US Army

Rappel du premier message :

Citation :

« J'aime les USA, et je combats pour elle», c'est ainsi que Lamia Lahlou commente son adhésion à l'armée américaine, et sa participation à la guerre contre l'iraq- depuis déjà 8 mois-. Née au Maroc en 1986, Lamia Lahlou rejoint l'armée américaine 3 ans après les attentats du 11 septembre 2001.

Tempérée par sa propre volonté, «la marocaine», ne mâche pas ses mots pour affirmer que ce pas emboité s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un «vrai Jihad». Rapporte une idéo diffusée largement sur Internet (Voir ci-aprés).

Choquée par la mort de sa meilleure amie, Lamia croit dur comme fer que l'adhésion à l'armée américaine est le seul et unique moyen susceptible de calmer le feu de sa vengeance.

A noter que les USA continuent à «renforcer » son armée via le recrutement des marocains, à l'heure où ALQIADIA ciblent d'autres recrues du Maroc vers la Hollande et la Belgique, tout en passant par la Syrie, l'Espagne et l'Iraq.

source: emarrakech.info

Rafi

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HiRes





An OH-58D Kiowa Warrior from Task Force Saber, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, fires a 2.75-inch rocket at a mountainside during a test flight in eastern Afghanistan, March 2, 2012. The Kiowa warrior is the Army's scout and reconnaissance aircraft, which often provides close support for ground troops on the battlefield. The OH-58 can carry a variety of armament, like 2.75-inch rockets, hellfire missiles, or a .50 cal. machine gun. It carries a crew of two.

USA: ADS:nouvelle arme, non-létale, à coup de chaleur





La sensation de chaleur, soudaine et insupportable, semble venir de nulle part: à 750 mètres, une antenne sur le toit d'un camion vient d'émettre un puissant rayon électromagnétique qui ne tue pas, ni ne blesse, et fait la fierté des chercheurs de l'armée américaine.


"On ne le voit pas, on ne l'entend pas, on ne le sent pas, on le ressent", résume le colonel Tracy Taffola, patron du directorat des armes non-létales, unité basée à Quantico (Virginie) et chargée de mettre au point de nouveaux armements conçus pour éviter de tuer ou de provoquer des blessures graves.
L'effet est tellement désagréable que le réflexe est de prendre la fuite, a pu constater l'AFP lors d'une démonstration de l'arme pour la presse.


L'armée américaine se veut rassurante sur le caractère "propre" de cette arme, mise au point après plus de 15 ans de recherche mais qui n'a toujours pas été utilisée sur le terrain.


Brièvement déployé en Afghanistan en 2010, ce système, baptisé "Active Denial System" (ADS), n'y a pas été employé, vraisemblablement en raison de la mauvaise image attachée à ces rayons électromagnétiques, vu comme des micro-ondes utilisées dans les fours à chauffer la nourriture.
"Il y a beaucoup d'idées fausses", déplore l'officier au strict maintien de Marine de l'armée américaine. "Nous voulons que tout le monde comprenne en quoi consiste ce système et --tout aussi important-- ce qu'il n'est pas".


Les chercheurs du laboratoire de recherche de l'U.S Air Force se trouvant avec lui l'assurent: le risque de blessure est quasi-nul avec seulement deux brûlures constatées pour 11.000 tests menés avec des humains.
"La fréquence des ondes émises par un four à micro-ondes est d'environ un gigahertz. Elles pénètrent et c'est pourquoi on peut cuire son poulet", explique le Dr Diana Loree, scientifique en chef adjointe chargée des armes à effet dirigé.
Avec une fréquence de 95 gigahertz, l'ADS émet des ondes millimétriques, qui peuvent être dirigées et qui n'ont pas de pouvoir pénétrant.
"J'ai un émetteur 100 fois plus puissant qu'un four micro-ondes mais je ne peux pas faire sauter du pop-corn parce que la fréquence radio ne pénètre pas suffisamment pour cuire à l'intérieur", résume-t-elle enthousiaste.
Selon Stephanie Miller, chargée de l'évaluation de l'effet de l'arme sur le corps humain, les ondes millimétriques "ne pénètrent la peau que sur 0,4 millimètre" de profondeur, évitant ainsi toute brûlure.


Dans la cabine de son camion militaire, l'opérateur actionne une manette et cible une personne ou un groupe à l'aide d'une caméra. La victime a la sensation d'ouvrir la porte d'un four brûlant et ressent brièvement des picotements sur la peau.
Le réflexe de fermer les paupières suffit à protéger les yeux, assure aussi Mme Miller.

L'arme est conçue pour contrôler une foule hostile, protéger l'entrée de bases ou mettre en fuite des personnes dont on ne connaît pas les intentions et donc contre lesquelles l'emploi d'une arme à feu pourrait constituer une bavure.


Si l'ADS ne provoque aucun effet secondaire, tout au moins en théorie, la durée d'exposition à ce rayonnement pourrait avoir d'autres conséquences.
Ainsi pour éviter tout accident, "si l'opérateur appuie trop longtemps par inadvertance sur la gâchette, le système se coupe automatiquement après trois secondes", assure le colonel Taffola.
Selon lui, "c'est l'arme non létale la plus sûre qui ait jamais été mise au point".
Le Pentagone quant à lui ne s'est toujours pas décidé à passer commande.

http://www.almanar.com.lb/french/adetails.php?eid=54219&cid=13&fromval=1&frid=13&seccatid=15&s1=1

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US Army purchases BAE software to accelerate data search

BAE Systems has been selected by the US Army to supply its commercial data management software, GXP Xplorer, to help accelerate its efforts to locate and retrieve geospatial data from various legacy repositories.

