Nouvelles

STÉPHANE FRACHET Aérospatiale Batteries (ASB), filiale à parité de Saft et Airbus, vient d'agrandir son usine de Bourges (Cher), où elle fabrique des piles thermiques pour la Défense et le spatial. 8 millions d'euros ont été investis. Aérospatiale Batteries (ASB) vient d'agrandir son usine de Bourges où elle fabrique des piles thermiques pour la Défense et le spatial. Opérationnelle depuis mi-2019, une nouvelle salle sèche de 400 m² lui permet d'accroître ses capacités de production de poudres pour le groupe. ASB fabrique ses composants actifs à partir de sels, de lithium, de pyrite, qui composent ensuite le cœur de ses piles, source d'énergie électrique.

AIR FORCE General Electric Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a $318,014,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Engine Component Improvement Program. This contract provides for a list of projects each calendar year to include developing engineering changes to the engines, developing organizational, intermediate and depot level repairs as needed, and designing modifications to existing support equipment as well as initiating new support equipment designs as required by engine driven changes. The program also provides support to resolve service-revealed deficiencies and maintain or extend the life limits of aircraft engines. Work will be performed at Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2029. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $503,338 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-20-D-0002). Advanced Electronics Co. Ltd., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been awarded a $17,022,427 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable contract modification (P00027) to previously awarded contract FA8730-16-C-0019 for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15SA Cyber Protection System (CPS) and Related Facilities program. This modification provides for three years of in-Kingdom Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) for the CPS. The scope of this contract effort will include the extension of existing CLS support for three additional years, as well as related mobilization, de-mobilization, transportation and housing expenses for CLS personnel. This is a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) acquisition between the U.S. government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, described in the Letter of Offer and Acceptance SR-D-SAO Amendment 5, dated July 5, 2015. FMS case SR-D-SAO is for the total package of acquisition and fielding of 84 F-15A aircraft; the upgrade of 70 F-15SA aircraft to the F-154SA configuration; the procurement of associated equipment, weapons, and spares; and the construction, refurbishment, and infrastructure improvements of support facilities for the F-15SA in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed at RSAF facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is expected to be complete by May 31, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition utilizing 100% FMS funding; FMS funds in the amount of $17,022,427 will be obligated at the time of the award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $150,835,663. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI), Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract in the amount of $11,141,208 under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-III program. Under this SBIR Phase III effort, MTSI will mature the technologies developed in the previous Phase I and III contracts, which relate to the acquisition and fusion of data for space situational assessments. MTSI will provide system architecture, system administration, and software engineering solutions to deliver a real-time, data-driven architecture for developing and integrating space situational awareness, and intelligence community data sources for use in algorithms, machine learning tools, and data fusion technologies for United States Air Force Space Command and their mission partners. In maintaining its role in bringing capabilities to operations, MTSI will continue to refactor existing applications and develop new applications for integration into the next-generation infrastructure that the Space and Missile Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory are developing. Work will be performed at Alexandria, Virginia; and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by January 2025. Fiscal 2019 research development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $300,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Lab Space Electronics Branch, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-20-C-0004). ARMY International Business Machines, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a $145,808,087 modification (P00072) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0008 for the full range of services and solutions necessary to support and maintain the Army's General Fund Enterprise Business System. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army; research, development, test and evaluation, Army; and other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $8,922,318 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, was awarded a $134,493,229 modification (P11142) to contract W52P1J-10-C-0062 for Kuwait base operations and security support services. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $88,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas, has been awarded a $31,938,845 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support the Operational Fires Integrated Weapon System Phase 3 program, which will enable capabilities for a mobile, ground-launched tactical weapon delivery system capable of carrying a variety of payloads to a variety of ranges. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $12,920,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas (68%); Huntsville, Alabama (21%); Toledo, Ohio (5%); Elkton, West Virginia (5%); Kirkland, Washington (less than 1%); and Camden, Arkansas (less than 1%) with an estimated completion date of January 2021. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001120C0038). NAVY EMR Inc.,* Niceville, Florida, is awarded a $17,017,000 firm-fixed-price task order N69450-20-F-0875 under a multiple award construction contract for the design and construction of P288 temporary maintenance hangar at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field, Florida. The work to be performed provides for a temporary hangar space and supporting spaces for helicopters and includes design, assembly and installation of temporary, relocatable structures for the hangar and support spaces such as administrative, restroom and breakrooms. This project will provide foundation and aqueous film forming foam containment trench and extend utilities to temporary facilities. The structures will be temporary in nature and require removal from the site once permanent facilities are available. The task order also contains five unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $20,267,000. Work will be performed in NAS Whiting and is expected to be completed by October 2025. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $2,222,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $14,795,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-18-D-1318). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Condor Pacific Industries of California Inc.,** Newbury Park, California, has been awarded a maximum $14,461,300 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for rate gyro assemblies. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with a July 6, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0036). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, will be awarded a maximum $14,002,398 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-LB02) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-14-D-002U) for spare items in support of the Flight Control Surfaces utilized on the F/A-18 aircraft. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year base contract with one five-year option period. Location of performance is Missouri, with a May 30, 2022, performance completion date. Using customer is the Swiss Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Puerto Rico Apparel Manufacturing (PRAMA) Corp.,*** Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $11,856,002 modification (P00012) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1127) with four one-year option periods for various types of coats and trousers. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a Jan. 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small Business **Veteran-owned Small Business ***Woman-Owned Small Business in historically underutilized business zones https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2054955/source/GovDelivery/

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has picked winners to build base platforms for its light- and medium-class robotic combat vehicles, according to a service statement released Jan. 9. The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command and the service's Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team “intends” — pending successful negotiations — to award a contract to QinetiQ North America to build four RCV-light prototypes and another contract to Textron to build four RCV-medium prototypes, the release stated. Through a rapid contracting mechanism, the National Advanced Mobility Consortium is coordinating the Army's awards to industry, and the service expects to be officially under contract with both companies by mid-February, according to the statement. While it was anticipated the Army would award up to two contracts per category at the end of the second quarter this fiscal year, it appears the awards have come earlier and are both limited to one company. The prototypes, according to the statement, will be used to “determine the feasibility of integrating unmanned vehicles into ground combat operations. The Light and Medium RCVs will be used to conduct a company-level experiment at the end of 2021." Results from that effort, as well as a platoon-level experiment in March 2020 and several virtual experiments, will help the Army decide in 2023 how it wants to proceed with robots on the battlefield. “Robots have the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct ground combat operations,” Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the NGCV CFT, said in the statement. “Whether that's giving increased fire power to a dismounted patrol, breaching an enemy fighting position, or providing [chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive] reconnaissance, we envision these vehicles providing commanders more time and space for decisions and reducing risk to soldiers.” Out of a large pool of whitepaper submissions, a Textron and Howe & Howe team, a team of QinetiQ North America and Pratt & Miller, HDT Global, and Oshkosh were each issued a request for prototype proposals in the RCV-light competition in October 2019. Three teams were picked to move on in the RCV-medium competition in November 2019: General Dynamics Land Systems, QinetiQ North America, and the Textron and Howe & Howe team. It is noteworthy that the companies selected to build prototypes in each category are the only two companies to have offerings in both the light and medium competitions, demonstrating potentially that they are the only companies with the flexibility to build in both categories. At the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference in October, Textron and Howe & Howe dramatically unveiled their RCV Ripsaw M5, which is based on the latter's deep history of building unmanned ground vehicles, but adds technology like scalable armor and suspension as well as mobility options to cope with the challenges expected in the future fight. FLIR Systems is also part of the team, contributing its advanced sensors. “Bringing together Howe & Howe, Textron Systems and FLIR Systems really represents a dream team,” Textron CEO Lisa Atherton said in a statement released at the show. “We formed this team based on our shared