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

Citation :

DRS Technologies got contract from US Army for new night vision and thermal weapon systems

DRS Technologies Inc., a Finmeccanica Company, announced on Sept. 18th it has been awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract by the U.S. Army to provide the company’s next-generation technology that integrates the most advanced, fused night vision goggle and thermal weapon sight technology, breaking new ground in battlefield capabilities for U.S. troops.




The contract, worth up to $367 million, involves the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III and Family of Weapon Sight (Individual) programs. The new integrated night vision and thermal weapon system is designed to improve lethality, mobility, survivability and situational awareness for dismounted troops in degraded lighting and weather conditions.

This third-generation goggle vastly improves situational awareness and is expected to change the way ground troops fight. Connected through a wireless system, the weapon-mounted thermal sight is designed to transmit imagery to the night vision goggle. This allows troops to stay protected while raising their weapon over an obstacle or around a corner, no longer exposing themselves to enemy fire to aim and fire their weapon. The technology also allows soldiers to acquire and engage more rapidly.

“DRS has a long history of providing the U.S. military with leading thermal weapon sight and night vision technology and we look forward to providing this important future capability to ensure our warfighters remain the best equipped in the world,” said Shawn Black, vice president and general manager of Infrared Sensors and Systems at DRS Technologies. “These devices are a result of years of DRS-led innovation and development through U.S. Army and DRS investment. The result is a device that affordably and significantly improves the ability of troops to see and engage targets more rapidly in degraded combat conditions.”

This game-changing technology will provide U.S. troops with more safety and the technological edge on the battlefield while vastly improving mission effectiveness.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the DRS team and its partners who understand the customer’s requirements for unique innovation and the development of superior products for our warfighters,” Black said.




http://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/drs_technologies_got_contract_from_us_army_for_new_night_vision_and_thermal_weapon_systems_22209152.html

Citation :

U.S. Army increases their intelligence capabilities with the improved Prophet System.

U.S. Army soldiers, with the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, received an increase in their intelligence capabilities, Sept. 1, when they fielded the improved Prophet System and Modular Integration Kit mounted on mine-resistant, ambush-protected-All, or MRAP-All, terrain vehicles, or M-ATVs.





The systems provide a clearer picture of the battlefield, enabling commanders to make better-informed decisions on-the-go.

The Prophet family of systems consists of mobile and/or fixed-site signals collection, direction finding, processing and reporting assets. The system requires human intelligence collectors to operate the vehicles and signal intelligence analysts to operate the Prophet system, said Staff Sgt. William Geimausaddle of A Company, 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.

Additionally, the system will foster closer collaboration among signals intelligence collectors and human intelligence collectors, whose mission is providing a current and forecasted battlefield "picture" to unit commanders.

A human intelligence collector is responsible for information from human sources providing Army personnel with information about the enemy force's strengths, weaknesses, and potential battle areas. The signal intelligence analyst analyzes foreign communications and activity, and relays that information by producing combat, strategic, and tactical intelligence reports.

Soldiers, with A Company, 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion, have been familiarizing themselves with the new systems. The company has been training on the two vehicular systems to put their newfound skills into practice, said Capt. Cody Schuette, commander of A Company, 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.

"The end state is to know the equipment," Schuette said.

The enhanced systems are a valuable asset because they can deploy to support tailored or short-notice missions, where strong signals intelligence collection and analysis is critical to the Army's mission, success and force protection. Additionally, they are able to communicate with the unit's Prophet Analysis Cell.

The analysts work to determine the meaning and relevance of the data they receive. They consistently conduct analysis training, sharpening their analytical skills and their target knowledge.



The 504th is one of three battlefield surveillance brigades, or BfSBs, across the active Army, and are transitioning to Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigades. The new military intelligence brigades will consist primarily of two subordinate military intelligence battalions, and be capable of worldwide deployment as well as support to deployed forces from stationary locations.

The Soldiers of the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade continue to work diligently to master the enhanced military vehicles. The 504th BfSB's capabilities and mission readiness are steadily growing as the Army upgrades equipment, and most of all, because of the unit's Soldiers' motivation and dedication to remain "always ready."


http://www.armyrecognition.com/weapons_defence_industry_military_technology_uk/u.s._army_increases_their_intelligence_capabilities_with_the_improved_prophet_system_12209153.html

Citation :

DRS to supply new integrated night-vision and thermal targeting system to US Army
22 September 2015


DRS Technologies has received a contract to supply a new integrated night-vision and thermal targeting system to the US Army.
Valued at up to $367m, the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract requires the Finmeccanica Company to deliver its next-generation technology, which integrates advanced, fused night-vision goggles and thermal weapon sight technology to improve mission effectiveness.
Involving the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III and Family of Weapon Sight (Individual) programmes, the new system is expected to boost lethality, mobility, survivability, and situational awareness for dismounted troops in degraded lighting and weather conditions.
DRS Technologies Infrared Sensors and Systems vice-president and general manager Shawn Black said: "DRS has a long history of providing the US military with leading thermal weapon sight and night-vision technology and we look forward to providing this important future capability to ensure our warfighters remain the best equipped in the world.
"These devices are a result of years of DRS-led innovation and development through US Army and DRS investment.
"The result is a device that affordably and significantly improves the ability of troops to see and engage targets more rapidly in degraded combat conditions."
The third-generation goggle is designed to enhance situational awareness to help change the way ground troops fight, using the imagery transmitted by the weapon-mounted thermal sight that is connected through a wireless system.
The move enables soldiers to stay protected, while raising their weapon over an obstacle or around a corner, without exposing themselves to enemy fire, to aim and fire their weapon.
According to the company, the technology allows troops to acquire and engage more rapidly.
DRS has not disclosed when it will start supplying the systems to the US Army.

http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsdrs-to-supply-new-integrated-night-vision-and-thermal-targeting-system-to-us-army-4675581

Citation :

Alion contracted to provide RDT&E support to US Army TACOM

23 September 2015

Alion Science and Technology has received a contract from the US Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to support new technologies for ground vehicles.
Under the $634m indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, the company is required to assist the army in researching and developing new technologies to ensure military ground systems can perform at optimum levels and address emerging threats.
Alion will provide research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) services, including test planning, systems engineering and integration, modelling and simulation, technology development, as well as design for survivability engineering and human factors engineering.

