Why GE plan to make fighter jet engines in India is a big deal

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  3 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Boeing’s F-15EX jet makes its first flight

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Boeing's first F-15EX took to the skies for its inaugural flight on Feb. 2, a milestone that will allow the company to deliver the first two planes to the U.S. Air Force by the end of March. After a couple of hours of delays due to weather — which also held up plans to conduct a first flight on Feb. 1 — Boeing test pilot Matt “Phat” Giese took off from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri, at approximately 1:57 p.m. EST. The flight lasted approximately 90 minutes, and the plane performed as expected, Boeing said in a news release. “Today's successful flight proves the jet's safety and readiness to join our nation's fighter fleet,” said Prat Kumar, Boeing vice president and F-15 program manager. “Our workforce is excited to build a modern fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. Our customer can feel confident in its decision to invest in this platform that is capable of incorporating the latest advanced battle management systems, sensors and weapons due to the jet's digital airframe design and open mission systems architecture.” The Air Force first added the F-15EX to its fiscal 2020 budget at the behest of the Defense Department's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, or CAPE. With the Air Force and Air National Guard's fleet of 1970s-era F-15C/D jets showing signs of age, the service needed to either conduct an expensive life extension or buy new planes to replace them. But with F-35 operations and sustainment costs still financially burdensome, CAPE officials argued that buying an upgraded version of the F-15E Strike Eagle — with new features developed primarily at the cost of foreign customers like Qatar and Saudi Arabia — would be a more cost-conscious option. The Air Force placed its first order for the F-15EX in July 2020, awarding a contract for the first lot of eight jets with a value not to exceed about $1.2 billion. The entire program has a ceiling value of $23 billion. The new jets come with a host of modern features, including Honeywell's ADCP-II mission computer, the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System electronic warfare system made by BAE Systems, the Raytheon Technologies' AN/APG-82 radar, fly-by-wire flight controls, and a digital cockpit. The service expects to buy at least 144 F-15EX aircraft, but the contract includes options to allow the Air Force to purchase up to 200 jets. Congress first included funds in December to purchase eight F-15EXs through the fiscal 2020 spending bill, and lawmakers approved spending $1.2 billion to buy 12 F-15EXs in fiscal 2021. According to the Air Force's FY21 budget request, the service plans to buy another dozen planes in FY22, procuring 14 F-15EXs in FY23, and ramping up to 19 jets per year in both FY24 and FY25. Once delivered to the Air Force, the first two F-15EXs will go Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for testing, with the remaining six aircraft set to be delivered to the base in FY23. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/02/02/the-f-15ex-just-made-its-first-flight

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  28 septembre 2020 | International, C4ISR

  General Atomics' Sparrowhawk Drone-Launched Drone Breaks Cover

  This low-cost unmanned demonstrator could give larger drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, game-changing new capabilities. BY JOSEPH TREVITHICK General Atomics says that it has conducted captive carry tests of its Sparrowhawk, a new small drone that will be able to be launched and recovered in flight. The company says that Sparrowhawk is a demonstrator and was developed specifically to work with other larger unmanned aircraft that it builds, such as the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle, offering an important stepping stone to all-new capabilities on those existing designs, as well as future ones. The California-based drone's maker said the captive carry tests, in which the drone was carried aloft by an MQ-9, but was not launched, took place between Sept. 16 and 17, 2020. This kind of testing is done to gather data on how a system, as well as the launch platform in many cases, handles the stress of flight. A picture of Sparrowhawk that General Atomics released to The War Zone shows that the drone features a large main wing that is stowed parallel with the main fuselage before launch, after which is swings 90 degrees into a deployed position. The drone also has a v-tail and there appears to be at least one air intake for the propulsion system on the right side. It's unclear what type of powerplant powers the air-launched drone. Sparrowhawk concept art that General Atomics posted on Twitter earlier in September showed a similar configuration, but with two fans at the rear of the fuselage. The company has said that the small drone will offer a reduced acoustic signature, as well as a visual one, compared to its larger designs, such as the MQ-9. It's not clear yet how General Atomics is planning to recover Sparrowhawk in flight and whether unmanned platforms, such as the MQ-9, will be able to carry out this task. "Sparrowhawk iterates on the DARPA Gremlins Program," according to the company. Dynetics, now a subsidiary of Leidos, beat out General Atomics, among others, to build the experimental Gremlins drone, now also designed the X-61A, as well as the airborne recovery system, which is presently mounted on a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. You can read more about Gremlins and the recovery concept, which includes the drone catching the end of a cable in flight and then being reeled in, in these past War Zone pieces. It's hard overstate how significant Sparrowhawk, and any further developments it spurs, could be for both General Atomics existing product lines and future unmanned designs. The ability of a large drone to launch smaller ones, all potentially working together semi-autonomously or even as part of a fully-autonomous swarm, could open the door to all kinds of new capabilities, while reducing the risk to the launch platform. “Sparrowhawk extends and multiplies MQ-9-based sensors, reduces manpower and increases ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] coverage,” David Alexander, President of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), said in a statement. Beyond providing far more flexible ISR over a larger geographical area, Sparrowhawks may also provide valuable stand-in electronic warfare jamming or even act as decoys to blind and confuse enemy integrated air defenses, which could drastically increase the survivability of the launch platform and even help clear a path for other manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as stand-off missile strikes. Sparrowhawks could potentially carry out their own kinetic strikes if they can be equipped with traditional explosive warheads, although there is no official information yet if arming these unmanned aircraft is a possibility. If it is indeed the case, these drones might able to act as loitering munitions, which would be able to conduct persistent surveillance of designated areas before then carrying out strikes on targets of opportunity or return for recovery and re-launch. General Atomics says that Sparrowhawk is intended to be an attritable platform, as well, despite being designed to be recovered and reused. Attritable designs are those that are low cost enough that commanders can employ them in higher-risk environments that would be off-limits to more expensive exquisite types. “With attritableONE technology that is survivable and precise, Sparrowhawk is a true game changer,” GS-ASI's President Alexander said. This program is part of the U.S. Air Force's expansive Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) program, which is seeking to develop a host of new highly-networked technologies that will expand the service's ability to gather information and then rapidly analyze and disseminate it, including targeting data that can then be passed to other U.S. military units in the air, on the ground, and at sea. As the name implies, attritableONE is focused on developing new attritable unmanned aircraft. In a recent major demonstration of various ABMS capabilities and associated technologies, an MQ-1C Gray Eagle launched an Area-I Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated, Unmanned System 600 (ALTIUS 600) small drone, acting as an attritableONE testbed. The ALTIUS 600 then positively identified a target that the MQ-1C's onboard sensors had first identified. The U.S. Army has also been experimenting with the ALTIUS 600 as part of its Air Launch Effects (ALE) effort, which also envisions fleets of small drones performing various ISR, deception, and other tasks, which you can read about in more detail in this past War Zone piece. During the recent ABMS demonstration, a General Atomics MQ-9 also carried a Rosetta Echo Advanced Payload (REAP) communications and datalink pod, which includes technology developed under gatewayONE and meshONE, which are also part of the broader ABMS effort. "The REAP pod has been developed under contract from the Air National Guard and demonstrated a communications relay capability for both Link-16 and the Silvus meshONE network providing seamless connectivity between air and ground participants in the demonstration area," according to General Atomics. All told, the Sparrowhawk looks to be an extremely exciting development. It also comes at a time when the U.S. Air Force, the largest operator of MQ-9s, is looking to stop buying those drones due to concerns that they are simply too vulnerable to be useful during a high-end conflict. The ability of Reapers to launch and recover smaller, attritable drones and, by extension, perform a wider array of tasks over a larger geographical area, even in contested environments, could breathe new life into that design. We at The War Zone are very eager to learn more about Sparrowhawk and what it can do. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36747/general-atomics-sparrowhawk-drone-launched-drone-breaks-cover

