Nouvelles

BY: STEPHEN TRIMBLE The US Air Force has selected Lockheed Martin to rapidly develop and field both new hypersonic missiles launched as a response to surprise developments in high-speed weapons by China and Russia, newly-released acquisition documents confirm. The service already announced a $928 million award in April deal for Lockheed's Missiles and Space company to develop the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW, pronounced “Hacksaw”). But a new document reveals that the USAF awarded a separate deal to Lockheed's Missiles and Fire Control division in July 2017 to rapidly develop and field the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW, pronounced “Arrow”). The ARRW, now assigned the designation AGM-183A, evolves from the Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) programme launched in 2014 by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). By using a rocket to boost the missile to very high altitudes, the unpowered ARRW then glides down to lower altitudes at speeds up to Mach 20. Full Article: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-martin-claims-both-usaf-hypersonic-programm-450968/

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The federal government's plan to move ahead with the modernization of Cormorant search and rescue helicopters could see the return of Cormorants on the flight line at Trenton, Ont., says the Canadian Forces. The RCAF is hoping for “the potential re-introduction of the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter to Trenton” once the Cormorant modernization program is finished, it added. If that happens the Griffon helicopters currently assigned to 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, would be returned to the Tactical Utility Helicopter role, according to the military. The Italian aerospace firm, Leonardo, will do the modernization on the Cormorants as part of a project to upgrade the helicopters and to add seven more aircraft to the flight line. No timeline has been provided for the modernization and a contract has yet to be signed. In the meantime, the CH-146 Griffon helicopters continue to fulfill the rotary wing search and rescue role from 8 Wing Trenton. A number of improvements have been made to the CH-146 Griffon helicopters based at 8 Wing Trenton to enhance their operational capability in the SAR role, according to the RCAF. These improvements include:  Critical aircraft performance parameters have been increased to allow crews to remain in the hover for longer periods during exercises and rescue missions  The Griffon's rescue hoist has been upgraded to increase its speed and responsiveness during critical rescue operations  A new life raft system and a low altitude warning system were installed, both of which improve crew safety during operations over water  New avionics were fitted in late 2012 to improve long range communication capabilities and provide the ability to track the helicopter's exact location during missions  The aircraft's bubble windows were repositioned to maximize the spotters' effectiveness while conducting visual searches from the Griffon https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/modernization-program-could-see-cormorant-helicopters-return-to-trenton

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Air Force is preparing to begin buying light attack aircraft next year — and the winner is going to be either Textron's AT-6 Wolverine or the Sierra Nevada Corp.-Embraer A-29 Super Tucano. According to a pre-solicitation posted on FedBizOpps on Aug. 3, the service will put out a final request for proposals to the two competitors in December with the hopes of awarding a contract by the end of September 2019. However, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Defense News on Monday that service leaders have not yet made a final decision on whether to green-light a program of record. Should that happen, the pre-solicitation will ensure that the service can move as quickly as it would like to eventually procure new planes, she said. If the new weapons program moves forward, it appears the service will limit the competition to the two aircraft currently involved in the service's light attack experiment. The pre-solicitation states that SNC and Textron Aviation “are the only firms that appear to possess the capability necessary to meet the requirement within the Air Force's time frame without causing an unacceptable delay in meeting the needs of the warfighter.” The Air Force's decision to only consider the A-29 and AT-6 had been foreshadowed by officials like Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, its top uniformed acquisition officer, who repeatedly stated that the service would likely limit a competition to those two participants. Full Article: https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/08/06/the-light-attack-aircraft-competition-will-be-down-to-two-competitors/

Igor Bozinovski On 30 July, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence published a tender for the general overhaul of two Mi-17 transport and four Mi-24V combat helicopters of the Bulgarian Air Force (BuAF). The deadline for submission of bids is 3 September, with a framework agreement covering a period of 48 months to be signed with the successful bidder. The procurement is valued at BGN37.3 million (USD22 billion): BGN11.3 million for the Mi-17s and BGN26 million for the Mi-24Vs. Full Article: https://www.janes.com/article/82199/bulgaria-overhauls-mi-17-and-mi-24-helicopters