Geospatial eXploitation Products (GXP) business sales, marketing, and customer support vice president Dan London said the GXP Xplorer allows analysts to find and catalog information, so they can perform their mission.

The software will be used by Army brigade combat teams to identify and catalog images, maps, terrain, features, videos and documents of interest on local desktops or across an enterprise.

The soldiers based across multiple army installations can also easily locate current and archived data collections saved on shared drives, servers and in personal files, which is vital to military users rotating in-and-out of operating units.

GXP Xplorer will also support the army's transition from legacy data library systems to an interoperable resource that scales from mobile devices, ruggedised laptops, and enterprise servers with Web browser access.

The open enterprise solution has been designed to provide a convenient way to access images, terrain, features, GeoPDF images and maps, PowerPoint files, videos, text documents, and numerous other data sources.

The application scans for files across existing external data systems, on shared network drives, and in an analyst's local shoe box and quickly locates files and builds an online catalog for easy retrieval, saving up to 75% of the time previously required to find data using legacy systems.

GXP Xplorer keeps track of all available data by file type, and displays geotagged search results graphically on a map with supporting text and thumbnail images, which can either be downloaded, or opened directly into other applications for analysis, mission planning and intelligence reporting.

As part of the contract, the US Army's Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) Enabled Common Ground Station will install 50 GXP Xplorer enterprise server licenses beginning in the middle of 2012.

http://www.army-technology.com

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General Dynamics Delivers MK19 Grenade Machine Guns to U.S. Army

CHARLOTTE, N.C. | General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics, recently delivered 85 MK19 40mm grenade machine guns to the U.S. Army under the company's latest contract award for the weapon.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products was awarded an $8.7 million order for more than 650 MK19 weapons in September 2011. The September award extended an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for MK19 weapons that was initially awarded to General Dynamics in 2008. The latest order brings the total contract value to date to more than $90 million. General Dynamics has delivered more than 40,000 MK19 guns since 1987.

"Over the past quarter century, the MK19 has been the single most-highly fielded 40mm grenade machine gun in the world," said Steve Elgin, vice president and general manager of armament systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products. "The weapon's popularity is the result of its high reliability and the vast logistical support as the U.S. Government's standard issue grenade machine gun."

The MK19 is primarily used by dismounted infantry personnel or is mounted on light armored vehicles. The weapon is capable of firing up to 400 rounds per minute and has a maximum range of more than 2,200 yards.

Production work for the MK19 is performed at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' Saco, Maine, facility using the existing workforce of approximately 400 people. Program management is performed in Saco with support from the company's Williston, Vt.-based Technology Center. Final deliveries on the September award will be completed in February 2013.

defpro

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Comtech Awarded Undefinitized $80.7 Million Contract to Support the BFT Program



15:21 GMT, April 2, 2012 MELVILLE, N.Y. | Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced today that its Maryland-based subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation, has been awarded a three-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity ("IDIQ") contract to provide sustainment support for the U.S. Army's Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below - Blue Force Tracking ("BFT-1") program, a battle command real-time situational awareness and control system. Under the terms of this contract, Comtech will provide engineering services, program management and satellite network operations on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis, and hardware, including options for mobile satellite transceivers, on a firm-fixed-price basis to the U.S. Army. In addition, the U.S. Army has agreed to license Comtech's intellectual property ("IP").

The three-year BFT-1 IDIQ sustainment contract has a not-to-exceed value of $80.7 million. The contract's base performance period begins April 1, 2012 and ends March 31, 2013 and provides for two twelve-month option periods exercisable by the U.S. Army. Except for a fixed annual IP license fee, the contract value is subject to finalization and downward negotiation. The payment of annual IP license fees beyond the base year is contingent upon the U.S. Army's exercise of the optional performance periods. The specific terms and conditions related to the IP license are covered by a separate licensing agreement which provides for an initial licensing period that begins April 1, 2012 and ends March 31, 2013 and provides for annual renewals, at the U.S. government's option, for up to a five-year period, after which time the U.S. government will have a limited non-exclusive right to use Comtech's IP for no additional IP licensing fee.

Comtech also announced today the receipt of its first order under the BFT-1 sustainment contract. This $25.6 million undefinitized order has been initially funded in the amounts of $10.0 million for the IP license fee for the base performance period and an initial $7.0 million for engineering services, program management and satellite network operations. Pricing for the engineering services, program management and satellite network operations has not yet been finalized and cannot exceed $15.6 million.

Fred Kornberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp., said, "We are delighted that Comtech and the U.S. Army worked together to sustain critical worldwide military operations and believe the receipt of this contract demonstrates the ongoing importance of the U.S. Army's BFT-1 and MTS satellite tracking communication systems."

Further, Paul Lithgow, President of Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation, said, "We look forward to continued support of U.S. military forces using the system and we will do all we can to innovate and improve the system to be more efficient and cost effective for the nation."

defpro

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Bell Helicopter Receives New Army OH-58D Contract

FORT WORTH, TX | Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced that as part of the OH-58D Wartime Replacement Aircraft Cabin program, it has received a contract for the nonrecurring engineering and a "new metal" OH-58D cabin. This contract is the latest in a series that have continually added additional Kiowa Warrior helicopters to address attrition rates with the extensively utilized United States Army Kiowa Warrior fleet.

Jim Schultz, Bell Helicopter program director for Army Programs and Fielded Systems stated, "This new contract shows the continued importance of the Kiowa Warrior to the US Army. With its track record of operational readiness and reliability, it continues to be the most demanded support asset by our combat troops and we are proud to be able to provide zero-time airframe replacements for such a remarkable aircraft."

This contract addresses airframe age, attrition, and refreshes the engineering and manufacturing planning for the OH-58D air vehicle. Previously Bell Helicopter was taking older A-model cabins and remanufacturing them into D-model cabins; this contract now addresses airframe age providing a completely new metal cabin.

