Nouvelles

Marcello Sukhdeo An interview with Colonel Pete Saunders, Director of Air Simulation and Training, Royal Canadian Air Force In February 2016, the Future Aircrew Training program was granted a broader scope to include current Air Combat Systems Officers (ACSO) and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators, otherwise known as AES Ops. As a result, the “Future Pilot Training Project” was renamed Future Aircrew Training, or FAcT. Pilots, ACSOs and AES Ops share core skills and knowledge for which a common training system may be employed. The design of the new training system will seek to incorporate the latest and best concepts and technologies for aircrew training available from industry and in use by other militaries around the world. Through the FAcT program, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will ensure that the three aircrew occupations move on to their Operational Training Units with sufficient immersion in live flying and simulation to provide them with appropriate skill sets in their respective fields. Recently, Vanguard had the opportunity to interview Colonel Pete Saunders Director of Air Simulation and Training with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) about the FAcT program. Col Saunders enrolled in the Canadian Forces in March 1990. Since that time, he has enjoyed operational postings flying and instructing on his beloved Sea King Helicopters at 443 (MH) Sqn in Pat Bay, British Columbia; 423 (MH) Sqn, and 12 Wing Operations in Shearwater, Nova Scotia; culminating in Command of 406 (M) OTS. He has served onboard HMCS Annapolis, HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Fredericton and HMCS Toronto and has deployed throughout the Middle East. Col Saunders, we know that there is a shortage of pilots in Canada. Of course, this problem is not just limited to Canada, but is a global issue as well. What is the current level of pilot/aircrew production in Canada, and how many more will FAcT produce once that program is in place? While the RCAF does not have a shortage of applicants for a career as a pilot, low levels of experienced personnel pose a risk to the RCAF's operational output, which impacts the RCAF's ability to train, absorb, and employ its personnel in certain capabilities. The RCAF, in conjunction with CAF senior leadership, is putting in place targeted short-term objectives and holistic long-term activities that will stabilize and grow the RCAF pilot experience levels across all training and operational aircraft fleets. One of these initiatives is the augmentation of pilot training capacity. This will serve to increase the timeliness, absorption, and production of New Wing Graduates (NWG) and pilot Operational Training Unit Graduates (OTU), while being postured to rapidly absorb these pilots at the tactical squadrons. The FAcT program will deliver a relevant, flexible and effective aircrew training solution that modernizes the initial phases of pilot training currently provided via the NFTC and CFTS contracts as well as initial training ACSOs and AES Ops. 2 Canadian Air Division produced 100 New Winged Grads (NWG) during the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Broken down into the subsequent streams for pilots, this number represents 21 Phase III Harvard, 49 helicopter, and 33 multi-engine pilots. Additionally, 38 ACSOs and 17 AES Ops were produced in the same timeframe. The new program will produce an increased number of graduates to a newly defined standard. Specifically, FAcT seeks to generate 120 Pilots, 40 ACSOs and 36 AES Ops each year. Pilot training can be quite costly. What is the current cost of training a basic pilot, and how much will it cost under the new contract? The current training program for pilots is conducted under the auspices of two service contracts: A $3.8 billion, 25-year contract with CAE Military Aviation Training, ending in 2023 (as last amended), for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program, which operates out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; A $1.8 billion, 22-year contract with Allied Wings, ending in 2027, for the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program, which operates out of Southport Aerospace Centre near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (3 CFFTS) conducts flying training on the Multi-Engine and the Helicopter training programs while the contractor, Allied Wings, provides all other aspects of training and support services for primary, basic and advanced training programs. The invitation to qualify for the FAcT program identified five qualified suppliers (Airbus Defence and Space, Babcock Canada Inc., Leonardo Canada, Lockheed Martin Canada Inc., SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership). Canada is currently in an engagement phase which involves in-depth consultation with the five qualified suppliers. Phase 3 of the solicitation process will be a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process open to the Qualified Suppliers. The potential value of the future contract has yet to be determined. How do you plan to maintain output during the transition between the current contracts (NFTC and CFTS) and FAcT, considering the limited number of instructors on the market and overlap of facilities? One of the tenets of the FAcT transition strategy is that the FAcT contractor will be expected to ramp up with minimal interference and interdependencies with the legacy contractors, including the use of instructors. The FAcT contractor will not have access to infrastructure being used to deliver NFTC and CFTS during transition as it will be in use by