24 octobre 2022 | International, Aérospatial
Titra developing Turkey's first uncrewed helicopter
Company plans to produce 10 Alpin uncrewed helicopters per year, in addition to 250 kamikaze drones.
10 octobre 2018 | International, Terrestre
US Army triggers start of possible ground mobility vehicle competition after long delay
By: Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — The Army seemed geared toward holding a rapid competition to buy a Ground Mobility Vehicle in 2016, but the plan was delayed without much explanation in favor of buying an interim vehicle already in use by special operations forces.
Buying the GMV was a top priority following the fall 2015 release of the Army's Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy, which called for such a vehicle in future and current operations.
After a competition never materialized, however, rumors began to swirl that the Army may decide to buy more of the U.S. Special Operations Command's GMV — General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Flyer 72 — even after the service had spent several years prior testing a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf options.
But Congress spurred the effort in its fiscal 2018 defense policy bill, mandating the Army hold a competition and move forward with a program.
The Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support's product lead for the GMV has quietly stated on its website that the Army plans to pursue a competition for the GMV — calling it an Infantry Squad Vehicle — as a formal program of record.
The office states that it is projected to enter into a production contract in fiscal 2020 to procure 2,000 vehicles, roughly a year later than originally planned.
The Army took a big step forward on Sept. 24, releasing a market survey to industry, via the Federal Business Opportunities website, soliciting offerings for an Infantry Squad Vehicle.
The notice states the service is looking for a vehicle that provides mobility for a nine-soldier infantry squad as well as its associated equipment to “move around the close battle area.” The vehicle should be lightweight, highly mobile and transportable “by all means” to include CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and by Low Velocity Air Drop.
Responses to the solicitation are due on Oct. 26.
While the Army has already bought quantities of the SOCOM vehicle for five airborne infantry brigade combat teams, other companies have continued to wait in the wings for the possibility to compete. And the pool of readily available ultralight vehicles is deep.
In addition to GD's Flyer, these vehicles all participated in vehicle demonstrations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2014:
- Boeing-MSI Defense's Phantom Badger.
- Polaris Defense's air-transportable off-road combat vehicle DAGOR.
- Hendrick Dynamics' Commando Jeep.
- Vyper Adamas' Viper.
- Lockheed Martin's High Versatility Tactical Vehicle, which is a version of the British Army's HMT-400 Jackal.
The Army launched its new-start GMV program in 2017 as planned, based off the service's new combat vehicle modernization strategy released in 2016, which called for the capability.
The Army planned to reach a full-rate production decision on a vehicle by the end of FY19.
But then it decided to split GMV procurement into two phases in the FY18 budget request and, in the first phase, planned to exclusively buy 295 of GD's Flyers through a previously awarded contract with U.S. Special Operations Command. The second phase would open up into a competition to build 1,700 more GMVs.
Procuring the GMV vehicles from SOCOM raised the unit cost of the vehicle higher than the unit cost of ones that would have been procured through competition, according to FY18 budget documents.
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20 mai 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Ratier-Figeac : nouvelle commande d'hélices pour les avions militaires américains
Collins Aerospace, groupe américain dont fait partie Ratier-Figeac, annonce avoir reçu un contrat pluriannuel pour la fourniture de nouveaux systèmes d'hélices NP2000 pour les avions Hawkeye E-2D de Northrop Grumman. Ces systèmes hélices seront fabriqués par Ratier-Figeac (Lot), qui a récemment investi dans la construction d'un centre d'excellence des hélices d'avion, qui devrait être inauguré à l'automne, comme le précise Jean-François Chanut, président de Ratier Figeac et directeur général de la branche Propeller Systems de Collins Aerospace. L'assemblage final des pièces sera réalisé aux Etats-Unis, sur le site de Windsor Locks (Connecticut). « Avec sa nouvelle hélice NP2000 et son système numérique de commande d'hélice électronique, Collins Aerospace continue de fournir aux opérateurs d'E-2D Advanced Hawkeye un temps et un coût de maintenance réduits, ainsi qu'un confort et une sécurité améliorés pour l'équipage », souligne Collins Aerospace. La Dépêche du Midi du 20 mai
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19 juillet 2018 | International, Naval
US Navy asks Congress to shift millions of dollars to fix high-tech supercarrier
By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy needs to get the permission of lawmakers to move $62.7 million to fix a number of hiccups in its high-tech new carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, during its post-shakedown availability that kicked off July 15. The money, part of a larger DoD reprogramming request from June, will go toward fixing a number of issues that arose during its recently concluded post-delivery trials, according to a copy of the request obtained by Defense News. According to the document, the Navy needs to move: $12.7 million to fix “continuing technical deficiencies” with the Advanced Weapon Elevators. $30 million for “tooling and repair” of the main thrust bearings, issues that the Navy has blamed on the manufacturer. $20 million for additional repairs, a prolonged post-shakedown availabilty, and parts and labor. By: David Larter The Navy told Congress in May that it was going to exceed the Ford's $12.9 billion cost cap because of needed repairs and alterations. The $62.7 million was part of that total repair bill. The repairs and technology setbacks extended the Ford's PSA at Huntington Ingalls' Newport News Shipbuilding from eight months to 12 months, according to a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command, and significantly added to the cost. The ship will then proceed to full-ship shock trials ahead of its first deployment, a priority pushed by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., according to the document. Since its delivery, the Ford has spent 81 days at sea during the eight times it was underway, a July 15 NAVSEA release said. “The ship has completed 747 shipboard aircraft launches and recoveries against a plan of approximately 400,” the release said. “CVN 78 successfully completed fixed-wing aircraft/helicopter integration and compatibility testing, air traffic control center certification, JP-5 fuel system certification, daytime underway replenishment capability demonstration, ship's defensive system demonstration, Dual Band Radar testing, and propulsion plant operations.” https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2018/07/18/us-navy-asks-congress-to-shift-millions-to-fix-its-new-high-tech-supercarrier/