31 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre

Russia says its new weapon is 27 times faster than the speed of sound

By: Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press

MOSCOW — Russia's new strategic weapon has rendered any missile defenses useless at a small fraction of their cost, officials said Thursday.

The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle flies 27 times faster than the speed of sound, making it impossible to intercept, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told Russian state television.

The new weapon “essentially makes missile defenses useless,” he said.

Borisov spoke a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw what he described as the conclusive successful test of the Avangard and hailed it as a reliable guarantee of Russia's security for decades to come.

In Wednesday's test, the weapon was launched from the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Ural Mountains. The Kremlin said it successfully hit a practice target on the Kura shooting range on Kamchatka, 3,700 miles away.

The Defense Ministry released footage from the test launch, in which a ballistic missile could be seen blasting from a silo in a cloud of smoke, but it hasn't released any images of the vehicle itself.

Putin said the Avangard will enter service with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces next year.

The test comes amid bitter tensions in Russia-U.S. relations, which have been strained over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and the allegations of Moscow's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Sergei Ivanov, a former Russian defense minister, said in televised comments that the Avangard constantly changes its course and altitude as it flies through the atmosphere.

He emphasized that unlike previous nuclear warheads fitted to intercontinental ballistic missiles that follow a predictable trajectory allowing it to calculate the spot where they can be intercepted, the Avangard chaotically zigzags on its path to its target, making it impossible to predict the weapon's location.

A smiling Ivanov likened the weapon's flight through the atmosphere to a pebble skipping off the surface of water.

Ivanov, who now serves as Putin's adviser, said the Avangard could be fitted to the Soviet-made UR-100UTTKh intercontinental ballistic missile, which is code-named SS-19 Stiletto by NATO.

He noted that Russia has a stockpile of several dozen such missiles, which are in a factory-mint condition and not filled with fuel, allowing them to serve for a long time to come. Ivanov added that they could be put in existing silos, sharply reducing the costs of Avangard's deployment.

"The Avangard has cost hundreds of times less than what the U.S. has spent on its missile defense," Ivanov said.

He noted that Russia began to develop the Avangard after the U.S. started to develop defenses against ballistic missiles.

Moscow feared that the U.S. missile shield could erode its nuclear deterrent, and Putin announced in 2004 that Russia was working on a new hypersonic weapon.

Ivanov recalled that when Russian officials warned their U.S. counterparts about the new weapon program at the time, American officials were openly skeptical about Russia's ability to carry out its plan.

“We aren't involved in saber-rattling, we simply ensured our security for decades to come,” he said.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/12/27/russia-says-its-new-weapon-is-27-times-faster-than-the-speed-of-sound

