industrie militaire US

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Citation :

ATK teste sa bombe Hatchet

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) prépare une série de tests de son système Hatchet de 7 livres (3,2kg) qui est conçu pour frapper des cibles moyennes allant des insurgés aux lanceurs de missiles Scud.



Il existe deux versions du Hatchet: l’une qui s’utilise avec un système de guidage GPS, et une autre variante plus coûteuse qui inclut le GPS et le guidage laser semi-actif pour les bombardements de précision.
« Quand je veux frapper une cible à travers une fenêtre, j’utilise un laser semi-actif », explique Tim Strusz, directeur du développement chez ATK pour les programmes avancés.
ATK va commencer à tester la Hatchet, qu’elle a développée avec ses fonds propres, dans le dernier trimestre de 2013. Les essais commenceront avec un test en « carry captive » (« retenue captive »), suivis de frappes contre une cible inerte au début de 2014 pour démontrer l’efficacité de l’arme. Enfin, un test complet aura lieu avec une ogive à la mi-2014.
L’ogive représente environ la moitié du poids de l’Hatchet et s’appuie sur un coffre électronique d’ATK pour la mise à feu.
ATK a déclaré que des militaires américains étaient intéressés par la Hatchet car elle peut équiper une large éventail d’appareils habités comme le F-35 Lightning II JSF ou bien des petits véhicules aériens sans pilote. Les militaires américains « attendent juste l’échéance opérationnelle du Hatchet » selon Tim Strusz. Il ajoute que ATK s’investit beaucoup sur les petites armes en raison de la demande croissante de l’armée américaine pour des munitions qui minimisent les dommages collatéraux.
La société construit également une arme plus connue sous le nom de « Hammer » d’une masse de 16 livres (7.3 kg) que l’armée américaine prévoit d’utiliser sur un drone RQ-7B Shadow (AAI) à la fin de 2013 et début 2014

http://info-aviation.com/?p=15648

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US-Japan co-development program on track for 2015 flight testing

Raytheon Company and its Japanese partner, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have completed the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA guided missile Critical Design Review (CDR). The CDR verified that the missile's design will meet the stringent, specific operational performance requirements necessary to defeat the projected threats. The SM-3 Block IIA will defeat incoming ballistic missile threats by colliding with them in space, and the program is on track to begin flight testing in 2015.
In a precedent-setting co-development effort between allies, the U.S. and Japan have determined an equitable workshare agreement that defines by missile section the development responsibility between each country.
"This milestone is critical because it moves the SM-3 Block IIA program from design to build," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. "Once deployed, SM-3 Block IIA will provide the U.S. and Japan capability to defend larger geographic areas from longer-range ballistic missile threats."
The SM-3 Block IIA program plan included building hardware early, supporting completion of critical subsystem testing prior to CDR. This "hardware rich" approach coupled with the design commonality with previous versions of SM-3 reduces integration risk.
"We worked closely with the Missile Defense Agency to ensure our design plan was well thought out, allowing us to build and test along the way. This method will go a long way toward lowering our risk during future flight testing," said Tim Lardy, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-3 Block IIA program director.
Over the course of 18 months, the Raytheon-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries team, along with various subcontractors, successfully completed more than 80 rigorous subsystem reviews leading up to the final "system" CDR.

http://seawavesmagazine.blogspot.fr/2013/10/us-japan-co-development-program-on.html?spref=tw

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US PEO LCS completes initial in-water testing of PLUS system


The US Program Executive Office for Littoral Combat Ships' (PEO LCS) persistent littoral undersea surveillance (PLUS) system has successfully completed initial in-water testing at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, US.
During the testing, the team validated recent upgrades to the prototype's hardware and software and demonstrated enhanced functional and performance capabilities for anti-submarine warfare missions.
The PLUS system features an undersea network of sea gliders as well as long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV).
The sea gliders are smaller autonomous vessels, which collect the UUV data and provide it to a shore-based collection and processing station while the UUVs are fitted with highly capable sensors.
The testing involved three UUVs and two sea gliders, while members of the submarine development squadron five UUV detachment and LCS squadron anti-submarine warfare mission package detachment one helped set up the mission scenarios.
PEO LCS Unmanned Maritime Systems programme manager, Captain David Honabach, said the at-sea testing has validated the PLUS system design approach as well as demonstrated the significant progress for the PLUS programme towards providing an affordable littoral surveillance capability.

"The contributions of the LCSRON ASW Mission Package and DEVRON UUV detachments were invaluable in ensuring the success of these tests, and their feedback has been instrumental in enhancing the operational effectiveness of the PLUS system," Honabach said.
Designed for deployment with the PEO LCS, the PLUS system can detect underwater threats and can easily deploy from any ship with a winch and crane and sufficient storage capacity.
The PLUS system is scheduled to continue testing until early 2015, followed by deployment by the US Navy for overseas operational evaluation.
The navy will determine the feasibility of expanding the scope of the system based on the results of the testing, for broader deployment to the fleet.


http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsus-peo-lcs-completes-testing-plus-system#.Um9kUmUAxbc.twitter

Citation :

Publiée le  7 nov. 2013  

The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) intercepted and destroyed two simultaneous targets attacking from opposite directions during a stressing demonstration of its 360-degree air and missile defense (AMD) capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The flight test achieved all criteria for success.

 

Citation :

BAE Systems va développer un projectile guidé de nouvelle génération Hyper Velocity Projectile (HVP) pour l'US Navy

BAE Systems has received a $33.6 million contract from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop and demonstrate a Hyper Velocity Projectile (HVP).
The HVP is a next-generation, guided projectile capable of completing multiple missions for the Electromagnetic Railgun, as well as existing 5-inch and 155-mm gun systems. This competitive award marks the initiation of Phase 1A of the program.
“The HVP takes the next evolutionary step in providing an affordable, precise, multi-mission capability for multiple gun platforms,” said Chris Hughes, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems. “We look forward to applying our expertise and technologies to this important program.”
The HVP is designed to provide lethality and performance enhancements to current and future gun systems. The objective of the first phase is to produce a concept design and development roadmap towards fully guided flight demonstrations.
BAE Systems, along with teammates United Technologies and Custom Analytical Engineering Systems (CAES), will develop and demonstrate a modular, low drag HVP. The modular design will allow the HVP to be configured for multiple gun systems and to address different missions. BAE Systems will build on its recent Long Range Land Attack Projectile and Multi-Service Standard Guided Projectile development and demonstration successes to apply innovative and proven designs to the next-generation projectile.
Work on the HVP contract is expected to begin immediately, with its initial phase to be completed by June 2014. The development will be carried out by BAE Systems in Minneapolis, Minnesota; UTC Aerospace Systems in Vergennes, Vermont; and CAES in Flintstone, Maryland.



http://www.onr.navy.mil

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Northrop Grumman studies air surveillance radar replacements for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, amphibious ships


BALTIMORE, 9 Nov. 2013. U.S. Navy officials selected Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) to conduct the $6 million, 18-month Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) Study that explores replacement of SPS-48 and SPS-49 air surveillance radars currently on board U.S. Navy amphibious ships and aircraft carriers.
The study, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under its Integrated Topside program, will examine how an existing radar concept can be evolved to meet the EASR requirements.



