16.11.13 humanoides.fr

Lockheed Martin a dévoilé début novembre le SR-72, un projet de drone militaire hypersonique. Capable d’atteindre la vitesse vertigineuse de Mach 6, ce nouvel appareil est secrètement préparé par le bureau d’études Skunk Works.

Après le drone UCAV Sea Ghost présenté en avril dernier, Lockheed Martin a l’intention de relever un défi technologique inédit : concevoir un drone de reconnaissance qui volera tellement vite, qu’aucun système radar n’aura le temps de le détecter. La furtivité par la vitesse…

Six fois la vitesse du son

Le système de propulsion sera le principal défi de ce projet. Lockheed Martin en collaboration avec Aerojet Rocketdyne a prévu d’équiper le SR-72 d’un turboréacteur pour monter de 0 à 3000 km/h, associé à un statoréacteur qui prendra le relais jusqu’à Mach 6, soit 7350 km/h. Ce système de cycle combiné atteignant cette vitesse n’existe pas encore, mais la DARPA, la NASA et l’US Air Force ont déjà mené des recherches similaires pour l’avion supersonique des années 70 à 90, le mythique Blackbird SR-71.

Lockheed Martin envisage le calendrier suivant : construire un démonstrateur de taille réduite, une vingtaine de mètres, d’ici 2018, avant d’envisager la construction du véritable appareil qui aurait une longueur d’environ 30 mètres. Lockheed Martin table sur une mise en service du SR-72 pas avant 2030.

L’engin sans pilote pourra être armé et embarquer des missiles de croisière dits High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), pour frapper n’importe quel point du globe en moins d’une heure.

17/11 LesEchos.fr (AFP)

Le secrétaire américain à la Défense Chuck Hagel s'est inquiété samedi des effets des coupes budgétaires sur les capacités opérationnelles futures de l'armée, moins entraînée et donc moins en mesure de répondre à des crises.

Au-delà de la baisse attendue du budget du Pentagone, la mise en place de coupes automatiques supplémentaires, faute d'accord au Congrès sur la réduction de la dette, met le Pentagone dans une situation dont il risque de mettre des années à se relever, a mis en garde M. Hagel lors d'une conférence à Simi Valley (Californie).

Ces coupes automatiques, de 52 milliards en 2014, soit 10% du budget du Pentagone, pourraient atteindre 500 milliards sur dix ans.

Or, certaines dépenses comme les soldes et prestations des militaires ou la nécessité de maintenir le niveau de préparation des troupes amenées à être déployées en Afghanistan étant incompressibles, les budgets dévolus à l'entraînement ou à la maintenance sont davantage touchés.

"Le résultat est une perte disproportionné dans la capacité opérationnelle au cours des prochaines années", a expliqué le chef du Pentagone, selon qui les effets se feront sentir à long-terme.

"En continuant d'annuler l'entraînement de troupes qui ne sont pas sur le point de se déployer, le retard par rapport au niveau d'entraînement requis s'accumulera et nous risquons de mettre des années à nous en remettre".

Au bout du compte, la portion de l'armée jugée prête à répondre à une crise diminuera, a-t-il affirmé.

Les coupes automatiques, qui ont commencé à être mis en oeuvre en 2013 à hauteur de 37 milliards de dollars, ont déjà conduit à une baisse globale de 10% de la présence des navires américains en mer.

L'armée de Terre n'a elle que "deux brigades de combat d'active sur 43 prêtes et disponibles à mener une opération de combats de haute intensité", selon le ministre, qui a également mentionné une baisse de 25% du nombre de grands exercices annuels dans l'armée de l'Air.

L'intervention massive de l'armée américaine en faveur des sinistrés du typhon Haiyan aux Philippines a été possible "parce que depuis des années, nous avons mis la priorité sur l'entraînement, l'équipement et à la préparation à des scénarios tels que cette catastrophe naturelle", a-t-il encore noté, appelant le Congrès à la conclusion d'un accord entre républicains et démocrates pour mettre fin à cette "façon irresponsable de gouverner"

MOSCOU, 14 novembre - RIA Novosti

La Grande-Bretagne a invité la flotte russe du Nord à participer aux exercices internationaux FRUKUS 2014, a annoncé jeudi Vadim Serga, porte-parole de la région militaire russe de l'Ouest à l'issue d'une visite de l'attaché naval britannique David Fields à Mourmansk.

