RCAF's LGen Eric Kenny on the challenging transition to gain operational advantage - Skies Mag

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  25 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Space Force lays out acquisitions reforms in new report

  Nathan Strout In a new proposal, the U.S. Space Force is asking Congress to overhaul the tools it uses to acquire new space systems, allowing the new service to move with more agility and keep pace with near-peer adversaries. “Our nation requires a bold Alternative Space Acquisition System that not only matches the pace of change but also manages unpredictability and regularly disrupts our adversaries' threat cadence," the Department of the U.S. Air Force report concludes. “The features outlined in this report will create a new space acquisition approach for the USSF that is the envy of all other services and ultimately enables the USSF to rapidly leverage industry innovation to outpace space threats.” When Congress passed legislation establishing the Space Force as the nation's sixth branch of the armed services in December, it included a provision requiring the Secretary of the Air Force to provide a report by the end of March on whether the military should adopt an alternative space acquisition system. While the Pentagon did deliver a report to Congress in March, it largely kicked the can down the road on any specific acquisitions reforms. Space Force leadership have touted this more detailed acquisitions report as “groundbreaking” in recent appearances. The new report, which was first reported by Bloomberg Government, includes nine specific proposals to improve Space Force contracting, although it doesn't make any suggestions towards unifying the various organizations involved in purchasing space platforms and systems, such as the Space Development Agency, the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, the Space and Missile Systems Center, or the National Reconnaissance Office, which purchases satellites for the intelligence community. Instead, the report's recommendations include changes to the contracting tools and reporting requirements the Space Force will use to acquire new systems, with a focus on increasing flexibility and delegating authority. Three of the suggestions require legislative action, while the remaining proposals will simply require internal Department of Defense adjustments. Perhaps the most important recommendation in the report, according to the Air Force, is the consolidation of budget line items along mission portfolios, such as missile warning or communications, instead of by platform. While this has been done on a limited basis in the past for the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and some classified efforts, it marks a change from standard DoD budgeting practices. Theoretically, this would allow the Space Force to move funding between missile warning systems without having to submit reprogramming requests to Congress, something it did several times last year in order to move up the delivery date for the first Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellite. The Air Force's repeated reprogramming requests rankled some members of Congress, leading to a fight between lawmakers and the White House over the program's funding for fiscal 2020. The Air Force claims this fix is needed to give program managers the flexibility to adapt to growing threats. According to the report, transparency at the program level would be preserved in future budget documents. This change would not require legislation. Beyond that, the Air Force is asking Congress for permission to push milestone decision authority down the chain of command, similar to what's been demonstrated by the Missile Defense Agency and National Reconnaissance Office. This change would speed up decision making for space programs. The third major change the Air Force is pursuing is authority for the Space Force to use incremental funding for space systems and programs. This “Efficient Space Procurement” coding was used to acquire the fifth and sixth satellites in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites at the same time as well as the fifth and sixth Space-Based Infrared System satellites, resulting in significant savings. The department claims full funding each space vehicle has lead to affordability issues in the past, and can “lead to production breaks, obsolescence, and industrial base impacts.” Instead, the department wants to spread out funding for satellites over multiple years to help keep costs in check and avoid funding spikes. Other changes include streamlining requirements validation and reporting requirements. “Under these reforms, our Nation's newest military service will have unprecedented agility to build resilient, defendable, and affordable space capabilities through streamlined processes and closer partnerships with one of America's decisive advantages—its innovative and rapidly changing commercial space industry,” Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett wrote in the introduction to the report. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/05/21/space-force-lays-out-acquisitions-reforms-in-new-report/

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  25 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  General Atomics Advances SeaGuardian Systems