Alion senior vice-president and Technology Solutions group manager Chris Amos said: "The multi-faceted challenges of current and emerging threats, diverse operating environments and evolving technical standards require a flexible, agile approach to R&D and engineering.
"Alion's long history and experience identifying, developing and delivering ground systems solutions will allow us to help the army fulfil its mission needs rapidly and cost-effectively."
Work performed under the contract is expected to assist TACOM organisations, including the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Centre (TARDEC), Program Executive Offices for Combat Support & Combat Service Support and Ground Combat Systems, Integrated Logistics Support Centre, and the Program Manager Light Armoured Vehicles.
Headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, TACOM is a part of the Army Materiel Command, and generates, provides, and sustains mobility, lethality, and survivability for soldiers, other branches of the US armed forces, as well as allies to ensure army readiness.

http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsalion-contracted-to-provide-rdte-support-to-us-army-tacom-4676179

Citation :

Colt Defense and FN America win a $212mn contract from US Army for M4 and M4A1 assault rifles

The US-based company Colt Defense LLC; and FN America LLC, part of Belgian Herstal Group, have been awarded a $212,000,000 firm-fixed-price multi-year contract for M4 and M4A1 carbines for the Army and others, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 24, 2020, the US Department of Defense announced on September 25, 2015.

That award meant that more US soldiers would go into combat with the M4A1, a SOF version of the carbine that features a more durable barrel and a full-auto trigger. The US Army’s decision to dump the three-round burst setting will give soldiers a more consistent trigger and better accuracy.

The M4 carbine is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is a 5.56x45mm NATO, air-cooled, direct impingement gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine. It has a 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel and a telescoping stock.

The M4A1 carbine is a fully automatic variant of the basic M4 carbine intended for special operations use.The M4A1 is especially favored by counter-terrorist and special forces units for close quarters combat and urban warfare because of the carbine's compact firepower. It has a maximum effective range of about 500 to 600 meters (550–660 yd).




http://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/colt_defense_and_fn_america_win_a_$212mn_contract_from_us_army_for_m4_and_m4a1_assault_rifles_22809152.html

Citation :

n the future U.S. Army could use unmanned aerial or ground vehicles to recover injured soldiers.

In the near future, U.S. army could use Army-operated unmanned aerial or ground vehicle as medical unit to save live on the battlefield and to recover injured soldiers. In the near future, however, it may no longer be another Soldier, who comes running to his side. Instead, it might be an Army-operated unmanned aerial or ground vehicle, said Maj. Gen. Steve Jones, commander of the Army Medical Department Center and School and chief of the Medical Corps.






"We have lost medics throughout the years because they have the courage to go forward and rescue their comrades under fire," Jones said. "With the newer technology, with the robotic vehicles we are using even today to examine and to detonate IEDs [improvised explosive devices], those same vehicles can go forward and retrieve casualties."

Jones spoke at an Association of the U.S. Army-sponsored medical conference near the Pentagon, Sept. 22.

"We already use robots on the battlefield today to examine IEDs, to detonate them," he said. "With some minor adaptation, we could take that same technology and use it to extract casualties that are under fire. How many medics have we lost, or other Soldiers, because they have gone in under fire to retrieve a casualty? We can use a robotics device for that."

Jones said unmanned vehicles used to recover injured Soldiers could be armored to protect those Soldiers on their way home. But the vehicles could do more than just recover Soldiers, he said. With units operating forward, sometimes behind enemy lines, the medical community could use unmanned aerial vehicle systems, or UAVs, to provide support to them.

"What happens when a member of the team comes down with cellulitis or pneumonia? We have got to use telemedicine to tele-mentor them on the diagnosis and treatment," he said, adding that UAVs could be used for delivering antibiotics or blood to those units to keep them in the fight. "So you don't have to evacuate the casualties, so the team can continue its mission."


Other technology that Jones said already exists, sensors that could monitor a Soldier's vital signs, for instance, might also one day make their way to the battlefield, being worn by Soldiers full time.
"Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is actually developing physiological sensors that Soldiers can wear," Jones said. "And in a few years, they will be able to field this. They can be wearing the sensors and we can just monitor them. And we can do that remotely."

The general likened the sensors to something like a "Fit Bit," which Soldiers might wear now to monitor their heart rate and steps taken.

"This is just a step forward that will monitor other physiological parameters," he said. "Do they need to push more water? How many calories have they consumed? There is a lot of information we can provide commanders that they can use to manage their Soldiers."

The same sensors could be used to triage casualties automatically, so that those injured Soldiers whose vital signs are the worst are the ones who get rescued first.

"If you see a casualty whose heart rate is way up, whose respiratory rate is way up, that may be an indication they lost a lot of blood, and need treatment now, as opposed to a casualty whose vital signs are stable and you wouldn't have to treat as quickly," he said.

The same sensors can also be installed on unmanned aerial vehicles that might one day rescue Soldiers when they go down.

Jones also discussed the use of "GoPro" cameras on Soldiers to document wounds and treatment that is administered. Such video, he said, can be transmitted real-time to follow-on treatment facilities where it can be used by physicians there to better understand exactly what treatment a Soldier has already received. Additionally, such footage could be used to provide feedback to the medics who performed the initial care to help them improve their skills. The Army is doing something similar now, he said, through the use of medical simulators.

"[We] train combat medics in simulators and record treatment they provide and play it back for them," he said. "We show them how they entered the scene, how they surveyed their casualties, how they decided which casualty to treat or not treat. And then we talk to them about the treatment they actually provided."






http://www.armyrecognition.com/weapons_defence_industry_military_technology_uk/in_the_future_u.s._army_could_use_unmanned_aerial_or_ground_vehicles_to_recover_injured_soldiers_12509153.html

Citation :

U.S. Army has tested the German-made Rheinmetall Wiesel 2 light airborne armoured vehicle.

According the website DodBuzz, U.S. Army has tested the German-made Wiesel 2 light airborne armoured vehicle. The vehicle was tested during two weeks at Fort Benning, Georgia in August along with five other companies as part of the Army’s effort to equip cavalry squadrons a light reconnaissance vehicle.




The Wiesel 2 was also showed at Modern Day Marine 2015, a defense exhibition which takes place every year to the U.S. Marine Corps Base (MCB), Quantico. MCB Quantico, home to the Combat Development Command and the Marine Corps Systems Command, is responsible for setting requirements, developing equipment and systems and purchasing the equipment and systems that the Marine Corps will rely on in the years to come.

The Wiesel 2 airborne armored vehicle is a further development of the Wiesel 1. The Wiesel 2 has an extended hull and more powerful engine. It is currently in service with Germany. The Wiesel 2 was developed by the German Company Rheinmetall Landsysteme.

The hull of the Wiesel 2 is of all-welded steel construction providing the crew with protection from 7.62 mm small arms fire and shell splinters. The Wiesel 2 has twice the internal volume of the earlier Wiesel 1, it can carry a total of 6 soldiers, including driver and commander.