The Wartime Replacement Aircraft Cabin program was conceived by the Army to replace wartime losses suffered by the OH-58D as it has amassed over 2 million fleet hours of which 800,000 hours were in combat. While flying those combat missions, the OH-58D has maintained the highest operational tempo (OPTEMPO), readiness, and mission-capable rates of any Army aircraft in Iraq or Afghanistan.

defpro

Citation :

U.S. Army Charts Path To New Rotorcraft



Fort Eustis, Va. - After decades waiting in the wings, the rotorcraft R&D community is mobilizing to develop what could become the U.S. Army’s first clean-sheet design since the 1970s.

The Joint Multi Role (JMR) concept evolved from an exhaustive analysis of U.S. vertical-lift needs, which included a painful assessment of the shortfalls of current rotorcraft and gaps in industry capabilities. The conclusion was that another round of upgrades for existing platforms would no longer meet the military’s requirements and that a technology demonstration program was needed to get industry up to speed to deliver a next-generation rotorcraft.

The JMR technology demonstration (TD) is intended to apply to all classes of Army rotorcraft from armed scout to heavy lift, but is focused on the medium utility class because replacing the Black Hawk fleet “offers the biggest bang for the buck,” says Ned Chase. He is JMR technology-demonstration team lead and chief of the platform technology division at the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD). The Army wants to field a medium-utility JMR by 2030.

The JMR TD will be divided into two parts—Phase 1 for the air vehicle and Phase 2 for its mission system, which lags by two years in recognition that electronics advance faster than airframes, rotors, engines and drive systems. Both phases are to be completed by the end of fiscal 2019, when the Army plans to be in position to launch the engineering and manufacturing development program for a next-generation rotorcraft.

The JMR TD will be the culmination of a decade-long rotorcraft science and technology (S&T) road map that has been followed without it being clear, until now, exactly how and when it would be applied and whether to upgrading existing helicopters or developing all-new rotorcraft.

“In the 2004 timeframe, we looked at what we needed to address and where to invest,” says Chase. “We looked at the Army’s aviation gap analysis and asked the Defense Department, NASA and the FAA to participate in formulating an investment portfolio that would stand the test of time,” he says. “Our investment strategy has been constant over time. There have been budget changes, but the portfolio has stayed relatively stable.” Chase believes that stability has given industry confidence about where to spend its own R&D money. “Industry has matched almost every dollar we have spent,” he says.

Confidence will be critical, because AATD needs significant cost-sharing from industry to achieve its goal of flying two competing demonstrators. The Army has committed funds for a single air vehicle, with $188 million budgeted in fiscal 2012-16, but AATD hopes funding from other services and cost-sharing by industry will enable it to afford two competing aircraft. “I think we can find a way to do two,” Chase says.

Of the money budgeted, $75 million is so-called BA4 dollars, usually provided by programs to fund prototypes. By establishing this funding line, the Army hopes to bridge the “valley of death” that often prevents technology transitioning from S&T to programs, Chase says.

Whether the funding is sufficient is another issue. “It’s not clear how much technology will be demonstrated,” says Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the American Helicopter Society International. “It’s easy to do a demo with a certain amount of money. It’s easy to demonstrate advanced technology with sufficient money. You can’t demonstrate a lot of next-generation technology with an inadequate amount of funds.”

While the U.S. Navy has expressed interest in joining the JMR TD, it has not put money in yet. As for whether the demonstration plan and Army commitment to JMR are strong enough to attract the industry investment for which AATD is hoping, Hirschberg says: “If it’s 50% cost-share, I think the answer is no.”

JMR is not exactly what AATD thought would emerge when it laid out its S&T road map. “It was all leading to a demonstration on a single vehicle, but we did not anticipate it would be a representative demonstration for whole fleets of aircraft,” he says. “The demonstrator had to be outside the bounds of something that already existed, but it was not as comprehensive as what is planned with the JMR technology demonstration.”

Whether the medium-utility JMR is a helicopter or some other rotorcraft type will emerge from configuration trades and analyses now being performed by Boeing, Sikorsky, tiltrotor joint-venture Bell Boeing, tiny AVX Aircraft and an independent government team. As Army S&T has been directed toward conventional helicopters, compound-helicopter and tiltrotor configurations could require additional technology maturation.

“What is different is that the demonstrator may or may not be a helicopter,” says Chase. “As originally laid out, our portfolio addressed the needs of the current fleet. Now there is solid acknowledgment of future fleet needs that must be addressed,” he says. That raises a question about the technology base. “Is it still adequate for something that may not be a helicopter? That’s the challenge.”

The goal of the configuration trades and analysis phase is to take the laundry list of vehicle attributes that rotorcraft operators say they want, and recommend concepts and technologies to meet them. The studies will prioritize specific attributes, such as higher speed and optionally manned capability, by establishing their payoff on the battlefield, and evaluate the value and affordability of candidate configurations.

The trade studies will help prioritize the often-conflicting vehicle attributes desired by operators. “The community is coming to an understanding of where the trades are, but they are not at a decision yet,” says Chase. “And we are not ready yet, but there will come a time when we need to snap a line.”

The end product will be a performance specification for the JMR air-vehicle technology demonstrators. “The trades finish in late summer, and the last version of the spec will be out for comment soon after. The next specification will be part of the [Phase 1] solicitation in early 2013,” Chase says. “Industry will not build to the spec. They will demonstrate the technologies that would enable them to meet the spec if they built to it,” he stresses.

“The configuration trades are trying to identify how we address the group of attributes with the technology we have, and what we have to invest in to meet the end goal,” Chase says. “The trades will tell us to what extent we can meet the performance the customer wants. Many of the attributes are mutually exclusive. We would have a humungous aircraft. The studies will narrow down the trade space to where a reasonably sized aircraft can do the right amount of things.”