  by David Donald - January 20, 2021, 6:53 AM General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has revealed that it has completed the development and testing of a self-contained anti-submarine warfare (ASW) package, the first such equipment for an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The package comprises podded sonobuoy dispenser systems (SDS) and a sonobuoy management and control system (SMCS). GA-ASI has been studying unmanned ASW capability for some years, demonstrating sonobuoy remote processing capability from an MQ-9A Reaper in 2017. Subsequently an SMCS has been added, and the SDS has been developed. It employs a pneumatic launch system, and each pod can carry up to 10 A-size sonobuoys or 20 G-size buoys. On November 24 last year GA-ASI carried out a trial at the U.S. Navy's Pacific range in which a company-owned MQ-9A Block 5 released seven SSQ-53G Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (DIFAR) and two SSQ-62F Directional Command Activated Sonobuoy System (DICASS) sonobuoys, and a single SSQ-36B bathythermograph buoy. Using a General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada UYS-505 processing system the trial successfully tracked an MK-39 expendable mobile ASW training target (EMATT) for three hours, data being relayed by a satcom link to the Laguna flight operations facility at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The ASW capability is being developed for the SeaGuardian configuration of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, which can carry up to four SDS pods under its wings. The SeaGuardian is intended to perform as a stand-alone maritime patrol asset or to act with traditional maritime patrol aircraft as part of a manned-unmanned team. A key part of the SeaGuardian mission set is a surveillance radar, and GA-ASI is working with Leonardo to integrate the Seaspray 7500E V2 AESA radar into the UAS's centerline pod. The radar offers a variety of modes, including inverse synthetic aperture radar that works with the automatic identification system (AIS, a form of maritime IFF) to provide accurate identification of detected surface targets. It can spot submarine periscopes and humans in the water during search and rescue operations. A high-definition optical/infrared full-motion video capability is also included. Another option from Leonardo is the SAGE electronic surveillance system. GA-ASI reports that two undisclosed export customers have ordered the SeaGuardian capability, which was included in the recently approved request for up to 18 MQ-9Bs from the United Arab Emirates. In its standard SeaGuardian configuration the MQ-9B has an endurance of more than 18 hours and can mount an eight-hour patrol at a radius of 1,200 nm. Another store that has recently been trialed by GA-ASI is the Legion Pod, in this case, the carrier being the company's jet-powered Avenger remotely piloted aircraft. The Legion Pod, which is carried by F-15 Eagles, features a Lockheed Martin IRST21 infrared search and track sensor in its nose and datalinks to network the sensor and carrier with other platforms. n early January GA-ASI was selected to support the U.S. Air Force's Skyborg Vanguard program that is developing artificial intelligence/machine-learning autonomous capabilities for future combat aircraft. Two company-owned Avengers are being modified with updated links and the Skyborg System Design Agent software to support this activity, which will test the ability of manned aircraft to control the Avengers in flight and to pass critical mission information between them. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2021-01-20/general-atomics-advances-seaguardian-systems

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  14 avril 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Newest DoD industry guidance clarifies repayments, makes prototyping easier

  By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — As part of its ongoing effort to bolster the defense industrial base, the Pentagon has issued two new pieces of guidance — one focused on workers, and one focused on prototype contracts. Overall, the department has now issued 17 different actions, ranging from basic guidance for industry to memos changing how the department pays contractors, since March 5. In an April 6 memo, acquisition head Ellen Lord changed the rules for issuing prototype contracts through other transaction authorities. OTAs are small contracts awarded to companies of any size, in theory targeted at nontraditional defense contractors, with the purpose of conducting research or prototype efforts on a specific project; they are not subject to Federal Acquisition Regulation rules. By comparison, SBIR contracts are targeted at small businesses in order to act as seed money for them to conduct research and development efforts; they are subject to the FAR rules. According to data gathered by Govini, the Pentagon issued $16.3 billion in OTA contracts between fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2019. Those numbers grew year over year during that time period, from $0.7 billion in FY15 to $7 billion in FY19. Lord's memo, which like other Pentagon industrial base guidance will last “for the period covered by the COVID-19 emergency declaration,” includes three pieces of guidance: Prototype project contracts in excess of $100 million can now be issued by the directors of the defense agencies/field activities, commanding officers of combatant command, and the director of the Defense Innovation Unit. Prototype project agreements and any follow-on production contracts in excess of $500 million can be issued by the senior procurement executives of the military departments, the director of DARPA and the director of the Missile Defense Agency. OT prototype actions between $100 and $500 million can be delegated to lower officials as seen fit by the leaders of those organizations. Perhaps most notably, the memo attempts to make it easier to get prototype contracts specifically related to COVID-19 up and running, by relaxing a requirement to give the congressional defense committees a 30-day advance notice before issuing a transaction in excess of $500 million for projects that are tied into the ongoing pandemic. Instead, the goal will be to make a notification “as soon as practicable after the commencement of such a transaction.” Meanwhile, the department has also given new guidance related to a part of the recent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus package, which allows agencies to reimburse contractors for payments to their workforce, should they be prevented from working due to COVID-19 facility closures or other restrictions. Under the new guidance, contracting officers at the department may decide not to reimburse in situations where employees or subcontractor employees were able to work, including remote or telework options, but choose not to; when the costs seeking reimbursement were not associated with keeping employees in a ready state; when costs were incurred prior to January 31, 2020, or after September 30, 2020; or when the contractor has been or can be reimbursed by other means. Additionally, the reimbursement is not an option for costs not related to COVID-19 and, notably, is “subject to the availability of funds,” per a department statement. Advance payments are also not an option. https://www.defensenews.com/coronavirus/2020/04/09/newest-dod-industry-guidance-clarifies-repayments-makes-prototyping-easier/