The troops enter the vehicle through a large door in the hull rear that opens to the left. The commander's position is to the rear of the driver and the cupola of the commander is armed with a 7.62mm machine gun.

A CH-53 helicopter can carry two Wiesel 2 vehicles internally and the Wiesel 2 can also be slung underneath helicopters such as the CH-53 and CH-47.

The Wiesel 2 is also used by Germany army as anti-aircraft air defense system fitted with a turret LeFlaSys (ASRAD).



http://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/u.s._army_has_tested_the_german-made_rheinmetall_wiesel_2_light_airborne_armoured_vehicle_12509152.html

Citation :

Northrop Selected by US Army to Develop New ARL-E Long-Range Radar
By Northrop Grumman -September 28, 2015




Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by the U.S. Army to develop the Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) Long-Range Radar.

Under terms of the indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract, Northrop Grumman will develop a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)/ground moving target indicator (GMTI) system for the ARL-E DHC-8.

“The Long Range Radar [LRR] is a natural fit into the Northrop Grumman family of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] systems and mission solutions,” said Steve McCoy, vice president of tactical sensor solutions, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. “Our low-risk, affordable solution combines mature Active Electronically Scanned Array [AESA] technology with operationally proven hardware and software to meet all-weather and long-range ISR requirements.”

Northrop Grumman’s LRR solution helps enhance the Army’s C4ISR capabilities by combining the proven Gen 2 Vehicle and Dismount and Exploitation Radar (VADER) back-end electronics and software with a high technology readiness level AESA to meet the demanding performance requirements of ARL-E and in particular the dismount moving target indication.

Backed by more than 70 years of experience in developing and fielding radars, Northrop Grumman’s family of tactical radars provide unrelenting surveillance and precision battlefield intelligence in all types of weather and obscurants, day or night. LRR is the newest member of the tactical radar family, joining the short-range STARLite and medium-range VADER systems.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.


http://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-selected-by-us-army-to-develop-new-arl-e-long-range-radar-65479/

Citation :

Cyberattack No. 1 threat, says brigade commander at NIE 16.1
By Army News Service -September 29, 2015



FORT BLISS, Texas: “The greatest threat I face as a brigade commander on the battlefield is not [enemy] tanks, snipers or IEDs,” said Col. Chuck Masaracchia. “It’s defending the network.”

Masaracchia, who is the commander of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, spoke just prior to the start of Network Integration Evaluation 16.1, or NIE, which runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 8.

“I am more than confident of our force’s capabilities to destroy any force on the battlefield — as long as we can provide mission command,” he said.

The Army is currently facing potential adversaries who are adept at cyberattack, he continued. That enemy has “every capability we have and he will be attacking us” in any future conflict.

“How we try to defend ourselves and not allow him to corrupt the network” will be crucial to determining the outcome, Masaracchia predicted.

The colonel gave a tour of the brigade headquarters in a remote area of Fort Bliss. The headquarters included a tactical assembly area, a tactical assault command post, engineer and artillery battalions, a tactical operation center, a large mobile command center and a smaller mobile command center that mirrored the larger one and could be rapidly deployed to a remote location.

The brigade headquarters is “organic to the organization,” Masaracchia stated proudly. By organic, Masaracchia meant that the use of locals and contractors was not required for it to function, as was the case at forward operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here, Soldiers and Army civilians did everything, from maintenance and repair to operations.

Masaracchia’s brigade is the largest component of NIE 16.1, numbering 4,876 Soldiers among the total 9,000 or so participants. His brigade’s operating area is 18,900 square kilometers in Fort Bliss as well as adjacent White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Besides being in a combat training center-like environment, the brigade will assist in evaluating new and current network equipment to determine if it works with joint and coalition partners. The Soldiers are doing the user evaluating and providing that feedback to vendors on the ground, as well as the Army’s own researchers and developers.

PEEK INSIDE THE HONEYCOMB
Two Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2, or WIN-T, antennas sprouted from a van surrounded by a honeycomb of air conditioned tents swarming with cyber warriors, intelligence analysts and an assortment of technicians. It was a beehive of activity inside the tents.

Disturb the hive and you will get stung, was the message Masaracchia delivered.

“I have [an important] guy who keeps the network secure,” he disclosed. That person is Chief Warrant Officer 2 Vladimir Leonard.

The feisty cybersecurity technician, who said he shares the same last name with the famous boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, said he doesn’t get much sleep.

“Simply put, we look for the bad stuff in the network, identify it and shoot it up to higher and make sure they’re out of the network as fast as possible,” Leonard said. He then rattled off a lot of acronyms of software and firewall tools he uses that give his cyber counterpunches extra sting.

Without going into classified info, he talked about identifying peculiar patterns in the network traffic and spurious or abnormal events that tip off an attack to their queen bee, which in this case is WIN-T and every system that travels over it. Such systems include the Distributed Common Ground System – Army, also called DCGS-A, blue force tracking tools, and intelligence feeds from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency.

This suite of cyber defense tools is a “capability we didn’t have until now,” he said.

Masaracchia added that the network includes unclassified, classified and top-secret traffic, everything from voice and digital to video and databases.

In addition to all of that, there’s the coalition network, which is the primary means of communications during this NIE. “That is totally new to us,” he said.

“Right now, we’ve got about a 95 percent confidence level that everything is working as it’s supposed to be,” he said, referring to the coalition network that links all of the disparate networks of 14 other armies together that are participating in NIE 16.1 live or virtually.

GOING WIRELESS
A lot of Americans cut the cord and have been going wirelessly for a number of years now. Not so the Army, said Masaracchia. “Look around here and you’ll see that there’s a lot of cable wiring everything together,” he said.

However, that cabling “is about a third of what we’d normally have, so we’re running secure wireless in here and we’re going to be growing as we gain fidelity of the system. As we gain confidence in [wireless’s] ability to hold more systems we continually add more systems to the wireless, reducing the cable. Hopefully in the future you’ll see hardly any wiring in here.”

He explained that going wireless doesn’t just mean that there are no cables to trip on going inside the tents. Laying all those cables takes precious time. “It’s all about how fast we can set up and how fast we can provide mission command for the force.”

Also throughout the tents were stacks of servers, more than a dozen in just one tent. Masaracchia explained that those servers require the tents to be chilled to protect the sensitive electronics. That wastes precious fuel to do that.

