27 novembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial
26 November 2019
Rolls-Royce has secured a five-year MissionCare™ contract valued at $1.2 Billion to maintain AE 1107C engines on U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force V-22 aircraft.
Rolls-Royce has delivered nearly 1,000 AE 1107C engines to power the fleet of V-22 aircraft in operation around the world. The total fleet of more than 375 MV-22s and CV-22s in service recently topped 500,000 flight hours – or 1 million engine hours on the twin-engine aircraft.
Under the Rolls-Royce MissionCare contract, the company will be responsible for all aspects of propulsion system support, on a Power by the Hour™ basis.
Paul Craig, Rolls-Royce, President – Services, said, “Rolls-Royce has supported the warfighter and these remarkable, revolutionary aircraft since they entered service in 2007. Our MissionCare services model ensures the warfighters are focused on their missions, not their engine availability. Rolls-Royce is proud to serve the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force and contribute to the success of V-22 missions around the world.”
Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engines are assembled in Indianapolis, in the company's largest facility in the U.S. The engines are part of the AE engine family, which has a proven record of reliable service in military and civilian aircraft. The AE engine fleet has topped 77 million hours of dependable service around the world.
The Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis are nearing completion of a $600 million investment to modernize and upgrade technology, resulting in a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing operation.
Rolls-Royce employs 6,000 people in 27 states across the U.S., literally coast-to-coast, from southern California to Walpole, Massachusetts. In addition, Rolls-Royce business supports more than 52,000 jobs across the US, adding nearly $9 billion to the nation's economy each year.
Rolls-Royce has invested nearly $1 billion in Research and Development in the US since 2013.
About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet's vital power needs.
Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
Annual underlying revenue was $19.35 billion* in 2018, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services.
In 2018, Rolls-Royce invested $1.8 billion* on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
*Based on a currency exchange rate of $1.29
View source version on Rolls Royce: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2019/26-11-19-rr-secures-defense-services-contract.aspx
24 août 2022 | International, Terrestre
BAE Systems will build the Army's new Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicle, meant to replace aging vehicles as the service beefs up its Arctic focus.
19 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
By: Mackenzie Eaglen House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, recently wrote in an op-ed on Defense News that Congress “cannot panic and hand out blank checks to defense contractors.” They were concerned with a “lack of detail” in the Pentagon's stimulus funding request. Pentagon officials have responded with said requested detail. It's clear the defense, shipbuilding and aerospace industrial base — an “essential” workforce as designated by the Department of Homeland Security — is indeed in need of help. These critical firms need financial support to the tune of about $11 billion to support more than 100,000 direct jobs. Nor should the military have to take it out of hide, as suggested by some. According to the Defense Department, the data from industry is showing 30-40 percent inefficiency across the defense industrial base, but certain sectors like shipbuilding are experiencing 50-60 percent inefficiency. At shipyards, for example, blue-collar worker attendance ranges from just half to 70 percent. Other short-term sectors at risk include textile manufacturers, body armor suppliers and small business electronics suppliers, who feed guidance systems and wiring harnesses in Army vehicles and aircraft. A sampling of specific reasons for inefficiency include: Confirmed cases or quarantines Government facility closure/standdown test delays Telework Closures due to travel restrictions Logistic implications caused by travel restrictions requiring commercial freight Availability of parts and supplies High absentee rates Local and state lockdowns Foreign government lockdowns Supplier shutdowns Pentagon leaders are worried about the near term, but also permanent damage. Officials are “concerned with a potential loss of critical labor skills,” such as welders. Shipbuilders are in dire straits given the “significant touch labor” required to build a ship and “greater facility impact from social distancing.” The potential shutdown of one of the “big seven” private shipyards is a real risk right now. The Virginia-class attack submarine is currently experiencing delays in its production line, as Newport News Shipbuilding has “prioritized its available workforce on supporting maintenance for in-service submarines and aircraft carriers.” If electricians, engineers and solderers shift from the Virginia assembly line elsewhere, the work is slowed and “the opportunity for the cost to come down on each successive submarine hull is diminished.” Congress has repeatedly supported this program above recent budget requests and presumably cares greatly about this unanticipated cost overrun through no fault of nor negligence by the contractor. The Air Force is experiencing major program delays due to the impact on the aerospace industrial base — both primes and suppliers. Programs impacted include the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and KC-46 tanker due to facility shutdowns in the U.S., England, Italy and Japan. These two aircraft programs will likely miss major milestones — therefore delaying the time when they become available to the war fighter. Aircraft engine-maker GE Aviation is a “fragility concern” across the armed forces. For the Air Force, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile are “being impacted by reduced workforce and facility availability.” The Small Diameter Bomb motor supplier is being pulled to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency with motors for hospital beds. Aerospace firms with commercial work are reporting problems given the massive decline in commercial demand, which affects defense. Contrary to the assertion that the Pentagon doesn't need more stimulus money to support contractors, the services are “concerned about large commercial companies, like Boeing and GE that are critical to our defense industrial base facing negative cash flow and other associated impacts from COVID-19.” Small businesses and subcontractors are particularly vulnerable as they have far less slack to respond to crises. Many live contract to contract, as indicated by a 2018 Pentagon report. According to the Defense Department, “small businesses ... have been the hit the hardest due to unfamiliarity that [the] defense industrial base is exempt from most local shelter-in-place orders.” The Pentagon's request for more stimulus money is not a case of pork for primes. This industry has “a notably high rate of subcontracted work flow and systems with high component volumes, driving job loss directly to program partners and the supply chain.” So while virtually all of the Pentagon's missiles are built by two primes, 98 percent of the subcontractors making parts for U.S. munitions are the only source for these items. If these unique businesses fail, there may not be any replacements. A study last year by George Mason University found “contractor workforce challenges have a direct impact on the government's ability to ramp up quickly.” Budget fluctuations are particularly hard on small companies that “do not have large enough portfolios to shift people between projects. The contractor workforce loses skills or move on.” These firms operate with “thin margins and low lines of credit.” The additional costs to respond to COVID-19 were not part of the original contracts the companies are currently performing, and warrant stimulus money. Hopefully, Chairman Smith and Sen. Durbin now agree. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/08/18/the-defense-industry-remains-in-dire-straits-congress-must-pass-another-relief-package/
21 janvier 2020 | International, Aérospatial
The Nato military alliance has just received its first cutting-edge spy drones called Global Hawks. They'll help commanders on the ground identify potential threats to Nato members - with one single drone able to watch over a territory the size of Poland. BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale has been given an exclusive look at the new unmanned aircraft. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-51156680/global-hawk-drones-a-look-at-nato-s-new-spy-tool