"M.Fields a proposé au commandement de la flotte du Nord d'étudier la possibilité qu'un navire de la flotte participe aux exercices internationaux FRUKUS qui se tiendront à la mi-2014", a indiqué le porte-parole.

Cette année, la corvette Steregouchtchi de la flotte de la Baltique a représenté la Russie aux exercices FRUKUS qui engagent tous les ans des navires de France, de Russie, du Royaume-Uni et des USA).

Une délégation diplomatique britannique a effectué une visite à la base de la flotte du Nord les 13 et 14 novembre. L'attaché naval David Fields et le chef d'état-major de la flotte du Nord, l'amiral Nikolaï Evmenov ont discuté de la coopération entre la flotte du Nord et la Marine britannique lors d'opérations de sauvetage en mer, de gestion des catastrophes naturelles et technique et de lutte contre le terrorisme international.

La première édition des manœuvres FRUKUS s'est déroulée en 1988, à l'époque de l'URSS. Ils se sont poursuivis en 1993, dans le cadre d'un accord tripartite entre la Russie, la Grande-Bretagne et les Etats-Unis. Avant l'adhésion de la France à ce programme en 2003, ils s'appelaient RUKUS.

14/11/2013 Par Duncan Macrae – Air & Cosmos

Les restrictions budgétaires 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 %.

November 14, 2013: Strategy Page

The U.S. Navy is equipping 40 of its CH-53E transport helicopters with lightweight armor kits that will provide protection from bullets and shell fragments. The CSA (Critical Systems Armor) uses lightweight materials (usually composites) and only protects areas of the helicopter known to be critical. These modular vehicle/aircraft composite armor systems have become increasingly popular in the last decade for helicopters and low flying fixed wing aircraft (like American AC-130 gunships). Flying low, aircraft are vulnerable to damage from rifles and machine-guns (especially the larger 12.7mm and 14.5mm ones), especially if the bullet his one of the crew or a vital component. These protection systems depend on two techniques to give maximum protection with minimal weight.

The most critical technique is to use an old World War II solution for protecting bombers from the effects of anti-aircraft fire (mainly the shell fragments). The American and British researchers used the newly developed operations research techniques to come up with a practical solution. Aircraft that returned from these missions were examined and the location of all damage was noted. Then the locations were counted and a drawing of the bomber type made with the damage locations noted. The armor was placed in those locations where there was no damage as that’s where shell fragments obviously hit in all the thousands of bombers that were shot down. So with less than a ton of armor per aircraft, losses were noticeably reduced. This technique has been used to design protection systems for helicopters and other aircraft. The armor panels are placed where they would do the most good. The second difference is that the modern armor is not metal (like the World War II stuff) but lighter (and more expensive) composites. This stuff provides the same protection at half the weight. Thus a square meter of composite armor weighs about 37 kg (81.4 pounds or 8 pounds per square foot).

These armor kits are designed to be quickly attached. More, or less, armor can be installed, depending on what type of threat is expected. In many combat zones the enemy has few, if any, heavy (12.7mm and 14.5mm) machine-guns. This means the aircraft can reduce the weight of armor to be carried and the time involved in installing and uninstalling it. The weight is important and it has an impact on how long the aircraft can stay in the air.  This type of armor has already been used in helicopters and larger transports like the C-130, C-141 and C-17.

The CH-53E entered service in the early 1980s and is in the process of being replaced by the CH-53K. This version is sixteen percent heavier (at 42.3 tons) than the CH-53E and able to carry nearly twice as much (13.5 tons). The CH-53K will be much easier to maintain and cost about half as much per flight hour to operate. The K version will probably also get protection kits when they enter service before the end of the decade.

