Nouvelles

LONDON—The German defense ministry says it has begun a radical restructuring of the country's armed forces to better prepare it for modernization and an uptick in defense ... Full article: http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/germany-radically-overhauling-military

Neha Dasgupta NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) will build wings for its F-16 combat plane in India with its local partner, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, an executive at the U.S. company said on Tuesday. Lockheed is bidding for a contract - estimated at more than $15 billion - to supply the Indian air force with 114 combat planes, which must be all manufactured locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Make in India program. However, Vivek Lall, vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed, said the proposed Indian production of the F-16 wings would not be contingent upon the company winning the order for the planes. “Producing F-16 wings in India will strengthen Lockheed Martin' strategic partnership with Tata and support Make in India,” the company said in a statement. Modi has been pushing for local manufacturing that will provide jobs and also end the military's dependence on imports. Lockheed's announcement came just days ahead of top level talks between the United States and India aimed at expanding defense ties. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will meet with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Boeing (BA.N) has pitched its F/A-18 Super Hornet for the Indian contract as well as Sweden's Saab with its Gripen fighter. France's Dassault (AVMD.PA) Systemes SE's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also in the fray. Lall said Lockheed had offered to make India its sole F-16 production facility that would supply the Indian military but also other countries. “If India buys the F-16 then it becomes the center of manufacturing for the global market,” he said. Lall said the company planned to begin production of the F-16 wings in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad from 2020. He said these were being produced at a facility in Israel and would not impact any jobs in the United States. The Israeli center will continue to be involved in other production, he said. “All F-16 wings globally are to be built in the Hyderabad facility,” he said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-usa-lockheedmartin/lockheed-to-make-wings-for-f-16-jet-in-india-with-partner-tata-idUSKCN1LK17T

Kelvin Wong, Singapore - Jane's International Defence Review UAVOS Inc, a US-based company specialising in the design, development and manufacturing of unmanned vehicles and associated control systems, is partnering with India's Bharat Drone Systems to develop a range of air vehicles and technologies to meet emerging Indian armed forces requirements. The company is taking the opportunity at the UAV India 2018 exhibition in New Delhi to highlight its fixed-wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The fixed wing Borey 10 is a tactical-class UAV featuring a flying wing airframe with a wingspan of 3.5 m and maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 15 kg. The baseline UAV is powered by a 2,000 W electric motor and four 6S 16Аh lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that are packaged within a hermetically sealed shell along with its control systems for improved reliability in austere environments, enabling it to continue operations in temperatures as low as -22 °C. According to UAVOS, the Borey 10 – which features automatic take-off and landing capabilities and can be launched and recovered via a catapult and parachute respectively – is designed to transmit video imagery in difficult meteorological operating conditions at distances over 30 km, with a control range of at least 70 km. The company is quoting a continuous flight endurance of up to 4 hours with a 0.5 kg payload. UAVOS has also developed a range of VTOL UAV platforms. The latest addition is the UVH-290E, which has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 2 107 kg and measures 2.43 m long and 0.86 m tall with a main rotor diameter of 3.2 m. It is equipped with a 4-stroke Wankel engine rated at 17 kW, enabling it to achieve cruise and maximum speeds of 70 km/h and 100 km/h respectively, with a stated endurance of about 5 hours while carrying a 5 kg payload. https://www.janes.com/article/82743/uavos-showcases-latest-uavs