the incumbent contractors to deliver legacy training. All FAcT Qualified Suppliers must prepare their bids accordingly. The FAcT transition strategy will continue to evolve as the program moves forward throughout the current and future phases. As other major capital projects have done in the past, the implementation of FAcT will leverage the creation of a program governance structure and the FAcT Training Implementation Working Group (TIWG). All FAcT stakeholders will have a voice at the TIWG to ensure a smooth implementation while the legacy programs continue to operate. What kind of aircraft are we likely to see in Portage and Moose Jaw? The aircraft utilized in training will depend on the training solution proposed by the successful bidder. FAcT is not an aircraft acquisition program; rather, it is a training program. Aircraft – as much as ground-based training systems, courseware, and buildings – are all training aids whose role is to enable the production of winged aircrew. Are any of the current units or wings likely to close or move due to FAcT? RCAF has determined that the basing solution for the FAcT program will remain status quo at contract award in 2021. Ab-initio pilot training will be delivered in Moose Jaw and Southport. Ab-initio training for Air Combat Systems Officers and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators will be delivered in Winnipeg. Are we going to see more simulation and less actual flying? And what are some of the key capabilities Canada is looking for with FAcT? The FAcT program will increase the overall amount of live flying and simulation for ab-initio Pilot, ACSO and AES Op training as increased output of personnel will of necessity drive an increase in the flying rate. Additionally, fundamental to FAcT is the intent to incorporate training from the operational training units where it makes sense to do so. This will likewise increase both simulated and live-fly training leading to Wings-standard. A comparison between the ratio of the current NFTC/CFTS programs and the FAcT program is not yet possible because the proposed training solutions from the Qualified Suppliers will differ in their approach to live flying and simulation. The FAcT program will ensure that Pilots, ACSOs and AES Ops move on to their Operational Training Units with sufficient immersion in live flying and simulation to provide them with appropriate skill sets in their respective fields. The importance of a solid foundation in the air environment for ab-initio military aircrew is imperative to ensure that our future Aircraft Captains, Mission Commanders and AES Op leads are appropriately equipped with the right practical skills for operational service. To learn more about the FAcT program and the next steps, visit https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/amd-dp/air/snac-nfps/ffpn-fact-eng.html. https://vanguardcanada.com/2019/11/11/fact-to-deliver-relevant-flexible-and-effective-aircrew-training-solution/

KEN HANSEN Ken Hansen is an independent defence and security analyst and owner of Hansen Maritime Horizons. Retired from the Royal Canadian Navy in 2009 in the rank of commander, he is also a contributor to the security affairs committee for the Royal United Services Institute of Nova Scotia. For people inside the Department of National Defence, a minority Parliament – coupled with election promises for increased social spending and tax cuts – represents an uneasy calculus. Defence spending is always on the chopping block because it represents the largest pool of discretionary spending in the federal budget, and every party spent the recent federal election campaign being vague about military policy – offering some kind of oversight-body reform or scrutiny over the billions of dollars that have been earmarked, even as they lent their support to ensuring the military has the equipment it needs. In particular, the single largest program in Canadian defence history – the Canadian Combat Ship plan for 15 warships – will be a tantalizing target for politicians looking to get rid of perceived fat. Such cuts to shipbuilding programs have even already become normalized: The order for Halifax-class frigates were trimmed to 12 from 18 in 1983 and the Iroquois-class destroyers to four from six in 1964, to name just two. The political leaders weren't wrong when they said the military procurement system is broken. But regardless of which party had won this past election, and no matter what tweaks at the edges that the Liberal minority government and its potential supporters pursue, the reality is that the core issue remains unaddressed: Treasury Board's bulk approach to purchasing the country's military kit. Treasury Board policy states that bulk buys are how military procurement should be done, to ensure the lowest per-unit cost. But this forces tough decisions about what to buy, since the larger the order, the longer it will take to produce them all – not to mention the problems involved with trying to predict the future of warfare. Information systems become outdated in five years; weapons and sensors in 10. With a planned operating life of 25 years, any ships ordered today will be out-of-date by the time the first are delivered, and fully obsolete by the time the last one arrives. Block purchasing leads to block obsolescence. Traditionally, when technological change threatens to render military systems obsolete, the best way to hedge was to order in batches of the smallest number acceptable. In the years before the world wars, for instance, countries working to build competent naval forces put less emphasis on fleet numbers and more on technology and industrial