Pentagon terminates program for redesigned kill vehicle, preps for new competition

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  19 août 2019 | International, C4ISR

  Pentagon seeks $104.29 billion military research budget for 2020 -- an increase of 8.7 percent

  WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is asking Congress for an 8.7 percent increase in the military's research and development budget next year, in what would be a major boost for crucial enabling technologies in communications, surveillance, computers, electronic warfare (EW), electro-optics, and related electronics technologies. By John Keller WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is asking Congress for an 8.7 percent increase in the military research and development budget next year, in what would be a major boost for crucial enabling technologies in communications, surveillance, computers, electronic warfare (EW), electro-optics, and related electronics technologies. DOD officials are asking for $104.29 billion for electronics-rich research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) projects in the department's fiscal 2020 budget request, which was released this week. That's up 8.7 percent from the $95.96 billion DOD researchers received this year. Federal fiscal year 2020 begins next Oct. 1. The research budget typically is heavy in technology development, and is where the Pentagon pays for electronics technologies considered to be critical for tomorrow's weapon systems. Of this RDT&E request, the U.S. Air Force is asking for $46.07 billion; defense agencies for $25.17 billion; the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for $20.43 billion; and the U.S. Army for $12.4 billion. This represents a plus-up for each service branch over this year: 11 percent for the Air Force; 4.6 percent for defense agencies; 9.5 percent for the Navy and Marine Corps; and 9 percent for the Army. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), one of the Pentagon's premiere research organizations, would receive a 3.8 percent increase in 2020, increasing from $3.43 billion to $3.56 billion. In applied research in 2020, DARPA is asking for $512.4 million for network-centric warfare technologies -- an 18.1 percent increase; $232.1 million for command, control, and communications systems -- a 24.8 percent increase; $163.9 million for sensor technologies -- an 11.7 percent reduction; and $128.6 million for advanced electronics technologies -- a 15.8 percent increase. In basic research DARPA is asking for $442.6 million for information and communications technologies -- a 9.3 percent increase; $337.6 million for tactical technology -- a 9.1 percent increase; and $332.2 million for electronics technology -- a 5 percent reduction. In other defense agencies, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in 2020 is asking for $7.25 billion -- a 1.7 percent increase. In advanced technology development, MDA is asking for $1.16 billion for the ballistic missile defense midcourse defense segment -- a 44 percent increase; $727.5 million for Aegis shipboard ballistic missile defense -- an 18.7 percent reduction; $571.5 million for ballistic missile defense enabling programs -- an 8.6 percent reduction; and $564.2 million for ballistic missile defense command and control -- an 11.1 percent increase. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is asking for $5.29 billion for research and development in 2020 -- a 10.2 percent reduction; the Chemical and Biological Defense program is asking for $1.05 billion -- a 5.4 percent increase; the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is asking for $820.3 million -- a 34 percent increase; and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is asking for $542.9 million -- a 92.4 percent increase. In Special Operations Command advanced technology development programs, SOCOM is asking for $245.8 million for aviation systems -- a 39.8 percent increase; $167.6 million for operational enhancements -- a 62.8 percent increase; $72.6 million for maritime systems -- a 71 percent increase; $68.3 million for warrior systems -- a 9.1 percent reduction; $42.4 million for unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) -- a 6.1 percent reduction; and $20.7 million for the MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -- a 12.5 percent increase. https://www.militaryaerospace.com/computers/article/16721966/pentagon-seeks-10429-billion-military-research-budget-for-2020-an-increase-of-87-percent

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  17 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval

  Astronics awarded contracts to support Boeing’s MQ-25 unmanned tanker for the U.S. Navy