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  11 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 10, 2020

  ARMY General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $428,229,970 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the field level maintenance, field service representative support, contingency maintenance support, new equipment training and total package fielding for the family of Stryker vehicles. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0075). Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nevada, was awarded a $318,952,224 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for simple key loader production, engineering and sustainment support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 9, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W15P7T-20-D-0030). Remotec Inc., Clinton, Tennessee, was awarded a $48,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the reset, sustainment, maintenance and recap to support the overall sustainment actions of the Remotec family of robots. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 1, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Detroit, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-F-0366). Carbro Constructors Corp.,* Hillsborough, New Jersey, was awarded a $7,832,976 modification (P00003) to contract W912DS-19-C-0035 for construction of flood-control measures for Green Brook Segment C1, Borough of Middlesex, New Jersey. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Aug. 6, 2020) AIR FORCE Tangram Flex Inc.,* Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $95,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for software and reports. The scope of this effort is to perform research, development, prototyping, enhancement, testing, evaluation, integration, transition and operational assessment to enhance and commercialize the Tangram Platform resulting in flexible system engineering componentization that allows system integrators and maintainers to ease the difficulty in interface versioning and generation. Work will be performed in Dayton, Ohio, and is expected to be completed Aug. 10, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 23 offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $243,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-D-1000). Black River Systems Co. Inc.,* Utica, New York, has been awarded an $89,280,441 modification (P00012) to contract FA8750-19-C-0040 for operational counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) open systems architecture. The objective of this effort is to rapidly enhance and commercialize the technology and approach developed under the previous Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract in order to support rapid research, development, prototyping, demonstration, evaluation and transition of C-sUAS capabilities. Work will be performed in Utica, New York, and is expected to be completed May 1, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,150,720; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,683,016; and fiscal 2018 other procurement funds in the amount of $2,509,784, are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $184,929,049. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $50,000,000 cost ceiling, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Internet Protocol Enabled Communication (IPEC) program. This contract provides for the continued acquisition of supplies and services directly associated with the functions of IPEC in the overarching AWACS upgrade. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed Aug. 10, 2026. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $1,875,634 are obligated at the time of award on the same day delivery order. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-D-0038). NAVY Nan Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $33,491,868 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of magazines at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The work to be performed provides for constructing four standard earth covered Type D box magazines without loading platforms, each equipped with electronically-operated doors at ground level, lightning protection system and grounding system. Paving and site improvements include concrete magazine apron and site demolition. Electrical utilities include primary and secondary electrical distribution systems and transformers. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by September 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $33,491,868 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Beta.SAM.gov contract opportunities website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62478-20-C-4016). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Argentum Medical LLC, Geneva, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $14,780,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical surgical products. This was a competitive acquisition with 24 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with an Aug. 9, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-20-D-0018). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2307696/source/GovDelivery/