More and more servers are now going in back of vehicles, he said, pointing to vehicles with stacks of servers in them. “As these servers get switched out to vehicles, the vehicles’ own [efficient] onboard power cools them,” reducing or eliminating the need for cables and generators.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

Capt. Jason Patterson, a technician, said everyone experiences trouble with their computers at some time. The same thing in the field can and does happen. In the past, when there was computer trouble at a command post located in a remote area, it usually necessitated sending a technician out to fix it.

Now, Patterson said, trouble tickets can be handled by the technician remotely using the Unified Trouble Ticketing System, which was first demonstrated during NIE 14.1.

The new system saves a lot of time and reduces security requirements to protect the technician who is tasked with the trouble ticket, he added.

BAD GUYS OUTNUMBER GOOD
Maj. Robert Richardson is the brigade’s intelligence officer. His job is to identify, keep track of and predict the threat of the enemy and provide that information to the commander. In NIE 16.1, the enemy is formidable.

“We have a division worth of live and simulated bad guys on the battlespace, which makes this not a near-peer, but a peer or superior threat,” he said, explaining that the enemy has tanks, infantry combat vehicles, modern radios, optics, and advanced fire-control systems.

Besides that, he said the enemy is equipped with an entire suite of intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance equipment, to include micro-unmanned aerial vehicles and one lethal UAV. They’ve also incorporated electronic warfare and threat-computer operations. “They can bring all these systems to bear simultaneously.”

Going up against this massive threat is the brigade’s battalion and two additional companies, which will go up against the enemy’s division, he said.

Some of the battles that are taking place are live, he said, meaning on the ground, and other pieces are virtual, meaning conducted on computers or simulators, such as the ones at Fort Bliss’s Mission Command Complex.

Richardson said all of that virtual simulation comes back through the network and is visible on the screens in the tactical operations center. For him, the exercise “looks the same as would be seen in a real battle.”

LOTS OF STUFF

The point-men for getting all of this stuff out here — vehicles, communications equipment, experimental stuff — are Col. Terrece Harris, director, Capability Package and Kevin Fahey, director, System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate.

For the NIE, Harris and his team had to assemble systems that weren’t originally designed to do what they’re now doing, Masaracchia said, meaning communicating across the joint-combined networks on current and prototyped communications equipment.

An important and complex part of Harris’ job was coordinating with all the program executive offices across the Army to physically integrate network components and system platforms so that everything was up and running at the start of the exercise. Harris said planning for that took 16 months and his team is currently planning future NIEs as well as the Army Warfighting Assessment, which begins in October 2016.

Another thing Harris is tasked with is coordinating with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command to take their concepts and translate those to solutions that satisfy those requirements, he said.

Kevin Fahey is responsible for identifying all of the materiel required for NIE 16.1. He said a lot of that work is done at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. There, a validation exercise takes place to ensure everything works the way it’s supposed to work before it’s brought out to Fort Bliss. The preparation takes anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

The other important part Fahey plays in the exercise is getting the funding stream needed for all the materiel.

CUTTING THE FAT
While the brigade is busy cutting the fat — cables, generators and other things that can bog an army down — they’re also busy cutting any fat that might accrue on their warriors.

It’s no secret that intel and cyber experts do the vast majority of their work sitting behind a bunch of computer screens, which doesn’t lend itself to physical fitness.

This is where Sgt. 1st Class Charles Meecham comes in. He’s the brigade’s master fitness trainer. He explained that because of the drawdown, there are fewer Soldiers in the Army. Fewer Soldiers means that it’s critical that they’re healthy so that they’re more productive and have fewer injuries that might sideline them.

As part of increasing their readiness, Meecham runs a TRX deployable fitness box, where 45 Soldiers at a time can work out with weights and other gear. He said keeping fit definitely correlates with injury reduction.

HIGH OPERATIONS TEMPO
Masaracchia concluded that “this is probably the highest op-tempo organization in the Army right now. Not only do we have a [U.S. Army Forces Command] mission, which requires we’re prepared and ready to go to combat, we also have the TRADOC mission, which is right here.

“It’s an incredibly heavy tax on an organization, but it’s a tax we’re willing to pay. With the fiscal constraints of the Army, we’re the only brigade in the Army that gets the equivalent of two to three combat training center rotations a year,” he said.





http://www.defencetalk.com/cyberattack-no-1-threat-says-brigade-commander-at-nie-16-1-65486/

Citation :

L'US Army suspend son programme de formation de rebelles syriens

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Les Etats-Unis ont partiellement suspendu leur programme de formation de rebelles syriens lancé en mai dernier et dont les résultats sont très mitigés.

Le porte-parole du Pentagone Peter Cook a annoncé mardi que l'armée américaine avait cessé de recruter des insurgés en Syrie, le temps de réexaminer ce projet censé former et équiper jusqu'à 5.400 combattants par an.

Les quelque 60 premiers éléments de ces "nouvelles forces syriennes" envoyés sur le terrain ont été attaqués dès leur arrivée par le Front Al Nosra, la branche d'Al Qaïda en Syrie. Certains ont été tués ou capturés, d'autres se sont enfuis.

Selon un porte-parole de l'US Army, des rebelles ont également remis de l'équipement au Front al Nosra en échange d'un sauf-conduit.

Il y a deux semaines, le général Lloyd Austin, qui dirige le Commandement central de l'US Army, a dit que seuls quatre ou cinq insurgés formés par l'armée américaine étaient encore actifs.

Selon Christine Wormuth, sous-secrétaire à la politique de Défense, une centaine de combattants participeraient actuellement au programme.

En dépit de ces problèmes, le Pentagone assure que seul le recrutement sur le terrain est interrompu mais que les Etats-Unis continuent leur missions de soutien et d'entraînement.
http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/monde/20150930.REU6369/l-us-army-suspend-son-programme-de-formation-de-rebelles-syriens.html

Citation :

US Army opens competition for Apache/Black Hawk engine replacement

Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
29 September 2015


The US Army has officially opened its improved turbine engine programme (ITEP) for a more powerful and fuel efficient design that will replace the 1970s-era GE T700 on nearly 3,000 medium helicopters in the Pentagon's fleet. Army leaders have said ITEP is their top acquisition priority for their aviation portfolio.

"This is army aviation's number one modernisation programme," Lieutenant Colonel Curt Kuetemeyer, the army's ITEP product manager, reaffirmed during a 28 September press briefing.

The service on 24 September released a request for proposals (RfP) for ITEP, which is expected to take shape as a competition between incumbent GE Aviation, offering its single-spool GE3000, and Honeywell-Pratt & Whitney (P&W) joint venture Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC), which is putting forth the dual-spool HPW3000.

Both companies have completed initial development and have tested two prototype engines complete with inlet particle separators under an army-funded technology maturation effort, the advanced affordable turbine engine (AATE) programme.