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9 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 08, 2020
ARMY CORRECTION: The contract W56KGY-20-D-0008, originally announced on May 29, 2020, has been changed as follows: Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Canada, was awarded a $380,117,626 hybrid (firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-level-of-effort) contract for MX sensor systems product and system support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-20-D-0008). (Awarded June 5, 2020) AIR FORCE L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, has been awarded an estimated $70,000,746 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for AN/ALQ-161A radio frequency surveillance/electronic countermeasures system line replaceable units and shop replaceable units. This contract provides for the repair of 154 national stock numbers applicable to the B1-B aircraft/electronic countermeasures. Work will be performed in Amityville, New York, and is expected to be completed June 5, 2025. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 consolidated sustainment activity group-engineering funds will be used to fund individual orders issued against the basic contract. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8522-20-D-0002). NAVY Nova Group Inc., Napa, California, is awarded a $43,771,888 firm-fixed-price contract (N44255-20-C-1002) for Pier 3 and Dry Dock 4 modernization at the Naval Base Kitsap, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the intermediate maintenance facility. All work will be performed in Bremerton, Washington. The work to be performed is to construct seven new electrical substations, demolish four substations, alter Dry Dock 4 and Pier 3 electrical distribution systems, enclose service utility galleries to prevent flooding during docking operations and Pier 3 piles modifications. Work is expected to be complete by August 2023. Fiscal 2020 military construction contract funds in the amount of $43,771,888 are obligated on this award and do not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Bremerton, Washington, is the contracting activity. Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is awarded a $42,772,449 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2313 to exercise options for the accomplishment of lead yard class services for the DDG 51-class destroyer program. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (95%); Brunswick, Maine (4%); and other locations collectively totaling less than 1%. This option exercise is for lead yard services (LYS) for the DDG 51-class destroyer program. LYS provides necessary engineering, technical, material procurement and production support; configuration; class flight and baseline upgrades and new technology support; data and logistics management; lessons learned analysis; acceptance trials; post-delivery test and trials; post shakedown availability support; reliability and maintainability; system safety program support; material and fleet turnover support; shipyard engineering team; turnkey; crew indoctrination, design tool/design standardization, detail design development, and other technical and engineering analyses for the purpose of supporting DDG 51-class ship construction and test and trials. In addition, DDG 51-class LYS may provide design, engineering, procurement and manufacturing/production services to support design feasibility studies and analyses that modify DDG 51-class destroyers for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs sponsored by the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2015, 2016 and 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $40,438,200 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $37,510,677 cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-5103 for additional Aegis combat system engineering, computer program maintenance, in-country support, staging support and implementation studies in support of current and future Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Aegis shipbuilding programs in support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, Spanish Armada, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy, with scope available to support other potential FMS customers. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (96%); Tokyo, Japan (1%); Seoul, South Korea (1%); Bergen, Norway (1%); and Adelaide, Australia (1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2020. This modification will provide for additional Aegis combat system engineering, computer program maintenance, in-country support, staging support and implementation studies in support of current and future shipbuilding programs for Japan, Korea, Spain, Australia, Norway and other potential FMS customers. The Aegis FMS programs that will be supported include the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kongo and Atago class ships, Republic of Korea Navy KDX III class ships, Spanish Armada F-100 and F-110 program, Royal Norwegian Navy F310 class ships and Royal Australian Navy Hunter and Hobart class ships. FMS funding in the amount of $27,957,817 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(4), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements and International Agreement, respectively. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Space Ground System Solutions LLC,* Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $29,596,469 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and prototype development of spacecraft electronics and space/airborne electronic systems and maintenance, development, enhancement and testing supporting mission operations of Department of Defense space assets. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C. The Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), located at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C., is the designated lead laboratory for Navy space programs. NCST has the primary responsibility to develop space systems, spacecraft payloads, tactical communications and aerospace systems to actively pursue emerging technologies in an effort to advance space, tactical and aerospace system development. This contract will support the continual development and advancement of the software and hardware that provides state of the art solutions to space applications. Work is expected to be complete by June 2024. This contract includes options which will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $155,950,111, if exercised. Working capital funds in the amount of $2,060,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a negotiated acquisition under the authority of Title 10 U.S. Code 2304(b)(2), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.203. This contract was competitively procured with one offer received via FedBizOpps. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Rolls-Royce Marine North America Inc., Walpole, Massachusetts, is awarded a $10,980,114 firm-fixed-price, basic ordering agreement order (N64498-20-F-4221) for main propulsion monobloc propellers, propeller hubs, oil distribution boxes, blades and propeller blades for various Navy Ship Classes. Work will be performed in Walpole, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by September 2021. The supplies under this order: monobloc propellers, propeller hubs, oil distribution boxes, blades and propeller blades, will be manufactured, machined and fabricated by Rolls-Royce Marine North America (RRMNA) in order to provide this equipment to the Navy. RRMNA is the original designer, developer and sole manufacturer of the items covered in this requirement. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,980,114 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), with only one responsible source. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $12,994,546 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for transfer cases with containers. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a June 8, 2023, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2020 through 2023 (Army) working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0107). CORRECTION: The modification (P00005) announced May 7, 2020, for Extra Packaging LLC,* Boca Raton, Florida (SPE2DS-19-D-0082), for $7,562,500 was announced with an incorrect award and performance completion date. The correct award date is June 8, 2020, and correct performance completion date is Feb. 8, 2022. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY NetImpact Strategies, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded an $11,766,010 modification under previously awarded firm fixed-price contract HT00-19-F-0017 to fund the first year option period for a Medical Community of Interest with fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds. The congressional notification for the award was issued May 31, 2019. This task provides program and project management – program communication and coordination, coordinate security architecture installation, circuit coordination, internet protocol data collection analysis, processing and validation. Optional tasks include operations cell management, business-to-business Virtual Private Network coordination and data collection effort. This contract was awarded through the Small Business Administration (SBA) program with woman-owned business participating in the U.S. SBA 8(a) Business Development Program using the General Services Administration Streamlined Technology Application Resource for Services II contract. The place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. The Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 3, 2020) *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2212180/source/GovDelivery/
2 mars 2023 | International, Autre défense