"The goal of this study is to identify the modifications required for an existing radar to achieve the Navy's requirements. The study's risk reduction activities will demonstrate if the modifications can affordably meet those requirements," explains Todd Leavitt, director of Northrop Grumman's Maritime Sensors & Shipboard Integration business unit. "The use of AN/TPS-80 as a starting point proves the scalability and adaptability of the basic system architecture for adjacent mission requirements and enables the Navy to directly leverage more than $500 million in existing investment already made."
Northrop Grumman will leverage the capabilities, affordability, and maturity of the existing AN/TPS-80 Ground /Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) for the EASR study. The AN/TPS-80, the first ground-based multimission Active Electronically Scanned Array radar to be developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, is to replace five of six existing radar systems used by the U.S. Marine Corps. It is undergoing final government testing and is expected to enter production in early 2014.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2013/11/northrop-navy-study.html

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 Le X-47B repart en mer !  

  Le 12/11/2013 à 15:21   | Par François Julian



Le démonstrateur de drone de combat embarqué X-47B est de nouveau en mer pour y tester son intégration sur porte-avions. L'engin non piloté de Northrop-Grumman a repris ses vols d'essais sur l'USS Theodore Roosevelt, le 10 novembre dernier. L'aéronef a réalisé ce week end plusieurs essais, notamment des catapultages et des appontages, mais aussi des « touch and go ». Chacun de ses vols a duré en moyenne 45 minutes.

C'est en juillet dernier, depuis le pont de l'USS George H.W. Bush, que le X-47B avait réalisé son premier catapultage suivi d'un appontage.

Parallèlement à ces essais en mer, Northrop Grumman et le Navair travaillent également sur une procédure de ravitaillement en vol automatique. En septembre dernier, c'est un Learjet modifié avec une perche de ravitaillement qui a ainsi été testé avec KC-707. Ces premiers essais visent à vérifier le fonctionnement d'un système permettant avec précision le rapprochement de l'avion donneur et de l'avion receveur, au moyen d'un système de navigation hybride combinant GPS de précision et vidéo.

Le X-47B est développé dans le cadre du programme Ucas-D (Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration), pour lequel Northrop Grumman a été choisi en 2007. L'objectif de ce programme est spécifiquement de démontrer la compatibilité d'un Ucav avec les opérations sur porte-avions, ainsi que la possibilité de pouvoir ravitailler en vol de manière automatique, à la fois avec un système de réceptacle pour perche rigide (méthode US Air Force) et avec système de perche escamotable compatible avec le système "tuyau-panier" (méthode US Navy).

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/le-x-47b-repart-en-mer.html  

Citation :

4000 suppressions de postes chez Lockheed Martin  

Le 14/11/2013 à 18:04   | Par Duncan Macrae  



Les restrictions budégtaires américaines obligent les industriels dans le secteur de la défense — même les plus grands — à réagir. Nouvel exemple ce jeudi 14 novembre avec l’annonce par Lockheed Martin de 4000 suppressions de postes et des fermetures d’usines.

Le géant américain, chef de file industriel sur le programme F-35, avait déjà fait savoir qu’il s’attendait à une baisse du chiffre d’affaires en 2013 à la suite du plafonnement des budgets de défense dans le monde occidental et de la fameuse « séquestration » des dépenses fédérales aux Etats-Unis. Il prévoit dorénavant une nouvelle baisse en 2014.

D’où l’annonce d’aujourd’hui. Celle-ce comprend la fermeture, d’ici mi-2015, des sites de Newtown (Pennsylvanie), Akron (Ohio), Goodyear (Arizona) et Horizon City (Texas). Un total de 2000 postes seront ainsi supprimés. Les 2000 suppressions restantes seront la conséquence de mesures « d’efficacité opérationnelle » qui seront mises en œuvre d’ici la fin de 2014 dans les branches Systèmes d’information, Systèmes de missions et Systèmes spatiaux.

Selon Lockheed Martin, ses effectifs ont déjà été réduits de 146 000 en 2008 à 116 000 actuellement. Il y a un mois, le groupe a annoncé un bond de 15 % du bénéfice net pour les trois premiers trimestres de 2013 alors que le chiffre d’affaires était en recul de 4 %.
 
http://www.air-cosmos.com/industrie/4000-suppressions-de-postes-chez-lockheed-martin.html

Citation :

DARPA Works On New Anti-Ship Missile



The Defense Department’s top research agency has focused on developing a program to make sure that the Navy is not “outsticked” by China as U.S. forces re-balance to the Pacific.
 
“We’re looking at a long-range anti-ship missile” to counter China’s development of its own long-range strike assets, said Dr. Arati Prabhakar, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. “We’re concerned about being ‘out-sticked’” in what has been dubbed the “Pacific pivot” of troops and ships following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Prabhakar said.
 
Prabhakar spoke at the opening of an all-day forum on military issues sponsored by the Defense One website.




China’s development of the DF-21D ASBM (Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile), technically a cruise missile dubbed the “carrier killer,” has raised alarms on Capitol Hill. “We are technically ‘out-sticked’ by Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) right now,” Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., head of the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.
 
Forbes told the RealClearDefense website last week that that the Navy’s main anti-ship missile, the Harpoon, “does not have the range or survivability” to match the threat from the Chinese Navy.
 
However, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service last spring reported that the threat from the Chinese anti-ship missiles was not quite the “game changer” that some defense analysts had feared.
 
The Navy and the Air Force could counter by “employing a combination of active and passive measures” against the Chinese missiles, the CRS said in a report. One of the methods suggested by the CRS to defeat the Chinese system would be to equip Navy ships with electronic warfare systems that could generate radar “smoke clouds” to confuse the terminal guidance systems of the Chinese missiles.
 
In August, DARPA and the Office of Naval Research conducted the first flight of a prototype in the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program, which is meant to develop a weapon that can hit enemy ships out of the range of a counter-strike.
 