In the next phase of the programme the army will award contracts for up to two companies to produce a preliminary design of a new power plant. The competition is open to companies outside the two AATE participants, army officials confirmed during a 28 September press conference.

"We fully expect other engine vendors that didn't participate in AATE to come to participate in this programme as well," said Lt Col Kuetemeyer. "We feel confident that they can mature the specific technologies we have for production." All proposals are due on 9 November according to the RfP.

With limited funds available for new helicopter purchases, the army is stretching its 1970s-era rotorcraft technology by making its legacy fleets more powerful and fuel efficient. "More engine power to the Black Hawk and the Apache means farther range, more time on the objective - all resulting in a more lethal, more effective mission," said Lt Col Kuetemeyer.

Citation :

US Army awards R2-3G task order to NCI


NCI has received a contract to provide a diverse range of engineering, architecture, integration, and readiness support services to the US Army.
The $14.5m cost-plus-fixed-fee task order comprises a ten-month base period and two one year option periods under the company's Rapid Response: Third Generation (R2-3G) indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract.
Under the contract, the company will provide engineering and technical support for army interoperability certification testing and configuration management of the army's LandWarNet-Mission Command software baselines at the Army Central Technical Support Facility (CTSF).
NCI president Brian Clark said: "This effort will demonstrate our delivery of high-quality and efficient engineering support to mission-critical test and interoperability efforts.
"We look forward to utilising NCI's capabilities to provide our technical solutions in support of the current and future army LandWarNet-Mission Command."

The task order also covers the provision of technical engineering support to system of systems engineering, information awareness and information technology efforts.

Developed by the Army Program Communications-Electronics Command, the R2-3G contract aims to empower federal managers to acquire contractor-provided services efficiently through a unique, competitive, and streamlined business process.
The contract is a follow-on to the R2 contract, and helps the Department of Defense, federal agencies, and state and local governments to procure a broad spectrum of technology goods and services, such as system integration, analyses, and logistics support, as well as training and engineering support services, including re-engineering and reverse engineering.
Headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas, the CTSF performs AIC testing and configuration management for all operational through tactical-level command, control, communications, computing and intelligence systems, applications, and hardware before release to the field.

http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsus-army-awards-r2-3g-task-order-to-nci-4680561

Citation :

US Special Operations Forces to receive Harris' new specialized handeld tactical radios

Harris Corporation has been awarded a single-source IDIQ contract with a ceiling value of $390 million to supply a new specialized handheld tactical radio to U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF). The IDIQ contract consists of a five-year base and an additional one-year option.



Under the SOF Tactical Communications (STC) program, Harris will provide its new integrated two-channel, handheld radio that combines communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to address the SOF’s unique mission needs. The Harris STC handheld radio can operate in the harshest environments and meets rigorous requirements for small, lightweight, multiband, multifunction, multi-mission tactical radios. It can be upgraded easily and has built-in backward interoperability to communicate over legacy networks.

The Harris STC handheld radio enables SOF teams to communicate over multiple channels simultaneously with an integrated Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and the ability to receive ISR full-motion video and signals-based threat information. The STC leverages Harris’ extensive experience and innovative technology from its highly successful Falcon III tactical radio family – including the AN/PRC-117G and AN/PRC-158 manpack radios.

"The Harris STC handheld is a highly advanced, multiband radio capable of reaching virtually anyone, anywhere, regardless of waveform or device," said Chris Young, president, Harris Communication Systems. "The STC is the result of our continued investment and commitment to advancing tactical radio communications for our warfighters. It is a purpose-built radio with tremendous power and capability in a very small package."




http://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/us_special_operations_forces_to_receive_harris_new_specialized_handeld_tactical_radios_23009153.html

Citation :

Pentagon budget 2016: lawmakers fund up-gunned Stryker project

Daniel Wasserbly, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
30 September 2015




US Congress defence committee leaders agreed to authorise USD411 million to add heavier weapons to the US Army's Stryker wheeled personnel carriers in fiscal year 2016, lawmakers announced on 29 September.

The reconciled version of the House and Senate defence authorisation legislation, which still must pass through Congress and survive a White House veto threat, would invest "in the development of lethality upgrades for Stryker combat vehicles", according to a summary of the bill.

The army is working to up-gun some Strykers with 30 mm cannon on remote weapon systems and others with Javelin anti-tank missiles, a long-considered upgrade that was pushed through an operational need statement from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based at Vilseck in Germany. Service leaders approved the plan in April and now testing and integration work remains.

Strykers currently mount a remotely operated .50-calibre M2 machine gun, 7.62 mm M240 machine gun, or Mk19 grenade launcher. A 30 mm cannon or Javelin anti-tank missile system would provide more anti-vehicle and anti-armour capability.

Citation :

ockheed Martin receives order from US Army for seven AN/TPQ-53 counter-battery radar systems

Lockheed Martin was awarded an $84,999,000 contract for purchase of seven AN/TPQ-53 IP radar systems. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2017. Fiscal 2014 other funds in the amount of $ 84,999,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.





In addition to this contract, Lockheed Martin was also awarded a $33,390,000 contract for support services for all AN/TPQ-53 radar systems in use in the US Army for fiscal 2016. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York; and Moorestown, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2016.

The Lockheed Martin AN/TPQ-53 counterfire target acquisition radar is a new generation of counterfire sensor with the flexibility to adapt to uncooperative adversaries and changing missions. In today’s rapidly evolving security landscape of unconventional battlefields and irregular warfare, our soldiers need to quickly locate and neutralize mortar and rocket threats. The AN/TPQ-53 (formerly known as EQ-36) meets this challenge head on.

The solid-state phased array AN/TPQ-53 radar system or, “Q-53”, detects, classifies, tracks and determines the location of enemy indirect fire in either 360- or 90-degree modes. This innovative sensor is replacing the aging AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37 medium-range radars now in the Army’s inventory.

Mounted on its 5-ton FMTV prime mover, the Q-53 can be rapidly deployed and integrated into the tactical battlefield with heavy, medium and light forces. The Q-53 is mobile, maneuverable, fully supportable and easily maintained. The Target Acquisition Subsystem contains the radar on a single prime mover and tows the power generator. This package performs all essential missions of the Q-53 for short durations. A second prime mover carries an operations control shelter, backup power generator, and two additional soldiers to provide a sustained operations capability.