  ASTRONICS PRESS RELEASE | FEBRUARY 17, 2021 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 12 seconds. Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for global aerospace, defense and other mission critical industries, has been awarded contracts by The Boeing Company to supply CorePower® aircraft power distribution units and custom-engineered exterior lighting for the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling program. “Our CorePower® Electronic Circuit Breaker Unit (ECBU) technology is ideally suited for use in unmanned aircraft. This COTS power distribution technology will support the success of the MQ-25 program by providing intelligent control and visibility of the on-board power systems,” said Pete Gundermann, President and CEO of Astronics. “Additionally, we are proud to bring our exterior lighting expertise for military programs to Boeing on this project.” The CorePower system replaces pilot-operated, thermal mechanical breaker systems with intelligently controlled, solid-state switches to provide safe, reliable performance remotely. The system planned for the MQ-25 incorporates the use of Astronics' latest generation ECBU products to create an evenly distributed system at a fraction of the wire weight and increased reliability compared with traditional systems. Astronics is also currently working with Boeing to design custom lighting for the MQ-25 that to provide for safe operations for flight deck personnel and aid in the aerial refueling process. The MQ-25 is the U.S. Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft and is designed to provide a much-needed refueling capability. The contract supports Boeing's engineering and manufacturing development program. “The MQ-25 program is vital because it will help the U.S. Navy to extend the range of the carrier air wing and Boeing and our industry team is all-in on delivering this capability,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing's MQ-25 program director. “The work we're doing is also foundational for the future of Boeing – where we're building autonomous systems from seabed to space.” For more information on the CorePower® ECBU technology, visit www.astronics.com/aircraft-power-distribution or Astronics' aircraft lighting solutions, visit www.astronics.com/aircraft-exterior-lighting. This press release was prepared and distributed by Astronics. https://skiesmag.com/press-releases/astronics-awarded-contracts-to-support-boeings-mq-25-unmanned-tanker-for-the-u-s-navy/

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  6 mai 2020 | International, Terrestre

  Old Weapons Under Fire As COVID Debt Rises

  With defense budgets expected to be coming in flat under even best-case scenarios, the time for tough decisions might be coming. By PAUL MCLEARY WASHINGTON: The Pentagon may slash older weapons programs to buy new ones in coming years if the federal government's COVID-19 response takes a big bite out of budgets, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said today. Before the global pandemic slammed American society and ground the economy to a halt, Pentagon leaders were already looking at flat defense budgets and were casting about for fat to trim. But the trillions Congress and the Trump administration has pumped into the economy, which falls on top of an already exploding budget deficit, could make predictions of flat budgets look optimistic. Esper told reporters at the Pentagon he would target older programs: “We need to move away from the legacy, and we need to invest those dollars in the future. And we have a lot of legacy programs out there right now — I could pick dozens out from all branches of the services” that could be cut or curtailed. As Army Secretary in 2018, Esper's “Night Courts” saved the service some $33 billion through scrapping oler programs with an eye to pumping cash into new weapons programs. The Navy is undergoing a review that aims to shave $40 billion in the coming years, and the Marine Corps is aggressively getting rid of troops, tanks, helicopters, and — possibly — trimming the F-35 to make room for modernization investments. In particular, the massive modernization of the nuclear delivery systems will not be touched. Esper said “we're not going to risk the strategic deterrent we need to modernize,” if budgets trend downward, but acknowledged that cutting old weapons systems before their replacements were ready “would mean probably accepting some near term risk, but I think [modernizing is] important given the trajectory that China is on, and we know where Russia may be going in the coming year.” Earlier this week, Esper said he was concerned that exploding budget deficits would put an end to the dream of 3% to 5% yearly defense budget growth, which he had targeted for Pentagon modernization. “There is a concern there that that may lead to smaller defense budgets in the future at the critical time we need to continue making this adjustment, where we look at China, then Russia, as our long-term strategic competitors,” he said at the Brookings Institute. Some lawmakers are bracing for the coming cuts. “I am extremely concerned about that,” House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Mike Gallagher told me recently. “I think it is going to require defense hawks, like myself, to make not only more energetic arguments, but new and creative geopolitical arguments,” to advocate for spending on modernization programs. “If you assume downward pressure on the defense budget, it means that DoD will need to get the most out of every dollar spent.” Those arguments will be critically important for the services as they pitch their latest modernization efforts. “I think the budget comes down sooner rather than later,” Mackenzie Eaglen, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said during a recent webinar Adding fuel to that view was Todd Harrison, DoD budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Security, who added, “what has historically happened is, when Congress's fiscal conservatives come out and get serious about reducing the debt, reducing spending on defense is almost always part of what they come up with for a solution,” he said. “So, we could be looking at a deficit-driven defense drawdown coming.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/05/old-weapons-under-fire-as-covid-debt-rises/