Three companies awarded $1.8B to support Navy shipbuilding programs

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  24 décembre 2023 | International, Terrestre

  Two new missiles in the pipeline for longer-range Army fires

  The Army is slated to have two new missile systems in soldiers’ hands in 2024.

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  3 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  UK Conservatives propose far-reaching defense review if elected

  By: Andrew Chuter LONDON — The British government will conduct an extensive review integrating defense, security and foreign policy if the Conservative Party wins the upcoming general election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says. The Conservatives are offering what appears to be a fundamental review of Britain's armed forces, with Johnson saying the initiative will lead to a “huge technological upgrade of security forces to keep Britain safe and strengthen NATO.” The review is scheduled to get underway next year and be led by the Prime Minister's office, said Johnson. Johnson's promise of a strategy shift in policy comes as London prepares to host NATO's 70th anniversary summit on Dec. 4, dubbed by alliance officials as a “leaders' meeting.” National media here reported Johnson as saying it would be the “deepest review of Britain's defense, security and foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. “It will extend from the armed forces to the intelligence services, counter-terrorism forces and serious organized crime. It will also consider Britain's foreign policy, how we can best use our huge expenditure on international development, and the role of technology,” he said. “We must use money better, undertake a huge technological upgrade of all our security forces so they are ahead of hostile powers, terrorists and organized crime — and unlike previous exercises, we must develop an integrated plan for all forces engaged in security,” he is reported as saying. Investment in space capabilities for the Royal Air Force appears to one of the big items on Johnsons agenda according to the reports. Creating a space command was one of just a small handful of defense policy initiatives announced in the Conservative manifesto released just over a week ago. Britain has held two full strategic defense and security reviews and a mini review, known as the defence modernization program, since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. The precedent now is to hold a review every five years. The last review, in 2015, restored capabilities like equipping the Royal Air Force with maritime patrol aircraft but failed to fund the uptick in equipment programs adequately. A review was expected next year whoever wins the election. The rival Labour Party has promised the same in their election manifesto. John Louth, the director of the defense, industry and society program at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, said Johnson's proposed review appears to lay the ground for a far more radical rethink than previous strategic defense and security proposals. “He's talking about a once-in-a-generation review with everything on the table. Ideas on re-rolling the RAF more toward space, that sounds like something quite profound. Whether that becomes a reality – who knows, but for the moment everything could be in the mix. From what we know they are almost talking about a zero-based budgeting exercise with everything up for grabs,” said Louth. “Whether it is political rhetoric which will be quickly forgotten is difficult to say, but what will be interesting is to see who is actually undertaking the review and what are their terms of reference,” he said. The RUSI analyst reckons a comprehensive review will need to take the long view. “What does technology look like over the next 15-20 years, how do we fund and how do we access those technologies? Also, if we are going to be potentially short of thousands of personnel, how might initiatives like sponsored reserves help fill the gap?” said Louth. Johnson's review announcement comes against a background of rising tensions in the Ministry of Defence where service chiefs are already said to be fighting amongst themselves over future funding levels for the military. One government relations consultant, who asked not to be named, said there was nothing unusual about infighting among the services for funds but the backstabbing was fiercer and earlier in the budget cycle than usual. Louth said what was challenging now is the “funding doesn't allow everything on the shopping list, and the personnel numbers in the armed forces don't allow them to man the equipment they are already committed to, so something will have to give.” https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nato-2020-defined/2019/12/02/uk-conservatives-propose-far-reaching-defense-review-if-elected/

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  11 février 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  U.S. Air Force Upgrading C-17 and C-130H Avionics As Supplier Base for Legacy Systems Falls