capacity until the last moments before conflict. Technological competence was as important as numbers for fleet commanders. Another outcome of bulk buys is that the volume means that they happen only every two to three decades (or longer, in the worst cases). With such lengthy dry spells between purchases, it is impossible to retain corporate knowledge in either the defence or civilian branches of government. More frequent purchasing keeps the process alive in both practice and concept, with lessons learned that can be implemented by the same people who made the mistakes in the first place. Such irregularly timed purchases have created desperation among defence planners whose vision of the future consists of short golden days of competence and pride, followed by long years of rust-out and irrelevance. Unwittingly, the dark decades were in large part of the military's own making because of its desperate desire to acquire the absolute best model available – a practice known as “gold-plating” – instead of working steadily to build capacity and skill that would address long-range fleet needs. This is a collision of interests. The Treasury Board looks only at capital-acquisition decisions from the perspective of the buyer. It's left to the military to worry about how long they may have to operate obsolescent or obsolete equipment and systems, and to do the necessary mid-life upgrading, which is partly why costs balloon spectacularly. Life-cycle cost data is actually far more important that the initial sticker shock of the newest and shiniest model advocated by the military's leadership. The mindset needs to change. Politicians who implement bureaucratic change will probably see some improvements in decision-making. But the biggest obstacle to defence procurement is that bulk purchasing is our lone approach, and that it happens only every few decades. Regular, planned capital acquisition is the best path forward, but all paths to the future must first run through the Treasury Board. No amount of political policy adjustment can change that. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-real-obstacle-for-reforming-military-spending-isnt-in-the-defence/

NAVY BAE Systems, Jacksonville Ship Repair, Jacksonville, Fla. (N40027-17-D-1001); Colonna Shipyards Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N40027-17-D-1002); East Coast Repair & Fabrication LLC, Norfolk, Virginia (N40027-17-D-1003); Metro Machine Corp., Jacksonville, Fla. (N40027-17-D-1004); North Florida Shipyards, Jacksonville, Fla, (N40027-17-D-1005); and Tecnico Corp., Chesapeake, Va. (N40027-17-D-1006), are each awarded a maximum-value $270,601,012, firm-fixed-price modification to their respective previously-awarded contracts to exercise Option Year Three for the accomplishment of fixed-priced delivery orders for emergent and continuous ship maintenance availabilities for ships homeported in Mayport, Fla. These six companies will have the opportunity to provide offers for individual delivery orders. Work will be performed in Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed by November 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. East Coast Repair & Fabrication, Norfolk, Va., is awarded a maximum value $83,087,424 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N40027-19-D-1001 to exercise Option Year One for the accomplishment of fixed priced delivery orders for docking and non-docking Chief of Naval Operations scheduled availabilities. Work will be performed in Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be complete by November 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of modification. East Coast Repair & Fabrication will have the opportunity to compete on individual delivery orders. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. BAE Systems, Jacksonville Ship Repair, Jacksonville, Fla. (N00024-17-D-1007); Colonna Shipyards Inc., Norfolk, Va. (N40027-17-D-1008); and Metro Machine Corp, Jacksonville, Fla. (N40027-17-D-1009) are each awarded a maximum value $83,087,424 firm-fixed-price modification to their respective previously awarded contracts to exercise Option Year Two for the accomplishment of fixed priced delivery orders for docking and non-docking Chief of Naval Operations scheduled availabilities. These three companies will have the opportunity to provide offers for individual delivery orders. Work will be performed in Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed by November 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. Sedna Digital Solutions LLC,* Manassas, Va., is awarded a $9,340,931 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-6264 to exercise and fund options for Navy engineering services and required material. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., and is expected to be completed by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,660,000 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, DC, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics, Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is awarded a $7,702,536 cost-plus-fixed-fee, level of effort modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-4305 for the operation, maintenance and protection of the floating dry dock Shippingport (ARDM-4). Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be complete by November 2020. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,900,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE ManTech International Inc., Fairfax, Va., has been awarded a $32,266,994 modification (P00017) exercising Option Year One to the previously awarded contract FA8819-18-C-1001 for security support. This modification provides for the exercise of an option for the sensitive compartmented information (SCI)- and Special Access Program (SAP)-level security services to the Space and Missile Systems Center and Air Force Space Operational Units. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.; Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; Peterson AFB, Colo.; Schriever AFB, Colo.; Buckley AFB, Colo.; and Kirtland AFB, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Nov. 16, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $374,000,000. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $3,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Special Programs Directorate, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. ARMY L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $15,899,762 modification (P00003) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0040 to procure a total of 53,237 Melody II application-specific integrated circuit chips. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $15,899,762 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, N.J., is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2015992/source/GovDelivery/

November 12, 2019 - In partnership with Thales, Rheinmetall successfully completed modernization of the flight simulators for the Tiger combat helicopter just a few weeks ago. The contract was awarded to ARGE TATM (consisting of Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Thales AVS France SAS) in December 2014 through the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement (OCCAR), an organization that fosters cross-border defence procurement cooperation in Europe. With the completion of this programme, French and German armed forces are now able to train their crews in a state-of-the-art virtual environment that ensures full-mission readiness and strengthens flight safety. For Rheinmetall Electronics and its partners, the contract to modernize the simulators in Le Luc, Fritzlar and Pau meant modifying them to match current configurations of the original aircraft: the Tiger Hélicoptère d'Appui et Destruction (HAD) Block 2 (France) and Kampfhubschrauber Tiger UHT Step 2 Krypto (Germany). In addition, two new simulators were installed in Phalsbourg, France in a record 10-month timeframe, bridging a training capability gap for the French 1st Helicopter Regiment. Now that the modernization programme is complete, a total of twenty flight simulators are in operation at various locations: eight full-mission simulators (FMS) and twelve cockpit procedure simulators (CPT). The contract encompassed modernization of the software for the basic management system, the updated ETCM navigation system and the mission equipment systems, together with new cockpit hardware. Other measures included integration of the German Operational Support System (OSS), into the simulator for mission preparation and tactical training, coupled with modernization of the existing simulator technology by means of a new visual system, new visual data bases, new projectors for the display systems, and the replacement of obsolete computer technology. The upgrade process culminated in a binational joint exercise at the École Franco-Allemande (EFA, binational school for aircrew training) in Le Luc, involving six simulated helicopters in twelve networked simulators. Tiger simulators number among the world's top-performing full-mission simulators for attack helicopters. The multipurpose Tiger combat helicopter is a highly sophisticated weapon system whose replication in a simulator makes immense demands on both hardware and software. At the school in Le Luc, the focus is on flight and weapons training, while in Fritzlar, Pau and Phalsbourg, the primary emphasis is on tactics. Cooperation between Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Thales AVS France SAS continues with ongoing support of the twenty upgraded Tiger simulators. “The updated system supplied by Thales and Rheinmetall offers full immersive conditions. It combines a genuine Tiger cockpit, accurate aircraft behaviour and a tactical environment reflecting current operational missions. The completely transformed system architecture points the way to future trends in aircraft development”, declares Bertrand Cornet, Project Manager for Germany and France at OCCAR. View source version on Rheinmetall : https://rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/public_relations/news/latest_news/index_21952.php

Cambridge, Mass., November 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) is using synthetic biology science to create a new method for detecting buried explosives, using bacteria as sensors. Under a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Raytheon and partner Worcester Polytechnic Institute will program two bacterial strains to monitor ground surfaces for explosive materials. The first strain will detect the presence or absence of explosives buried underground. If the first strain detects explosives, the second strain will produce a glowing light on the ground's surface. Remote cameras or unmanned aerial vehicles can then be used to survey large areas for the telltale luminescence. "We already know that some bacteria can be programmed to be very good at detecting explosives, but it's harder underground," said Allison Taggart, Ph.D. and principal investigator for the Bio Reporters for Subterranean Surveillance program at Raytheon BBN Technologies. "We're investigating how to transport the reporting bacteria to the required depth underground, and then pushing the luminescence up to the surface so it's easily visible." Synthetic biology combines principles