In parallel, Phase 2 will get under way to demonstrate the mission system—ideally in the air-vehicle demonstrators themselves, but alternatively in surrogate aircraft. This will kick off with the award of multiple contracts for mission-system effectiveness trades and analyses—equivalent to the configuration studies—to feed into the Phase 2 specification.

Proposals for the mission-system trades were due on April 1 and, as with the air-vehicle studies, contractors will be asked to identify those “game-­changing” technologies that need maturing through flight demonstration to be ready for JMR development.

The mission system will be built on the open-system Joint Common Architecture (JCA), based on the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) reusable-software standard developed by government and industry. “JCA is going to be key to any future aircraft,” says Keith Arnold, who leads the teaming and intelligence team in AATD’s systems integration division. “JCA has got to work if we are to change the way Defense Department aircraft are built and bought, and it’s a big part of what JMR is about.”

A JCA demonstration is planned for fiscal 2014-15 and will feed into the JMR TD Phase 2, beginning in fiscal 2015, “which will develop specific pieces of the mission system and take others that exist and make them work together in a new architecture and airframe,” Arnold says. “We’d like to put the mission system on one of the air-vehicle demonstrators, but that injects risk. So only the stuff that has to be will be tested in flight on the Phase 1 vehicles. What we can, we will test in surrogate vehicles or on the bench.”

Elsewhere, AATD programs are lining up technology that could be used in JMR. In the rotors domain, the Army is having to rethink its plans after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency decided not to proceed with its Mission Adaptive Rotor program. Instead, AATD has issued a solicitation for Phase 2 of its Reconfigurable Rotors program. The objective is to use active and passive techniques to improve efficiency by 10% in hover and 8% in cruise, and reduce acoustic detection range by half and vibration by at least 90%.

“We’re asking for a high-performance, low-noise, low-vibration rotor,” says Chase. Phase 1 tested active rotor components, and a hub-mounted vibration suppressor will be flown this year. “We want hover and cruise efficiency. We want active noise and vibration reduction. The problem is controlling all of that at the same time, and getting data across the rotor plane to on-blade devices.”

In the engines field, JMR will be able to draw on two AATD programs, but neither will be ready for the demonstrators. The Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program is developing a 3,000-shp drop-in replacement for the General Electric T700 powering the Boeing AH-64 and Sikorsky UH/MH-60. GE and Honeywell/Pratt & Whitney are running competing ground demonstrators, and the Army plans to launch full-scale development in 2013 under the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).

AATE goals include a 65% increase in the power-to-weight ratio and 25% decrease in specific fuel consumption (SFC). The Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program, awarded to GE in September, will take the next step, targeting an 80% increase in power-to-weight and 35% cut in SFC. FATE covers the 5,000-10,000-shp range suitable for the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and a medium/large JMR. GE will decide this year the size of demonstrator to be run in 2015.

In the transmissions arena, AATD is wrapping up the Enhanced Rotorcraft Drive System program with Boeing, demonstrating a 40% increase in power-to-weight. The follow-on Future Advanced Drive System program is getting under way with Bell and Sikorsky, to demonstrate a 55% improvement in power-to-weight by 2015.

“We see AATE and FATE providing the foundation to support the current fleet and enabling future vertical lift,” says Gary Butler, engine systems team leader at AATD. But neither program is likely to find its way into the JMR technology demonstrators, at least initially. “It would take three years to get them flight rated. Transmissions do not take quite as long to qualify.”

Other programs under way in areas such as aircrew survivability, platform durability, advanced fly-by-wire and manned-unmanned teaming do have technology to contribute to JMR. “A lot of things are coming together at the right time,” says Chase. “We invested a lot of time and human capital in coming up with an investment strategy, and now the technologies are coming home to roost in the form of a demonstrator.”

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awst/2012/04/02/AW_04_02_2012_p62-441660.xml

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Apache Block III helicopter performs well in tests




A new Apache Block III aircraft lifts off the runway at the Boeing complex in Mesa, Ariz. The AH-64 Apache Block III next-generation attack helicopter is finishing up its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation at Fort Irwin, Calif., and should be ready to deploy with Soldiers sometime next year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Army News Service, April 3, 2012) -- The U.S. Army's AH-64 Apache Block III next-generation attack helicopter is finishing up its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation at Fort Irwin, Calif., and should be ready to deploy with Soldiers sometime next year, officials said April 2 at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2012 Professional Forum and Exposition.

The nitial Operational Test and Evaluation, known as IOT&E, is a series of combat-like assessments and evaluations placing the aircraft in operationally relevant scenarios as a way to prepare the platform for full-rate production, said Col. Shane Openshaw, project manager, Apache Attack Helicopters.

Although formal results of the Block III Apache's IOT&E are still in the process of being determined, preliminary observations and early indications suggest the high-tech aircraft is performing extremely well, Openshaw said. The force-on-force portion of the IOT&E has been completed and some live-fire exercises remain in coming days, he added.

So far, the Army has already taken delivery of 10 of the Boeing-built AH 64 Apache Block III aircraft, a helicopter engineered to bring the Apache fleet improved, next-generation range, performance, maneuverability and electronics. Total planned procurement for the Apache Block III is 690 aircraft.

The Block III Apache is being engineered such that an advanced, high-tech aircraft at the weight of the D model can have the power, performance and landing abilities of an original A model Apache. The current D-model Longbow Apache is heavier than the original A-model; the heavier Apache carries significantly improved targeting and sensing capabilities but lacks the transmission-to-power ratio and hard-landing ability of the initial A model.