Nov 14, 2013 ASDNews Source : AFPS

Four additional MV-22B Ospreys have deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, to support Operation Damayan, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.

As of yesterday, 129,000 pounds of relief supplies had been distributed, and hundreds of displaced persons had been relocated to the Philippine capital of Manila, officials said.

The additional Ospreys, which bring the total to eight for this deployment, will assist the U.S. Marines and sailors from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force’s 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade who already had deployed to provide a wide range of relief efforts. The Ospreys are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor 262, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.

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13/11/2013 Sources : EMA

Du 27 octobre au 7 novembre 2013, les équipages de l’escadron de chasse 3/11 « CORSE » des forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFDj) ont accueilli les équipages américains de trois AV-8B Harrier de l’escadron « Black Sheep », afin de réaliser une période d’entraînement aux opérations aériennes conjointes.

Les sept pilotes et vingt-six mécaniciens qui arment les trois AV-8B Harrier de l’escadron « Black Sheep » ont été accueillis par l’escadron de chasse 3/11 « CORSE », avec lequel ils ont participé à un exercice conjoint de deux semaines. Cet exercice a été conduit alors que l’escadron américain, appartenant à la Marine Expeditionary unit (MEU), se trouvait en mission à Djibouti.

La période d’exercice a débuté par un vol de familiarisation. Ce vol a permis aux pilotes de comparer les performances aéronautiques de leurs avions respectifs, mais également leurs capacités opérationnelles. Français et Américains ont par la suite réalisé de nombreuses missions d’entraînement conjoint, couvrant un large spectre des modes d’actions aériens : de l’appui-feu à l’assaut en passant par des missions de défense et de supériorité aérienne.

Les pilotes d’AV-8B possèdent une riche expérience en combat air-sol, mission qui constitue le cœur de leur domaine d’emploi. Les entraînements air-sol furent donc l’occasion d’échanges particulièrement fructueux entre les équipages français et américains. Que ce soit lors d’exercice ou en cas d’engagement opérationnel, ces exercices renforcent la capacité opérationnelle puisque l’adhésion aux standards OTAN constitue aujourd’hui un gage d’interopérabilité.

Les FFDj mènent régulièrement des actions de coopération avec les forces américaines présentes à Djibouti. Ainsi, les militaires américains peuvent profiter des installations d’entraînement des FFDj, notamment le centre d’entraînement au combat et d’aguerrissement de Djibouti (CECAD). Plus généralement, ce centre accueille les unités permanentes ou en mission de courte durée des FFDj, les unités ou écoles de métropole, les forces djiboutiennes et étrangères. Enfin, les états-majors des FFDj et de CJTF-HOA (Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of  Africa) se réunissent régulièrement afin de coordonner l’ensemble de leurs activités à Djibouti.

Dans le cadre des accords de défense entre la République de Djibouti et la France, les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFDJ) constituent depuis 2011 la base opérationnelle avancée française sur la côte Est de l’Afrique. Les FFDJ participent au dispositif militaire français prépositionné permettant de disposer d’un réservoir de forces pouvant être projetées rapidement en cas de crise. Parmi leurs missions, les FFDj apportent un soutien logistique essentiel au profit des bâtiments français et étrangers engagés dans les opérations de lutte contre la piraterie, notamment l’opération Atalante (soutien des bâtiments de guerre et des actions de patrouille maritime, soutien santé), ainsi qu’à la République de Djibouti dans le cadre de sa mobilisation contre la piraterie.

November 13, 2013 defense-update.com

Officials at the 174th Attack Wing suspended all Reaper drone flights in Central New York yesterday after one of the MQ-9 unmanned aircraft crashed into Lake Ontario about 12 miles from the eastern shore, during a routine training flight. The 174th, the only attack wing in the total Air Force, began flying the MQ-9 remotely piloted vehicle in 2009. The last two F-16s flown by the wing left Syracuse in 2010. The Reaper that crashed Tuesday was unarmed and had been in the air about three hours when it went down in the lake. It was one of two drones that took off from Fort Drum, outside Watertown, during a training exercise. The other drone returned safely.