focus to serve this customer with disruptive ideas and proven experience, and we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding their requirements through the RCV program.” The team told Defense News before the AUSA conference that it planned to submit a version of Ripsaw both for the light and medium variant of the Army's robotic combat vehicle. The Qinetiq and Pratt & Miller team submitted a variant of the Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle tailored toward the Army's RCV-light requirements. The offering combines Qinetiq's modular open-architecture control systems with Pratt & Miller's advanced mobility platform. The Army is also examining the utility of an RCV-heavy variant but is using robotic M113 armored personnel carriers as surrogate platforms for evaluations. That effort will focus on manned-unmanned teaming in a robotic wingman formation, with a manned Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle serving as the platform for the robot's operators. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/01/09/army-picks-winners-to-build-light-and-medium-robotic-combat-vehicles/

Mark Pomerleau In 2018, the Department of Defense began following a new philosophy for cyber operations to better protect U.S. networks and infrastructure. Known as “defend forward,” the approach allows U.S. cyber forces to be active in foreign network outside the United States to either act against adversaries or warn allies of impending cyber activity that they've observed on foreign networks. After the U.S. military killed an Iranian general in a Jan. 2 drone strike and after national security experts said they expect Iran might take some retaliatory action through cyber operations, the specter of increased cyber attacks against U.S. networks puts Cyber Command and its new approach front and center. “This Iran situation today is a big test of the ‘defend forward' approach of this administration,” James Miller, senior fellow at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and former undersecretary of defense for policy, said at a Jan. 7 event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. “Will [Cyber Command] take preventative action? Will they do it in a way that our allies and partners support and that can be explained to the public?” While Iran fired several missiles Jan. 7 at a base in Iraq where U.S. troops lived as an initial response to the drone strike, many national security experts expect Iran could continue cyber actions as further retaliation for the strike. Iran could also ratchet up its cyber operations in the United States following the collapse of portions of the 2015 nuclear deal between the United States, Iran and five other nations to curb Iran's nuclear weapons capability in return for sanctions relief. Over the past 12 months, the White House and Congress streamlined many of the authorities used to conduct cyber operations to help cyber forces to get ahead of threats in networks around the world. One such provision in last year's annual defense policy bill provides the Pentagon with the authority to act in foreign networks if Iran, among other named nations, is conducting active, systematic and ongoing campaigns of attacks against the U.S. government or people. Cyber Command declined to comment on what, if anything, they were doing differently since the drone strike. Some experts, however, have expressed caution when assessing how well this defend forward approach has worked thus far given it is still relatively new. “The jury is very much still out here,” Ben Buchanan, assistant professor and senor faculty fellow at Georgetown University, said at the same event. “We don't have a lot of data, there's been a lot of hand-wringing ... about these authorities and about how Cyber Command may or may not be using them. I just don't think we've seen enough to judge whether or not ... [it is] meaningfully changing adversary behavior.” Others have also expressed reservations about how effective Iran can even be in cyberspace toward U.S. networks. “Iran is a capable cyber actor, Iran is a wiling cyber actor. That means Iran will conduct cyberattacks,” said Jacquelyn Schneider, Hoover fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “It's not like they have this capability and they've been deterred in the past and maybe now they're going to turn it on. I think they've been trying this entire time.” Complicating matters further could be other actors trying to take advantage of U.S.-Iran imbroglio for their own interests. Priscilla Moriuchi, senior principal researcher and head of nation-state research at threat intelligence firm Recorded Future, said over the past several months, there have been reports of Russian state-affiliated actors hijacking Iranian cyber infrastructure to conduct operations masquerading as Iranians. “That creates its own uncertainty,” she said at the same event. “Another level of potential what we call inadvertent escalation if a country perceives that they are attacked by Iran but in reality, it” wasn't. https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/2020/01/09/how-tensions-with-iran-could-test-a-new-cyber-strategy/

NAVY Dignitas Technologies JV, LLC,* Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $99,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides total life cycle support for the Multipurpose Reconfigurable Training System 3D® and the Virtual Interactive Shipboard Instructional Tour 3D™ programs to include development, production, integration, test and evaluation, delivery and sustainment. Work will be performed Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed in January 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was a small business set-aside, competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61340-20-D-0008). MTS Advantage LLC (MTSA), Dumfries, Virginia (N65236-20-D-8002), is awarded a $90,820,000 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, performance based service contract utilizing cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. The contract is for Cyber Red Team and operational test support services and provides for information assurance, cyber defense, cyber systems security and network infrastructure program management. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by January 2026. If the option is exercised, work would continue until July 2026. If all options are exercised, the cumulative value of the contract will increase to $99,902,000. Contract funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract includes a five-year ordering period and one six-month option-to-extend-services in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Clause 52.217-8. The single award contract was competitively procured by full and open competition after the exclusion of sources via the Naval Information Warfare Center e-Commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with four timely offers received. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $42,297,380 modification (P000163) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm target, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-14-C-0067). This modification exercises an option for integrated logistics services and site activation support of P-8A aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (56%); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (38%); and Brisbane City, Australia (6%), and is expected to be completed in September 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $39,820,706; and Royal Australian Air Force unique funds in the amount of $2,476,674 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($39,820,706; 94%); and the government of Australia ($2,476,674; 6%) under a formal cooperative agreement. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Alutiiq Solutions LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a $7,519,828 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide support services to include research and analysis, strategic initiative support, executive leadership management support and administrative, operational and technical program support to the Naval Air Systems Command Strategic Leadership Services Team. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (60%); and Arlington, Virginia (40%), and is expected to be completed in February 2025. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was a small business 8(a) set-aside competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0007). Marathon Construction Co.,* Lakeside, California, is awarded a $7,375,000 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-4093) under a multiple award construction contract to repair the deteriorated quay wall at Naval Base San Diego. The work to be performed provides for the renovation of several sections of the quay wall along the piers at Naval Base San Diego. Work includes repair of the quay wall substructure, steel sheet piles, relieving platform and berthing system defects. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $7,375,000 is being obligated at the time of this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-16-D-1802). AIR FORCE ArmorSource LLC, Hebron, Ohio, has been awarded a $17,374,500 firm-fixed-price contract for Next Generation Ballistic Helmets. This contract provides for the manufacturing and delivery of up to 24,300 LGD Sniper Gen II Ballistic Helmets with delivery to continental U.S. and outside the continental U.S. active duty Air Force security forces squadrons. The ordering period for the helmets will be complete by Jan. 8, 2023. This award is a result of a competitive acquisition with nine offers received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,996,415 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8003-20-D-0001). ARMY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $7,741,646 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and firm-fixed-price) contract for General Electronic Test Station test equipment, installation, test program set, hardware, software, upgrades, training, engineering services and repair parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 8, 2024. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $880,405 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-C-0016). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY American Water Operations and Maintenance LLC, Camden, New Jersey, has been awarded a $7,288,260 modification (P00017) to a 50-year utilities privatization contract (SP0600-17-C-8322) with no option periods incorporating an increase to the operations, maintenance, renewal and replacement charges for water and wastewater utility service systems. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Ohio, with a Nov. 30, 2068, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2053783/source/GovDelivery/

Melbourne, Fla. – January 9, 2020 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) received a $302 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 1, 2019 for continued support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). The 2020 contract executes the Total System Support Responsibility (TSSR) program for the E-8C Joint STARS fleet with Northrop Grumman as the prime systems integrator of all nine components of support and sustainment. “The capacity and technology of the Joint STARS weapon system make it unique in the multi-domain command and control arena,” said Janice Zilch, vice president, manned airborne surveillance programs, Northrop Grumman. “Northrop Grumman has delivered innovative capability to this aircraft system for more than 30 years to give the Joint Force a strategic advantage.” Joint STARS delivers real-time battle management situational awareness and wide area search essential to the warfighter through continued investment and development in its mission systems hardware and software. Joint STARS combines high fidelity wide-area moving target detection, synthetic aperture radar imagery and robust battle management systems to locate, classify and track surface targets in all weather conditions from standoff distances. The E-8C Joint STARS fleet has flown more than 150,000 hours in support of combatant commands around the globe. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter @NGCNews, for more information. View source version on Northrop Grumman: https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-continues-joint-stars-sustainment-and-modification-work-for-us-air-force

