Nouvelles

By Ed Adamczyk Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army will purchase the latest iteration of the M1 Abrams tank in a $4.62 billion contract with General Dynamics, the Defense Department announced. The battle tank, regarded by many as the world's best, first entered service in 1980. The newest version, known as the M1A2C or the M1A2 SEPV3, includes a variety of improvements, notably a gunner's sight and commander's sight for increased lethality and a 120mm cannon. It also has an ammunition datalink to fire improved rounds, 12 batteries for longer silent watch, reinforced armor, a jammer to counter radio-activated improvised explosive devices, replaceable modules for easier maintenance and other features. The tank "provides the lethality, survivability and fightability necessary to defeat advanced threats well into the future," an Army statement said. "The Abrams tank is the Army's primary ground combat system." At 71.2 tons, it is regarded as the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced, and the platform for future modernizations. The Army intends to field over 2,100 M1AC tanks through its Abrams Upgrade Program and the eight-year, single-bid contract with General Dynamics Land Systems. The Defense Department did not disclose the number of new tanks to be delivered in its announcement, but noted a completion date of 2028. More than 10,000 Abrams tanks have been built since 1980, and are included in the equipment of the armies of Australia, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/12/21/General-Dynamics-to-build-upgraded-Abrams-tanks-in-462B-contract/5371608568868/

by Marc Selinger Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has promoted chief financial officer (CFO) Christopher Kastner to the new position of chief operating officer (COO), giving him oversight of the company's three operating divisions, the US shipbuilder announced on 18 December. HII said that Kastner will work closely with the presidents of the three divisions – Newport News Shipbuilding, Ingalls Shipbuilding, and Technical Solutions – to “drive execution” on HII's backlog, which recently set a record high. “We are establishing this position to signal our continued and strong commitment to performance and execution, to better reflect the business dynamics associated with our historic USD45 billion backlog, and in recognition of the importance of the [US] Navy's new long-range shipbuilding plan,” HII spokeswoman Beci Brenton said. The shipbuilding plan calls for a larger fleet. Thomas Stiehle, CFO of Ingalls, will replace Kastner as HII's CFO. Kastner and Stiehle will begin their new jobs on 12 February and will report to Mike Petters, HII's president and CEO. Asked whether Kastner's appointment means he is being groomed to succeed Petters someday, Brenton said, “there is no change to Mike's role, and he will continue to be the president and chief executive officer of HII for the foreseeable future”. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/huntington-ingalls-names-new-coo-cfo

AIR FORCE Voly Defense Solutions LLC, Concord, California, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a shared ceiling of $400,000,000 for all subsequent competitively selected delivery orders in support of the Skyborg Vanguard Program. The Skyborg prototyping, experimentation and autonomy development contract will be used to deliver missionized prototypes in support of operational experimentation and develop the first Skyborg air platform with modular hardware and software payloads that will incorporate the Skyborg autonomy core system and enable manned/unmanned teaming. The locations of performance are to be determined at the order level and are expected to be completed July 2026. These awards are being made as a result of a competitive acquisition and 18 offers were received. No funds are being obligated on the awards and funding will be provided on each individual order. The Air Force Life Cycle Management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8694-21-D-1400). National Aerospace Solutions LLC, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, has been awarded a $108,309,387 modification (P00127) to contract FA9101-15-C-0500 for test operations and sustainment. This modification provides for test operations, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements and some support services for the Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2021. The overall value of the contract is $1,323,841,609. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance; and research, development, test and evaluation funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Test Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a $20,049,879 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, requirements contract to provide contractor engineering and technical services engine support for Air National Guard and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) partners. Work will be performed in Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed Dec. 21, 2022. FMS funds will be used, with no funds being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8604-21-D-8004). Northrop Grumman, doing business as Alliant Techsystems Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $15,152,856 firm-fixed-price modification (P00061) to contract FA8106-16-C-0004 for contractor logistic support for the Iraqi Air Force's Cessna 208 and 172 fleet. Work will be performed in Balad Airbase, Iraq, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $235,000,000. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. ARMY ASRC Federal Data Network Technologies, Beltsville, Maryland, was awarded a $249,000,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to support program management activities across the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization program. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 21, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-21-D-0030). General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $15,509,730 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for contractor logistics support services for M1A1SA Abrams tanks and M88A1/A2 recovery vehicles. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Camp Taji, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Iraq) funds in the amount of $15,509,730 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-21-C-0072). Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded an $11,622,300 modification (0001CG) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0028 for logistics support services. Work will be performed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 17, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $11,622,300 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. MORSE Corp Inc.,* Cambridge, Massachusetts, was awarded a $10,861,000 modification (P00002) to contract W911NF-19-C-0101 to develop novel artificial intelligence/machine learning test, evaluation and algorithmic ensembling capabilities. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Defense-wide) funds in the amount of $9,038,737 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. New South Associates Inc.,* Stone Mountain, Georgia, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for cultural resources services. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-21-D-0017). NAVY AttainX Inc.,* Fairfax, Virginia (N39430-21-D-2305); Golden IT-JV,* Olathe, Kansas (N39430-21-D-2306); OM Group Inc.,* Piscataway, New Jersey (N39430-21-D-2307); Stellar Innovations & Solutions Inc.,* Moraine, Ohio (N39430-21-D-2308); and Yakshna Solutions Inc.,* Herndon, Virginia (N39430-21-D-2309), are awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $151,000,000 to provide full information technology (IT) lifecycle support to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command's (NAVFAC) core facilities management, construction management and installation management systems. The work to be performed is IT services and solutions through the performance of broad ranges of services across multiple functional areas, including but are not limited to, systems development lifecycle support, cybersecurity support, business systems operations and support, IT operations management and enterprise, cloud operations/migration/system development, secure infrastructure and analysis and management services. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work on this contract could be performed in the following sites, but is not limited to, Port Hueneme, California; San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Norfolk, Virginia; Kansas City, Missouri; Bremerton, Washington; and Yokosuka, Japan. The term of the contract is not to exceed 66 months with an expected completion date of August 2026. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) (O&M,N) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 minimums for each contractor are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M,N; and military construction (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and Federal Business Opportunities website with 28 proposals received. NAVFAC Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission System, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $101,001,289 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract procures instructor services and associated administrative support including control account managers, functional managers, program managers, security, operational planning, contract, finance and lab support to meet integrated weapons systems and Aegis training requirements for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Dahlgren, Virginia (35%); Moorestown, New Jersey (35%); Maizuru (2%), Sasebo (3%), and Yokosuka (10%), Japan; Sydney, Australia (10%); Busan (1%), Chinhae (1%), and Jeju Island (1%), South Korea; and Bergen, Norway (2%), and is expected to be completed December 2025. FMS incremental funds in the amount of $9,451,623 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-4. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61340-21-C-0010). Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $48,773,600 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00039-16-C-0050 to produce, test and deliver fully integrated Navy multiband terminals (NMT) and spare parts. NMT is a multiband capable satellite communications terminal that provides protected and wideband communications. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $557,882,121. Work will be performed at Largo, Florida (54%); South Deerfield, Massachusetts (25%); Stow, Massachusetts (13%); and Marlborough, Massachusetts (8%), with an expected completion date of May 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2021 Navy working capital funds; fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $48,773,600 will be obligated at the time of award. Operation and maintenance (Navy) funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year; all other funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This sole-source contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $29,396,312 firm-fixed-price, order (N00019-21-F-0038) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This order procures various parts and quantities for main and nose landing gear critical components retrofit kits in support of F/A-18A-D aircraft modification efforts. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in February 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,675,745; and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,720,567 will be obligated at time of award, of which $9,720,567 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $27,986,162 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6400 for systems engineering and integration on Navy submarines. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (68%); Waterford, Connecticut (10%); Groton, Connecticut (10%); Middletown, Rhode Island (7%); and Newport, Rhode Island (5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,758,838 (95%); and 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $647,350 (5%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Meggitt Defense Systems Inc., Irvine, California, is awarded a not-to-exceed $27,425,431 modification (P00002) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00019-19-D-0039. This modification adds scope for the procurement of additional P-8A liquid palletized systems in ordering Years Two, Three and Four, with 10 units in Year Two, 11 units in Year Three and 11 units in Year Four, in support of the Navy P-8A aircraft. Work will be performed in Irvine, California (78%); Sumner, Washington (8%); Niagara, New York (4%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (10%), and is expected to be completed in November 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award and will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Technologies, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is awarded a $26,686,060 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-6423 to exercise options for the production of the MK54 Lightweight Torpedo MOD 0 and MOD 1 common part kits and spare torpedo components. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (30%); and the governments of Belgium, Netherlands and New Zealand (70%), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (95%); and Keyport, Washington (5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2023. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,122,692 (30%); and FMS funds in the amount of $18,563,368 (70%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Saab Inc., East Syracuse, New York, is awarded an $18,182,043 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5381 to exercise options for production and engineering support of the Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) systems. Under this contract, Saab Inc. manufactures, inspects, tests and delivers MMR systems to be deployed on Navy Expeditionary Support Base ships and Coast Guard (USCG) Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and provide engineering support of delivered MMR systems. The MMR serves as the primary sensor for air surveillance, surface surveillance and gun weapon system cueing for the USCG OPC. Work will be performed in East Syracuse, New York (64%); and Gothenburg, Sweden (36%), and is expected to be completed by April 2022. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,789,572 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $9,624,136 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5405 to exercise Option Year Four for design agent engineering and technical support services for the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, SeaRAM and land-based Phalanx Weapon System. This contract combines purchases for the Army (69%); and the governments of United Kingdom, Australia, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia (31%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (68%); El Segundo, California (18%); Louisville, Kentucky (5%); Camarillo, California (2%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (2%); Dallas, Texas (1%); Bohemia, New York (1%); Melbourne, Florida (1%); and various locations with less than 1% each (2%), and is expected to be completed by January 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $6,640,000 (69%); FMS (United Kingdom) funds in the amount of $724,655 (8%); FMS (Australia) funds in the amount of $200,000 (2%); FMS (Taiwan) funds in the amount of $605,000 (6%); FMS (Japan) funds in the amount of $406,996 (4%); FMS (New Zealand) funds in the amount of $299,485 (3%); and FMS (Saudi Arabia) funds in the amount of $784,000 (8%), will be obligated at time of award, of which funds in the amount of $6,640,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). This contract was not competitively procured, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Bowhead Base Operations LLC,* Springfield, Virginia, is awarded a $9,178,182 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract procures logistics support services, including processing material and service requests, identifying alternative parts and sources of supply for materials and services, validating requirements utilizing technical publications, receiving and tracking all incoming materials and services, maintaining warehouse-stocking levels, receiving and transferring parts between Fleet Readiness Center Aviation Support Equipment locations. Work will be performed in Solomons Island, Maryland (80%); Portsmouth, Virginia (10%); and New Orleans, Louisiana (10%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $566,849 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(5). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-21-C-0146). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY RKF Engineering Solutions, Washington, D.C., was awarded a competitive, single-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling value of $26,599,072 in support of the Defense Spectrum Organization, Electromagnetic Spectrum Services, Electromagnetic Environmental Effects program, Strategic Planning and Applied Engineering Support - Mobile Service Provider. The place of performance will be at the Defense Information Systems Agency headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland; and the Mission Partner Defense Spectrum Organization, Annapolis, Maryland. The period of performance for the base period is Jan. 4, 2021, to Jan. 3, 2022, with four one-year option periods. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds will be used for the contract's $500 minimum guarantee. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, National Capital Region, Fort Meade, Maryland, is the contracting activity (HC1047-21-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Epic Foods LLC,* Columbia, South Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $18,860,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for pouched bacon. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are South Carolina and North Carolina, with a Dec. 21, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE3S1-21-D-Z231). DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Systems and Technology Research (STR), Woburn, Massachusetts, was awarded a $15,177,171 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research project for the Joint All-Domain Warfighting Software (JAWS) program. JAWS seeks to develop a software suite to maximize the effectiveness of military force through theater scale battle management command and control with automation and predictive analytics. This capability would develop the enabling software for the warfighter to adaptably set up and execute synchronized kill webs encompassing the undersea, sea surface, land, air, space and electromagnetic domains. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (54%); Alexandria, Virginia (15%); Dayton, Ohio (14%); Menlo Park, California (13%); Columbia, Maryland (2%); and Fairfax, Virginia (2%), with an expected completion date of March 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,420,486; and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,979,425 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition in which 12 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-21-C-0011). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2454191/source/GovDelivery/

By: Sam LaGrone Lockheed Martin has made a $4.4 billion offer to acquire rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne, the companies announced on Sunday. Speaking with investors on Monday, Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said the move to acquire the engine maker was rooted in the future growth of hypersonic weapons and missile defense systems the Pentagon is developing, as well as the growing space business. In the call, Taiclet and Lockheed CFO Ken Possenriede said the merger had the potential to improve the development of new missile and space systems by allowing engineers across both companies to work closer together. In naval programs, Aerojet supplies engines for the Navy's Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, Raytheon's Standard Missile-2, SM-3 and SM-6, and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Aerojet is also developing a new propulsion system for the MK 54 lightweight torpedo. The company also supplies engines for Lockheed and Boeing's joint venture United Launch Alliance. Lockheed's space division is its third-largest business, accounting for 18 percent of the company's 2019 earnings, reported the Los Angeles Times. The merger, expected to close in the middle of next year, will have to clear regulators in the incoming Biden administration and is viewed by analysts as an early test of how the next White House will handle defense industry consolidation. https://news.usni.org/2020/12/21/lockheed-makes-4-4b-bid-to-buy-aerojet-rocketdyne

Marc Cook December 21, 2020 Boeing has demonstrated yet another capability of the ever-young F/A-18 Super Hornet by proving it can “operate from a ‘ski jump' ramp, demonstrating the aircraft's suitability for India's aircraft carriers,” according to the company. India uses something called STOBAR, for Short Takeoff But Arrested Recovery, that uses a ramp-assisted takeoff relying only on the aircraft's thrust and benefiting from the ship's forward motion, combined with more conventional arresting methods for landing. It's said that STOBAR carriers are cheaper to build than those with powered catapults. “The first successful and safe launch of the F/A-18 Super Hornet from a ski jump begins the validation process to operate effectively from Indian Navy aircraft carriers,” said Ankur Kanaglekar, India Fighter Sales lead for Boeing. “The F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet will not only provide superior war fighting capability to the Indian Navy but also create opportunities for cooperation in naval aviation between the United States and India.” “This milestone further positions the Block III Super Hornet as a versatile next-generation frontline fighter for decades to come,” said Thom Breckenridge, vice president of International Sales for Strike, Surveillance and Mobility with Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “With its proven capabilities, affordable acquisition price, known low documented life-cycle costs and guaranteed delivery schedule, the Block III Super Hornet is ideally suited to meet fighter aircraft requirements of customers in India, North America and Europe.” The demonstration is part of Boeing's sales pitch to the Indian navy, which has not chosen which fighter to purchase. It will be looking to add to its fleet of MiG-29K fighters and is considering both the F/A-18 and the Dassault Rafale. Also part of the pitch: “Boeing has strengthened its supply chain with 225 partners in India and a joint venture to manufacture fuselages for Apache helicopters. Annual sourcing from India stands at $1 billion. Boeing currently employs 3,000 people in India, and more than 7,000 people work with its supply chain partners.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/the-hornet-jumps/

Boeing and the U.S. Navy proved recently that the F/A-18 Super Hornet can operate from a “ski jump” ramp, demonstrating the aircraft's suitability for India's aircraft carriers. The demonstrations, held at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, showed that the Super Hornet would do well with the Indian Navy's Short Takeoff but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system and validated earlier simulation studies by Boeing. “The first successful and safe launch of the F/A-18 Super Hornet from a ski jump begins the validation process to operate effectively from Indian Navy aircraft carriers,” said Ankur Kanaglekar, India Fighter Sales lead for Boeing. “The F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet will not only provide superior war fighting capability to the Indian Navy but also create opportunities for cooperation in naval aviation between the United States and India.” The Indian Navy is evaluating its fighter options. If it selects the Super Hornet, it would benefit from billions of dollars invested in new technologies by the U.S. Navy and others. Those technologies include advanced networking, longer range through conformal fuel tanks, infrared search and track, and a new advanced cockpit system. “This milestone further positions the Block III Super Hornet as a versatile next-generation frontline fighter for decades to come,” said Thom Breckenridge, vice-president of international sales for strike, surveillance and mobility with Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “With its proven capabilities, affordable acquisition price, known low documented life-cycle costs and guaranteed delivery schedule, the Block III Super Hornet is ideally suited to meet fighter aircraft requirements of customers in India, North America and Europe.” The ski jump demonstrations follow the delivery of two Block III flight-test aircraft to the U.S. Navy in June. Boeing is on contract to deliver next-generation Block III capabilities to the U.S. Navy beginning in 2021. The Super Hornet provides the most weapons at range in the U.S. Navy's fighter inventory, including five times more air-to-ground and twice the air-to-air weapons capacity. Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth. https://skiesmag.com/press-releases/boeing-super-hornet-demonstrates-ski-jump-launch-capability/

Signaling a major leap forward for national defense in the digital age, the Air Force flew with artificial intelligence as a working aircrew member onboard a military aircraft for the first time Dec. 15. The AI algorithm, known as ARTUµ, flew with the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. “Vudu”, on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base. Air Combat Command's U-2 Federal Laboratory researchers developed ARTUµ and trained it to execute specific in-flight tasks that otherwise would be done by the pilot. The test flight was the result of years of concerted effort within the Air Force to apply cutting-edge technology to military operations as it competes with other world powers in the digital age. “ARTUµ's groundbreaking flight culminates our three-year journey to becoming a digital force,” said Dr. William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Putting AI safely in command of a U.S. military system for the first time ushers in a new age of human-machine teaming and algorithmic competition. Failing to realize AI's full potential will mean ceding decision advantage to our adversaries.” During this flight, ARTUµ was responsible for sensor employment and tactical navigation, while the pilot flew the aircraft and coordinated with the AI on sensor operation. Together, they flew a reconnaissance mission during a simulated missile strike. ARTUµ's primary responsibility was finding enemy launchers while the pilot was on the lookout for threatening aircraft, both sharing the U-2's radar. The flight was part of a precisely constructed scenario which pitted the AI against another dynamic computer algorithm in order to prove the new technology. “We know that in order to fight and win in a future conflict with a peer adversary, we must have a decisive digital advantage,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. “AI will play a critical role in achieving that edge, so I'm incredibly proud of what the team accomplished. We must accelerate change and that only happens when our Airmen push the limits of what we thought was possible.” After takeoff, the sensor control was positively handed-off to ARTUµ who then manipulated the sensor, based on insight previously learned from over a half-million computer simulated training iterations. The pilot and AI successfully teamed to share the sensor and achieve the mission objectives. The U-2 Federal Laboratory designed this AI technology to be easily transferable to other systems and plan to further refine the technology. Today's flight provided invaluable data for not only the team to learn from, but also ARTUµ. “Blending expertise of a pilot with capabilities of machine learning, this historic flight directly answers the National Defense Strategy's call to invest in autonomous systems,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett. “Innovations in artificial intelligence will transform both the air and space domains.” The U-2 Federal Laboratory is a 15 U.S.C. compliant organization established to bring together a “confluence of warfighter, developer, and acquirer” vertically-integrated under the same operational roof. The lab has developed and been approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish the 20th Laboratory Accreditation Program in the federal government. It promotes “edge development” – a concept to develop new software integration on operational systems in a bounded, safe environment. The historic flight with AI comes just two months after the U-2 Federal Laboratory team updated inflight software for the first time during a U-2 training mission. The team leveraged the open-source container-orchestration software Kubernetes, another military first.ieve. We want to give the UK the tools it needs to defeat coronavirus and get back on its feet as soon as possible." https://www.asdnews.com/news/defense/2020/12/16/ai-copilot-air-force-achieves-first-military-flight-with-artificial-intelligence

By: Valerie Insinna and Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — As part of a broader move to boost the 5G industry in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 8 began auctioning a portion of C-band electromagnetic spectrum, a move the committee's chairman, Ajit Pai, celebrated as “a big day for American consumers and U.S. leadership in 5G.” But, in the weeks leading up to the auction, more than a dozen commercial aviation groups warned the sale could, as one study put it, lead to “catastrophic failures” with the potential for “multiple fatalities.” At the core of the concerns are radar altimeters, a critical piece of aviation technology used by military, commercial and civil aircraft of all types — including helicopters and unmanned aerial systems — to measure the distance between an aircraft and the ground. The aviation groups worry that 5G operations on the spectrum sold by the FCC could cause interference that would provide inaccurate readings on altimeters or cause their failure outright, in essence leaving pilots unaware of how far they are from the ground and potentially leading to crashes over the United States. According to a memo obtained by Defense News, those concerns are shared