  The U.S. Air Force is undertaking a number of avionics upgrades for Boeing [BA] C-17 and Lockheed Martin [LMT] C-130H transport aircraft, as the supplier base for legacy avionics systems falls, according to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. “Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Material Shortfalls (DMSMS) are driving avionics-related upgrades,” AFLCMC wrote in email responses to questions from Defense Daily. The AFLCMC C-17 program office (AFLCMC/WLM) at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is undertaking a nearly $286 million C-17 Replacement Head-Up Display (RHUD) program with Elbit Systems of America to replace the 1980s-era C-17 HUD by the defunct U.K.-based GEC Avionics, whose former business is now part of Leonardo. The Elbit Systems RHUD for the C-17 has a Projector Unit (PU) and a Computer Unit (CU) that “displays symbols and real-world conformal imagery over an increased field of view to include the capability to display threat warnings and quadrant, supports two independently selectable video inputs for autonomous landing growth requirements, provides aircraft Electronic Bore-sighting capability, [and] provides improved reliability with a Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) of 3,000 operating hours,” according to AFLCMC/WLM. A GEC Avionics brochure issued in 1987 for the C-17 HUD said that the HUD has an MTBF of 7,000 operating hours, but, “based on current performance, the actual [HUD] MTBF is between 1,600 and 1,800 hours (lower than predicted),” according to AFLCMC/WLM. “The Statement of Requirements for the Replacement Head Up Display (RHUD) development delivery order requested 3,000 hours MTBF at maturity.” In addition, for the Boeing C-17 aircraft, the Air Force is undertaking “satellite communications upgrades for increased coverage and throughput speeds along with mitigation of obsolescence issues due to satellite service dates” and “upgrades of legacy aircraft avionics to capabilities of current commercial production aircraft, large area displays, [and] improved weather radars,” AFLCMC/WLM said. Under a $209 million Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) program for the C-17, AFLCMC is replacing the aircraft's L-Band Aero-I and Aero-H antennas, providing air traffic control data link capabilities, replacing the Collins Aerospace [UTX] ARC-210 Gen 3 radios with ARC-210 Gen 6 radios, and replacing KYV-5 cryptography with next-gen KYV-5M, AFLCMC/WLM said. Last July, the Air Force picked Honeywell [HON] to install its JetWave Ka-band fuselage-mounted antenna (MCS-8100 and tail-mounted antenna (MCS-8000) on 70 C-17s to provide real-time weather, video conferencing, large file transfer, encryption capabilities, in-flight briefings, intelligence surveillance reconnaissance video and secure communications in all areas, including over water and remote areas. The C-17 BLOS program will “enable dynamic re-tasking and command and control support of MAF [Mobility Air Forces] aircraft,” the Air Force said. JetWave uses Inmarsat‘s Global Xpress Ka-band service to provide worldwide connectivity with up to 50 Mbps of bandwidth to defense customers, according to Honeywell Aerospace. In December, AFLCMC completed Block 21 upgrades for all 275 C-17s, operated by the Air Force and allied nations, according to AFLCMC/WLM. The upgrades included hardware and software for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out (ADS-B Out) required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and aviation authorities in Europe for planes operating in controlled airspace. “In addition to ADS-B Out, Block 21 included an Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) modification and other communication/navigation capability software updates,” AFLCMC said. “These additional modifications significantly improve the aircraft's flight management systems.” For the C-130H, the Air Force last June awarded L3Harris [LHX] a nearly $500 million contract for avionics upgrades to 176 Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard aircraft under the C-130H Avionics Modernization Program (AMP). L3Harris has chosen Collins Aerospace to provide its commercial off-the-shelf Flight2 integrated avionics system. Collins Aerospace said that is providing seven multifunctional displays (MFDs), three control display units (CDUs), and a new digital autopilot that will replace more than 100 analog instruments in C-130H cockpits. The AFLCMC C-130 program office (AFLCMC/WLN) at Robins Air Force Base said that the C-130H AMP increments 1 and 2 include “compliance with latest commercial and military Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) standards, a new flight management system, new commercial and military GPS receivers, improved [RNP] Required Navigation Performance], compliance with VHF 8.33KHz channel spacing requirements and ADS-B Out and Mode S Enhanced Surveillance (EHS) requirements, military satcom voice and data via the Lockheed Martin Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), improved UHF anti-jam capability via the Collins Aerospace Second generation Anti-jam Tactical UHF Radio for NATO (SATURN), Real-Time Information into the Cockpit (RTIC), Link 16, [and a] digital map.” The C-130H upgrades also include a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), according to AFLCMC/WLN. RTIC is to allow the C-130H aircraft to share data with other systems over multiple data link networks. https://www.defensedaily.com/u-s-air-force-upgrading-c-17-c-130h-avionics-supplier-base-legacy-systems-falls/air-force/