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Updated: January 10, 2020 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that Canada has intelligence indicating a Ukrainian passenger jet that crashed outside Tehran was shot down by an Iranian-surface-to-air missile. Trudeau declined to get into details about where that information came from but U.S. missile defence satellites likely played a key role in providing some of that intelligence data. Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was destroyed Wednesday shortly after it took off from Tehran. All 176 people on board died, including 63 Canadians. “We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence,” Trudeau said at a news conference Thursday. “The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.” U.S. officials were already stating the same conclusion earlier in the day. The U.S. has a constellation of missile warning satellites that are equipped with various sensors that use, among other capabilities, infrared technologies to detect the launch of a rocket. Many of the details about how the system works and transfers information are secret. But the Space Based Infrared System or SBIRS consists of four main satellites, each costing more than $2 billion. The first was launched in 2011 and the latest put in orbit in 2018. The U.S. military also has the capability to intercept communications between Iranian commanders and anti-aircraft missile batteries which would have provided the Pentagon insight into what might have transpired around the time the Ukrainian passenger jet crashed. Canada also has its own communications intelligence gathering capabilities which are considered top notch. The Canadian government didn't release any information on what type of surface-to-air missile could have been involved. But photos that are said to have been taken near the crash site have been circulating on social media. IHS Markit, which includes the Jane's military publications, reported that the photographs appeared to show the guidance portion of a Russian-built Tor SA-15 short-range, surface-to-air missile. Russia sold 29 Tor systems to Iran in 2007. The system is designed for destroying aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. It can hit targets up to 12 kilometres away. U.S. government officials also told CBS News that American surveillance systems detected that shortly before the Ukrainian airline crash, Iranian anti-aircraft radars were activated. U.S. surveillance satellites then detected two heat signatures, believed to be the launch of two SA-15 missiles, according to CBS. Another heat signature detected shortly after was believed to be the Ukrainian passenger jet exploding. But why would the Iranians allegedly shoot down an aircraft full of its own citizens? Human error or bad intelligence could be to blame. The crash took place just hours after Iran launched ballistic missiles against American bases in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of a top Iranian general in Bagdad. Iran's anti-aircraft missile crews would have been on high alert for any U.S. military response. “This may well have been unintentional,” Trudeau said of the alleged missile launch. U.S. President Donald Trump, like Trudeau, has also suggested the crash could have been the result of a mistake. “It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood,” the president said of the Ukraine Airlines passenger jet. “Someone could have made a mistake on the other side.” Iran, however, denies that the aircraft was shot down by one of its missiles. Iranian Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi dismissed such allegations as “psychological warfare” being spread by foreign-based Iranian opposition groups. Ali Abedzadeh of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization also dismissed such claims. “Scientifically, it is impossible that a missile hit the Ukrainian plane and such rumors are illogical,” he stated. He noted that several domestic and foreign flights were flying at the same altitude of 8,000 feet as the Ukrainian passenger jet at the time of the incident. But shortly before the crash, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced an emergency flight restriction for U.S. airlines flying over areas of Iraq and Iran. The FAA warned of the “potential for miscalculation or misidentification” of civilian planes because of increased military tensions in those areas. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/u-s-satellites-intercepts-of-iranian-communications-could-support-claims-missile-destroyed-passenger-jet

A little more than four years after receiving their first combat-coded F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, Hill Air Force Base's fighter wings have achieved full warfighting capability – shedding light on the future of the RAAF's future air combat capability. The term describes a set of focus areas within the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings: fully trained pilots and maintainers, a full complement of 78 aircraft and the mission and support equipment needed to fly. While the designation of full warfighting capability is an important milestone, the wing has been combat capable since the Air Force declared initial operational capability in August 2016. Since then, the wings have participated in several large combat exercises, deployed twice to Europe and once to the Pacific and supported two Middle East combat deployments, including one short-notice tasking. Colonel Steven Behmer, 388th Fighter Wing commander, explained, "Every training opportunity, exercise and deployment we've completed over the past four years has been a key stepping stone in reaching full warfighting capability. "This is just the beginning of sustained F-35A