"I had the opportunity to fly a Block III Apache a week ago and I will tell you the performance of the aircraft is tremendous," Openshaw said. "It's fast, strong and capable. We have also made improvements to the target acquisition platform. The backbone of the aircraft is an open-system architecture with improved mission command and interoperability."

Engineering the aircraft with an open-system architecture refers to efforts to design the electronics such that they have a "plug-and-play" capability and can easily integrate with current state-of-the-art and emerging next generation technologies, officials said.

The idea is to maximize interoperability by developing electronics and computing technologies according to a set of established technical standards through a "system-of-systems" type of approach so that new systems, sensors, applications, electronics, avionics and other technologies such as software-programmable radio can successfully inter-operate and work effectively with one another, they explained.

Built in this fashion, the Apache Block IIIs' avionics and mission equipment will be able to perform sophisticated "networking" and on-board computing functions and more easily accommodate valuable emerging capabilities, they said.

The Block III Apache is also engineered with what's called Level 4 Manned-Unmanned Teaming, or MUM capability, a technology wherein Apache pilots can not only view video feeds from nearby UAS systems scanning surrounding terrain, but can also control the UAS' sensor payload and flight path as well, Openshaw said.

In fact, the Gray Eagle UAS participated in the Manned Unmanned Teaming exercises during the Apache Block III IOT&E at Fort Irwin.

Called the UTA, or UAS Tactical Common Data Link Assembly, the new technology enhances pilots' ability to view and control nearby UAV assets with a mind to intelligence, targeting information and overall situational awareness. Army engineers have developed the software that equips the aircraft with this next-generation capability.

The advent of this technology is leading the Army to establish new tactics, techniques and procedures designed to maximize the value of the emerging technological capability, said Col. John Lynch, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command capability manager.

"For example, with the Block III Apache you might have a UAS that's overhead looking down into urban canyons; with Manned-Unmanned Teaming you have the ability to designate targets and you can see what is in the area where you are going to operate," Lynch said.

The Block III Apache will also bring improved endurance and payload capabilities to the attack helicopter platform; the Block III aircraft will be able to transport a larger amount of ammunition and fuel in what is described as "high-hot" conditions at altitudes of 6,000 feet and temperatures at or above 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

"With Block III you will be able to fly longer with more ammunition and a full tank of gas on missions because the aircraft has an improved drive train, composite rotor blades and increased performance capabilities," Lynch added.

Some of the Block III aircraft will be re-manufactured Block II D-model Apaches and, when full-rate production starts, some of the aircraft will be constructed with entirely new airframes, Openshaw explained.

Throughout its decades-long existence, the Apache platform has consistently upgraded and sustained its capability in order to incrementally incorporate new technologies as they emerge and bring the latest in capability to Soldiers. In fact, all but 51 of the 721 Apache aircraft in the Army inventory began as the initial or first variant, called A-model Apaches; many of these original aircraft were then subsequently remanufactured to become improved D-model Longbow Apaches engineered with Fire Control Radar and improved electronics.

Today, only eight A-model Apaches remain in the fleet, Openshaw said.

Also, Apache attack helicopters will soon be flying with a prototype enemy fire detection system called Ground Fire Acquisition System, or GFAS, a suite of sensors and cameras able to locate the source, location and distance of incoming hostile fire, Army officials said.

Prototypes of the GFAS systems, which will soon undergo a "user evaluation" in theater, are built on to Apache aircraft; they contain camera sensors on each wingtip engineered to detect the signature and muzzle flash of nearby enemy small arms fire. The system is engineered with the ability to distinguish small arms fire from larger guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

The cameras and infrared sensors on the aircraft detect the muzzle flash from ground fire and move the information through an Aircraft Gateway Processor into the cockpit so pilots will see an icon on their display screen; GFAS is integrated with Blue Force Tracking technology, digital map
display screens which show the locations of nearby forces and surrounding terrain.

Apache program officials praised the performance of the attack helicopter platform in theater, calling it the world's most lethal, capable attack helicopter.

"Most of the air assaults we conducted relied upon the Apache platform. Two things you can't talk about enough are the pilots that fly them and the guys inside the cockpit that get the mission done. They are dedicated to supporting the guys on the ground," said Lt. Col. Christopher Downey, Task Force Six Shooters, who spent time with Apache attack helicopter units assigned to RC East, Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008.

army

Citation :

New Fixed-Wing Aircraft to Replace C-12s


A U.S. Army C-12 Huron prepares to land at an air base in Southwest Asia. (Photo: U.S. Air Force, Tony Tolley)
07:52 GMT, April 13, 2012 WASHINGTON | The U.S. Army is looking to replace its fleet of 117 C-12 aircraft with something called a "Future Fixed Wing Utility Aircraft."

The C-12 Huron is used by the Army for personnel transport, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, as well as carrying cargo.

"The biggest program that we have got coming up, and of course this is going to replace all the Army C-12s, we're looking at putting a program together called the Future Fixed Wing Utility Aircraft," said Col. Brian Tachias, the Army's project manager for fixed-wing aircraft.

He said a requirements document for that program is now "working in the Pentagon." When that is approved, he said, it will allow the Army to begin an analysis of alternatives, and eventually define the requirements for the program in a capabilities development document. If approved, that will allow the Army "to go out and procure the next fixed-wing utility aircraft."

Tachias spoke last week in Nashville, Tenn., at the Army Aviation Association of America conference there. He heads up the Army's latest project office, focused entirely on fixed-wing aircraft. The Project Office for Fixed-Wing Aircraft stood up in October 2011, and has a "leadership role over all of the Army fixed-wing aircraft," Tachias said.