by the head of the Federal Aviation Administration and the number two at the Department of Transportation, who are calling on the FCC to pause the sale so the safety issue can be studied more closely. The FCC, in turn, has said its own technical studies show little to no risk involved and it intends to continue moving forward. Now, with the auction underway, the Defense Department is scrambling to catch up. The Pentagon has yet to determine the effect on military aircraft and has not established a formal position on the sale, with officials rushing behind the scenes to set up meetings and understand the potential long-term impacts. A Pentagon official, in response to questions from Defense News, would only say the department's policy board on federal aviation and aviation cyber initiative task force — an interagency organization led by the FAA — are reviewing reports by industry groups about the risk of 5G interference. Senior leaders from the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the aviation cyber initiative plan to meet Dec. 21 “to discuss findings and to establish an interagency way ahead to validate and respond to these reports,” the official stated. Among those expected to attend are Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie Jr., the official who manages Army aviation assets; Brig. Gen. Eric DeLange, director of the Air Force cyberspace operations and warfighter communications office; and several cyber experts from the FAA and DHS. Perhaps most notably, Honeywell Industries, a key producer of radar altimeters, has also been invited to discuss possible alternatives to current systems — a sign that the defense industry is taking the issue seriously. Honeywell declined to comment. If the spectrum sale continues, some experts are warning a best case scenario may be that the department has to spend millions of dollars and thousands of man hours to design, procure and install new radar altimeters across the military's fleet of airborne systems. The worst case? As one senior government official with experience in aviation said, “There will be accidents, property's going to be destroyed and people are going to die.” The ongoing dispute Under the Trump administration, the FCC has focused on the sale of spectrum in order to goose the nascent 5G industry, which administration officials see as a driver for American economic growth. Branded as the 5G FAST Plan, the commission has moved quickly to sell C-band spectrum. This particular auction involves spectrum in the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency, with the hope of selling more than 5,000 new flexible-use overlay licenses. Satellite operators using the C-Band have agreed to repack their operations out of the band's lower 300 megahertz (3.7-4.0 GHz) into the upper 200 megahertz (4.0-4.2 GHz), in two stages. They expect to complete the move in December 2023. As of Dec. 17, more than 50 bidders had reportedly put forth over $15 billion in offers for the spectrum rights. Currently, the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency portion of the C-Band is relatively quiet, occupied predominantly by low-powered satellites. For decades, this made the neighboring 4.2-4.4 GHz frequency a perfect place for the operation of radar altimeters, which are also called radio altimeters. But that frequency may not stay quiet for long. Once 5G telecommunications are introduced in the 3.7-3.98 portion of the band, there is a “major risk” that those systems will create “harmful interference” to radar altimeters, according to an October study from the RTCA, a trade organization that works with the FAA to develop safety standards. “The results of the study performed clearly indicate that this risk is widespread and has the potential for broad impacts to aviation operations in the United States, including the possibility of catastrophic failures leading to multiple fatalities, in the absence of appropriate mitigations,” the RTCA stated in its report. Research for the report was conducted by the Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute, a cooperative research organization based out of Texas A&M University. Radio altimeters are critical during landings, once an aircraft moves below 2,500 feet from the ground. At that point, no other instruments provide an accurate measurement of a plane's distance from the ground. “It's so important to have an accurate reading, because if it's a bad reading it could lead to the airplane doing something you don't want it to do.” explained Terry McVenes, the RTCA president and chief executive. McVenes is a former Boeing safety executive with 30 years' experience in the commercial aviation industry. “If your airplane thought it was 1,000 feet above the ground but was only 50 feet above the ground, well... you could have a problem,” he said. The trade group filed the report with the FCC in early October, and shortly afterward met with an FCC engineering team. But since then, “We've heard nothing back from the FCC, had no other direct interactions with them” outside the official filling process, he said. The release of the study triggered a last-minute request by 12 trade groups, including the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents military aviation companies, to consider mitigation efforts based on the report. The groups called the findings “the most comprehensive analysis and assessment to date on this subject, based on the best assumptions, parameters, and data... It has been peer reviewed for accuracy and validity and should not be dismissed by the Commission.” The report has also gained the attention of Steven Bradbury, the acting deputy secretary for transportation, and Steve Dickson, the FAA administrator, who in a Dec. 1 letter obtained by Defense News warned that the spectrum sale could specifically damage both the Terrain Awareness Warning System, a major safety function for aircraft, and Autoland features relied on for pilots when landing a plane. “Given the scope of the safety risk, and based upon our current knowledge, it is unclear what measures will be necessary to ensure safe operations in the [National Aerospace System], or