combat operations and we will remain focused on staying ready to deploy whenever, wherever we're needed." The first F-35As arrived at Hill AFB in September 2015 and the final aircraft arrived in December 2019. In the intervening years, airmen at Hill AFB have been training and developing tactics as the aircraft systems and capabilities have matured. Reaching the right balance of qualified manning can be a challenge when activating a brand-new weapon system. The first squadron to stand up, the 34th Fighter Squadron, started with a core of pilots who had some level of F-35A training and experience in other platforms. As the wing began to grow, that experience level was diluted, and each squadron has been through a period where a majority of pilots could be considered "inexperienced wingmen". When the first jets arrived at Hill AFB, about 50 per cent of the maintainers were fully-trained, seasoned F-35 maintainers from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. That number decreased due to PCS, retirements and separations. Since then, there has been an influx of new manning with less experience, and every other maintainer has been “homegrown”. "We really relied on our more experienced personnel, and as we received more aircraft, spread them throughout the group to train and equip the next F-35A aircraft maintenance units the right way. When you have the right mix of leadership, with the right focus, they can empower their people and everyone develops maintenance capability quickly," explained Colonel Michael Miles, 388th Maintenance Group Commander. When the first aircraft arrived in 2015, the goal was to fully equip each squadron with 24 primary assigned aircraft and six backups by the end of 2019. That was realised in December with the delivery of the 78th jet. Over that four-year period, the wings received roughly two jets every month and immediately began putting them to use. In the spring of 2016, the 34th FS deployed six jets to RAF Lakenheath, UK. In some cases, the delivery process became so streamlined that the aircraft were able to fly combat training missions within 24 hours of arriving at Hill AFB. This was more than just convenient. It meant that it was possible to deliver a jet from the factory straight into combat if necessary. Fifth-generation technology on the F-35A requires more specialised equipment than legacy aircraft. Every system on the F-35A has an associated piece of equipment to keep aircraft loaded, fueled and flying. There are more than a dozen critical pieces of heavy equipment, from the standard – power generators and weapons loaders, to the unique – 5.8 ton air conditioners to cool the jet's advanced avionics. There's also other equipment – like the high-tech, personalised helmets that integrate with the jet's mission systems – and computer and network systems to support flying and maintenance. COL Miles explained the importance of the milestone: "At IOC (initial operational capability), we had the equipment to support one squadron that could do some semblance of combat operations. Now, as each squadron has progressed, and we're on track to have all the required assets, we demonstrated that we can rely on the program for the technical support and weapons system parts we need while we deployed all our squadrons last summer." In 2019, the wings proved that they could balance the equipment requirements to support all three squadrons away from home station – the 4th FS was deployed to the Middle East, the 421st FS was in Europe and the 34th FS spent two months at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. In a seven-day span, the wings had aircraft, equipment and personnel operating out of nine different countries. "Through hard work, providing programmatic feedback, and developing new processes and procedures, we shaped and pushed the program. Each airmen can look back with pride and see their contributions over the last four years standing up this wing, and enabling F-35A combat capability for our country," COL Miles added. https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/strike-air-combat/5388-us-air-force-demonstrates-increasing-f-35-capabilities

By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany – BAE Systems has outfitted its CV90 infantry fighting vehicle to fire the Israeli-designed Spike guided antitank missile, according to a company statement. Test shots with a launcher mounted on the vehicle resulted in a target being “defeated” over a distance of 2,000 meters by the LR variant of the weapon, which stands for “long range,” the company said. It is the first time that the CV90, made by the Swedish BAE Systems Hägglunds outfit, boasts an integrated antitank missile capability. According to BAE, the testing took place in northern Sweden last month in below-freezing temperatures during heavy snowfall and limited visibility, though the company declined to say exactly at which test range. “This integrated anti-tank capability confirms that the CV90 is a true benchmark when it comes to expanding a family of multi-mission armored fighting vehicles,” Dan Lindell, CV90 platform director at BAE Systems Hägglunds, is quoted as saying in the statement. The BAE vehicle is in the running for a multibillion-dollar Czech acquisition of new infantry fighting vehicles. The requirements for that vehicle include the ability to launch tank-breaking missiles, a feature that is becoming standard across many NATO land forces. Also competing for the Czech tender, worth upwards of $2 billion, are General Dynamics European Land Systems with the Ascod vehicle, and Rheinmetall's Lynx. The CV90 vehicle is used by the armed forces of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, with more than 1,200 copies built, according to BAE. The Spike missile is used by several European nations, with integration possible on ground vehicles, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as ships, according to manufacturer Rafael. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/01/08/bae-systems-equips-its-cv90-fighting-vehicle-with-spike-antitank-missiles/