Before the official stand-up date last year, the office managed about 256 Army aircraft. Today, the office manages about 366 fixed-wing aircraft. The consolidation of those aircraft under the oversight of one project office came after a push by the Army's vice chief of staff to centrally manage fixed-wing aircraft in one office because there are "a lot of efficiencies to be gained by consolidating them under one leadership role," Tachias said.

Tachias said there's been an estimated 10-15 percent cost savings by having the Army's entire fleet of fixed-wing aircraft managed by the office. He also said that managing them in one program means increased safety. The Army, he said, is "managing these programs under one Army standard to make sure we are providing safe aircraft for the pilots to fly, and of course consolidating the configuration management under one system, that way we don't have all these different configurations of all these different aircraft."

The colonel said that since October, the office has conducted 111 airworthiness releases on the aircraft it manages.

Among the aircraft the office manages are those used by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Golden Knights, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The office also handles special operations fixed-wing aircraft and aircraft that do intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance work.

In the near term, the project office is also buying aircraft for the Army Test and Evaluation Command, which has four aircraft that need replacement. The office has also procured new aircraft for the Golden Knights.

Recently, Tachias said, the office has stood up a foreign military sales cell and is working cases with the United Arab Emirates, Columbia, Egypt and Greece.

defpro

Citation :

U.S. Army Plans Leave Soldiers Vulnerable to Air Threats


Artist's impression of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS).
14:20 GMT, April 20, 2012 You don't need a crystal ball to figure out what the next big threat to America's soldiers will be. It won't be improvised explosive devices or cyber attacks, because the U.S. Army is spending lots of money preparing for those challenges. The next big threat will come from the air. Why? Because after ten years of fighting enemies with no air forces, the Army has grown so oblivious to overhead threats that it has dismantled its plans for replacing Cold War air defenses. So of course, that's the weakness future enemies will seek to exploit (which is why the phrase "asymmetric aggression" was invented).

Army planners were warning a decade ago that this would happen, and now unmanned aircraft and short-range ballistic missiles are beginning to pop up just about anyplace the service might deploy in the future. Shifting the focus of national strategy from the Persian Gulf to the Western Pacific won't alleviate this problem, it will make it worse. China is rich enough and North Korea is crazy enough to mount air assaults against U.S. ground forces far worse than anything the Iranians can even imagine. And the U.S. Air Force will be at a disadvantage defending friendly ground forces in the Western Pacific, given the long distances, thin basing structure, and leisurely pace at which survivable fighters are being introduced into the fleet (it was supposed to have 1,600 stealthy F-35 fighters by 2017, but now it looks likely to have less than 400).

The Army's main ground-based air defense system, Patriot, has served it well, but doesn't look capable of coping with emerging air threats in the absence of major upgrades. For starters, it lacks the ability to provide a 360-degree defense of threatened troops, it takes a long time to deploy, and it relies on obsolete software called Jovial (the same 1980s-era code used on the B-2 bomber). So killing just about every item in the Army's next-generation air defense plan has put future warfighters in quite a bind at a time when emerging adversaries are likely to have cruise missiles, unmanned aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, and other weapons with which to attack troops from above. Despite competing priorities and the looming specter of budget sequestration, Army leaders need to find some fix for their lagging air defenses.

It seems like the simplest way to deal with this problem is to leverage next-generation technology the Pentagon has already paid for in the canceled Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). MEADS was developed by the U.S., Germany and Italy to replace Patriot, and fell out of favor mainly because threats didn't materialize at the rate planners expected. But if MEADS technology is simply discarded the way technology for Comanche, Crusader and the Future Combat System were, that will give future aggressors an incentive to focus their efforts on the Army's weak air defenses. Most of what's deficient in Patriot -- the coverage of the radars, the mobility of the launchers, etc. -- was addressed by MEADS. Just because the Army no longer plans to buy the full-up system doesn't mean it can't harvest the technology.

For some reason, lawmakers who rail against future weapons spending they believe is unnecessary don't utter a peep when money that has already been spent is squandered. In the case of MEADS, the U.S. share of sunk money will total $2.4 billion by the time the program goes belly-up at the end of fiscal 2013. Instead of just walking away from all the technology those expenditures have purchased, it would make more sense to adapt what has been bought to dealing with threats we know are coming. If we don't, the threats are likely to show up much sooner.

defpro

Je ne savais pas que l'US Army avait des Otokar Akrep (Scorpion) :

Ici en Irak :

Citation :

Lockheed unveils gravity bomb for UAV

The US Army has confirmed successful the 28 March demonstration of a previously-undisclosed bomb from an AAI RQ-7 Shadow unmanned air vehicle (UAV) at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah.

The bomb, a Lockheed Martin-built drop-glide weapon called Shadow Hawk is capable of precision guidance by a laser designator attached to the RQ-7. The bomb weighs 4.9kg (11lb) and has a diameter of 6.9 centimetres (2.75 inches). The munition impacted approximately eight inches from the designator target.

"The development was funded by Lockheed Martin IRAD (internal research and development) dollars," says Lockheed.

The RQ-7, operated by the Army and US Marine Corps (USMC), is by far the most numerous UAV in the US fleet. While the 28 March demonstration was funded by a branch of the US Army, other military branches and corporations have been examining the weaponisation of the aircraft. In December, 2011, RQ-7 manufacturer AAI was awarded a US Marine Corps contract to integrate and evaluate a separate small precision gravity bomb, a weapon which has apparently already been developed and fielded. "Lockheed Martin will continue to work towards additional testing to demonstrate additional capabilities of the system," says the company. "This includes ground testing of the warhead and preparation for additional flight tests."

Neither the Army nor AAI responded to immediate questions.

flightglobal

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SELEX Galileo Awarded $23.5 Million Contract to Upgrade Apache Lasers for US Army




07:38 GMT, May 29, 2012 Edinburgh | SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, has been awarded a €18 million ($23.5 million) contract by prime contractor Lockheed Martin to upgrade the laser targeting capabilities of Army Apache helicopters for the United States.