Adapting to mission requirements, soldiers can operate the Q-53 remotely using a laptop computer or from the fully equipped climate-controlled shelter. The radar’s software enables it to interface directly with the Army Battle Command Systems. The Q-53 is also IFPC (Indirect Fire Protection Capability) compatible in countering rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/lockheed_martin_receives_order_from_us_army_for_seven_an/tpq-53_counter-battery_radar_systems_20110153.html

Citation :

US Army’s largest-ever NIE 16.1 tests manned-unmanned multinational teaming

The Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE 16.1, which started in September 25 and runs through 8 October, will be the largest NIE ever, since the exercises started in 2011, said Brig. Gen. Terry McKenrick.



Normally, there are between 3,500 and 3,800 participants in NIE, said McKenrick, who is the commanding general, Brigade Modernization Command. NIE 16.1 has more than 9,000 U.S. and coalition soldiers, supported by more than 3,000 civilians participating primarily at Fort Bliss, but also other locations around the U.S. and the world.

Among the many Army units participating this time are I Corps Headquarters; 1st Armored Division Headquarter, along with several 1st Armored Division brigades; a brigade headquarters from the United Kingdom, along with a company of Strykers being used by the United Kingdom's Scots Guards; 82nd Airborne Division, which will conduct a joint forcible entry; and, 101st Airborne Division, which will conduct an airborne assault.

The U.K. and Italy join U.S. units on the ground with 12 other nations, as well as other U.S. military units, some of which will participate virtually, using a variety of simulations.

Some 300 platforms, including just about all the vehicles in the Army's inventory, as well as experimental vehicles, loaded with a of radios, satellite communications gear and mission command applications, are being evaluated, along with radios carried by dismounted Soldiers, McKenrick said.

NIE 16.1 is assessing manned and unmanned teaming -- the ability to increase situational understanding, lethality, and sustainment of maneuver forces while reducing manpower and risk, he said. In all, three unmanned ground systems are being evaluated, as well as several networked unmanned air systems.

Network provides the ability for Soldiers in command posts, mounted and dismounted to download situational awareness data from the unmanned air systems.



COMBAT TRAINING CENTER-EQUIVALENT TRAINING

While NIE 16.1 is about experimentation, an equally valuable focus will be on readiness, McKenrick said. The realistic training will be equivalent to a combat training center rotation, with a hybrid threat featuring combined-arms maneuver and wide-area security against an opposing force. Weapons of mass destruction scenarios will also be incorporated.

McKenrick said the Army is now going through an "assessment process" of accrediting White Sands-Bliss-Holloman as a "joint-multinational training capability. That will help us bring in more joint and multinational partners in future exercises."

Now and in the future, the Army will operate as part of a joint and coalition force, he said. It's spelled out in the Army's keystone doctrine known as the "Army Operating Concept: Win in a Complex World." To do that effectively requires compatibility across network architectures that each of the armies use, he said. That's why this exercise and getting it right is so important to the U.S. and its partner nations.

Besides Fort Bliss, the exercise will also spill over to adjacent Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, both in New Mexico. To give sense of scale, White Sands is 3,200 square miles, Fort Bliss 1,700, while the entire state of Rhode Island is a mere 1,214.



NIE 16.1 LIFTS TEST RESTRICTIONS

NIE 16.1 will be different from any other previous NIE, McKenrick said. NIE 16.1 will be the "final proof of concept" for a new annual exercise, which will start at the beginning of fiscal year 2017. That new exercise will be called the Army Warfighting Assessment, or AWA, with the first being AWA 17, which will be conducted in October 2016.

NIE 16.1 and AWA will not focus on the traditional NIE programmatic testing required for systems to become or not become programs of record, or go back into development, he said. AWA-17 will focus on 38 concepts and capabilities that U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC, identified, he said.

Strict testing requirements, in other words, will be lifted to give industry and the Army's own lab engineers the freedom to explore new capabilities with Soldier feedback in realistic settings.

So, NIE 16.1 and AWA will focus on experimentation involving integration of U.S. and coalition networks to see what works, what doesn't, why it doesn't, and what solutions might be possible.

Another difference between NIE 16.1/AWA and past NIEs, is that there will be a lot more stakeholders present on the ground, said McKenrick. They include the requirements and acquisition communities, TRADOC and industry partners, as well as eight of the Army's centers of excellence, with heavy participation from the Mission Command, Maneuvers, Fires and Cyber CoEs. It will be a "truly collaborative environment, a team-of-teams effort."

Industry and Army Research and Development Centers will be eliciting Soldier feedback on some 73 systems, reviewed by Plans and Operations, Army G-3/5/7, that will be evaluated, he said. Also, TRADOC will be looking to see how new technology could drive doctrine and how doctrine could influence new technology.

New technology could be software, hardware, app-like devices, security solutions, wireless capability to replace hardwiring, energy-saving devices and so on -- items needed to enable the Army to be more expeditionary, a key cornerstone of Force 2025 concept.



BOLD QUEST ALIGNS WITH NIE 16.1

For the second time, the Bold Quest exercise is "aligning with NIE," according to John Miller, Bold Quest operational manager, Joint Fires Division, Joint Staff, J-6.

Bold Quest capability demonstrations and assessments began in 2003, with a narrow focus on technology to identify friendly forces for purposes of avoiding fratricide, he said. It has since grown significantly. "When a forward observer has need of supporting fires and he places that call for fire, we want to make sure that request, no matter what the nationality, provides the fire support that individual needs at that time."

Since that call for fire goes over the network, it makes sense for Bold Quest to be involved in NIE, Miller said.

"Digital interoperability brings the J-6 into this in a big way," he said. "Communicating digitally allows that call for fire and the response to be accelerated greatly. It also allows you to overcome the language barriers [that voice would pose]."

Miller concluded: "Bold Quest by itself is challenging. Aligning it with NIE and the multinational exercise adds another layer of complexity, but the rewards are worth the planning and executing for something of this magnitude."



NIE, AWA GOING FORWARD

NIE 16.1 will be followed next spring by NIE 16.2. That exercise and NIEs to follow, McKenrick said, will return to the traditional role of NIEs: to evaluate network systems in a formal test environment to determine if the product is doing what the vendors have said it will do and that will inform programmatic decisions.

Instead of the traditional two NIEs per year, NIE 16.2 will be the only NIE next year, and in years to follow, there will be just one NIE per year. As mentioned, there will also be one AWA each year.

While this year's NIE has heavy NATO participation, next year's will focus more on partner nations within the U.S. Pacific Command's area of responsibility, McKenrick added. Sea-basing, along with Marine Air-Ground Task Force experiments, will be included as well. Units are still being identified that will participate. Australia has already "signed up."