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — House and Senate lawmakers have authorized an injection of about $51 million in funding to cyber-harden missile defense systems, according to the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report, and appropriators are expected to follow suit in the defense spending bill with roughly $100 million in additional funding. Congressional authorizers noted in a summary of the NDAA conference report, released July 23, that the conferees were supporting an increase in funding to address cyberthreats to U.S. missile defense systems. WASHINGTON — House and Senate lawmakers have authorized an injection of about $51 million in funding to cyber-harden missile defense systems, according to the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report, and appropriators are expected to follow suit in the defense spending bill with roughly $100 million in additional funding. Congressional authorizers noted in a summary of the NDAA conference report, released July 23, that the conferees were supporting an increase in funding to address cyberthreats to U.S. missile defense systems. What the new defense bill means for cyber U.S. House and Senate negotiators boosted funding for cybersecurity in the annual defense authorization bill, which serves as a repudiation of the Trump administration's foreign policy. By: Justin Lynch The U.S. military and its allies are reliant on missile defense systems both regionally and to defend the homeland. Such a capability will require a more robust level of protection against cyberattacks as adversaries grow in their ability to take down systems through jamming and other electronic warfare capabilities. The strategy to disarm enemy systems using jamming and electronic attack already plays a major role in war gaming against possible peer adversaries in the future. Using cyber and electronic attack is seen, at times, as the first line of offense to take down enemy air defense systems, so as to allow the injection of friendly forces into denied territory. And since that's part of the strategy to penetrate enemy systems, it will be and already is a part of the adversaries' strategies, too. Full Article: https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2018/07/27/congress-offers-millions-in-budget-to-cyber-harden-missile-defense-systems/

One variant, in Army colors, has missile racks sticking out of what was originally the passenger cabin — a conversion that units could potentially install or remove as needed in the field. The other, with Marine Corps markings, is a sleeker thoroughbred gunship with internal weapons bays, stealth features, and folding wings to fit in shipboard hangars. By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. ARLINGTON: How new is Bell Helicopter's shiny showroom — excuse me, Advanced Vertical Lift Center — minutes from the Pentagon and the Capitol? Between the time I arrived this morning and the time I headed out, they installed two huge mockups of their high-speed V-280 Valor tilrotor. But these aren't land-based troop transports like the prototype Bell's already flying for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) demonstration program. They're heavily armed gunships. One, in Army colors, has missile racks sticking out of what was originally the passenger cabin — a conversion that units could potentially install or remove as needed in the field. The other, with Marine Corps markings, is a sleeker thoroughbred gunship with internal weapons bays, stealth features, and folding wings to fit in shipboard hangars. Bell showed off these mockups before, but there's almost no imagery available online, so when executives said I was free to take photos, I had my phone out at once. Equally interesting was what they said about another design they've still got under wraps: Bell's contender for the Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft(FARA), a scout light, small, and agile enough to avoid detection by flying down city streets. https://breakingdefense.com/2018/08/bell-pushes-v-280-gunship-shipboard-variants-recon-in-works/

By: Aaron Mehta A Louisiana National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk is used to assess flooding on June 5, 2015. Latvia wants to purchase four of the Sikorsky-made helicopters. (1st Lt. Rebekah Malone/Army National Guard) WASHINGTON — Latvia has been cleared by the U.S. State Department to buy four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, in a move to bolster the NATO nation's ability to move forces around the alliance's eastern flank. The sale has an estimated price tag of $200 million, which covers the four rotorcraft, 10 engines and associated equipment. As with all announcements by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the sale must pass through the Senate, at which point negotiations can begin; total quantities and dollar totals often change from the original DSCA announcement and final sale. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally,” according to a DSCA statement. “These UH-60 helicopters will allow for interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces in rapid response to a variety of missions, and quick positioning of troops with minimal helicopter assets.” Full Article: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/08/03/latvia-cleared-to-buy-black-hawks

By: Charlsy Panzino What if an aircraft could tell you a part needs maintenance before it actually breaks? That's the kind of technology that the head of Air Mobility Command is hoping to install on the command's aircraft as one way to deal with its older fleet. The goal is to outfit the planes with instruments that will monitor specific equipment and relay information back to the maintainers, giving them a heads up if a part is worn out and needs to be repaired or replaced. “As the airplane is beeping and squeaking ... as it's passing its zeros and ones, we can do an algorithm on the data that is received and we can say, predictability means this is going to fail at that time, go check that part,” Gen. Carlton Everhart told Air Force Times at the Pentagon on Thursday. Everhart said instruments have been installed on one of AMC's C-5M Super Galaxy transport aircraft to begin testing the idea of predictive maintenance. Full article: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/08/02/planes-could-give-heads-up-when-part-is-about-to-break