The drone crashed into the lake about 20 miles northeast of the Port of Oswego, and about 12 miles from the eastern shore. No decision has been made yet on when Reaper training flights will resume. the Syracuse.com reported.

The 174th Attack Wing flies the Reapers unarmed, across a wide swath of Upstate New York, from west of Rochester eastward to near Blue Mountain Lake, and from Syracuse north to the Massena area. The drones fly at 18,000 feet in airspace that is off limits to commercial aircraft. When the drones carry missiles, they are restricted to military air space in Northern New York.

The unit also flies MQ-9s in the skies above Afghanistan from an operations center at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base. The next step in the 174th’s transition to full-up MQ-9 operations is to fly the aircraft directly from Hancock Field. That should occur next summer, said Col. Greg Semmel, the 174th Attack Wing commander. The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a request to fly Reapers out of Hancock Field north of Syracuse, but thus far has not granted it.

The 174th Attack Wing has been operating the MQ-9 at Fort Drum since 2009 and has been using hangar space belonging to the 10th Mountain Division‘s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. This space did not allow enough hangar space to shelter all aircraft needed for flying operations and conduct routine maintenance on the aircraft.

The Wing has recently established a new base for its MQ-9 “Reaper” operations at Fort Drum’s Wheeler Sack Army Airfield. where the wing now operates a Launch and Recovery Element hangar. This hangar provides space to house and maintain two of the four MQ-9 aircraft the wing bases at Wheeler Sack. The new hangar took nine months to build and uses green technology to keep heating costs down in northern New York’s harsh winters.

The 174th trains MQ-9 maintainers at its Field Training Detachment at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse and uses Wheeler Sack Army Airfield to train MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators at its Formal Training Unit. The MQ-9 crews practice takeoff and landings from the airfield and drop live and inert munitions at the air-ground range the wing operates at Fort Drum.

The new hangar is the first step in a series of Air National Guard building projects planned for Wheeler Sack Army Airfield. The 174th Attack Wing plans to build a second hangar in the coming year to support launch and recovery operations which will allow MQ-9 operations to move completely out of the Army facilities.

Beyond Bullet Resistant Plates, Revision currently supplies the DND with Ballistic Eyewear (both spectacles and goggles) as well as best-in-class helmets, all in service of protecting Canadian soldiers.

November 7, 2013 David Pugliese - Defence Watch

News release from Revision:

Montreal, QC, Canada (November 7 2013) – Revision Military, the global leader in soldier protection solutions, has won the competitive bid to supply the Canadian Forces with new, lighter weight ballistic plates. This body armor will provide troops with superior, highly durable protection while lightening their in-theatre load. Initial deliveries for this contract are anticipated for April 2014. The contract also includes 5 option years.

In addition to the Batlskin® Bullet Resistant Plates, the contract calls for the supply of special training plates along with a carrier in which soldiers can readily transport this equipment when it’s not required to be worn.

“We are extremely proud that after several years of Research and Development on this program, Revision’s bid has been selected to supply Canada’s soldiers with plates that exceed the highest industry standards and the company’s rigorous Quality Assurance Plans,” said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision Military. “This contract will be fulfilled at Revision’s Composite Centre of Excellence in Montreal, providing the DND with a Made-in-Canada solution. With significant investment in facility, machinery, equipment, and state-of-the-art ballistic testing laboratories, Revision has entered an exciting new phase of our growth strategy. We expect that this contract will be a springboard for gaining additional ballistic plate business from other advanced militaries in the coming months and years.”

About Revision:

Revision develops and delivers purpose-built protective equipment for military use worldwide. The company, which began with eyewear, has expanded to face and head protection and continues to develop its capabilities for integrated, performance-enhancing soldier systems. To that end, Revision brings together the most advanced expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and finest technical minds. Clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, the Canadian Department of National Defence, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organization, the German Federal Defence Force and the UK Ministry of Defence. Privately owned and ISO 9001:2008 certified, Revision’s operational headquarters is located in Essex Junction, Vermont, USA, with additional offices in the Netherlands and Canada.