A B-1 bomber from the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron conducted the mission from Dyess Air Force Base, Tex., to the Point Mugu Sea Test Range off the coast of southern California and successfully hit a moving target, DARPA said. Halfway to the target, the missile switched to its autonomous guidance system, which completed the mission, DARPA said.
 
“This fully functional test is a significant step in providing the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force with a next-generation anti-ship missile capability,” Artie Mabbett, the DARPA program manager for the LRASM, said after the test.
 
At the Defense One forum, Prabhakar said the autonomous guidance system for the LRASM was vital vital to counter an enemy’s potential ability to jam Global Positioning Satellite guidance.
 
Prabhakar also noted DARPA’s difficulty in doing work on space systems in an era of cost-cutting and declining budgets.
 
Space “is a place where cost is just an overwhelming issue,” Prabhakar said. “It’s so hard, it takes so long to do anything in space. Even the smallest satellite costs tens of millions of dollars,” she said.
 
The budget cuts also put the future of defense research at risk, Prahhakar said. Unless Congress lifts the sequester cuts that will take about $500 billion out of defense spending over the next 10 years, “we’re going to have a future of power point (presentations) and not real systems,” she said. “We want to do things that really get built.”

http://rpdefense.over-blog.com/2013/11/darpa-works-on-new-anti-ship-missile.html

Citation :

LRASM Anti-ship Missile Conducts Second Flight Test



Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) recently achieved another successful flight test, with the missile scoring a direct hit on a moving maritime target. The test was conducted in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) program.
LRASM is an autonomous, precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile leveraging the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) heritage, and is designed to meet the needs of U.S. Navy and Air Force warfighters in a robust anti-access/area-denial threat environment. After a competition in 2009, Lockheed Martin’s LRASM was selected to demonstrate air- and surface-launched capability to defeat emerging sea-based threats at significant standoff ranges.
Armed with a proven 1,000-pound penetrator and blast-fragmentation warhead, LRASM employs a multi-mode sensor, weapon data link and an enhanced digital anti-jam global positioning system to detect and destroy specific targets within a group of ships.
Flying over the Sea Range at Point Mugu, Calif., a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber from the 337^th Test andEvaluation Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, released the LRASM, which navigated through all planned waypoints receiving in-flight targeting updates from the Weapon Data Link. After transitioning to autonomous guidance, LRASM identified the target using inputs from the onboard sensors. The missile then descended for final approach, verified and impacted the target.
“This test, combined with the success of the first flight test in August, further demonstrates the capabilities and maturity of LRASM,” said Mike Fleming, LRASM air launch program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The new sensors and legacy JASSM-ER components all performed well during the flight and the missile impacted the target as planned.”
The tactically-representative LRASM is built on the same award-winning production line in Pike County, Ala., as JASSM-ER, demonstrating manufacturing and technology readiness levels sufficient to enter the engineering, manufacturing and development phase to satisfy an urgent operational need.
JASSM-ER, which recently completed its operational test program, provides a significant number of parts and assembly-process synergies with LRASM, which results in cost savings for the U.S. Navy and Air Force(air- and surface-launched) Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare programs.
In September 2013 Lockheed martin also launched a LRASM representative Boosted Test Vehicle (BTV) from a MK 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) canister at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. This company-funded test evaluated the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (VL/ASROC) Mk-114 rocket motor, igniting, penetrating and exiting through the canister cover and performing a guided flight profile similar to a tactical configuration.
This flight test was part of an ongoing Lockheed Martin-funded Offensive Anti-Surface Weapon effort, independent of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) LRASM program. This test is focused on shipboard integration of LRASM’s surface launched variant.

http://defense-update.com/20131114_lrasm_2.html

une premiere mondiale cet exploit de double-kill,dommage que le systeme est laissé tombé par l´allemagne,apres presque 1B€ investis
ca pourrait etre la pologne le premier client,pour son IADS national

Citation :

La DARPA souhaite équiper ses drones de canons laser dignes de Star Wars



Si l'univers de Star Wars regorge de pistolets et autres canons laser, on ne s'attendait pas à voir ce type d'armement prendre forme de sitôt. Pourtant, la DARPA a bel et bien annoncé qu'elle se lançait dans le développement de lasers pour en équiper les futurs drones de combats. DGS vous en dit plus sur cette nouvelle avancée militaire.

Le gouvernement américain et la DARPA, l'Agence pour les Projets de Recherches Avancées en Défense, ont alloué en Janvier 2013 la somme conséquente de 26 millions de dollars à deux entreprises d'armements américaines dans le cadre du « Project Endurance ». Northrop Grumman et Lockheed Martin ont donc planché sur « le développement technologique de lasers embarqués pour protéger les plateformes aéroportées des missiles sol-air guidés », selon la DARPA.

Ce projet porte également sur la « miniaturisation des composants techniques, le développement de pointeurs de cible haute précision, l'identification et la manipulation de faisceaux légers pour faciliter l'engagement de cibles » ainsi que sur « l'essence de l'interaction du ciblage laser et des risques de vulnérabilité associés ». Pour simplifier ces termes militaires et technologiques un peu barbares, « Project Endurance » a pour but de développer l'utilisation de rayons lasers embarqués sur les drônes de l'armée américaine pour les rendre moins vulnérables pendant l'exercice de leurs missions.

Ainsi, ces avions sans pilotes équipés de lasers seraient à même de pouvoir, par exemple, neutraliser un missile en approche afin d'être moins exposés aux dangers venant aussi bien du sol que du ciel. Enfin, selon la DARPA, le futur est à nos portes puisque la phase concernant la technologie laser devrait être achevée à la fin de l'année 2013. La fabrication, l'assemblage et les tests sont quant à eux prévus dans le courant de l'année 2014 et ce nouveau système de défense devrait être mis en service à partir de 2016. Un projet qui pourrait bien incarner un tournant décisif dans la défense laser puisqu'il sera la première application du projet Excalibur, qui n'a pour l'instant toujours pas fait ses preuves... A suivre, donc.

http://fr.sott.net/article/17742-La-DARPA-souhaite-equiper-ses-drones-de-canons-laser-dignes-de-Star-Wars

Citation :

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Electronic Attack Capability on Bat Unmanned Aircraft



Northrop Grumman Corporation has integrated and employed an internal miniature electronic attack payload on the Bat unmanned aircraft, marking the first time that such a system was used in operation on a Group III (small, tactical) unmanned aircraft system. The demonstration involved the jamming of radars during the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) event at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, in October. “Bat continues to demonstrate capabilities that can normally only be achieved by larger, more expensive unmanned aircraft,” said George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman’s Vice-President of Medium Range Tactical Systems. “Our customers now have a more mobile and affordable option for electronic warfare missions.” The Pandora electronic attack payload is a low-cost derivative of Northrop Grumman’s family of upgraded digital APR-39 systems. The lightweight, multifunction payload provides electronic attack, support and protection. Pandora was integrated on Bat in less than two months. During the WTI event, the Bat completed multiple flights in collaboration with fixed wing and other unmanned platforms. Bat is a tactical, runway independent unmanned aircraft that can be launched from land or sea. Its flexible design allows for quick installation of a variety of payloads and enables rapid, expeditionary deployment.

http://www.uasvision.com/2013/11/15/northrop-grumman-demonstrates-electronic-attack-capability-on-bat-unmanned-aircraft/

Citation :

Lockheed lays down the law on F-16 upgrades




Dubai - Lockheed Martin believes that its status as the original manufacturer of the world’s F-16 fleet gives it an edge in the competitive market to upgrade the venerable type.
 
