Russia splashes $12 billion to keep aviation sector in the air

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  7 janvier 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  L3 Technologies to upgrade Greek F-16s in $28M contract

  ByEd Adamczyk Jan. 6 (UPI) -- L3 Technologies will upgrade the F-16 fighter plane training system of Greek Air Force F-16 in a $28 million contract announced by the U.S. Defense Department. The Texas-based company will improve Aircrew Training Devices for conversion of Hellenic Air Force F-16s to the new F-16V configuration. The new variant includes add-ons which include electronically scanned array radar, a new mission computer and electronic warfare suite, automated ground collision avoidance system, and various cockpit improvements. The package can be retrofitted to most F-16s. The aircraft, in service since 1978 and known as the Fighting Falcon, has been built by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin. Over 4,600 F-16s, in use by 25 countries, have been built. The "V" suffix indicates the "Viper" package of improvements. The Hellenic Air Force has 154 F-16s in three variants, with the upgrades planned for 84 of the planes. Work will be performed at L3's Arlington, Texas, facility, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2027, the Defense Department said Friday in a statement. The award completely involves Foreign Military Sales to Greece. The statement by the Pentagon comes two weeks after Greek Ministry of Defense announced that seven-year maintenance contracts with French companies Dassault Aviation, Safran Military Engines and Thales were signed to similarly upgrade the Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft by the Hellenic Air Force. Those contracts were valued at $290.8 million. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/01/06/L3-Technologies-to-upgrade-Greek-F-16s-in-28M-contract/5451578328820

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  24 janvier 2019 | International, Terrestre

  Report: Army’s new modernization command risks cost overruns and delays

  By: Meghann Myers When the Army first announced its intention to stand up a new four-star Futures Command, senior leadership said the days of years-long, expensive modernization programs and murky requirements were over. While failing early and often can prevent some of those issues before an idea becomes a program of record, there are still some risks that, by trying to be a more nimble and innovative enterprise, AFC could still run into cost increases and drawn-out timelines if it jumps too hard on emerging technologies, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday. “There are a variety of ways to fail when it comes to developing these technologies,” Jon Ludwigson, the GAO's acting director of contracting and national security acquisitions, told Army Times in a Wednesday phone interview. “I guess the way that I would look at it is, you can make sure that you have it right, or hope that you'll get it right.” The study was mandated by the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, to take the temperature of Futures Command as it stood up. The Army officially activated the command in August, headquartered at the University of Texas in Austin. In general, the report found, the Army has applied best practices that GAO has previously touted, including close collaboration with senior leadership. On the other hand, the report found, there were a couple things that could be improved. AFC's plans to develop weapons systems with emerging technology could come back to hurt it, the report said. “GAO has raised concerns about this type of practice for almost two decades for other Army acquisitions, because proceeding into weapon systems development at earlier stages of technology maturity raises the risk that the resulting systems could experience cost increases, delivery delays, or failure to deliver desired capabilities,” according to the report. The GAO, Lugwigson said, is wary of creating programs around emerging technologies, before having a chance to test them in an operational environment. “As the Army identifies the capability, there are technologies that are used to achieve that capability,” he said. “What GAO has found is, there's an advantage to maturing those technologies before you begin what's called a program of record.” https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/01/23/report-armys-new-modernization-command-risks-cost-overruns-and-delays

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  17 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Financement de l’industrie de défense française : quelles solutions hors du secteur bancaire ?

  DEFENSE Financement de l'industrie de défense française : quelles solutions hors du secteur bancaire ? La Tribune consacre un article détaillé au problème du financement de l'industrie de défense, les entreprises se trouvant exclues «de plus en plus souvent», selon le ministère des Armées, du bénéfice de financements (prêts et crédits) par le secteur bancaire français. Des refus motivés par des raisons d'image, selon la sénatrice Hélène Conway-Mouret. Interrogé le 21 octobre par les sénateurs lors d'une audition à la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense, le Délégué général pour l'armement (DGA), Joël Barre, a confirmé que «les entreprises de défense se heurtent de plus en plus fréquemment à un phénomène de frilosité bancaire». Un constat partagé par deux sénateurs de la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense, Pascal Allizard (Les Républicains) et Michel Boutant (PS), auteurs d'un rapport d'information sur la base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD). Le ministère dispose d'outils de soutien et d'accompagnement des PME, ETI et start-up de défense, à travers les fonds Definvest et Definnov. Pascal Allizard et Michel Boutant estimaient toutefois dans leur rapport qu'il manque à ce jour «un ou des fonds français de taille à financer ce type d'investissements, dès lors que l'entreprise en question aurait été jugée stratégique». Les entreprises du secteur peuvent également bénéficier du prêt Sofired-PME Défense géré également par Bpifrance, qui finance les projets de développement ou de croissance externe des PME à hauteur d'un prêt participatif de 100 000 à 1 million d'euros, en complément d'un cofinancement bancaire. L'Agence de l'innovation de défense (AID) dispose également d'un outil de financement dédié aux PME, le Régime d'Appui pour l'Innovation Duale (RAPID). Au niveau européen, Le Fonds européen de défense (FED), qui doit être doté de 9 milliards d'euros dans la proposition de Cadre financier Pluriannuel 2021-2027 de l'Union européenne, vise à apporter un soutien financier notamment via l'octroi de subventions aux projets, collaboratifs en matière de défense. Ce fonds valorise la participation de PME aux projets, et dispose de capacités à accompagner certains projets portés exclusivement par des PME. La Tribune du 17 novembre