of electrical engineering with computer science to modify DNA. The Subterranean Surveillance program is one example in which advances in synthetic biology are being used to develop sensors that can reveal a variety of subterranean phenomena at a distance. "Using bio sensors underground could help us save lives as well as detect threats to air quality and the water supply," Taggart added. "The modular design of the system we're developing will allow us to swap in different components as needed to detect various kinds of threats and contaminants." About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. Raytheon Company Space and Airborne Systems BBN Technologies Cambridge, Mass. Media Contact Joyce Kuzmin +1.617.873.8120 joyce.kuzmin@raytheon.com SOURCE Raytheon Company View source version on Raytheon: http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2019-11-12-Raytheon-developing-microscopic-bomb-detector

Industry winners of three annual awards recognizing aerospace achievement, innovation, and excellence were honoured at the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada's Canadian Aerospace Summit. The 2019 winners are: James C. Floyd Award – Marc Parent, CEO of CAE Industry Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement – John Saabas Industry Excellence Award for Small Business Innovation and Technology – Avior Integrated Products “The winners of this year's awards are champions of Canadian aerospace whose vision and achievements have strengthened the industry, making it more innovative and competitive both in Canada and in the global marketplace,” said Jim Quick, president and CEO of AIAC. “We are proud to celebrate their achievements, and on behalf of AIAC's board of directors and members, I thank them for their leadership and dedication to our industry.” About the Winners: James C. Floyd Award – Marc Parent, CEO of CAE Marc Parent is the CEO of CAE Inc. Under his leadership, CAE went from a company that was heavily in debt and trailing its competitors to one that is today the foremost provider of aviation and healthcare training services in the world. A true Canadian success story on the world stage, CAE has customers in 190 countries and over 10,000 employees around the world (nearly half of them in Canada). Parent is also a passionate champion for Canadian aerospace success. He has served as chair of AIAC and Aero Montreal, and he has participated in numerous government round tables and advisory boards to promote Canadian aerospace growth and achievement. Under his leadership CAE has offered nearly 3,000 co-op and internship positions to Canadian students, and through his efforts as part of the Business-Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), it is estimated that 2,500 students across the country will have access to similar work-integrated learning opportunities. His efforts to create a culture of openness and diversity resulted in Randstad naming CAE Canada's 2nd best employer brand in 2018, and in 2019 CAE launched Women in Flight, a scholarship program that encourages more young women to become pilots. Named after the chief designer of the Avro Arrow, the James C. Floyd Award recognizes visionary individuals or teams whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the success of the Canadian aerospace industry. The 2019 award was sponsored by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada. Industry Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement – John Saabas Holding a PhD in aerodynamics from McGill University, John Saabas spent 35 years at Pratt & Whitney Canada, including the last ten years as president, until retiring from the company earlier this year. His legacies of innovation, sustainability, and collaboration have had a profound impact on Canada's aerospace industry. Under his leadership, Pratt & Whitney Canada achieved a leadership position in all markets, with a portfolio of more than 64,000 engines in service and 13,000 customers worldwide. It certified over 100 engines during a 25-year period, and it expanded and transformed its global manufacturing capabilities, developing operations in China, Poland, the Mirabel Aerospace Centre, and the advanced manufacturing cells. Over the 10-year period of Saabas' leadership, his visionary commitment to greener, more sustainable aviation industry led to significant reductions by Pratt & Whitney Canada in greenhouse gas emissions and industrial process waste, non-recycled waste and water consumption. The company also launched the PW800 business aviation engine, which achieved double-digit improvements in fuel burn, emissions, and noise. As an industry leader, Saabas sought to leverage innovation and research to advance change in aerospace, and championed collaboration between all players of the Canadian aerospace cluster – including small and medium sized companies and universities — as an essential part of the industry's competitiveness. The Lifetime Achievement award is presented to an individual whose distinguished lifetime achievement through the exploration, development or utilization of aviation, space, or defence have led to their wide recognition as a “champion” of aerospace industry. Winners are celebrated for their outstanding leadership, commitment, promotion and consistent contribution to the continuous development of aerospace in Canada. The 2019 award was sponsored by L3Harris. Industry Excellence Award for Small Business Innovation and Technology – Avior Integrated Products Avior Integrated Products is a full-service manufacturer of lightweight structures and complex mechanical assemblies. The company has leveraged its fabrication