28 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial
By Harry Lye
The US has eased rules governing the export of military unmanned aerial systems (UAS) making it easier for it to sell UAS internationally.
Under the new rules, announced by US State Department Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs René Clarke Cooper, UAS that fly under 800kph (497mph) will no longer be subject to “presumption of denial” that made approving their sale more difficult.
The change affects the US's implementation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Under the new rules, possible UAS sales will be vetted using rules already in place for other exports.
Commenting on the change during a telebriefing, Cooper said: “All proposed transfers affected by this change will continue to be subject to the same rigorous review criteria that we have outlined in our UAS Export Policy, our Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, and of course, the Arms Export Control Act, as well as the specific non-proliferation criteria that has been identified in the MTCR Guidelines.
“The United States is going to continue conducting our robust review procedures for exporting UAS technology to support global non-proliferation objectives, and we encourage members of the MTCR, as well as non-members such as China, to do the same.”
The new rule change applies to UAS but will not affect systems such as cruise missiles, hypersonic aerial vehicles and ‘advanced unmanned aerial combat vehicles'. Cooper added that the subset of UAS covered by the new regulations ‘poses no risk for weapons of mass destruction delivery'.
Commenting on the move in a statement the White House said: “While the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is critical in slowing proliferation and promoting peace and security, it is in dire need of modernization as it applies to UAS. In a sector of rapidly-evolving technology, the MTCR's standards are more than three decades old.
“Not only do these outdated standards give an unfair advantage to countries outside of the MTCR and hurt United States industry, they also hinder our deterrence capability abroad by handicapping our partners and allies with subpar technology. More than two years of discussion with MTCR partners were unable to produce consensus on this overdue reform.”
The White House added that the move would bolster US National Security “by improving the capabilities of our partners and increase our economic security by opening the expanding UAS market to United States industry,” adding that it saw the decision as an example for other MTCR members to follow.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/us-eases-military-uas-export-rules/
23 octobre 2024 | International, C4ISR
Teledyne FLIR Defense has secured a contract, valued at up to $91m, to provide the US Army with its latest Black Hornet 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems.
13 janvier 2020 | International, Naval
By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON – The Indian Navy hit a major milestone in its quest for a home-grown carrier-based fighter aircraft, the military's research and development wing announced Saturday. A prototype of a naval version of India's Tejas light combat aircraft performed an arrested landing on board the carrier Vikramaditya in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation announced on Twitter. “After completing extensive trials on the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF), Naval version of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) did a successful arrested landing onboard INS Vikramaditya at 1002 hrs today,” DRDO said in a press release. India's defense minister took to Twitter to hail the step forward in India's goal of developing more of its fighter technology in country. “Extremely happy to learn of the maiden landing of DRDO developed LCA Navy on INS Vikramaditya,” Rajnath Singh tweeted. “This successful landing is a great event in the history of Indian Fighter aircraft development programme.” While the Tejas is a single-engine fighter, the Navy is looking to develop a twin-egine carrier-based fighter to field in the 2030s. The Indian Navy has an ongoing competition for 57 carrier-based fighters, with Boeing's F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet being among the competitors. The Indian Navy operates the MiG-29K Fulcrum, but has been generally unhappy with its ability to stand up to the rigors of carrier-based aviation, Defense News reported in 2017. “We (Indian Navy) want the MiG-29K aircraft to be ruggedized to carry out operations because landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier is almost like a hard landing and the fighter aircraft needs frequent maintenance,” a Navy official told Defense News. “There are frequent structural defects due to deck landing,” the official added. However, Anastasia Kravchenkov, a representative of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, said in official correspondence: “Neither we, nor our partners have received any official claims about operational problems with the Russian MiG aircrafts.” The Indian Navy has made subsequent statements that it has worked out its maintenance and spare parts issues. The MiG-29K is among the competitors for the ongoing competition, along with Saab, which is pitching joint development of a Sea Gripen. Dassault is reportedly offering its Rafale M fighter. Defense News contributor Vivek Raghuvanshi contributed to this report. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/01/11/indian-navy-hits-a-major-milestone-with-a-home-grown-experimental-jet
15 novembre 2023 | International, Aérospatial
Huntsville, Ala., November 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today opened a $16.5M engineering facility at its Huntsville campus, introducing more capabilities for missile defense innovation in North...