11/11/2013 Defence IQ Press

South Korea's air force has asked for enhanced stealth capability for fighter jets set to be purchased, a government source briefed on the matter said on Monday, further bolstering the chances of Lockheed Martin winning the tender with its F-35s.

In September, South Korea's government bowed to public pressure and voted down a bid by Boeing to supply 60 warplanes, saying it would restart the multi-billion tender process to get a more advanced, radar-evading fighter.

At the time, only Boeing's bid had come within budget.

The source said the air force's request will need to be approved at a meeting of the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff expected near the end of November before being finalized at a committee chaired by the defense minister.

The Eurofighter consortium is also bidding in the 8.3 trillion won ($7.8 billion) tender. [Reuters]

Outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has been using some of his remaining days as the Pentagon's No. 2 to tout the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a job-saving hedge against budget cuts.

In visits to Western air bases this week, Carter, who stunned the Pentagon last month with the announcement of his retirement, said that DoD's commitment to the F-35 would protect civilian and contactor jobs.

He said it would also protect bases flying the F-35 from another round of base closings that Congress has been pressed to consider.

At Hill Air Force Base in Utah, Carter told airmen and civilians that "Hill has a very bright future" because of its selection as one of the first bases to receive the F-35.

"You will host the F-35, which is the linchpin of our tactical future for all three services that will fly them, and Hill is going to have a big part in that future," said Carter, who will leave the Pentagon in December.

In tough times for military spending, Hill has been "a leader in simply getting better buying power for the warfighter and the taxpayer," Carter said.

Carter's remarks were aimed at relieving concerns at Hill about the long-term viability of the base that serves as one of Utah's top employers.  Nearly 3,000 civilian employes at Hill were furloughed during the 16-day government shutdown last month.

Carter's remarks at Hill on the F-35 followed on a major policy address by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Washington on Tuesday. Hagel said that coming budget cuts would likely result in tradeoffs that would favor advances in technological capability, symbolized by the F-35, over maintaining current force levels. [Military.com]

The F-35 fighter jet continues to be the U.S. Defense Department’s highest acquisition priority despite looming budget cuts, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer said.

The stealthy, fifth-generation fighter, known as Lightning II and made by Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin Corp., is the military’s most expensive weapons program, estimated to cost almost $400 billion to develop and build 2,457 aircraft.

The Joint Strike Fighter program began in the 1990s and has been plagued by cost overruns and delays. The price tag alone makes it a big target for budget cutters on Capitol Hill and in the Defense Department. Yet Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the Pentagon is still committed to the aircraft.

“The F-35 remains our highest priority,” he said during a briefing Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

There are still a number of developmental issues yet to complete, Kendall said, such as upgrading the plane’s software, improving the reliability of the aircraft and its components and enhancing the jet’s logistics support system.

“We’re at a point now where we need to get the job done,” he said. “I’m feeling much more positive about the program than I was a couple of years ago.”

Kendall’s comments echoed those made by Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the program manager, in September at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. “I’m encouraged by where we are today,” he said. “I’d like to be a little further along.” [DoDBuzz]

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

November 9, 2013 by Tamir Eshel

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first of class of the US Navy next generation aircraft carrier (formerly known as CVN-21) officially received its name today. USS Gerald R. Ford represents the first new design since the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), which was launched in 1972. The new aircraft carrier will be able to sustain higher operational tempo, while costing less to operate and maintain, saving the Navy a projected $4 billion over the ship’s 50-year lifespan. Capt. John F. Meier has already been named as the ship’s first commanding officer. He will be responsible for monitoring the final months of construction and likely be onboard when the Ford goes on its first sea trials.

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Nov 8, 2013 ASDNews Source : The Boeing Company

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) have entered into an overarching public-private partnership that will streamline supply chain contracting, saving money and speeding up execution by as much as 10 months.

The partnership – the first of its kind – allows the three Air Force logistics complexes that are under the AFSC to immediately execute implementation agreements with Boeing, reducing administrative costs and increasing efficiency.

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