24 septembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Le 1er F-35 (009) qui accueillera les Pays-Bas à partir de cet automne a été présenté aujourd'hui à Cameri, en Italie. L'Italien Leonardo construit là-bas le nouvel avion de chasse du fabricant Lockheed Martin. Le constructeur aéronautique italien dispose d'une chaîne de production d'ailes et d'une chaîne de montage sur laquelle il assemble les aéronefs.
La secrétaire d'État Barbara Visser et sa collègue Mona Keijzer d'Effaires économiques et climat étaient présentes à la cérémonie.
Visser: «Avec le F-35 et, plus tard, le MQ-9 Reaper, l'armée de l'air obtiendra les plus belles choses que les autres envient. Et ce sera une année merveilleuse pour Leeuwarden. Dans 49 jours, le 31 octobre, l'armée de l'air recevra l'avion à cet endroit. C'est fantastique que nous travaillions ensemble en Europe pour construire cet avion, mais aussi pour le maintenir plus tard. "
"Un exemple parfait de la manière dont la sécurité nationale et les affaires économiques vont de pair", répond Keijzer. "Le F-35 apporte aux Pays-Bas la prospérité en matière de défense, de croissance économique et d'innovation dans les entreprises."
Le '009' restera en Italie encore quelques semaines, y compris des vols d'essai. Directeur du matériel de défense, Vice-amiral Arie Jan de Waard. «Nous acceptons l'appareil et le transférons ensuite à l'armée de l'air le plus rapidement possible. Le plus court chez nous, le plus tôt l'utilisateur peut commencer avec elle. "
À Cameri, Leonardo construit le F-35A pour ses propres forces aériennes et 29 unités pour les Pays-Bas. Avec la distribution des plus gros contrats il y a une dizaine d'années, il avait été convenu que l'Italie supprimerait progressivement les avions. Les Pays-Bas assurent la maintenance des moteurs des F-35 italien et néerlandais au moins. Cela se passe au centre logistique de Woensdrecht. Il y a aussi «l'entrepôt» européen, le lieu de stockage de pièces du F-35.
Dans Cameri, les 4 composants principaux d'un F-35 sont combinés. Leonardo construit lui-même l'un de ces composants, la section d'aile. Une partie de celle-ci est utilisée pour le processus de construction sur site. Mais la grande majorité va à l'usine Lockheed Martin aux États-Unis. Là, ils sont utilisés pour des appareils provenant, par exemple, d'Amérique, d'Australie, du Danemark, de Norvège et de Corée du Sud.
Aux Pays-Bas, d'autres F-35 sont actuellement sur la chaîne de production en Italie à différentes étapes. Le prochain F-010 devrait se rendre aux Pays-Bas cette année encore. La livraison de ce dernier est maintenant prévue pour le milieu de 2023. Les Pays-Bas disposeront alors de 37 avions.
21 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
TOKYO—Japanese engineers, working on replacing fasteners with glue, are applying composite to combat-aircraft substructure as well as the ... http://aviationweek.com/defense/glue-japan-uses-composite-fighter-substructure
19 septembre 2023 | International, Terrestre
The extension will allow the U.S. customer to place orders of Saab’s world-leading close combat solutions for up to an additional USD 422 million.
24 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has opened up cash flow for the defense industry, the latest in a series of moves from the department to combat economic damage brought about by the new coronavirus pandemic. In a memo released Sunday, the department announced that progress payment rates for defense items under contract will increase from 80 percent of cost to 90 percent for large businesses, and from 90 percent to 95 percent for small businesses. The move will allow industry to receive more cash up front than under normal circumstances. The order was signed by Kim Herrington, acting principal director for defense pricing and contracting at the Department of Defense. In a statement, spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews called the move “an important avenue where industry cash flow can be improved." The Defense Contracting Management Agency “will work on mass modifications to contracts where applicable (vs one by one) using DCMA authorities,” Andrews said. “In addition, the Department is accelerating payments through several means to prime contracts and directing prime contracts to expedite payments to subcontractors.” The increase in cash flow was sought by both industry and supporters in Congress. An increase in early payments was one of the requests made by the Maine delegation to Defense Secretary Mark Esper last week. The Pentagon plans to return to normal operations once the national emergency caused by COVID-19 has passed. Notably, the announcement of the move included a warning that “it is especially important to understand that during this crisis the [defense-industrial base] is vulnerable to adversarial capital, we need to ensure companies stay in business without losing their technology.” Over the last two years the department has focused on ensuring Chinese investment is limited in the defense-industrial base. The move comes after the DoD issued guidance to industry that defense contractors are considered “critical infrastructure” under a Department of Homeland Security definition, which should allow contractors to continue to work even if local governments issue orders to freeze work, as has happened in New York and San Francisco. However, that guidance was advisory in nature and does not have the full legal authority that industry leadership had sought, per a Friday letter to Esper from the Aerospace Industry Association. “Recent DHS and USD (A&S) memoranda have been helpful on a case-by-case basis, but they are advisory in nature and not legally binding; to establish stability for our operations across the nation, the federal government should legally establish national security programs and our workforce as essential,” read the letter, signed by AIA head Eric Fanning; Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden; and Kelly Ortberg, special adviser to the Office of the CEO of United Technologies. In an investors note, analyst Roman Schweizer of Cowen noted: “These new policies provide clarity on issues companies have been concerned about, but we do not think they alleviate all of industry's concerns nor do they eliminate all the disruption. But they are positive signs that DoD will help mitigate reasonable impact.” More efforts are likely to emerge in the coming days, including new measures from the Small Business Administration and its small business emergency loan program to help protect small key defense suppliers who are particularly vulnerable at this time. Major defense industry partners are also seeking relief in fulfilling contract milestones that could be impacted by the outbreak. “We encourage DoD to publish regulatory authority requiring contracting officers to consider financial relief as part of requests for equitable adjustments for measures we take in response to COVID-19,” the AIA letter read. “This includes relief related to bans, closures, quarantines and other travel restrictions, the loss of public infrastructure and public transportation, restricted access to resources and tools, and other public safety restrictions.” On Friday, the Acquisition and Sustainment division of the Small Business Office reached out to the defense industry's small businesses and is working with the Small Business Administration and its small business emergency loan program to help protect these companies. https://www.defensenews.com/coronavirus/2020/03/23/pentagon-loosens-cash-flow-for-industry-more-measures-likely-coming/