capabilities in advanced composite details and complex machined components to become a competitive Tier III/II integrator of aircraft structures. Avior customers include leading aerospace manufacturers including Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Mitsubishi and Viking. In providing a competitive solution for its customers the company has invested significantly in creating a culture of innovation and introducing new technologies. In the last two years Avior commissioned its first robotic machining center, with another to follow shortly; launched its own Business Intelligence software system; converted two of its three business units into paperless production environments; and more recently, installed a collaborative robot to assist with certain shop-floor operations. The company's culture of innovation is supported by a dynamic team focused on execution and providing nimble and effective solutions. The transformation of the business is an on-going process and will include the introduction of AI technology in the administration areas of the company in the coming year. Avior has grown by 35 per cent in 2019 and is forecasting 20 per cent growth in 2020 in large part due to the benefits of transitioning to an Industry 4.0 business. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/winners-of-2019-aiac-awards-honoured-at-canadian-aerospace-summit

By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force is preparing an experiment it hopes will link the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, the first in a series of experiments that service acquisition head Will Roper has dubbed “connect-a-thons.” The experiments are to happen every four months, starting in December. The goal is to identify a fleet of aircraft with a communications issue, invite voices from inside and outside the Pentagon to offer solutions, and then test those offerings in a live experiment. “We're making it up as we go, right? There's never been anything like this,” Roper said at a breakfast hosted by the Defense Writers Group. “We need a way for people to propose connections and get into the pipeline. So I wouldn't be surprised at all if it ends up being like a pitch day ... having a proposal process where we review the maturity of the tech versus the benefit to the war fighter. We would do the former, our operators would do the latter." “And what I love about this is it's kind of a competition within the joint force," he added. "We're going to be looking for the fast movers to volunteer, then we'll be looking at the fast followers.” The first event, hosted by North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, will feature an attempt to allow the F-22 and F-35 to share battlespace — a long-sought capability. The F-22 was built with an older data link that can't match up with the Multifunction Advanced Data Link, or MADL, system used on the newer F-35; while the F-35 can receive data through Link 16, it can't share the data back — a key capability given the envisioned role of the F-35 as a major sensor for the future Air Force. For the test, the service will use what Roper called a “Babel Fish-like translator” under the working name of GatewayOne to serve as a “universal translator” for the two jets. The first test, in December, will feature the equipment on a pole on a test range, with the jets pinging their information back and forth from that fixed location. Should that system work well, in four months Roper plans to put GatewayOne onto a Valkyrie drone, a system designed by Kratos to be cheap enough to be disposable in a battlefield situation. It's not the first time a drone has been used as a link between the two fighters: In 2017, Northrop Grumman pitched its Global Hawk unmanned system, equipped with a new radio, to act as a translator between the aircraft. Future connect-a-thons currently planned include linking SpaceX's Starlink satellites with KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft in an effort to show commercial communications can work with military aircraft; Roper said the KC-135 community volunteered because the tanker aircraft is perpetually seeking more bandwidth. Roper also expects the F-16 community — which he called “very innovative, agile operators” who understand they need to keep an aging plane relevant — to “sign up wholesale” for tests in the future. The acquisitions chief said he is committed to keeping the four-month schedule going, in part because it means if the technology isn't satisfactory, the service will know quickly and be able to move onto something else. “The good news about that is [Congress and the Pentagon] don't really have to believe us for very long. Just let us get through a few connect-a-thon cycles,” Roper said. “And if we're failing miserably, then that should tell you something about the future of the program.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/air/2019/11/12/us-air-force-to-link-f-35-with-f-22-in-connect-a-thon-experiment/