how long it will take to implement such measures,” the two leaders wrote. “Depending upon the results of further analysis, it may be appropriate to place restrictions on certain types of operations, which would reduce access to core airports in the U.S. and, thus, reduce the capacity and efficiency” of commercial aviation. That letter, sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, was requested to be added to the FCC's public docket. However, the letter has not been posted to the FCC's public docket as of press time. The FCC and supporters of expanding 5G argue that the concerns are overblown. “In the C-Band Order, the Commission concluded that our rules would protect radio altimeters used by aircraft, and we continue to have no reason to believe that 5G operations in the C-Band will cause harmful interference to radio altimeters,” Will Wiquist, a spokesman for the FCC, said in a statement. “Among other things, these altimeters operate with more than 200 megahertz of separation from the C-band spectrum to be auctioned, more protection than is afforded in some other countries. “Moreover, the RTCA report was prepared outside of the joint aviation/wireless industry group that was set up at the Commission's request and is not a consensus position of that group. Indeed, at least one other member of that multi-stakeholder group has expressed significant concerns with the study and several of its assumptions, and the Commission's experts have concerns with this study as well.” The member group that expressed concerns about the study is the wireless trade association CTIA, which in December filled with the FCC a document that called the findings “lacking and unreliable” and “unsound and unsupported.” Among the specific concerns raised by CTIA were that altimeter requirements used in the report were overly stringent, that it did not break down results by altimeter brand and model, and that the report relied on “unrealistic” scenarios during testing. McVenes said RTCA is open to conducting the research again if presented with new data to work with, but has yet to see that information from CTIA or the FCC. Risks to military aviation Although the RTCA study looked exclusively at civil and commercial aircraft, almost all military aircraft are equipped with radar altimeters that are very similar to their commercial counterparts, said the senior government official. Defense News granted anonymity for this official to speak candidly about the risks to pilot safety. While radar altimeters made for military aircraft are sometimes built to slightly more stringent requirements — having the ability to function in extremely cold or hot environments, for instance, or to withstand higher gravitational forces — they still reside on the same portion of the spectrum as commercial ones and are vulnerable to the same interference, the senior government official said. The cargo planes and aerial refueling tankers operated by the Air Force's Air Mobility Command would be most hindered by the interference produced by 5G due to their similarities to commercial aircraft, said Mike Holmes, a retired Air Force four-star general and former head of Air Combat Command. Holmes reviewed the RTCA report at Defense News' request. Many of the Air Force's mobility assets are either based on commercial passenger jets, such as the Boeing 767-derived KC-46 tanker, or are equipped with commercial off-the-shelf avionics. As such, certain mobility aircraft are approved to conduct landings in bad weather conditions when the pilot has to rely on the aircraft's instruments — such as the radar altimeter — instead of visual cues. “You wouldn't be able to fly that approach if your radar altimeter was being interfered with and you couldn't get a good signal,” Holmes said. “For the military...you'd probably divert someplace else.” For tactical aircraft, the bigger concern would be low-level flights over terrain such as mountains. Fighter pilots use their radar altimeters when flying close to the ground to evade enemy radar or surface-to-air threats. However, Holmes noted that not all fighter jets — such as the 1970s era F-15C — have radar altimeters, and that pilots would still be able to rely on visual cues. Still, he said, if a radar altimeter is offering faulty information due to interference, that could lull pilots into a false sense of security about how far they are from the ground. “Part of [the problem] is going to be trying to know whether you're getting interference or not,” he said. The senior government official noted that the special operations community could be particularly hurt by 5G interference. Certain aircrews of platforms, such as the C-130 or C-17, receive specific training to fly special operations low level missions, which involve flying close to the ground and inserting or extracting special operators, and those training missions may become more difficult to execute if 5G interference is a problem. This training “is often executed under the cover of darkness. Depth and obstacle perception can be hindered in darkness due to the human eye's cell structure,” the official said. “Night vision goggles provide compensation but still limit the pilot's situational awareness.” If the sales go through, the military will likely have to modify or replace its altimeters to meet whatever new safety standards the FAA eventually approves to mitigate the risks of 5G interference, Holmes said. “If you go ahead and give up this part of the spectrum, the interference will drive changes that have to be made either to modify the equipment that is being used for 5G, to modify the equipment that are on airplanes, or to modify the procedures that determine how you use that equipment,” Holmes said. Replacing or modifying altimeters will take time and funding — two commodities defense experts predict will be in short supply over the coming years — as defense budgets flatten. In the near term, Holmes projects the services will change their training practices to eliminate any added risk to pilots caused by altimeter interference, such as restricting pilots of certain aircraft from landing in bad weather or ensuring that pilots of