30 juin 2022 | International, Aérospatial
The Space Force hasn't finalized its plans for Phase 3 of its National Security Space Launch program, but its new acquisition executive said this week it is considering the possibility of including more launch vehicle classes as part of the contract.
3 août 2021 | International, Terrestre
A mechanical and aerospace engineering professor is developing advanced helmets to ensure that members of the military are as protected as possible from blasts and other types of attacks.
29 avril 2020 | International, Sécurité
Kyle Rempfer Researchers made adjustments to the digital thermal sensors on their Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS goggles, so the devices can now detect a fever, service officials said this week. A version of the IVAS goggles are now being used at Fort Benning, Georgia, on hundreds of soldiers arriving each day to train at the post, which hosts basic combat training, Airborne School and Ranger School. Five seconds was all it took for the goggles to detect the forehead and inner eye temperature of troops as they filed in through a processing center. The temperature of a soldier is registered through the goggle-wearer's heads-up display. Those who registered a fever were moved to a medical station for further evaluation. The goggle screening system cleared a group of about 300 soldiers in roughly 30 minutes, according to the Army. The process could also be more sanitary than traditional screening measures, which require closer contact between medical personnel and patients. “We've always planned for an agile software system and a digital platform that can be upgraded and adapted to use against emerging threats in the future. No one anticipated the next threat to emerge would be a virus, but that's the enemy we face today,” said Tom Bowman, director of the IVAS Science and Technology Special Project Office, who helped orchestrate the thermal tweaks to the devices. However, even though fevers are a known symptom of coronavirus, it's far from an absolute predictor. Up to 25 percent of people with the virus may never show symptoms, Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Robert Redfield has previously warned publicly, meaning symptoms could be a less effective gauge of troop health than originally hoped. IVAS goggles — which combine night vision, a rifle-linked targeting scope and navigational markers within a soldier's field of view — are still undergoing field tests, including one at Fort Pickett, in Virginia, in late October and early November. The version of the goggles used to screen troops at Fort Benning are an earlier iteration of “non-ruggedized” goggles. They can't be used outdoors, instead requiring a stable room temperature so the goggles can be accurately calibrated. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, an instructional unit for the Army Infantry School, were trained to use the devices to scan others. “That's the genius of this system; we can use this technology today to fight the virus, even as we shape it into the combat system our soldiers need tomorrow. This shows the extensibility of the IVAS technology and the system,” said Brig. Gen. Tony Potts, who directs the modernization of infantry equipment. IVAS goggles are the signature technology coming out of the Army's Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team. The devices are designed in partnership with Microsoft using the company's HoloLens. Brig. Gen. Dave Hodne, the Army's chief of infantry who has a major role in testing the new technology, told reporters on April 17 that the Army still plans to field the devices in the final quarter of fiscal year 2021, even if a second wave of coronavirus hits during the fall testing period. “It would come at a cost of a two-week isolation period in advance of beginning the test,” said Hodne, adding that students trying to vie for a Ranger tab at the moment are already doing two-week isolation periods. “We've got 8,000 infantry trainees on Sand Hill who are executing a 22-week one-station unit training, you got an Airborne class that just graduated on Wednesday jumping out of airplanes,” Honde said. “The Army has frameworks for operating in biological hazards. It just requires us to make adjustments.” https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/04/28/army-tweaks-new-goggles-to-scan-for-fevers/
20 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial
By: Nigel Pittaway MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia has selected Boeing's AH-64E Apache Guardian as it's next armed reconnaissance helicopter, replacing its Airbus Helicopters Tiger fleet under the Land 4503 program estimated to be worth AU$4-5 billion (U.S. $3–3.8 billion). The selection of the Apache follows the release of a request for information in July 2019 and was announced by Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds on Friday. The RFI called for 29 helicopters, with 24 to be based at a single location with two operational armed recon helo squadrons, and a five for training Army pilots and battle captains at the Australian Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey, Queensland. The two operational Tiger squadrons are currently based in Darwin in the Northern Territory as part of the 1st Aviation Regiment. The RFI also stipulated an initial operational capability, represented by 12 helicopters, in 2026; and final operational capability with all 29 aircraft two years later. In addition to Boeing, Bell responded to the RFI with its AH-1Z Viper, and Airbus Helicopters with an updated Tiger. “The Apache Guardian is the most lethal, most survivable and lowest-risk option, meeting all of [the Department of] Defence's capability, through-life support, security and certification requirements,” Reynolds said. “By pursuing a proven and low-risk system offered by the Apache, [the Department of] Defence will avoid the ongoing cost and schedule risk typically associated with developmental platforms.” The Tiger was introduced to service in December 2004 but suffered poor availability rates and high ownership costs early in its career, before a remediation plan was implemented by the Department of Defence and industry around 2016. Reynolds said the issues with the Tiger fleet and other Australian military rotary-wing projects had informed the strategy to seek a proven and mature replacement. The decision to acquire the Apache was made under the Australian government's “Smart Buyer” policy, which allows for sole-source selection without a competition if there is a clear preference for a particular platform. A spokesman for Australia's Department of Defence said the government will now consider the acquisition of mission sensors and mission-relevant equipment, including the AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar, but no specific configuration or numbers of radars have been revealed. The spokesman said the department will continue to consider options to improve upon the Apache that maximize opportunities for the local defense industry, including warehousing services, training development, engineering services and maintenance, and repair and overhaul. “Additionally, early detailed transition planning will be conducted to ensure effective management of the skilled workforce, across [the Department of] Defence and industry, as [the Department of] Defence transitions the Tiger to the Apache,” the spokesman said. Boeing said the AH-64E provides Australia with a fully integrated, battle-proven capability and will continue to expand its industry capability and supply chain in Australia. “Apache is supported by an active production line and a U.S. Army modernization plan through to the late 2040s, thereby ensuring the platform remains the leading attack and reconnaissance capability through to 2050 and beyond,” a company spokesperson said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2021/01/19/australia-selects-boeing-apache-as-next-armed-reconnaissance-helicopter