In an interview with Flight Daily News in the Lockheed chalet, F-16 business development executive William McHenry said that his company has a unique insight into the design of the aircraft, which allows it to better assess the possible ramifcations of decisions involved in major upgrading.
 
“Lockheed has delivered over 1,000 F-16 upgrade kits,” he says. “F-16s are our heritage.”
 
McHenry says that the typical upgrade candidate has 3,000 hours on its airframe. All customer requirements are different, with some air forces wishing merely to keep their aircraft serviceable, while others wish to conduct a major upgrade to the F-16V configuration Lockheed unveiled at the Singapore air show in 2012. 
The F-16V upgrade adds an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, new mission computer, a new electronic warfare suite, and other improvements to the venerable type.

One trend McHenry has observed is that many countries wish to add the Link-16 datalink to the aircraft. Link-16 allows for better sharing of information among a nation’s military assets, and also improves interoperability with US forces. 
As for USAF F-16s, of which about 300 are likely to be upgraded, McHenry said there is no word when the programme will move forward owing to the prevailing tight budget environment. Other major F-16 avionics upgrades in the world include South Korea, where BAE Systems beat Lockheed in competition to upgrade 134 examples, and Taiwan, where Lockheed will upgrade 144 examples.

http://rpdefense.over-blog.com/2013/11/lockheed-lays-down-the-law-on-f-16-upgrades.html

Citation :

Northrop propose une mise à jour avionique « à bas coût » pour avions de transport militaires

Le 26/11/2013 à 13:17   | Par Duncan Macrae  



Northrop Grumman annonce avoir réalisé avec succès une démonstration d’une avionique certifiée « à bas coût » conçue pour offrir aux avions de transport militaires les capacités necéssaires pour satisfaire aux exigences du futur système de gestion du trafic aérien de la FAA. Selon Northrop Grumman, la solution ainsi proposée serait capable de remplir en grande partie les objectifs du programme de modernisation C-130 AMP (Avionics Modernisation Programme) à un coût largement inférieur.

Le programme C-130 AMP, conduit par Boeing sous un contrat signé en juin 2001, devait concerner à l’origine plus de 200 appareils. Il a été annulé en février 2012 peu de temps après la livraison du premier exemplaire de série. L’US Air Force déclarait alors avoir trouvé des solutions « moins complexes » pour traiter les problèmes d’obsolescence du C-130. Le programme AMP devait assurer la mise en conformité de l'ensemble des équipements de communication et de navigation avec les normes CNS/ATM (Communication, navigation, surveillance/Air Traffic Management) et ainsi prolonger la vie opérationnelle des 184 C-130H de l’US Air Force d’une trentaine d’années, selon Boeing.

La solution proposée par Northrop Grumman s'articule autour du T3CAS (produit et commercialisé avec ACSS, une coentreprise Thales-L3 Communications), qui combine TCAS (système d'alerte trafic et d'anticollision), Taws (solution d'alarme impact), transpondeur mode S et FMS (système de gestion de vol). Elle intègre également le système RTSA (connaissance de la situation tactique en temps réel) de Northrop Grumman.

Selon Northrop Grumman, l’essai en vol, qui a eu lieu au mois d’août dernier a démontré pour la première fois qu’il est possible de rajouter une capacité CNS/ATM certifiée avec surveillance active du trafic (ADS-B, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) à une fraction du coût d’un solution totalement intégrée. Les équipements concernés vont devenir indispensables au cours des prochaines années. Par exemple, tout avion évoluant dans l’espace aérien européen devra obligatoirement être équipé en ADS-B à partir de 2015.

Pour la petite histoire, le programme C-130 AMP fait partie des programmes touchés par le scandale « Darleen Druyun » au début des années 2000. Cette ancienne responsable des acquisitions à l’US Air Force avait favorisé Boeing sur un marché de location-vente de gré à gré pour 100 767 modifiés en ravitailleurs en vol, annulé par la suite. Il s’est avéré qu’elle avait également fait « cadeau » à Boeing du programme C-130 AMP en signe de remerciement pour avoir embauché des membres de sa famille. Le contrat avait été renégocié à la suite de ces révélations.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/northrop-propose-une-mise-a-jour-avionique-a-bas-cout-pour-avions-de-transport-militaires.html

Citation :

Exelis completes US Naval Research Laboratory evaluation of high-speed laser-based communications technology



Clifton NJ November 25, 2013 - Exelis and its partner Innovative Technology Solutions Inc. (doing business as NovaSol) have successfully completed an extensive series of evaluations of the jointly developed Tactical Line-of-Sight Optical Network (TALON) free-space optical communications system.
Conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the exercises demonstrated the ruggedized system’s capability to wirelessly transmit 100 megabits per second of high-resolution imagery and video over a distance of more than 50 kilometers (31 miles). The system also acquired and maintained a data link between two U.S. Marine Corps Tactical Elevated Antenna Mast Systems.
“Free-space optical communications systems provide fighting forces with a high-capacity data link that is not reliant on hardline connections, such as fiber cables,” said Joe Rambala, vice president and general manager of the Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business. “As the battlefield becomes more data-driven, ensuring warfighters are equipped with the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it, is critical to mission success.”
Free-space optical communications systems use laser technology to transmit narrow beams of energy capable of carrying anywhere from 100 kilobits to tens of gigabits of data per second. Along with operating approximately 1,000 times faster than conventional radio frequency (RF) communications systems, the narrow laser beams are invisible and provide an extremely low probability of interception. Additionally, by using laser energy to carry data, the system avoids congested RF bands, instead using higher-frequency wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The monthlong, three-phase evaluation was conducted at NRL’s Chesapeake Bay Detachment, Md., Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. During the course of the testing, the ruggedized system demonstrated its broadband capability to transmit and receive streaming audio and video simultaneously from stationary and mobile positions in high-wind environments.
“NovaSol has been at the forefront of tactical laser communications for more than a decade, and these successful test exercises demonstrate the value of this experience,” said Dr. Rick Holasek, NovaSol president and CEO. “We look forward to working with Exelis and other partners to transition TALON successfully from research and development to a mission-ready product.”
The TALON system, developed under a Future Naval Capability program funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is part of the shift to an invisible battlefield, where software, networks and the electromagnetic spectrum are critical to success. With this laser communications technology and other systems, Exelis is focusing on four strategic growth platforms — critical networks; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and analytics; electronic warfare; and aerostructures — to meet customers’ needs and position the company competitively.