fighter aircraft take off with enough fuel so that they can divert to another airport if their radar altimeter no longer works. In short, the military will have to give up money, time and effectiveness to fix the problem. “The outcome would be lack of efficiency. You wouldn't fly [certain] approaches in bad weather. So there would be times you couldn't go do what you were [planning on] doing, whether that's moving passengers or cargo in the civilian world or whether that was passengers or cargo in the military,” Holmes said. “But ultimately, I would think the impact is going to be greater on the commercial airline world than it was on the military world.” A billion dollar problem While the satellite operators who currently operate within 3.7-3.98 GHz will receive some proceeds of the sale, allowing them to move to another portion of the spectrum, no funding is set to be given to the civil, commercial and government entities that rely on radar altimeters for safe aerospace operations. As a result, it is likely that the U.S. military will have to replace “many or most” of the radar altimeters currently onboard its airplanes, helicopters and drones, the senior government official said. And because radar altimeters have all been developed to operate on the same portion of the spectrum, there is no off-the-shelf replacement already on the market for which interference wouldn't be a concern. On the commercial side, McVenes said if industry has to replace altimeters across its fleet, a price tag of “several billion dollars is probably on the low estimate.” That price tag could well jump for the military side, given the complexity of work on military systems - it is easier to swap out a part on a commercial plane than a stealth-coated fighter - and the infamous prices of defense procurement. Meanwhile, the Defense Department could need to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the engineering work necessary to develop new altimeters, procuring those systems, testing and recertifying each platform for normal operations, and finally, installing the new hardware on potentially hundreds or thousands of aircraft across the military's inventory. “It will take many years, if not decades,” the senior government official said. In the two months since the report was released, industry has jockeyed to get more time to study the issue and to put measures in place to mitigate the risks. In a Nov. 17 letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Aerospace Industries Association and 13 other aerospace trade groups implored members of Congress to take action to protect the frequency bands used by radar altimeters. “We are concerned that without this congressional intervention to understand potential implications and ramifications, decisions will be made with a frightening lack of understanding of aviation requirements,” the groups stated. Help from Congress seemingly came Dec. 7, when Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon Democrat who leads the House committee, sent a letter to FCC Chairman Pai calling for the commission to postpone the sale. “These RTCA findings are alarming; they not only align with earlier research identifying harmful effects of 5G networks to radio altimeters, but they reflect a clear need for the FCC to return to the drawing board with this premature plan,” he wrote. “There is no question that additional study is needed to understand the full extent and severity of 5G interference with radio altimeters and whether any mitigations are feasible — or even possible — to ensure flight safety. “We must never take a chance with aviation safety — and at no point should commercial interests be placed above it.” A day later, the FCC pressed forward with the auction. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/12/21/the-military-is-scrambling-to-understand-the-aviation-crash-risk-from-a-new-5g-sale

Au nom de la protection de ses intérêts stratégique, Paris s'oppose à ce que la société spécialisée dans la vision nocturne pour les armées passe sous pavillon américain. Par Elise Vincent C'est un coup de thé'tre dans le secteur très délicat de la défense. La France a formellement mis, vendredi 18 décembre, son veto au rachat de Photonis – une société spécialisée dans la vision nocturne pour les armées – par un groupe américain, Teledyne, au nom de la protection des intérêts stratégiques nationaux. Une initiative rare, qui a amené le cabinet de la ministre des armées, Florence Parly, à se féliciter d'avoir réussi à faire front commun sur ce dossier avec le ministère de l'économie et des finances. « Les conditions de reprise de l'entreprise Photonis ne répondaient pas » aux impératifs de protection de la souveraineté économique et industrielle française de défense, a justifié le ministère des armées dans un communiqué. Il travaille désormais à « une solution alternative de rachat avec des acteurs industriels et financiers français actifs dans le secteur de l'optronique », a-t-il indiqué. Celle-ci pourrait être dévoilée au cours du premier trimestre 2021. Cette décision intervient au terme de plus d'un an de négociations acharnées avec le propriétaire actuel de Photonis, le fonds Ardian, qui souhaitait vendre ses parts pour 425 millions d'euros (500 millions initialement). Rien ne dit qu'il n'y aura pas d'autres rebondissements. Toutefois, à ce stade, le veto français illustre la volonté de l'exécutif d'enrayer les rachats de « pépites » françaises par des acteurs étrangers, en particulier américains et chinois, et de faire de Photonis un signal politique. Contrôle des investissements étrangers en France Sise à Mérignac, près de Bordeaux, la société compte plus de 1 000 salariés. Elle travaille pour l'aéronautique, la recherche et la défense. Si son rachat a créé tant de remous, c'est qu'au-delà de sa spécialité dans la vision nocturne, elle fournit aussi de la technologie de pointe dans le domaine du nucléaire. https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2020/12/19/defense-veto-de-la-france-au-rachat-de-photonis-par-teledyne_6063950_3234.html#:~:text=C'est%20un%20coup%20de,protection%20des%20int%C3%A9r%C3%AAts%20strat%C3%A9giques%20nationaux.