and Naval Group to design a combat system that would provide an enhanced submarine capability for Australia. About Safran Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aircraft propulsion and equipment, space and defense markets. Safran has a global presence, with more than 92,000 employees and sales of 21 billion euros in 2018. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices. Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia has complete access to Safran's OEM knowledge and global network to locally support its customers. Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense based in Sydney, Australia. For more information: www.safran-group.com and www.safran-electronics-defense.com / Follow @Safran and @SafranElecDef on Twitter CONTACT US Media Contact • Michelle Scully Head of Communications Australia and New Zealand Lockheed Martin Australia +61 448 032 387 michelle.m.scully@lmco.com Media Contact • Pascal Debergé Press Officer Safran Electronics & Defense +33 1 55 60 41 38 pascal.deberge@safrangroup.com Media Contact • Amaury Finaz Maritime Director Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia +61 429 073 600 amaury.finaz@safrangroup.com View source version on Safran Group: https://www.safran-group.com/media/lockheed-martin-australia-awards-37m-contract-safran-provide-key-systems-design-australias-future-submarines-20191008
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18 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Japan to cease in-country assembly of F-35 jets
By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan has confirmed it will not use in-country final assembly facilities for its next lot of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets. A spokesperson from the U.S. ally's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, or ATLA, told Defense News it will instead acquire aircraft imported from overseas for its upcoming fiscal 2019 contract. The ATLA spokesperson referred Defense News to Japan's Defense Ministry when asked why Japan will stop local assembly and checkout for its F-35s. The ministry has yet to respond to inquiries. However, the recent defense guidelines and five-year defense plan released by the Japan government in late December said the country wants to “acquire high-performance equipment at the most affordable prices possible” and “review or discontinue projects of low cost-effectiveness.” The Japanese government earlier that month approved the country's defense budget, which includes $612.35 million for the acquisition of six F-35As for the upcoming Japanese fiscal year that runs from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. The budget additionally allocates $366.12 million for “other related expenses,” which include maintenance equipment tied to Japan's F-35 program. Japan has taken the local final assembly and checkout, or FACO, route since 2013 for the final assembly of F-35As it previously ordered. According to the ATLA spokesperson, the FACO facility, which is operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will continue to carry out production work until FY22 to fulfill the F-35As contracted by Japan between FY15 and FY18. Japan has struggled to sustain its local industrial base, with recently released defense guidelines acknowledging it needs to overcome “challenges such as high costs due to low volume, high-mix production and lack of international competitiveness.” According to Japanese budget documents, the country agreed to purchase 24 of the F-35As, with each aircraft costing an average $144.2 million, although the cost per aircraft has been on a downward trend, with the FY18 batch costing $119.7 million each. (Both figures are based on current exchange rates and do not take into account currency conversion fluctuations.) In addition to the 42 F-35As, Japan has also indicated it intends to procure a further 105 F-35s, which will include 42 of the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant. The defense plan has called for the acquisition of 45 F-35s over the next five years, of which 18 will be F-35Bs. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2019/01/17/japan-to-cease-in-country-assembly-of-f-35-jets