By Stephen Carlson Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Boeing have received contract modifications for drone-mounted Low Power Laser Demonstrator system missile defense testing. Lockheed Martin's contract has increased to a total value of $37.7 million, while General Atomics and Boeing's have been increased to $34 million and $29.4 million respectively, the Department of Defense announced on Friday. Work for all three companies will take place in various locations across the United States. The contract modifications come from the Missile Defense Agency and can extend as far as July 2019. Specifications listed include a flight altitude of at least 63,000 feet, the endurance to stay on station for at least 36 hours after a transit of 1,900 miles, and a cruising speed of up to Mach .46 while patrolling its station. The aircraft needs to be able to carry a payload between 5,000 and 12,500 pounds and sufficient power generation to operate a 140 kilowatt laser, with the possibility of up to 280 kw or more. The system must also be able to operate the laser for at least 30 minutes without affecting flight performance, and be capable of carrying a one- to two-meter optical system for the laser. The Missile Defense Agency is responsible for the defense of U.S. territory and its allies from ballistic missile threats. It coordinates a network of land-based and ship-based missile interceptors, along with radars and satellites to detect and destroy enemy ballistic missiles. ICBMs are at their most vulnerable during their boost phase. A UAV capable of targeting them before they exit the atmosphere would greatly increase the possibility of intercept, the Pentagon said. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/09/04/Lockheed-Martin-General-Atomics-Boeing-compete-for-laser-armed-drone/9251536091266/

Nick Brown, London Key Points Williams has built a transformable cockpit structure to help BAE Systems experiment with training approaches and assess new cockpit technologies The cockpit tool is part of a holistic approach BAE Systems is taking to improve products and training solutions, using team-based lessons from motorsport BAE Systems is completing integration work on a new cockpit simulator, which it plans to use as a “sandpit for innovation”, chief technologist Julia Sutcliffe told Jane's . The cockpit structure was designed and built by Williams Advanced Engineering using skills and methodologies honed by the Williams Formula 1 team. According to Williams' technical director, Paul McNamara, the design was influenced by the modularity of construction and heavily metricated human factors teamwork that is required for fast pit stops. This modularity will enable engineers to reconfigure the physical cockpit layout, controls, and components to replicate legacy aircraft such as the Hawk and Typhoon, swiftly tailor them for a range of pilot builds, and to experiment with innovative layouts and systems that might feed into the new Tempest future fighter programme, using live feedback from aircrew and engineers. Rather than being used in a traditional aircrew training simulator role, Sutcliffe explained that the new cockpit is designed to be an experimental “workhorse” to support BAE Systems' technology development and product roadmaps for a range of technologies and platforms. She added that “we wanted the ability to experiment with layouts that we can quickly reconfigure – front and back – without having to duck underneath [the cockpit installation] and reconnect wires and all sorts of stuff.” Stuart Olden, business development manager at Williams, told Jane's that this was underpinned by motorsport experience, with the company's whole-system design approach “enabling the maintainers and the operators of the simulator to gain access quickly to particular components to swap in, swap out, and change elements around”. https://www.janes.com/article/82764/bae-systems-draws-on-motorsport-experience-to-revolutionise-cockpit-development

By: The Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Air Force innovation hub has opened in Alabama to harness research and technology for the military. “Mission Launch 2018” was meant to introduce the hub's mission to defense and regional leaders, Al.com reported. MGMWERX will be operating out of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce building. MGMWERX is a partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The facility is part of a network of WERX hubs and will take ideas generated from nearby Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base to solve technological or efficiency problems faced by the military. Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, Air University president, said the hub will take concepts and "incubate them" to solve difficult Air Force and Department of Defense issues. “This is a direct link to the Secretary of Defense's National Defense Strategy developing a lethal force through evolving innovative operational concepts,” Cotton said. “That critical thinking happens right up the street at Maxwell Air Force Base and will blossom right here.” MGMWERX Director Bill Martin said a team of five will integrate concepts and technology "from the public sector with the broad spectrum of Air Force proposals brought forward by some of the brightest minds in the service." Anna Buckalew, executive vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce said MGMWERX “will be a model for communities around the world, fueling innovation and collaboration that creates solutions for some of the most critical issues the Air Force and our nation faces today.” https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/09/02/air-force-innovation-hub-launches-in-alabama