http://seawavesmagazine.blogspot.fr/2013/11/exelis-completes-us-naval-research.html

Citation :

Boeing gets first AH-6i production contract




Boeing announced at Dubai Airshow 2013 that it had recently signed an agreement that will lead to the production of AH-6i light attack helicopters for an undisclosed customer.
The AH-6i is the export version of the AH-6S that Boeing developed for the US Army's now-cancelled Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Program.
The only country that has formally requested the AH-6i is Saudi Arabia. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress in October 2010 of a proposed sale of 36 of the helicopters for the Saudi Arabia National Guard. Boeing told IHS Jane's in January that this deal was in the process of being finalised.
Jordan signed a letter of intent to purchase 18 AH-6is with an option for another six during the Special Operations Forum and Exhibition (SOFEX) in 2010, but no further progress has been reported on this deal.

http://www.janes.com/article/30722/boeing-gets-first-ah-6i-production-contract

Citation :

Northrop lance l’assemblage du premier Global Hawk pour l’Otan  

 Le 05/12/2013 à 12:56   | Par Duncan Macrae  


Global Hawk de l'US Air Force dans la version Block 20.  

C’est l’aboutissement d’un programme initié il y plus de 20 ans. Northrop Grumman annonce avoir commencé la production du premier drone Global Hawk pour le programme Otan AGS (Alliance Ground Surveillance, ou surveillance terrestre pour l’Alliance) dans son usine de Moss Point dans le Mississippi.

Le système AGS s’appuiera sur une flotte de cinq Global Hawk Block 40 dont le rôle est de fournir des informations quasiment en temps réel sur l’évolution de la situation tactique terrestre ou maritime dans le cadre de missions militaires ou civiles/militaires conduites par l’Otan, y compris dans le cadre de missions humanitaires ou de maintien de la paix. L'absence de moyens de renseignement de ce type, que seuls les Etats-Unis et le Royaume-Uni étaient alors capables de mettre en œuvre, avait été mise en évidence par exemple lors de l'intervention de l'Otan en Libye.

Conçus pour évoluer à une altitude de 18 000 m pendant 30 heures, les appareils seront équipés notamment du radar de surveillance aéroporté MP-RTIP à balayage électronique actif, un capteur multirôle (air-air/air-sol) à très haute résolution. Côté européen, l’équipe AGS industrielle comprend Cassidian, Selex ES et Kongsberg. La base aérienne de Sigonella (Sicile) avait été retenue en 2009 pour l'accueil des drones ainsi que du centre d'exploitation des données recueillies par ces appareils.

Le contrat pour l’achat des cinq RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 avait été signé en mai 2012. L'achat des drones et des équipements associés, ainsi que la formation du personnel, représente un coût de plus d'un milliard d'euros, selon l'Otan. Quinze pays au total contribuent au financement : l'Allemagne, la Bulgarie, le Danemark, l'Estonie, les Etats-Unis, l'Italie, la Lettonie, la Lituanie, le Luxembourg, la Norvège, la Pologne, la République tchèque, la Roumanie, la Slovaquie et la Slovénie. Mais les coûts opérationnels seront pris en charge par l'ensemble des 28 Etats membres.

Dans cette liste on notera l’absence de deux poids lourds européens : la France et la Grande Bretagne. La France s'est engagée pour sa part à contribuer en nature au programme en fournissant dès 2017 un drone Male équipé d'un radar à synthèse d'ouverture pour la détection de cibles mobiles (SAr/MtI). Du côté britannique c’est l’incertitude, puisque Londres envisageait de contribuer en nature avec ses cinq avions Sentinel R1, disposant d'un puissant radar SAR/GMTI développé par Raytheon. Mais l’avenir de cette plateforme a été remis en question par la dernière revue stratégique de défense.

Paradoxalement, après l'échec de l'Euro Hawk (basé sur la version Block 20 du Global Hawk) en Allemagne, officiellement à cause d'une interdiction de vol dans le ciel allemand, Berlin reste le premier contributeur financier du programme AGS.

Depuis sa naissance en 1992, le programme AGS a survécu, sur fond d'imbroglios politico-industriels, aux réajustements et réorientations décrétés au fil des ans. A un moment il était envisagé de partager le programme entre l’Europe et les Etats-Unis avec l'acquisition de quatre Airbus A321, dotés du Transatlantic Cooperation AGS Radar (Tcar), et quatre drones RQ-4B. Une solution abandonnée en 2007 pour réduire la facture globale.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/northrop-lance-l-assemblage-du-premier-global-hawk-pour-l-otan.html

Citation :

Boeing et Saab veulent remplacer le T-38  

Le 06/12/2013 à 11:27   | Par Guillaume Steuer



Boeing et l'avionneur suédois Saab ont annoncé ce matin la signature d'un accord pour le développement conjoint d'un nouvel avion d'entraînement à réaction afin de répondre aux besoins de l'US Air Force, qui entend remplacer ses T-38 Talon au cours de la prochaine décennie. Un marché potentiel "d'environ 350" appareils, selon les deux partenaires.

De sources suédoises, on indique que ce nouvel appareil "n'aura absolument aucun lien avec le Gripen, de quelque manière que ce soit". Et d'ajouter que le concept actuellement à l'étude n'est en rien "un Gripen au rabais". Depuis longtemps, Boeing a fait savoir qu'il favorisait une proposition fondée sur un appareil entièrement nouveau, afin de pouvoir coller au mieux aux futurs besoins qui seront exprimés par l'USAF pour le remplacement de ses Talon. Une image conceptuelle (crédit Flight) d'un petit biplace en tandem à voilure haute et empennage papillon a même été présentée par l'avionneur à plusieurs reprises.

Dans ce programme, Saab apporterait au géant américain son savoir-faire dans le domaine des process de fabrication "lean" et sa capacité - démontrée plusieurs fois au cours du programme Gripen - à travailler sur de petites séries d'appareils et à de faibles cadences de production.