The award follows on from SELEX Galileo’s successfully executed development contract for a Modernised Laser Rangefinder/Designator (M-LRFD) and will see the Company supplying an initial undisclosed quantity of the lasers for Lockheed Martin’s Modernised Target Acquisition Designation Sight (M-TADS) upgrade programme.

Alastair Morrison, SVP for Radar and Advanced Targeting said: “This contract reinforces SELEX Galileo’s position as an international market leader in high energy lasers. The US Army is well known for demanding equipment that meets highly exacting specifications and it is a source of pride that our lasers will be helping them carry out their vital missions around the world.”

M-TADS significantly improves the targeting capabilities of the US Army’s Apache helicopters and the M-LRFD lasers will help keep pilots out of the reach of enemy weapons by allowing precision targeting at long ranges.

SELEX Galileo operates a laser centre of excellence in Edinburgh, UK, and has sold more than 4,500 lasers for programmes in over 25 countries with integration complete on some 40 platforms across air, land and sea.

defpro

Citation :

Apache pilot killed in Afghanistan crash




The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 29, 2012 18:45:26 EDT

PORTLAND, Maine — An Army captain from Maine was killed Monday in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, members of Maine’s congressional delegation said.

Capt. John “Jay” Brainard II of Newport, 26, was killed when his AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed while on patrol, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said.

Brainard was a helicopter pilot assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. He was a 2004 graduate of Foxcroft Academy and a 2008 graduate of the University of Maine.

Officials with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said Monday that a helicopter crash killed two NATO members in eastern Afghanistan. Authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, but initial reports indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time the helicopter went down, the coalition said.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said Brainard’s death was an “unfathomable sacrifice” in serving the country.

“For those who make this ultimate sacrifice on behalf of us all, there are no words to express both our boundless gratitude and immense grief,” Snowe said in a statement.

.armytimes.com

l'armée us test ses MRLS HIMARS

Le Namer en test chez l'us army

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Successfully Completes Delivery of Latest Order of Aerostat Detection Systems to U.S. Army


Real-Time Eyes on Target Help Identify Threats to Warfighters







AKRON, Ohio, (May 31, 2012) – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] completed its most recent Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) order by delivering the 29^th unit to the U.S. Army May 29.

Since the program’s inception in 2004, the company has delivered 66 systems to the Army to help provide warfighters with around the clock surveillance in Afghanistan and Iraq.

PTDS is a tethered aerostat equipped with multiple sensors that can stay aloft for weeks to months and provide warfighters with a cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. The aerostat is attached by a high-strength tether to a re-locatable mooring system and can carry various payloads to conduct multiple simultaneous missions.

“The U.S. Army has told us PTDS continues to help keep warfighters safer,” said Colleen Arthur, director of Integrated Defense Systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission System & Sensors business. “The real-time situational awareness it provides helps troops identify improvised explosive devices and other threats, track insurgents, and enhance overall readiness for our men and women in theater.”

Within months of concept development in 2003, Lockheed Martin delivered the first PTDS to the Army for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). PTDS quickly became a critical factor in securing bases and the Army ordered additional units in 2006. The system has since proven its capabilities in a range of operating environments during OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. As demand for PTDS has multiplied, Lockheed Martin and its suppliers increased production capacity to ensure on-time deliveries to meet customers’ needs.

The systems are produced at Lockheed Martin’s Akron, Ohio facility. Lockheed Martin will continue supporting the program by providing equipment such as cameras, sensors and other hardware, as well as around-the-clock customer service from Akron and Melbourne, Fla.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

.lockheedmartin

Citation :

General Dynamics Awarded Contracts for 120mm Tank and Artillery Ammunition Valued at $97 Million


Cut-away of a M865 Target Practice, Cone Stablilized, Discarding Sabot-Tracer (TPCSDS-T) cartridge.

14:15 GMT, June 4, 2012 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | The U.S. Army Contracting Commands, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., and Rock Island, Ill., have awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, three contracts with a total value of $97 million for the manufacture and delivery of 120mm M865 and M1002 tank training ammunition, 105mm M1130 high-explosive (HE) pre-formed fragmentation (PFF) cartridges and 155mm M795 HE projectile metal parts.

The M865 Target Practice, Cone Stabilized, Discarding Sabot-Tracer (TPCSDS-T) ammunition is used in the 120mm smooth-bore M256 cannon of Army and U.S. Marine Corps Abrams main battle tanks. The M865 is designed to simulate the characteristics of live ammunition at reduced maximum ranges, to allow practice firings on short-range training areas.

The M1002 Target Practice Multi-Purpose Tracer (TPMP-T) training cartridge provides matched exterior ballistics and time-of-flight parameters to the M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose Tracer (HEAT-MP-T) tactical cartridge when fired from the Abrams tank.

The 105mm M1130 HE PFF ammunition is fired from the M119 towed howitzer and is the newest member of the Army's 105mm ammunition family. This modern munition recently achieved full material release (signifying that the Army has rigorously tested and evaluated the item and determined that it is safe, operationally suitable and logistically supportable for use) and has entered service in Afghanistan.

The 155mm M795 is a high-explosive/high-fragmentation artillery projectile that is used in conjunction with the M777 and M198 towed howitzers and the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer. The round has been widely used in combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, General Dynamics has produced more than 1.3 million 155mm M795 projectiles in support of the Army and Marine Corps.

"Our tank and artillery ammunition continue to play key roles in both the training of U.S. forces as well as providing them overmatch capability in combat," said Steve Torma, vice president and general manager of Large Caliber Ammunition for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. "General Dynamics' heritage in producing tank and artillery ammunition is second to none and we are honored to provide continuing support to U.S. armed forces with this high-performance ammunition."