Ryan Pickrell The US Air Force put out an open-ended request Thursday for hypersonic weapon concepts and development programs from qualified vendors with experience related to hypersonic platforms. The call comes amid an escalating arms race with China and Russia, both of whom have been actively testing new hypersonic systems. A hypersonic weapon is decidedly dangerous because its speed coupled with its unpredictable flight patterns make it almost impossible for existing air and missile defense systems to effectively intercept. "The homeland is no longer a sanctuary," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of US North Command, saidrecently. With rivals China and Russia rapidly developing hypersonic weapons able to penetrate defenses to deliver devastating strikes on their enemies, the US Air Force is preparing to enter the arms race in a big way, signaling that the US is not yet ready to cede its competitive advantage in advanced weaponry to adversarial competitors. The Air Force posted a contracting announcement online Thursday calling for qualified vendors experienced in hypersonic aerodynamics, aerothermal protection systems, advanced hypersonic guidance, navigation and control, solid rocket motors, and so on to assist the service in research on "hypersonic weapon rapid development, production and sustainment." The multi-award contract, as The Drive first reported, appears to be an open-ended request for any and all hypersonic concepts and development programs. The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract in August for an Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), a hypersonic weapon and the second such contract offered by the Air Force this year. The service awarded a contract to Lockheed in April for a Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW). The Air Force reportedly has four different hypersonic weapons programs in the works for the B-52, according to The Drive, as well as submarine-launched and ground-launched systems in development. And, there could certainly be more. The newfound interest in hypersonic weaponry comes after repeated warnings from senior military officers suggesting that the US was losing its edge to peer competitors. "China's hypersonic weapons development outpaces ours... we're falling behind," Adm. Harry Harris, the former head of US Pacific Command (now called Indo-Pacific Command), said in February. The head of US Strategic Command warned in March that the US needs to bolster its defenses, explaining to the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US does not "have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us." The recently-signed 2019 National Defense Authorization Act approves investments in America's missile defense capabilities in the face of certain emerging threats from US rivals. "The homeland is no longer a sanctuary," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of US North Command, said recently. "We're in a changing security environment. We used to think about the sanctuary we had with oceans and friendly countries to our north and south, but that's changing with adversaries that are actually able to reach out and touch us now." In the beginning of August, China tested the Xingkong-2 (Stary Sky-2) hypersonic experimental waverider vehicle able to fly at speeds as high as Mach 6. The hypersonic aircraft reportedly has the potential to be used as a hypersonic strike platform capable of carrying conventional and nuclear payloads and evading modern air and missile defenses. China, which has made the development of hypersonic systems a national priority, called the test a "huge success." Russia has also been experimenting with advanced hypersonic systems. For instance, Russia is expected to deploy its Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle on the country's Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile within the next year or so. The Russians are also developing the hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) cruise missile, which could be ready for combat by 2020. While the weapon has only been tested on a MiG-31 fighter, Russia reportedly intendsto mount the weapon on a strategic bomber. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-air-force-asking-for-hypersonic-weapon-ideas-2018-9

