Turkish Aerospace, Aselsan ink $2B in deals to upgrade F-16 jets

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  19 juillet 2019 | International, Autre défense

  This is Knight’s Armament’s new machine gun suppressor

  Knight's Armament Company of Titusville, Florida, unveiled a new suppressor at this year's Special Operations Forces Industry Conference where members of the SOF community get to interact with vendors and industry partners to preview and try out the latest and greatest in special operations kit and gear. KAC's suppressor is designed primarily to be used with the company's premier belt-fed Light Assault Machine Gun platform, chambered for 5.56 NATO and marketed more towards the SOF and private military contractor communities than to conventional infantry forces. True to its name, the LAMG is indeed very light, weighing only 8.6 pounds unloaded. In comparison, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon weighs in at 17 pounds unloaded. According to KAC, one of the LAMG's biggest selling points is its ability to put down a high volume of fire with a low cyclic rate of just around 575-625 rounds per minute, allowing the end user to maintain a greater degree of control over the weapon and concentrate accurate fire on target. The suppressor, delivered in kit form, mounts to a threaded barrel included in the kit, and makes heavy use of a unique Pressure Reduction Technology system, which vents the gasses from each shot forward, preventing the gas from venting backwards into the shooter's face. Additionally -- and probably its best feature -- the PRT system allows the LAMG to keep its factory cyclic rates during sustained fire without any major dips. The LAMG is currently available to defense buyers, which means that the new suppressor will likely only be targeted towards military sales. At the moment, US SOCOM doesn't list the LAMG in its belt-fed arsenal, though it's possible that there are foreign SOF units that make use of KAC's innovative light machine gun platform, and might potentially avail of a sustained fire suppressor. https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/gearscout/irons/2019/07/09/this-is-knights-armaments-new-machine-gun-suppressor/

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  27 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  Here’s the first look at the Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant helicopter

  By: Jill Aitoro WASHINGTON — Sikorsky and Boeing provided the first look at the Defiant helicopter, one of two designs competing under the U.S. Army's Joint Multi-Role technology demonstrator program, two weeks after confirming the first flight would be delayed until 2019. The Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator effort will inform requirements for the U.S. Army's FVL family of systems, which will come online in the 2030s. The Defiant is designed to fly at twice the speed and range of today's conventional helicopters and offers advanced agility and maneuverability, according to the Sikorsky-Boeing team. Data from the Defiant will help the Army develop requirements for new utility helicopters expected to enter service in the early 2030s. The Defiant's first flight was bumped to 2019 following a technical issue discovered during ground tests. Competitor Bell's V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft has been flying since December 2017. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/12/26/heres-the-first-look-at-the-sikorsky-boeing-defiant-helicopter

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  23 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Lockheed, Boeing Got Half of $2.3 Billion in Pentagon Virus Cash

  By Anthony Capaccio Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. received about half of an initial $2.3 billion in increased, accelerated payments the Pentagon provided contractors to help companies' cash flows after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in the U.S. The initial infusion was included in $13 billion in regular, periodic progress payments paid to the companies, according to newly released defense figures. Lockheed Martin initially received $685 million while Boeing got $670 million, according to a Pentagon statement to Bloomberg News In a separate statement, Lockheed Martin said that modifications to existing contracts resulted in additional accelerated payments to the company, increasing its total received to $1.1 billion by June 30, “all of which we have flowed down to our supply base.” Lockheed and Boeing are the top two U.S. defense contractors, so they were expected to get the biggest share of the funds. Other companies receiving the accelerated payments include: Raytheon Technologies Corp.: $410 million L3 Harris Technologies Inc.: $74 million The Boeing/Lockheed United Launch Alliance LLC: $70 million Northrop Grumman Corp.: $70 million Another $321 million went to other companies. The companies are benefiting from a policy the Pentagon announced in March, just as the pandemic was building in the U.S., that provided for faster, and bigger, payments to companies. The move was intended to guarantee that critical national security contracts -- including the production of key weapons systems and supplies -- weren't interrupted by companies having problems accessing cash or credit. The extra funding would ensure production lines were able to stay open. The Defense Department's move meant that larger firms could get as much as 90% of their payments for contracts in progress, up from 80% previously. For smaller businesses, which might be more susceptible to virus impacts, the rate rose to 95% from 90%. As the initial funds were identified, the Pentagon “worked with each of the major primes to ensure that they were identifying at risk companies in their supply chain and flowing down payments to those companies, as well as all companies doing work for the prime,” said the statement. The major contractors “have been flowing down payments, in some cases more than the payments received from DOD,” it said. Pentagon officials initially estimated in March about $3 billion would be paid but that number included a potential $700 million payment on a long-standing contract that further analysis deemed was not necessary. In addition to the accelerated progress payments, the Air Force in April released to Boeing $882 million withheld from the company over current deficiencies with its KC-46 military tanker program as part of Covid-19 relief efforts. After the program was announced, Senator Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, expressed concern about its oversight. In particular, the Massachusetts Democrat questioned whether companies might try to divert the increased payments for stock buybacks, dividends or executive pay. Pentagon Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord in a May 15 letter to Warren said that hasn't been the case. “Companies do not divert payments for incurred costs to share buybacks, dividends or executive salaries because contractors must have already incurred costs before they receive the increased progress payments,” Lord wrote. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/lockheed-boeing-got-half-of-2-3-billion-in-pentagon-virus-cash