Pour l'heure, aucune date n'a été avancée par l'US Air Force pour la notification d'un contrat dans le cadre du programme T-X. Un appel d'offres (RFP) pourrait toutefois être lancé en 2016 pour une mise en service en 2023.

Le timing de l'annonce serait lié à la réglementation suédoise qui impose aux sociétés locales de justifier dans certains cas le lancement de nouveaux investissements. Ce qui signifierait donc que Saab, comme Boeing, a déjà commencé à réfléchir sérieusement au sujet sur fonds propres.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/industrie/boeing-et-saab-veulent-remplacer-le-t-38.html  

Citation :

F/A-18 Super Hornet : une ligne de production en sursis  

Le 12/12/2013 à 17:05   | Par François Julian  

 Boeing devra prendre une décision d'ici mars prochain quant à l'avenir de la ligne de production du F/A-18 Super Hornet. C'est qu'a récemment révélé la direction du Boeing.

Actuellement, le constructeur américain possède un carnet de commandes (backlog) d'une petite centaine d'avions, lui permettant d'assurer la production du Super Hornet et du E/A-18G Growler (la version de guerre électronique) jusqu'à 2016. Faute de commandes supplémentaires, Boeing devra ensuite fermer la ligne de production.

Néanmoins, l'industriel américain ne l'entend pas vraiment de cette oreille et espère obtenir d'ici là une nouvelle commande de la part de l'US Navy pour 75 à 150 avions supplémentaires. Il y a également la perspective d'un nouveau contrat export, en provenance du Brésil, du Canada, de la Malaisie, du Danemark voire du Moyen-Orient.

Sauf que pour le moment, rien de tout cela n'est signé. Et parallèlement, Boeing est confronté à une autre échéance portant sur le cycle de production de son avion, qui est d'environ deux ans. Il est notamment nécessaire de décider dès maintenant de l'achat de composants spécifiques, comme le titane, pour le construction de ces hypothétiques nouveaux avions.

D'où la nécessité de décider, d'ici mars prochain, s'il faut arrêter ou poursuivre la production de ce biréacteur embarqué. La balle est désormais dans le camp du Congrès américain, qui doit justement commencer à plancher sur le budget de la défense américain pour l'année fiscale 2015.

L'usine d'assemblage de Saint-Louis (Missouri) fabrique chaque année 48 Super Hornet et Growler. Le Super Hornet a été commandé à 580 exemplaires par l'US Navy, auquel il faut ajouter 135 Growler. L'Australie a pour sa part commandé 24 F/A-18F (biplace) et 12 EA-18G Growler.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/f-a-18-super-hornet-une-ligne-de-production-en-sursis.html  

Citation :

Textron prend le contrôle de l'avionneur Beechcraft  



Un communiqué de presse (à lire ici : http://investor.textron.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=110047&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1886990&highlight=) confirme que Textron a pris le contrôle de Beech Holdings, LLC, la maison-mère de Beechcraft Corporation (producteur de l'AT-6, photo ci-dessus Beechcraft), pour 1,4 milliard de dollars.

Textron, qui se situe vers la 20e place des plus grands contractors du DoD, possède déjà Cessna et Bell Helicopter.

Au-delà l'achat de Beechcraft, c'est le positionnement de Textron qui mérite un coup d'œil.

Sa filiale Textron Systems rassemble des équipementiers et prestataires de services comme AAI Logistics & Technical Services (MCO de drones), AAI Test & Training, AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones Shadow), Aerosonde (drones, Australie), ESL Defence (guerre électronique, GB), Lycoming Engines, Medical Numerics, MillenWorks, Overwatch, Textron Defense Systems and Textron Marine & Land Systems.



Textron Systems (via AAI) appartient donc à la cohorte des prestataires de services qui mettent en œuvre des drones pour le compte des armées US . Autres compagnies dans ce créneau: Merlin RAMCo qui travaille à Djibouti pour le compte de l'Air Force et du SOCOM, AeroVironment, InSitu, Battlespace Inc., USSC (Northrop Grumman), ISR Group...

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2013/12/27/textron-prend-le-controle-de-beechcraft-10923.html

Citation :

Le Pentagone autorise les métaux spéciaux chinois pour le F-35




Le Pentagone a renoncé à interdire l’utilisation de métaux spéciaux fabriqués en Chine, au Japon (et ailleurs) dans la fabrication du F-35 Lightning II.
Joe DellaVedova, porte-parole du Joint Program Office (JPO) du programme JSF pour le gouvernement américain, a déclaré que le Pentagone a publié une série de dérogations pour l’utilisation des métaux à compter de novembre 2012 jusqu’en avril 2013. Cette dérogation temporaire concerne notamment l’utilisation de métaux chinois qui suscite des préoccupations liées à la croissance de l’armée chinoise.
Des métaux spéciaux comme le zirconium sont utilisés dans les aimants du F-35. Ils nécessitent des dérogations car ils proviennent de pays hors des États-Unis, ce qui les rend « non-conformes » à la loi américaine*.
Ces dérogations ont été accordées par le Pentagone car l’identification d’autres fournisseurs auraient pris un temps précieux pour le programme F-35.


« Il n’y avait pas de risque lié à l’utilisation de ces matériaux et le temps nécessaire pour requalifier un aimant haute performance conforme aurait entraîné des retards importants au programme », a déclaré M. DellaVedova le 6 janvier.
Les responsables du programme JSF souhaitent accélérer le calendrier de développement du F-35 qui accuse déjà un sérieux retard sans parler des dérives budgétaires pour les États-Unis et les huit pays partenaires.
« Il n’y a aucun risque de transfert de technologie ou d’une autre violation de la sécurité associée à ces problèmes de conformité de fabrication », a précisé M. DellaVedova. « Le JPO des États-Unis travaille avec l’industrie pour mettre en place des solutions à long terme pour éviter de futures dérogations. »
On ignore quels autres pays hormis la Chine et le Japon ont fourni des métaux spéciaux pour le F-35.
Les métaux spéciaux sont utilisés dans l’industrie pour améliorer les caractéristiques des alliages. C’est le cas du zirconium qui améliore les qualités magnétiques des aimants supra-conducteurs et que la Chine produit de façon significative pour son marché intérieur. Le titane est aussi utilisé pour sa bio-compatiblité et constitue aujourd’hui 6 à 9% de la masse des avions. Enfin, le molybdène est utilisé pour l’anti-corrosion.
* La loi des États-Unis interdit l’achat de métaux spéciaux dédiés aux armes provenant de l’extérieur des États-Unis depuis 1973. En 2006, une autre loi interdit l’achat de composants qui incluent les métaux spéciaux.