Posté dans Technologie par Laurent Lagneau Alors que l'industrie française de l'armement cherche à limiter autant que possible le recours à des composantes relevant de la Réglementation américaine sur le trafic d'armes au niveau international [ITAR] afin d'éviter toute restriction à l'exportation, il aurait été dommage de voir l'entreprise iséroise Dolphin Integration, spécialisée, avec ses 130 ingénieurs, dans la conception de circuits intégrés et de composants dits virtuels analogiques et numériques, fermer ses portes. D'autant plus que cette PME, créée en 1985, avait été sélectionnée par l'Agence européenne de défense [AED] dans le cadre du programme SOC – System on Chip [.pdf], visant à permettre aux industriels européens de l'armement d'accéder à des technologies « ITAR Free » pour « des petits et moyens volumes à des prix compétitifs. » En outre, elle a mené des projetspour le compte de la Direction générale de l'armement [DGA], via le dispositif RAPID Or, en juillet, faisant face à d'importants problèmes de trésorerie et à un chiffre d'affaires en recul, Dolphin Integration a été placé en redressement judiciaire. Et l'entreprise avait jusqu'à la mi-janvier 2019 pour trouver une solution pour assurer la poursuite de ses activités. Cette mésaventure lui est arrivée alors qu'elle avait l'ambition de devenir un acteur mondial de « la conception et de l'optimisation de circuits intégrés dédiés à la très faible consommation d'énergie » et de s'intéresser aux marchés de l'Internet des objets (IoT), de l'automobile et de la défense. Mais il n'aura pas fallu attendre bien longtemps pour voir la situation de Dolphin Integration s'éclaircir étant donné que le missilier MBDA et Soitec, le spécialiste français de la production de matériaux semi-conducteurs, se sont associés pour reprendre la PME iséroise. Dans le détail, le capital de Dolphin Integration sera détenu à hauteur de 40% par MBDA et de 60% par Soitec. Les deux industriels ont pris l'engagement d'investir 6 millions d'euros ensemble. De quoi permettre d'acquérir « la plupart des actifs de Dolphin Integration », de payer « certaines dettes » et d'opérer une « importante injection de liquidités destinée à financer les besoins en fond de roulement. » Étant déjà un client « stratégique » de Dolphin Integration pour les « applications liées à l'armement depuis 2004 », MBDA va accentuer la coopération industriel avec la PME tout en lui « offrant une perspective commerciale à long terme en matière de circuits ASIC (circuits intégrés propres à une application spécifique) et systèmes sur puces. » « L'investissement de MBDA va renforcer la base industrielle de Dolphin Integration dédiée à l'armement français. Il va en effet lui apporter une source plus stable de revenus liés à la défense ainsi qu'une coopération technologique plus étroite ouvrant à son offre microélectronique spécialisée l'accès à l'ensemble de l'industrie de l'armement française et européenne », a expliqué Antoine Bouvier, le Pdg du missilier. http://www.opex360.com/2018/08/24/missilier-mbda-soitec-reprennent-dolphin-integration-specialiste-francais-circuits-integres/

L'accord sur la vente de 36 avions de chasse français « Rafale » à l'Inde fait polémique dans le pays, deux ans après sa conclusion. Le principal parti d'opposition accuse le gouvernement Modi d'avoir payé trop cher pour l'achat des « Rafale » et d'avoir favorisé un industriel réputé proche du Premier ministre. Le gouvernement accuse à son tour l'opposition de compromettre la sécurité nationale en cherchant à rendre public des détails précis sur l'accord. Avec notre correspondant à New Delhi, Antoine Guinard « Une corruption mondialisée ». C'est en ces termes que Rahul Gandhi, président du Congrès, le principal parti d'opposition, a décrit vendredi l'accord sur les Rafale. Une députée appartenant elle aussi au parti du Congrès a également fustigé les termes de l'accord dans la presse, accusant le gouvernement de Narendra Modi de « copinage », aux dépens du secteur public. Le Congrès affirme en effet que l'Inde a conclu l'achat des 36 Rafale à la France à un prix par avion trois fois supérieur au prix négocié en 2012, lorsque le parti de Rahul Gandhi était encore au pouvoir. La raison de cette différence, selon ce dernier : le gouvernement Modi a choisi le conglomérat Reliance, dont le PDG est réputé proche du Premier ministre, comme partenaire indien avec l'avionneur français Dassault dans l'accord. A la place du groupe aéronautique public indien HAL prévu au départ. Selon la presse indienne, le groupe Reliance aurait également signé en janvier 2016 accord pour co-produire le film Tout là-haut avec l'actrice et productrice Julie Gayet, compagne de Francois Hollande à l'époque. Deux jours plus tard, le président Français signait à New Delhi un protocole d'accord sur la vente des 36 Rafale à l'Inde. http://www.rfi.fr/asie-pacifique/20180831-inde-polemique-accord-vente-rafale-france