CAE a annoncé aujourd'hui que CAE USA Mission Solutions Inc., une filiale de CAE USA, a fait l'acquisition d'Alpha-Omega Change Engineering (AOCE) pour approximativement 29 millions $ US, exclusion faite des ajustements usuels après clôture. L'acquisition permettra de renforcer les compétences principales de CAE USA en tant qu'intégrateur de systèmes de formation, de faire croître la position de CAE sur les plateformes ayant une longue durée de vie comme celles des avions de chasse, et d'accroître la capacité de CAE USA à mettre sur pied des programmes de sécurité de niveau supérieur aux États-Unis. AOCE, dont le siège social se trouve à Williamsburg, en Virginie, offre une gamme de services de formation des équipages, d'évaluation et d'essais opérationnels et de services de soutien technique au U.S Department of Defense et à la communauté du renseignement des États-Unis. « Cette acquisition cadre directement avec les priorités stratégiques de CAE en matière de croissance et d'expansion de ses capacités au sein du plus important marché de la défense au monde », a déclaré Marc Parent, président et chef de la direction de CAE. « AOCE possède des contrats et un rendement antérieur en matière de systèmes télépilotés, de formation des équipages, de développement de didacticiels pour les chasseurs et les aéronefs d'opérations spéciales et l'aérospatiale et la défense antimissile », a déclaré Ray Duquette, président et directeur général, CAE USA. « Cette acquisition permettra d'améliorer considérablement les capacités d'intégration des systèmes de formation de CAE USA et nous permettra de saisir des occasions d'affaires plus importantes aux États-Unis. » AOCE a été fondée en 1997 et emploie environ 600 personnes. C'est une entreprise florissante qui offre des services de formation, d'ingénierie et de consultation. Elle est actuellement maître d'œuvre d'une gamme de programmes pour le U.S. Department of Defense, notamment : le contrat de formation des employés de la maintenance et des équipages à Kirtland, Davis-Monthan, Joint Base Andrews, Moody (KDAM) en soutien au programme de formation des équipages et de soutien à l'entraînement de l'Air Force Special Operations Command (ATARS); le contrat à quantité et à livraison indéfinies du U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command pour fournir des services de soutien opérationnel et d'ingénierie; le contrat de formation des équipages de la U.S. Air Force et de développement de didacticiels pour les équipages des F-15, F-16 et F-22. « CAE est un chef de file en formation reconnu mondialement. Nous avons eu la chance de connaître CAE et d'établir une excellente relation de travail avec elle en travaillant sur des programmes comme celui de l'entraînement des équipages de l'avion télépiloté MQ-9 Reaper », a déclaré Jim Hartney, président du conseil d'administration d'AOCE. « Cette acquisition et notre intégration à CAE généreront de nouvelles occasions de croissance pour AOCE et nos employés. » CAE USA a aussi annoncé la mise sur pied de CAE USA Mission Solutions Inc., une filiale de CAE USA, qui découle d'une entente de procuration avec le gouvernement des États-Unis. L'entente de procuration permet à Mission Solutions de mettre sur pied des programmes de sécurité de niveau supérieur et de les exécuter. À propos de CAE La division Défense et sécurité de CAE aide ses clients à atteindre et à maintenir le meilleur état de préparation des missions qui soit. Nous sommes un intégrateur de systèmes de formation de classe mondiale qui offre un vaste éventail de centres et de services de formation et de produits de simulation dans les segments de marché des forces aériennes, des forces terrestres, des forces navales et de la sécurité publique. Nous desservons des clients mondiaux dans les domaines de la défense et de la sécurité par l'intermédiaire de nos opérations régionales au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Amérique latine, en Europe, au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique ainsi qu'en Asie-Pacifique, qui tirent profit de la gamme complète de capacités, de technologies et de solutions de CAE. CAE est un chef de file mondial en formation dans les domaines de l'aviation civile, de la défense et sécurité, et de la santé. Appuyés par plus de 70 ans d'innovations, nous participons à la définition des normes mondiales en formation. Nos solutions innovatrices, qui vont de la formation virtuelle à l'entraînement en vol, rendent le transport aérien plus sécuritaire, gardent nos forces de défense prêtes pour leurs missions et améliorent la sécurité des patients. Nous avons la plus vaste présence mondiale de l'industrie, avec plus de 8 500 employés, 160 emplacements et centres de formation dans plus de 35 pays. Nous assurons chaque année la formation de plus de 120 000 membres d'équipage du secteur civil et du secteur de la défense et de milliers de professionnels de la santé dans le monde. https://www.cae.com/fr/nouvelles-et-evenements/communique-de-presse/cae-acquires-alpha-omega-change-engineering-aoce/