12 février 2018 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR
By: Aaron Mehta
ROME — The fiscal 2019 budget for the U.S. Air Force plans to grow the service from 55 to 58 combat squadrons over the next five years, while buying dozens of high-end aircraft and preparing to retire the B-1 and B-2 bomber fleets as the military retools for the high-end competition forseen by the Pentagon.
The National Defense Strategy, released in January, focused on the potential for great power competition between the U.S. and Russia or China. And in any such battle, the U.S. Air Force would play a critical role; hence, the service's request for $156.3 billion for FY19, a 6.6 percent overall increase from the FY18 request.
Click here for full coverage of President Trump's FY19 budget request!
In FY19, the Air Force is requesting 48 F-35A fighter jets, 15 KC-46A tankers and one more MC-130J aircraft. Ther service is also investing $2.3 billion in research and development in the B-21 Raider bomber, up from the $2 billion request in the yet-to-be-enacted FY18 budget.
The latter is notable, as the Air Force has formally announced it will be retiring the B-1 and B-2 bomber fleets once the B-21 — which will be dual-capable for both conventional and nuclear missions — starts to come online in the mid-2020s.
The budget request also calls for investing in new engines for the B-52 fleet to keep that aircraft going through 2050 — making it an almost 100-year-old design.
“If the force structure we have proposed is supported by the Congress, bases that have bombers now will have bombers in the future,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a service release. “They will be B-52s and B-21s.”
The budget request also seeks to move forward with a new light-attack aircraft, likely either the Embraer-Sierra Nevada Corp. A-29 Super Tucano or the Textron AT-6, to provide a low-end capability.
Although that program seems at odds with the high-end challenge foreseen by the Defense Department, Susanna Blume of the Center for a New American Security believes it fits in nicely, as such an aircraft would remove the need to fly expensive, high-end aircraft for that mission.
Overall, the budget request calls for buying 258 F-35A fighters through the next five years. And in terms of space, the service is requesting $2 billion to fund five launches of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
The service also seeks to increase funding for F-16 modernizations to speed upgrades with the active electronically scanned array antennas, radar warning systems and Link 16 systems.
Naval warfare reporter David B. Larter contributed to this report from Washington.
19 novembre 2023 | International, Aérospatial
DIGAR uses advanced antenna electronics, high-performance signal processing, and digital beamforming for significantly improved GPS signal reception and superior jamming immunity
6 février 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Airbus will deploy Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform to take major step forward in its digital transformation Airbus makes digital design, manufacturing and services a reality across all divisions and product lines Airbus and Dassault Systèmes (Paris:DSY) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to cooperate on the implementation of collaborative 3D design, engineering, manufacturing, simulation and intelligence applications. This will enable Airbus to take a major step forward in its digital transformation and lay the foundation for a new European industrial ecosystem in aviation. Under the MOA, Airbus will deploy Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which delivers digital continuity, from design to operations, in a single data model for a unified user experience, making digital design, manufacturing and services (DDMS) a company-wide reality for all Airbus divisions and product lines. DDMS paves the way for breakthroughs in new product design, operational performance, support and maintenance, customer satisfaction and new business models, as it represents a move from sequential to parallel development processes. Instead of first focusing on product performance, Airbus will be able to co-design and develop the next generation of aircraft with the manufacturing facilities that will produce them, reducing costs and time to market. “We are not just talking about digitalisation or a 3D experience, we are rethinking the way aircraft are designed and operated, streamlining and speeding up our processes with customer satisfaction in mind,” said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “DDMS is a catalyst for change and with it we are building a new model for the European aerospace industry with state of the art technology. Our target is a robust production setup that offers a reduction in product development lead time.” “Nothing exemplifies the intersection of technology, science and art more than aviation. When we reflect on how the industry has evolved to where it is today, it's a blend of technical prowess, digital precision and inspiration,” said Bernard Charlès, Vice Chairman and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. “The Aerospace industry has a proven track record of fast transformation, faster than in most industries. It delivers high quality innovation and new services for operations in highly complex and regulated environments. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will accelerate the digital transformation of Airbus. Airbus can capture insights and expertise from across its ecosystem to deliver new experiences that only the digital world makes possible.” Share on Twitter: @Airbus @Dassault3DS embark on strategic partnership to create the European aerospace industry of tomorrow #digitaltransformation #smartmanufacturing #factoryofthefuture #3DEXPERIENCE * * * About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. About Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes' collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 250,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass logo and the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA, NETVIBES and 3DEXCITE are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries. This and other press releases and high resolution photos are available on: AirbusNewsroom https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190205006036/en/
6 avril 2018 | International, Aérospatial
(Boursier.com) — L'Inde a fixé au 6 juillet prochain la date-butoir pour la soumission initiale des offres de renouvellement de sa flotte de jets de combat. Le pays veut s'équiper de 110 appareils mono et biplaces qui doivent être produits localement, a fait savoir l'armée de l'air. L'occasion pour Dassault Aviation de proposer à nouveau son Rafale, que Delhi a déjà commandé à 36 exemplaires en 2016, après un très long processus entamé en 2001. Initialement, l'Inde devait commander 126 Rafale, mais le contrat avait finalement été réduit à 36 appareils après plusieurs volte-face des autorités. Make in India Dassault a depuis joué la carte de la séduction en mettant les bouchées double dans le cadre de l'initiative gouvernementale "Make in India", qui vise à faire profiter à l'industrie locale des grands contrats signaux avec des groupes étrangers. Une usine a vu le jour en coentreprise avec Reliance à Nagpur, pour fabriquer des pièces à destination du contrat Rafale initial. Le groupe français a également exhorté ses sous-traitants à investir dans le pays, pour accroître ses chances d'obtenir un nouveau contrat. Le premier Rafale à voler pour l'Inde devrait être livré en 2019, 18 ans après que le pays eut décidé de moderniser sa flotte d'avions de combat. https://www.boursier.com/actions/actualites/news/le-rafale-de-dassault-bientot-a-nouveau-en-piste-en-inde-761709.html