22 juin 2018 | International, Terrestre
By: Mark Pomerleau
The Army is set to hold another technical exchange with industry to better understand what existing capabilities can inform the way ahead for its tactical network.
The Army held its first technical exchange in February to provide industry with insights as to specific threats the Army faces, what solutions are needed and the Army's priorities for tactical network modernization. It was hosted by the relevant program office — PEO Command, Control and Communications-Tactical — and the Network Cross Functional Team, which was stood up to help the service innovate faster.
The next event will likely take place on August 1 and 2 in Raleigh, NC, and will again be co-hosted by PEO-C3T and the Network Cross Functional Team.
Informing these network modernization efforts is the Army's acknowledgement that it does not know exactly what it wants.
“In the next couple years and beyond, what's that next future state need to look like? That's why we're relying on outreach to industry,” Maj. Gen. Pete Gallagher, network cross functional team lead, said at a June 21 event sponsored by the AFCEA Northern Virginia chapter.
“We conducted a tech exchange meeting in February, [and] we got a lot of great feedback from industry partners helping us figure out what is that next step, that next future state ... so, again, we're going forward in this perpetual state of modernization.”
The upcoming technical exchange will be officially confirmed on the Federal Business Opportunities website next week, according to officials, and will focus on cloud, artificial intelligence, data analytics, data logistics, infrastructure and the mission partner environment.
20 avril 2023 | International, Aérospatial
The firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract has a period of performance of 18 months to build a single prototype for the Marine Corps
22 juin 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR
By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia ― The Philippine government has confirmed that the second phase of its military modernization plan has been approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, clearing the way for the southeast Asian nation to replace some of its elderly and obsolete equipment. The confirmation by Philippine Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong on Wednesday will now allow the country to implement sorely needed recapitalization of some of its equipment, the oldest of which dates back to World War II. Andolong also confirmed that the budget for the five-year Horizon 2 modernization program, which will run from 2018-2022, has been set at some 300 billion Philippine pesos (U.S. $5.6 billion). According to sources in the Philippines, this amount will be split into $890 million for the Army, $1.44 billion for the Navy and $2.61 billion for the Air Force, with the rest of the budget going to the military's General Headquarters and the government's arsenal. The list of equipment the Philippines is seeking to acquire under the Horizon 2 program includes multirole fighters, airlifters, maritime patrol aircraft and heavy lift helicopters for the Air Force, while the Army is seeking more artillery, light tanks and multiple rocket launchers. The budget for the Air Force includes an amount set aside for combat utility helicopters. A contract signed in February with the Canadian government for Bell 412 helicopters was canceled after Canadian politicians raised concerns about the Duterte administration's human rights record in its ongoing war on drugs. The Philippines is reportedly now seeking to acquire the helicopters through a commercial sale, while an alternative option of buying the South Korean Korea Aerospace Industires Surion helicopter has also been floated. The Navy's priority will be the acquisition of two corvettes and a similar number of multirole offshore patrol vessels. Other items on its wish list include more anti-submarine helicopters and amphibious assault vehicles, the latter for the country's Marine Corps. Andolong also confirmed that the Navy wants to acquire an unspecified number of submarines under Horizon 2. However, this could prove difficult under a limited budget and because the country's has no experience operating and sustaining a submarine capability. The Philippines, which is an archipelagic nation made up of more than 7,600 islands, faces a myriad security challenges ranging from disputes with China and other southeast Asian countries over the ownership of islands and features in the South China Sea, to ongoing insurgencies with communist guerrillas and Muslim separatists that includes Islamic State-linked militants. In May 2017, the latter seized control of the city of Marawi in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, leading to a five-month siege by government forces, which resulted in large parts of the city being badly damaged during operations to recapture it. During the operation, the United States, which has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, provided intelligence and surveillance assistance to government forces with its manned and unmanned aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2018/06/21/heres-the-philippine-militarys-wish-list-for-its-newly-approved-modernization-phase/
14 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial
AMY MCCULLOUGH The Air Force plans to redesign the oxygen system in its T-6 Texan II and adjust oxygen control levels in flight, after an exhaustive study determined that varying levels of oxygen concentrations were to blame for the hypoxia-like symptoms reported by pilots. The service grounded its primary trainer fleet earlier this year while it inspected the Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) on all T-6 aircraft, and it stood up an independent review team to determination potential causes. “So far, technical efforts to date and analysis of data collected have determined that pilots have been exposed to significantly changing levels of oxygen concentration,” said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, AETC commander. “The varying levels of oxygen concentration, even though in excess of what the body typically needs, has caused physiological stress that most pilots, on most days, actually adapt to without noticing.” However, the physiological stress of the changing oxygen levels can cause some pilots to experience symptom similar to hypoxia (lack of oxygen), hypocapnea (lack of carbon dioxide), and other related conditions, said Kwast in a press release issued late Thursday. It is expected to take two to four years to redesign the OBOGS system and fully stabilize oxygen levels in the T-6, a joint effort between Air Education and Training Command and Air Force Materiel Command. The two major commands also are working with industry “to adjust the OBOGS software algorithm to stabilize oxygen concentrations,” according to the release. “While this should reduce physiological events, the Air Force will pursue a broader redesign,” states the release. The Air Force and the Navy also have worked together to come up with new maintenance procedures to ensure the OBOGS system operates more efficiently. And, AETC will provide additional training for pilots to help them identify such symptoms and then learn how best to react if they ever encounter them in flight. “Since our T-6 operational pause, we have made every effort to communicate with every instructor and every student exactly what we've found,” Maj. Gen. Patrick Doherty, 19th Air Force commander, said. “Transparency remains of utmost importance to use as we all work together to ensure that our pilots are safe and know the way ahead.” http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2018/September%202018/USAF-to-Redesign-Oxygen-System-on-T-6-Fleet-After-Repeated-Hypoxia-Like-Issues.aspx