Defence contractors target Australia as it gears up to counter China
As close U.S. ally Australia gears up to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, global defence contractors this week showed off advanced drones, long-range missiles and military communications satellites at its biggest air show.
9 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial

To build stockpiles of weapons, UK looks at two-pronged approach
By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — When the U.K. rolled out its Modernising Defence Programme report last month, it highlighted a need to increase stores of weaponry to deal with threats from great powers around the globe. In his speech unveiling the document, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson specifically stated that to “improve the combat effectiveness of our forces, we will re-prioritize the current defense program to increase weapon stockpiles. And we are accelerating work to assure the resilience of our defense systems and capabilities.” But what does that actually entail? During a Tuesday visit to Washington, Director for Strategic Planning Will Jessett said the U.K. plans to go about increasing weapon stockpiles in two ways. The first is the easy route: throw money at the problem. And a certain amount — the Ministry of Defence employee wouldn't say exactly how much — of the recent budget increase given by Parliament will indeed be going toward increasing stockpiles of armaments. The second part is more difficult, but goes to a throughline for the strategy document: the need to be smarter about how the British military uses its gear. “We've spend a shedload of money on producing the force structure that we have already. We're not necessarily generating and using it as effectively as we might have done,” Jessett said. “The first thing to do is to make sure that we are making the best of the existing capability that we have, and that [includes] making sure that we've got both the weapon stockpiles and the spares to make sure that you can actual[ly] generate the right numbers of aircraft squadrons." “So some of this will be the new money out of the couple of billion but a lot of this is going to be telling the services themselves,” he added. “There isn't a dollar figure, but there are strong incentives now back on the services to say: ‘Guys, you've got to [use] the capabilities that you've got already.' ” Looking at the Pentagon's efforts over the last few years shows that may be easier said than done. Pushing to find new efficiencies inside the U.S. Defense Department is an annual affair, with the latest attempt delayed by the removal of Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson and the fallout from the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. And building up missile stockpiles is a logistical challenge for the department right now, with the Pentagon warning last May that producers of vital parts and materials are on the verge of going out of business or beholden to foreign ownership. Jessett acknowledged the Brexit-shaped elephant in the room, noting that the ability of the MoD to invest funding into new defense priorities will be directly impacted by any deal reached between Britain and the rest of Europe, particularly with foreign-made equipment. “Amongst the reasons we started to face this affordability delta in 2017 were because exchange rates did fall, relative to where they were in 2015,” he said. “I think back to this [question] about the terms of the deal. If we get a deal that's OK, I can imagine, personally, exchange rates not just stabilizing but somewhat improving. If not, it is by definition going to add further pressure into this.” But, he added, “that's not what we're planning for at the moment.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/01/08/to-build-stockpiles-of-weapons-uk-looking-at-two-pronged-approach

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