Une barre de zirconium (1 cm³).


http://info-aviation.com/?p=16047

Citation :

Raytheon Wins $156 Million SM-3 Block IB Missile Contract


Raytheon has won a $156 million contract to procure 8 Standard Missile-3 Block IB missile material and all up round build up.
The SM-3IB is scheduled to begin deployment in 2015, but this new contract modification will have Raytheon continuing to deliver missiles to MDA through September 2016.
The SM-3IB is a new version of Raytheon's venerable Standard surface-to-air missile, which aims to enhance the original Standard Missile's effectiveness with enhanced, two-color infrared target seeking, and the ability to use short bursts of precision propulsion to steer the missile toward incoming targets.


http://www.defenseworld.net/news/9793/Raytheon_Wins__156_Million_SM_3_Block_IB_Missile_Contract#.UtB95vKA3aA        

Citation :

Huntington Ingalls To Provide Support For US Navy Aircraft Carriers

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that its AMSEC LLC subsidiary has won a contract to provide maintenance, training and planning support for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), cost-plus-fixed-fee contract contains a one-year base period with four one-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to about $135 million.
"AMSEC continues to respond to our customer's needs and enhance our services to meet the Navy's requirements," said Harris Leonard, HII vice president and president of AMSEC operations. "We look forward to building on our record of superior service to the Naval Sea Systems Command and the naval fleet they support."
AMSEC will furnish engineering services, maintenance and operator training as well as technical and repair services in support of maintenance and planning for the overhaul, modernization and repair of shipboard elevators, cargo-handling equipment and associated systems installed within U.S.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/9800/Huntington_Ingalls_To_Provide_Support_For_US_Navy_Aircraft_Carriers#.UtB-kfKA3aA

Citation :

Lockheed Drops AMDR Protest




WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin’s decades of dominance as the single primary supplier for the Aegis combat system are officially over now that the company has dropped its protest of the US Navy’s decision to award Raytheon a contract to build a new radar for the system.
“Lockheed Martin protested the Navy’s award of the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) contract because we believed the merits of our offering were not properly considered during the evaluation process,” spokesman Keith Little said Jan. 10. “While we believe that we put forward an industry-leading solution, after receiving additional information we have determined it’s in the best interest of the Navy and Lockheed Martin to withdraw our protest.”
Lockheed and Raytheon, along with Northrop Grumman, had been in a fierce contest for the AMDR, which is to be installed in new Aegis destroyers and cruisers starting in 2016. The Navy’s choice of Raytheon, announced Oct. 10, stunned Lockheed, which has had a lock on the valuable Aegis franchise since the system was developed starting in the late 1970s. Sources said Northrop Grumman — which, according to the Navy, also made a very credible run in the competition — was also annoyed, having seen Lockheed as the frontrunner.
Lockheed last year beat off competition from Raytheon and Boeing to take over management of the Aegis system. The Combat System Engineering Agent contract awarded March 4 gave the company management rights over Aegis through May 2018, when the Navy will award another five-year contract.
Raytheon, as a subcontractor, already produces key components of the Aegis system. The company also makes the Standard surface-to-air missiles that equip all Aegis cruisers and destroyers.
Under the AMDR award, Raytheon will receive up to $1.63 billion to develop, test and deliver the new radar, which will replace SPY-1 radars in new Aegis ships. The initial contract announced Oct. 10 is a $385.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract, using $157 million in fiscal 2013 funding already appropriated. The Navy is asking for $240 million in AMDR research-and-development funding in the 2014 budget request, still to be approved by Congress.
“We are ready to move forward with the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the AMDR,” Cmdr. Thurraya Kent, a spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said Jan. 10. “We look forward to continuing our work with industry to bring this much-needed next generation capability to the war fighter.”
The Navy is anxious to get going on AMDR development. The radar is set to be installed on the second of two DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers scheduled to be ordered in 2016. Current destroyers are designed to the Flight IIA standard; the AMDR will mark the beginning of Flight III construction.
The protest has not delayed production, Kent said.
“In accordance with the applicable regulations, the contracting officer suspended performance of the AMDR contract pending resolution of the protest,” she said. “The contracting officer planned for potential changes in the AMDR award schedule, so at this time, there is no immediate impact on the delivery date or schedule.”
Raytheon said it’s ready to go.
“The Raytheon team and its plans are in place, ready to move forward on the program,” spokeswoman Carolyn Beaudry said Jan. 10. “Our focus is now dedicated to delivering this critical AMDR capability to the Navy.”

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140110/DEFREG02/301100020

Citation :

Lockheed Outlines Freedom-Class Improvements




Follow-on versions of the Lockheed Martin Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will incorporate numerous improvements based on lessons from operational deployments.
“With each one of these ships produced, we continue to increase our efficiency,” Joe North, Lockheed’s vice-president for the LCS program told a group of reporters on Monday ahead of the Surface Navy Association’s 2014 symposium.
“Reducing not only production costs as a goal, but we’re trying to reduce sustainment costs at the same time.”
USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) will be deployed to South East for 16 months in the fall of 2014, North said.
Compared to recently returned USS Freedom (LCS-1), Fort Worth has increased fuel-efficiency, speed and payloads thanks to extended water-jet tunnels.
The improved water-jets will be carried forward on the follow-on vessels of the class, North said. Fort Worth also has an improved launch handling and recovery system and new satellite communications system with increased bandwidth.
Additionally, the ship has a next-generation visual landing aid system for its embarked helicopters, North said.
Fort Worth also has an airborne mission zone added on the starboard-side of the vessel’s hangar. The change allows the Navy to remove containers full of spare helicopter parts and saves over 20 tons of weight. It also allows room for a second helicopter.
Lockheed and the Navy are also working improved corrosion control for the LCS and structural improvements to the ships that will be fitted on all vessels starting on Fort Worth.
Milwaukee (LCS-5) — which will be the third Freedom-class ship — will add an electrical starter for the ship’s gas turbine engines, North said.
The new starter reduces both cost and weight, he added. Further, Milwaukee has improved axial-flow water-jets that reduce cavitation and further improve speed. “That was an ONR [Office of Naval Research] project,” North said. “It came out in time for Milwaukee, it’s on [LCS-5] and following.”
Milwaukee will also have a smaller side door that will be similar in size to a cargo door on an amphibious assault ship. The change came as a result of operational feedback from the fleet, North said.
Milwaukee, which was launched on Dec. 18, is expected to cost about $360 million and will be delivered to the Navy in 2015.
Once Milwaukee becomes operational, feedback from the operational crews will be fed back into the production line. But the Navy and Lockheed will not break production to incorporate changes, so modifications will be added to later hulls that not currently being built. Starting with the hull number Nine, the ships will be produced using improved manufacturing techniques.