NIE MAJOR MILESTONES

NIE 11.2, June-July 2011

July 15, 2011, the Army concludes the first NIE, its largest tactical network exercise to date unites the Army acquisition, requirements and test communities in one venue to integrate and improve the network based on Soldier feedback. Four systems under test and 25 emerging technologies slated as Systems Under Evaluation, or SUEs, including: radios, satellites, sensors and mission command applications.

NIE 12.1, Oct.-Nov. 2011

Included two systems under test: the Rifleman Radio and the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) Net Manager; 47 SUEs were evaluated. Industry participation builds, with 43 industry candidates responding to Sources Sought notices.

NIE 12.2, June 2012

First NIE to feature a full brigade-level validation of Capability Set 13. Three formal operational tests, including the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation, or IOT&E, for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2. Some 36 systems received informal evaluations. 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) acts as the higher headquarter for the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, just as it would in combat operations. 105 industry candidates respond to Sources Sought notices.

NIE 13.1, Oct.-Nov. 2012

NIE network is replicated in the lab environment at Aberdeen Proving Ground, or APG, for risk reduction efforts prior to NIE 13.1. Initial baseline network for Capability Set 14 evaluated. Nett Warrior conducts its IOT&E evaluation of mid-tier radio waveforms, network operations convergence and assessments of operations-intelligence application convergence. Some 20 industry and government capabilities participate as SUEs and 146 industry candidates respond to Sources Sought notices.

NIE 13.2, May 2013

Executed the follow-on OT&E for WIN-T Increment 2. Four additional systems under test: Joint Battle Command-Platform, Nett Warrior, Area Mine Clearance System-Medium Flail, Tactical Communication and Protection System; 12 additional industry and government systems under evaluation and in demonstration. NIE focus begins to transition to executing program of record tests in an integrated environment.

NIE 14.1, Oct.-Nov. 2013

Command Post "Big 4" demonstrated, including consolidated hardware, wireless communications, efficient shelters, intelligent power. Set conditions for joint and multinational participation during NIE 14.2. Combination of live, virtual, constructive and distributed operations are beefed up, with 40 percent of the total exercise being conducted as a virtual operation to increase efficiencies. The Vehicle Tactical Router contract marks the first time the Army used the request for proposal process as a formal mechanism for streamlined, competitive procurement of commercial systems that performed well at an NIE.

NIE 14.2, April-May 2014

Formal follow-on tests for the Manpack radio and the Common Data Link/Universal Ground Station; and, joint testing of the Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P, 12 systems under evaluation. Fifteen demonstration systems, including solutions to improve cyber defense, enhance command posts and improve home station training capabilities. About 900 Marines fight alongside the Army's 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, as part of an increased joint and multinational participation. For the first time, NIE runs in conjunction with the joint staff-led Bold Quest exercise at White Sands.

NIE 15.1, Oct.-Nov. 2014

Follow-on OT&E 2 for WIN-T Increment 2, including enhancements designed to improve system reliability, simplicity and usability based on Soldier feedback. Network-equipped Stryker vehicles evaluated. Transition to AWA in 2016 announced. SUEs/Demonstrations include Initialization Tool Suite, Unified Data, Unified Trouble Ticketing System and USCOUT. Emphasis placed on designing new capabilities to be simple and intuitive.

NIE 15.2, April-May 2015

Testing of the Distributed Common Ground System -- Army, or DCGS-A, and a the Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radios, or MNVR. Demonstrations include Command Post Wireless, Mobile User Objective System, or MUOS, on the HMS Manpack radio, the Mounted Computing Environment, and transport convergence.

NIE 16.1, Sept.-Oct. 2015

Final proof of concept for AWA. No formal program of record tests, but lays the groundwork for improvements to Army modernization through AWAs beginning in the fall of 2016. Demonstrations and evaluations to include: Command Post Computing Environment Unified Data, Joint Enterprise Network Manager, Command Post Wireless, Modular Communications Node-Advanced Enclave, Nett Warrior and operational energy solutions.



http://www.armyrecognition.com/armies_in_the_world_analysis_focus/us_armys_largest-ever_nie_16.1_tests_manned-unmanned_multinational_teaming_42909154.html

Citation :

US Army system to reduce manpower for perimetre security

The US Army has come to address the pressing need for soldiers who will execute combat missions instead of carrying other secondary combat tasks, such as guarding a camp’s perimetre. At the ongoing NIE 16.1 exercise the Army is using the Tower Hawk System.


The containerized system is comprised of expeditionary towers with remote-control weapons and sensors on top. The control of the systems is carried out by a station in the camp’s operation centre. During the exercise the Army used an M2 0.50’’ cal. heavy machine gun and a .338 Lapua sniper rifle. During the tests, the operator from the control station was able to rotate those weapons at 360o angles or raise and lower them. However, the system can control just about any kind of light weapon or heavy weapons such as multiple grenade launchers.

The sensors of the Tower Hawk System include everything that is required by the user to operate during the day or night. Thus, the tower includes a TV camera for day operations or infrared and thermal optics for the night. The Joint All Hazard Control System software controlling the system is also capable of distinguishing between friendly and enemy forces.

According to Lt. Col. Raphael Heffin, Commander of the 142nd Combat Service Support Battalion, the unit that fielded Tower Hawk System, six soldiers can set it up in less than an hour. All of its components are packed in the container, making it easily transportable to any location.

Albeit a simple concept, it can save manpower for the core of combat operations. Lt. Col. Raphael Heffin stressed that at a conventional outpost, it takes four to six soldiers doing eight or 12-hour shifts, manning one weapon system on the perimetre of an expeditionary base. Considering that two operators are enough to control the system at any given time, it saves a lot of manpower for other tasks.


http://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/us_army_system_to_reduce_manpower_for_perimetre_security_40110153.html

Citation :

US government allocated funds for the Stryker 30mm gun upgrade





The House of Representatives and the US Senate Armed Services Committee agreed on a USD411 million fund for the upgrade of the Stryker combat vehicles with a 30mm gun, according to BreakingDefense.com. The formation that will have its vehicles upgraded is the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, currently deployed in Europe (Germany) in the aftermath of the crisis in Ukraine.


Earlier this year, the Regiment carried out a “Dragoon Ride” mission, which involved the movement of 120 vehicles across the Baltic countries of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, by starting from and returning to Germany. Albeit the 2nd Cavalry Regiment is providing a valuable maneuvering capability to the heavier forces, it lacks the punching force due to the small calibre weapons used in the Strykers’ remote weapon stations.

Of the allocated budget, USD314 mil. will be for the modifications required and USD97 mil. for the required research and development. A total of 81 vehicles are expected to be upgraded by General Dynamics. However it has not been know yet which type of gun will be. The acquisition will be implemented quickly as an Operational Needs Statement. It is expected that the vehicles will have been upgraded before 2020.