By: Andrew Eversden The Department of Defense is working with a unnamed company to mitigate cybersecurity vulnerability discovered in a technology used by the Pentagon, the DoD's Deputy Chief CIO Michele Iversen said Nov. 12. Without going into specific detail, Iversen said the department is working to remove the product. “The company was compromised [and] had a big cybersecurity vulnerability,” said Iversen, speaking at Fifth Domain's annual CyberCon conference. “And we have seen bad things coming from those products, so we are looking at how to use our authorities ... [to] block those products or companies for national security systems.” This highlights a broader issue facing the DoD: how to protect its supply chain. To mitigate supply chain risk, Iversen said that she is working on a supply chain illumination tools. She said that these are useful because its made up of publicly available information that doesn't need any level of classification. Specifically, she said she's working on a decision support tool where she can expose a “bare minimum set of publicly available supply chain information.” “So when people are going to look and make their purchases, they have information available to them,” she said. She said, ultimately, she wants the DoD CIO's office to offer that tool as a service. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is also starting to develop cybersecurity tools. NIST's Jon Boyens, acting deputy chief of the computer security division, said that his team at the standards agency is working on a supplier inter-dependency tool “to look at different suppliers and their criticality” to allow for government to be more effective in asking for capabilities during the procurement process. “Industry is saying, ‘You know, we've invested in this but we're not getting any incentives' ... and so they're kind of looking for incentives for investing in technology,” said Boyens. Iversen said that technology research and development also presents its own attack surface with which it needs to grapple. If the research and development was done in a foreign country, that presents a unique set of threats. For example, Iversen pointed to back-up software being placed into a nuclear command-and-control system. “Maybe you just say anything where the R&D ... [is] done in those countries is just off limits,” Iversen said. “It just makes common sense. It's fixing stupid.” https://www.fifthdomain.com/smr/cybercon/2019/11/12/here-are-some-new-tools-coming-to-protect-the-supply-chain/

By: Martin Banks BRUSSELS — The European Union has unveiled the latest batch of projects under its flagship defense-cooperation scheme, boosting the areas of training, cyber operations and naval warfare. The decision, announced on Tuesday, brings to 47 the number of projects that are currently in place under the Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO, initiative. The first two batches were adopted in the spring and fall of 2018. Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, whose country is the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, welcomed the bloc's progress in security and defense cooperation, saying the PESCO schemes are “steps in the right direction.” “We should now concentrate on implementation and reaching results,” he said. The eventual aim of PESCO is to develop and deploy forces together, backed by a multibillion-euro fund for defense research and development Two of the 13 new projects relate to efforts to counter cyber threats. An envisioned EU Cyber Academia and Innovation Hub (EU CAIH), for example, could enhance the creation of an innovative web of knowledge for cyber defense and cybersecurity education and training. The aim of another scheme, the Cyber and Information Domain Coordination Center (CIDCC), is to create a “standing multinational military element” where the participating member states “continuously contribute with national staff but decide sovereignly on case-by-case basis,” reads an EU announcement. The Integrated European Joint Training and simulation Centre (EUROSIM) will integrate tactical training and simulation sites in Europe into a “real-time, networked, connected system.” Another of the new PESCO projects, the European Union Network of Diving Centres (EUNDC), will coordinate and enhance the operation of EU diving centres in order to better support defense missions, while the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) will design and develop a prototype for a new class of military ship. The Maritime Unmanned Anti-Submarine System (MUSAS), meanwhile, aims to develop and deliver an advanced command, control and communications service architecture for anti-submarine warfare. Elsewhere, the Special Operations Forces Medical Training Centre (SMTC) will focus on medical support for special operations and expand the Polish Military Medical Training Centre in Łódź. One other new scheme is the CBRN Defence Training Range (CBRNDTR), which intends to accommodate what the EU calls a “full spectrum of practical training, including live chemical agents training.” The Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA), also included in the latest batch, will allow European and NATO air forces to safely operate within EU territories while the Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance (TWISTER) scheme seeks to strengthen the ability of Europeans to better detect, track and counter air threats. A scheme called “Materials and Components for Technological EU Competitiveness” (MAC-EU) will develop the European defense technology and industrial base while the EU Collaborative Warfare Capabilities (ECoWAR) initiative hopes to increase the ability of the EU armed forces to face “collectively and efficiently the upcoming threats that are more and more diffuse, rapid, and hard to detect and to neutralize.” Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO, said the new projects “are good news for the EU at a time when President Macron is calling for the EU to step up its defense efforts and stand on its own feet. They show that PESCO is gaining traction in EU capitals and nations are buying in to the long overdue need to pool and share capability programs.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/11/12/eu-unveils-new-cooperation-projects-in-training-cyber-operations-naval-warfare/