12 septembre 2023 | International, Terrestre, Sécurité
The Northrop Grumman-developed IBCS system was cleared by the U.S. Army for full-rate production in the spring.
22 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
In spite of the surging coronavirus pandemic, major arms makers descended on a convention center in Abu Dhabi, hoping to make deals with militaries across the Middle East.
31 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By: Sebastian Sprenger MADRID — With Spain on track to join a Franco-German quest for a new European combat aircraft, lawmakers in Germany next week are expected to decide on Berlin's initial funding contribution. June 5 will be the penultimate session of the Bundestag's Defence and Budget committees before the parliamentary summer break begins in late June. It is also the last opportunity to secure approval for a €65 million (U.S. $72 million) study contract for the Future Combat Air System before the June 16-23 Paris Air Show. German and French officials envision some level of pomp and circumstance at the event to cement their ambitious sixth-generation fighter plans. For now, the idea is to have a framework agreement signed by the two defense ministers, Florence Parly and Ursula von der Leyen, even if final approval by German lawmakers remains outstanding. In that case, a contingency clause would be added to the text to reflect that the pact is preliminary until Germany's legislature approves it. Defense officials in Berlin said they eventually expect parliamentary approval, but acknowledged that the timing is tight. Meanwhile, staffs are working behind the scenes to modify the slate of program governance documents to reflect Spain's participation. It remains to be seen whether those tweaks, which include questions of intellectual property ownership, can be sorted out in time to warrant a senior-level Spanish government representative joining the festivities at Paris. A German defense spokesman stressed that Spain's participation in the FCAS program was assured and that only legal matters had yet to be sorted out. In that spirit, Germany's choice to lead a delegation to the inaugural FEINDEF defense expo in Madrid, Spain, appears apt: Luftwaffe Brig. Gen. Gerald Funke, who also oversees FCAS planning for Germany, could be spotted at the opening event. If the Bundestag approves, a full integration of Spain into the program would amount to addressing the “devil in the details,” he told Defense News. Airbus and Dassault are the main contractors for the ambitious air warfare program. Including Spain likely would mean that Airbus, which has a sizable footprint in the region, will reshuffle its share of work to include Spanish industry. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/05/29/germany-to-take-up-european-next-gen-fighter-funding-next-week
12 février 2020 | International, Terrestre
The service is already slowing production of Oshkosh's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and now wants to find an alternative manufacturer —which could create logistical or legal headaches. Other Oshkosh programs are also ramping down. By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. PENTAGON: As the Army moves billions into new high-tech weapons, truck-maker Oshkosh is feeling the pinch. The 2021 budget request not only decreases spending on three Oshkosh vehicles, the 10-wheel FHTV, the 6-wheel FMTV, and 4×4 JLTV: It also calls for a new competition the following fiscal year for JLTV, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle originally meant to replace the Humvee. That's especially worrying for the Wisconsin company, because JLTV is the youngest program of the three and the most important for the company's long-term future. But then-Army Secretary Mark Esper — now Secretary of Defense — has publicly criticized JLTV as overly specialized for the kind of counterinsurgency conflicts the Pentagon is no longer focused on. While the Army insists it will still buy the planned total of 49,099 trucks, eventually, it keeps slowing down the annual rate and extended the deadline to complete production, which now won't end until 2042. (That leaves the Humvee in service, at least with some units, indefinitely). Why recompete? “We do that to drive the price down,” said Deputy Assistant Army Secretary John Daniels this morning, when my colleague Jen Judson asked about the proposal. But any new competition would be two fiscal years from now and Daniels declined to give any details. The only other information about the plan is buried on page 102 of the fifth volume of the Army's newly released procurement request for 2021, which also includes projections for 2022 and beyond. Under JLTV, the “justification book” says that: “Current contract options may be exercised through 30 November 2023 assuming contractual quantity headspace is still available. Current funding indicates headspace quantity of 16,901 may be achieved in FY 2021, with competitive follow on contract award anticipated in FY 2022. A split procurement will occur between the existing Oshkosh contract and the new competitively awarded contract based on the approved acquisition strategy. The Program Office continues to gather insight from industry partners to better understand their position to ensure strong competition for the follow on contract.” In plain English, this means Oshkosh's current contract to build Joint Light Tactical Vehicles runs though fall 2023. Since production will continue for decades, the Army will have to award a new contract to buy more JLTVs for itself, the other services and allies. But when it comes time to award that follow-on contract, the service doesn't want Oshkosh to be its only option: It wants at least one competitor to drive down costs. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/02/army-seeks-new-jltv-competition-in-2022