Work is expected to be complete in February 2013 for the 155mm artillery ammunition, April 2014 for the 105mm artillery ammunition and September 2016 for the 120 tank ammunition.

defpro

Citation :

General Dynamics Team Awarded $385M for U.S. Army Range Radar Replacement Program




(Image: General Dynamics C4 Systems)

General Dynamics to deliver a new generation of high-performance, cost-effective instrumentation radar systems for the U.S. military test and evaluation community

08:02 GMT, June 11, 2012 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. | A General Dynamics C4 Systems-led team has been awarded a contract to develop and deploy modernized range instrumentation radars, replacing an aging and outdated fleet of radar systems currently operating at U.S. Army test ranges. The Range Radar Replacement Program (RRRP) has a total potential value of $385 million over ten years if all options are exercised. The initial award, valued at $29 million, provides funding for the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the program and initial production and integration of the new radar systems at White Sands Test Center, N.M.; Yuma Test Center, Ariz.; Aberdeen Test Center, Md.; and Redstone Test Center, Ala. General Dynamics C4 Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics.

The General Dynamics RRRP solution leverages the XSTAR family of instrumentation radars developed by STAR Dynamics.

"Capable of tracking up to 40 test objects simultaneously, the XSTAR instrumentation radars provide extremely accurate time, space and position information and significantly reduce the time required to deliver high-quality test data and results," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems. "The team offered the most cost-effective combination of technologies, systems and program management expertise available to meet the Army's goal of modernizing instrumentation radar systems at test ranges and expanding the scope of their test-related services."

The General Dynamics team is led by General Dynamics C4 Systems, based in Scottsdale, and includes STAR Dynamics of Hilliard, Ohio; Georgia Tech Research Institute of Atlanta; and EO Imaging of Melbourne, Fla. Work will be performed in Scottsdale; Kilgore, Longview and Richardson, Texas; State College, Pa.; Hilliard, Ohio; Reston, Va.; Fort Walton Beach and Melbourne, Fla.; and Atlanta.

defpro

Citation :

Boeing delivered the 100th modified CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the U.S. Army
CH-47F helicopters modified in New Jersey to support advanced requirements

MILLVILLE, N.J., June 22, 2012 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the 100th modified CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the U.S. Army today in a ceremony at the company's modification center in Millville.

"The Boeing Millville team is proud to have delivered 100 modified Chinooks to the Army on time, using efficient, cost-saving processes," said Peri Widener, Boeing vice president of Rotorcraft Support. "The modification work on new F-model Chinooks gives soldiers in the field the most advanced equipment possible without taking aircraft out of service at the unit or in theater."

"In just over two years since this facility opened its doors, we are marking completion of our 100th Chinook helicopter locally, thanks to outstanding cooperation among Boeing, the U.S. Army, the Delaware River & Bay Authority and the city of Millville," said U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "I am proud to celebrate this milestone for high-tech industry in New Jersey."

Boeing opened the Millville facility in February 2010 after signing a five-year lease for hangar space with the Delaware River & Bay Authority at the Millville Municipal Airport.

After the Army takes delivery of the Chinooks from the Boeing production line in Philadelphia, the aircraft are flown to Millville, where Boeing structural and electrical employees make avionics and airframe modifications to support new Army requirements.

"The Millville Modification Center is critical in providing modifications to the CH-47F prior to delivering the aircraft to Army units," said Lt. Col. Brad Killen, CH-47F product manager for the Army.

Boeing modifies the helicopters under an Initial Production and Fielding Support contract that also includes training support on the upgrades for Army Chinook units. Boeing deploys two New Equipment Training teams, consisting of CH-47F mechanics and technicians, to support Army units around the world.

mediaroom

Citation :

ReconRobotics Awarded $13.9 Million Contract by the U.S. Army




The Throwbot XT provides soldiers with immediate video and audio reconnaissance capabilities. (Photo: ReconRobotics)

More lifesaving tactical micro-robots heading to troops in Afghanistan

06:43 GMT, June 28, 2012 EDINA, Minn. | ReconRobotics, Inc., the world leader in tactical micro-robot systems, announced today that it has been awarded a $13.9 million contract by the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force for up to 1,000 miniature, throwable, mobile robots. The Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will streamline the purchasing process for deploying Army and Marine Corps units and speed delivery on the company’s pre-priced micro-robot systems and accessories. The U.S. Military is acquiring the micro-robots to provide four- and five-man fire teams with immediate tactical reconnaissance during urban warfare operations, surveillance missions and counter-IED efforts. ReconRobotics has already received and begun delivering the first order under this contract for 84 robots.

ReconRobotics created an entirely new class of military robots in 2007 when it introduced the throwable 1.2-lb (540g) Recon Scout micro-robot. Prior to that time, military robots weighed 30 to 80lbs (13 to 36kg), were transported in vehicles, and were deployed as company- or battalion-level assets. Today, a warfighter can carry his Throwbot XT in a pocket or small pack, and can deploy it in less than five seconds to gain lifesaving video and audio reconnaissance before he enters a compound or other structure. This capability can reveal the number of enemy combatants, the presence of civilians and the locations of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). More than 2,000 of the company’s robots are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

"For several years, our micro-robot systems have played a key role in protecting the lives of our soldiers and Marines as they conduct operations in active combat theatres,” said Ernest Langdon, Director of Military Programs for ReconRobotics. "We are honored that the Rapid Equipping Force has once again selected ReconRobotics to deliver this unique capability to those warfighters at the tip of the spear."

defpro

direction casar port par sidi l3aydi

I hope that yakuza :icon salut