9 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial
by Gareth Jennings
The US Air Force (USAF) plans to strengthen its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) fleet, with a further six aircraft to be procured over the coming five years.
With the fleet currently comprising three Bombardier Global 6000 regional jet-based E-11A (one of the original four was lost on operations in Afghanistan in 2020) and four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, the service disclosed on 5 February that it plans to acquire a further six E-11As through to 2026.
“In an effort to boost the fleet, the BACN Program Office is working to procure six E-11A aircraft over the next five years. The team has secured additional funding for the first aircraft, and contract negotiations on a purchase agreement are currently in progress,” the USAF said, adding that it expects to have a contract in place by the end of March. While the announcement said that all six aircraft would be delivered by the end of June, it appears from the previously stated timeline that ‘2026' was inadvertently omitted.
News of the proposed boost to numbers came days after the USAF awarded Northrop Grumman USD3.6 billion for continued BACN operations, sustainment, and support.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usaf-to-buy-more-bacn
18 octobre 2021 | International, Terrestre
See the newest tech and hear from leadership in this special episode of Defense News Weekly covers the Association of the U.S. Army conference.
13 décembre 2023 | International, Terrestre, Sécurité
The U.S. Army hopes Congress approves a supplemental funding request with $750 million to enable a Patriot missile production capacity increase.
14 juin 2018 | International, C4ISR
WASHINGTON — European military and staff planners from Belgium to Bulgaria gathered this week in Austria to take part in Cyber Phalanx 2018. The exercise, which involved 27 nations, aimed to strengthen European readiness against cyberattacks, with a special focus on “cyber defense decision-making and planning processes,” according to the European Defense Agency announcement. The heads of Britain and Germany's domestic intelligence agencies joined European Union officials to warn of an expanded use of cyber to undermine democratic processes by Russia. Countries like Finland have identified cyber espionage as a top threat to the survival of national technology companies. While the EU has organized little in the way of cyber exercises, the Cyber Phalanx exercise won't be the first among European allies to focus on cyber readiness and training. NATO has taken the lead in preparing member nations for cyber threats, organizing exercises like Crossed Swords for members to gain experience with cyber-kinetic operations involving drones and 5G networks. The alliance also recently declared success at its Locked Shields exercise after NATO cyber specialists defended a theoretical country's electric power grid, communication networks and other critical infrastructure from thousands of cyberattacks. NATO has also led the EU in discussions of a response to a cyberattack, even raising the possibility of treating a digital transgression as an act of war. Now, the issue may be warranting more attention from European organizations. Hosted by the EDA and the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC), Cyber Phalanx seeks to help the participants from various nations familiarize themselves with existing European online structures and their respective roles as cyber stakeholders. As governments around the world contemplate how to recognize the next threat to their networks, the exercises in Austria also will hopefully “increase interoperability” among experts and governments in Europe. Planners will also be prepared to address previously overlooked aspects of cyberwarfare, such as fake news or social media that might be used to compromise planning or execution. As the pilot Cyber Phalanx, the exercises will draw on the feedback received from participants, trainers and organizers to adapt the course and improve the concept for future iterations. The exercises concluded June 8, with lessons learned incorporated into the training curriculum for future European cyber experts. https://www.fifthdomain.com/international/2018/06/08/make-room-nato-eu-is-planting-its-flag-in-cyber/