Last year the US Army had conducted a proof of concept demonstration at Fort Benning, at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence. The Stryker vehicle was fitted with a Kongsberg Medium Calibre Remote Weapons Station with an ATK Mk44 30mm gun and a co-axial 7.62mm machine gun.

http://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/us_government_allocated_funds_for_the_stryker_30mm_gun_upgrade_40110154.html

Citation :

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit a ajouté 5 nouvelles photos.

AH-64 Apaches and UH-60 Black Hawks with the U.S. Army’s 185th Theater Aviation Brigade practiced landing and departing from the USS Essex in order to familiarize themselves with flight operations aboard a ship in the Arabian Gulf, Sept 28. | www.flickr.com/photos/15thmeu/
(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Cpl. Anna Albrecht and Cpl. Elize McKelvey/Released)

Citation :

Patriot missiles will be removed from Turkey for upgrades in October
Patriot missiles deployed in Turkey since 2013 to guard against rockets from Syria will be removed for planned upgrades in October, despite the ongoing crisis across the border, the Pentagon said Thursday.



Patriot missiles deployed in Turkey since 2013 to guard against rockets from Syria will be removed for planned upgrades in October, despite the ongoing crisis across the border, the Pentagon said Thursday.
“The Patriots will be redeployed to the United States for critical modernization upgrades that will ensure our missile defense force remains capable of countering evolving global threats and protecting allies and partners -- including Turkey,” Defense Department spokeswoman Laura Seal said.

The U.S. and Turkey had in August announced the withdrawal of the missiles, deployed under NATO authority in 2013. Germany has also announced its intention to withdraw its two Patriot missile batteries from Turkey. NATO can still use a Spanish missile battery that has been deployed since January in Adana in the south of Turkey.

Seal said that if needed, the U.S. could send the Patriot missiles and their personnel back to Turkey “within one week.”

“We will also retain a persistent presence of U.S. Navy multi-role Aegis ships in the eastern Mediterranean,” she added.

The military situation in Syria is changing at a new pace, after Russia on Wednesday launched its first air strikes in the country. Patriots can shoot down tactical ballistic weapons, cruise missiles or planes.

(AFP)

http://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2015_global_defense_security_news_uk/patriot_missiles_will_be_removed_from_turkey_for_upgrades_in_october_40210153.html

Citation :

French L-CAT Landing Craft Pitched to US Army


By Pierre Tran 1:26 p.m. EDT October 3, 2015


L-Cat French landing craft
(Photo: MC2 Tom Gagnier, US Navy)


PARIS — Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM) will pitch a lightly modified version of its L-CAT landing catamaran in an expected US Army tender worth some $450 million for 37 new landing craft, said Philippe Neri, the French company's vice president for naval sales.

Minor modifications on the L-CAT are aimed to cut costs, meet requirements and pitch a “compliant and affordable” vessel in a competition likely to be launched toward the end of the year, he said.

The US Army is looking to buy a fleet of the Maneuver Support Vessel (light), or MSV (L), to replace the Vietnam-era “Mike boat,” or Landing Craft Mechanized 8 (LCM-8.), Army acquisition officials said in August.

Speaking from the Toulon base, Adm. Denis Beraud, head of the French Naval Action Force, recalled an incident last winter when an L-CAT encountered some light fire from factions as it sailed from the Dixmude helicopter carrier to evacuate French nationals from Yemen.

“It was a little operation but it showed how useful it is to have ships widely deployed,” he said. In 2012, the Navy also drew on the L-CAT to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.

The catamaran’s 30-knot high speed allows the Mistral, the mother ship, to stay off shore at a safe distance while being able to deliver a relatively heavy load of equipment to the beach, he said. “That saves a lot of time.”

France's Navy has four L-CATs as the government ordered that number for the Mistral projection and command warships and canceled options for two more. “I wish I had six,” Beraud said.

The Navy uses the L-CAT for Army training exercises, deploying troops along the Mediterranean coast. The vessel sails from Toulon to Corsica, runs beach reconnaissance and serves as a logistics platform by deploying six containers on the island, he said. Such exercises are part of the “shore-to-shore” approach.

The L-CAT, a variable shape ship with an adjustable deck  designed for the “ship-to-shore” landing craft mission, could meet the US Army’s requirements for the more autonomous shore-to-shore operation, Neri said. The vessels can be fitted for crew accommodation and sail loaded for 500 nautical miles.

CNIM hopes to sign a partnership agreement on the L-CAT with Fincantieri in the coming weeks, Neri said. The Italian shipbuilder would be prime contractor and CNIM subcontractor under the deal.





A US Army selection is expected an estimated two months after the request for proposals is launched. The services stand to lose budgets if they have not been committed by the summer.

The Army program is due to run for 10 years, with a three-year engineering, manufacturing and development phase producing a prototype, followed by low-rate initial production of four boats and full production after five years. The service is also expected to order medium and heavy versions of the boat, so the pick of the first model is seen as key amid lively competition.

CNIM sees Southeast Asia as a promising market as the L-CAT could serve as a vessel for disaster relief alongside its military mission. The Middle East is also viewed as a key region for sales.

The landing craft carries a civilian certification that allows the Navy to sail it up rivers as well as unload supplies in harbors, Beraud said.

In a separate deal, two L-CATs that were part of the canceled sale of the Mistral to Russia are now part of Egypt’s announced plan to buy the two helicopter carriers, said an industry executive, who confirmed a report in Challenges business magazine.

President François Hollande said he and his Egyptian counterpart have agreed that Egypt will acquire the two Mistrals from the canceled Russian deal. A contract with Cairo is due to be signed with prime contractor DCNS and delivery of the helicopter carriers is due in the first half of 2016, the executive said.

DCNS and CNIM are covered by Coface, the French export credit agency, for the cancellation of the Russian deal, according to a Sept. 29 report from the French Senate finance committee.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense-news/2015/10/03/french-l-cat-landing-craft-pitched-us-army/73101334/  

Citation :

Honeywell to continue supply of APN-209 radar altimeters to US Army




http://www.army-technology.com/news/newshoneywell-to-continue-supply-of-apn-209-radar-altimeters-to-us-army-4685068

Citation :

Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Lockheed Martin will equip US army vehicles with laser weapons as soon as October
Lockheed Martin, the US’ largest weapons producer, will be making laser weapons a reality as soon as October, the company’s press release has promised. The new technology will be built for US army vehicles and is said to be easily operated by one person.

http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/2015/10/lockheed-martin-will-equip-us-army.html?m=1