http://news.usni.org/2014/01/14/lockheed-outlines-freedom-class-improvements

Citation :

Littoral Ship Production: Full Speed Ahead




WASHINGTON — The US capital’s politics are a mess, the Pentagon is muddled and observers might be excused for thinking that naval development is stalled. But out in the manufacturing yards that supply the US Navy with ships, the atmosphere is anything but quiet. Quite the contrary, from New England to Virginia to the Gulf Coast and elsewhere, shipyards have hired workers, expanded and improved facilities and — at least for now — are humming at near-full-rate production.
Key to this activity are the two major littoral programs, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). While the future of the Navy’s planned 52-ship total LCS buy is in question, Lockheed Martin’s Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipbuilding partner and Austal USA in mid-December each launched the first ship of a 10-ship block buy contract, and the last of those ships won’t be delivered until after 2020. Austal is also cooking with the JHSV — the third ship of 10 is about to be delivered, and the fourth will soon hit the water.
At the other yards, the restart of the DDG 51 destroyer program is in swing at General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works and at the Ingalls yard of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), and Bath also has in hand all three DDG 1000-class ships. Ingalls is rolling with National Security Cutter production for the Coast Guard, is at work on the 10th and 11th units of the LPD 17 amphibious ship program, is about to deliver the assault ship America and is working on the next ship of that class.
The submarine builders at GD’s Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News yards are working on two ships per year, and Newport News is working on four aircraft carriers — the newly launched Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and its follow-on CVN 79, the Abraham Lincoln’s three-year refueling overhaul, and initial dismantling of the decommissioned Enterprise. GD’s National Steel and Shipbuilding yard in San Diego is working on three mobile landing platform/afloat staging base ships and has a new commercial contract in hand.
Highlighting these developments, we talk in this issue with the Navy’s director of surface warfare, the head of the Ingalls and Austal USA shipyards, and with the Navy’s top acquisition official.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140113/DEFREG02/301130040/Littoral-Ship-Production-Full-Speed-Ahead

Citation :

Navy Research Ship for Woods Hole Nears Completion

A new Navy research vessel, named for the first astronaut on the moon, will call Woods Hole its home port when it is completed later this year.

Construction of the R/V Neil Armstrong began nearly a year and a half ago, in August, 2012, at a shipyard in Anacortes, WA.

After its completion, expected later this year, the ship will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

"The R/V Neil Armstrong is the first oceanographic research vessel named for a space explorer, but the link between space exploration and ocean science is not new," according to a WHOI statement.

"Each of NASA’s space shuttles was named for a famous oceanographic vessel, including the space shuttle Atlantis, whose namesake, the WHOI ketch Atlantis, was the first U.S. ship built for ocean research."

The 238-foot Navy ship will "serve a pressing need for a new general-purpose research vessel based on the East Coast of the United States and will be deployed for a wide variety of oceanographic and ocean engineering missions,” said WHOI Vice President for Marine Operations Rob Munier when the ship's name was announced in September, 2012.

The Neil Armstrong "is also expected to support new initiatives in ocean observing in high latitudes, as well as new efforts to study North Atlantic ecosystems and their sustainability,” Munier continued.

A status update posted Friday on the WHOI Facebook page, including a photo of the ship under construction and the words "Won't be long now ... " had by Monday morning been shared close to 100 times and received nearly 800 likes and 35 comments.



http://falmouth.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/navy-research-ship-for-woods-hole-nears-completion

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Completes Critical Milestone To Upgrade US Navy’s Electronic Warfare Defenses

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1491

Citation :

Boeing assembles final KC-46A test aircraft


Boeing is now assembling the last of four KC-46A test aircraft that the company is producing for the US Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling tanker programme, the Chicago-based company announces.
Boeing says the completion of the fourth test aircraft puts the company on tack to deliver an initial 18 tankers to the USAF by 2017.
“All four test aircraft are moving through production to support our transition to ground and flight testing later this year,” says the company in a media release.
The first flight of a 767-2C test aircraft – the commercial variant of the KC-46 – will take place by the middle of this year and will be followed by the first flight of a KC-46A equipped with refueling systems by early 2015, Boeing says.
The company adds that it expects to deliver the first production aircraft to the USAF in 2016.
The USAF has orders and options to acquire a total of 179 KC-46As through 2027.
The aircraft is derived from Boeing’s [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing 767.html]767[/url] passenger jetliner and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 turbofans.
In addition to serving as an aerial refueling tanker, KC-46As can be configured to accommodate cargo or up to 114 passengers, or to serve as an aero-medical evacuation aircraft, says Boeing.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-assembles-final-kc-46a-test-aircraft-394946/

Citation :

Sandia conducts rocket-driven impact testing of B61 non-nuclear components



Sandia National Laboratories has conducted a rocket-driven impact testing of the B61 Mod 11 (B61-11) strategic bomb's non-nuclear components at its Coyote Canyon Test Complex (CCTC) in New Mexico, US.
 
During testing, Sandia researchers hoisted a B61-11 ground-penetrating weapon high above the concrete target by attaching it to a rocket sled capable of thousands of pounds of thrust.
 
The bomb was fitted with instruments for validation of system performance as it slammed into the target, and was cooled to an internal and external temperature far below 0°F, and also de-iced twice for the test.
 
Sandia National Laboratories senior manager Patrick Sena said the preliminary data indicated the test met the requirements of the worst-case conditions the bomb is expected to address with high reliability.
 
''One of the main purposes of the stockpile is deterrence, so one important way to assure deterrence is to have a successful surveillance test that shows our systems work,'' Sena said.
 
Carried out following a series of calibration tests and qualifying reviews, the test represented the bomb's first such rocket-driven impact testing in the last seven years, and the data is expected to be used to update the annual assessment of the US's stockpile for President Barack Obama.

''Data from flight tests is precious because it is from a single shot device,'' Sena said.
 
Designed and manufactured by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the B61 is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear bomb featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design, and is designed for carriage by high-speed aircraft.
 
The bomb has been deployed by a range of US military's B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, F/A-18 Hornet, F-111 Aardvark and F-4 Phantom II fighter bombers, A-4 Skyhawk, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, as well as the UK, German and Italian Tornado interdiction/strike (IDS) aircraft.

http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newssandia-conducts-rocket-driven-impact-testing-of-b61-non-nuclear-components-4160550