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#91
KL / Re: Groene baretten verhuizen ...
Last post by Umbert - 22/04/2024 | 14:10 uurCitaat van: Sparkplug op 22/04/2024 | 10:36 uurZo'n visie moet wel aansluiten op de mogelijkheden van vlb. Woensdrecht (EHWO). Is daar werkelijk ruimte voor alle KCT wensen en mag dat daar worden uitgevoerd. En één van de belangrijkste vragen is wat KCT zelf van EHWO als locatie vindt.Mag aannemen dat er in het ontwerp van de nieuwe kazerne rekening wordt gehouden met de specifieke wensen van het KCT en er dus ook landingpads komen voor heli's voorzien zijn, Vooral als ze grotere toestellen voor hun operaties nodig zijn. is het volgens mij ook voor die toestellen beter als ze van thuisbasis vertrekken ipv een ander veld, scheelt toch weer een start/landing beweging. En vooral valt minder op.
En qua tijd zal het misschien zelfs nog sneller zijn als ze per heli vertrekken naar deze velden.
#92
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: Internationale ontwikkelin...
Last post by Harald - 22/04/2024 | 11:12 uurHypervelocity Projectile (HVP)
In this video interview recorded at Sea Air Space 2024, Tate Westbrook from BAE Systems takes us through the latest developments with the Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP). The program, which began in collaboration with the US Navy and ONR back in 2012, continues to progress.
HVP Overview:
The HVP is a next-generation, common, low-drag, guided projectile designed to enhance the lethality and performance of various gun systems.
It's adaptable for multiple platforms, including the Navy 5-Inch, Army and Marine Corps 155-mm systems, and even future electromagnetic (EM) railguns.
Mission Capabilities:
The HVP's aerodynamic design minimizes drag, allowing for high velocity and maneuverability. This translates to decreased time-to-target and effective performance against current threats.
Depending on the gun system and platform, the HVP can perform missions ranging from Naval Surface Fire to Cruise and Ballistic Missile Defense, as well as Anti-Surface Warfare and other future Naval mission areas.
Compact Design and Safety:
The HVP's compact design eliminates the need for a rocket motor to extend gun range.
Smaller, more accurate rounds reduce collateral damage risk and enable deeper magazines, enhancing shipboard safety.
Latest Advancements:
BAE Systems has introduced the XM1155-SC, the latest precision-guided munition in the HVP family. This highly lethal projectile is designed to defeat fixed and moving targets in contested environments with a short time-of-flight and exceptional maneuverability.
Recent tests have demonstrated its effectiveness at more than double the range of existing cannon-launched precision guided munitions.
In this video interview recorded at Sea Air Space 2024, Tate Westbrook from BAE Systems takes us through the latest developments with the Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP). The program, which began in collaboration with the US Navy and ONR back in 2012, continues to progress.
HVP Overview:
The HVP is a next-generation, common, low-drag, guided projectile designed to enhance the lethality and performance of various gun systems.
It's adaptable for multiple platforms, including the Navy 5-Inch, Army and Marine Corps 155-mm systems, and even future electromagnetic (EM) railguns.
Mission Capabilities:
The HVP's aerodynamic design minimizes drag, allowing for high velocity and maneuverability. This translates to decreased time-to-target and effective performance against current threats.
Depending on the gun system and platform, the HVP can perform missions ranging from Naval Surface Fire to Cruise and Ballistic Missile Defense, as well as Anti-Surface Warfare and other future Naval mission areas.
Compact Design and Safety:
The HVP's compact design eliminates the need for a rocket motor to extend gun range.
Smaller, more accurate rounds reduce collateral damage risk and enable deeper magazines, enhancing shipboard safety.
Latest Advancements:
BAE Systems has introduced the XM1155-SC, the latest precision-guided munition in the HVP family. This highly lethal projectile is designed to defeat fixed and moving targets in contested environments with a short time-of-flight and exceptional maneuverability.
Recent tests have demonstrated its effectiveness at more than double the range of existing cannon-launched precision guided munitions.
#93
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: Internationale ontwikkelin...
Last post by Harald - 22/04/2024 | 10:44 uurJFD to deploy Carrier Seal in Tampa, looking to break into US market (ook voor onze Mariniers Marsof interessant !! )
UK underwater operations specialist JFD is looking to extend its market recognition among the special operations forces (SOF) community, especially with its range of tactical diving vehicles (TDVs), with attendance at the SOF Week event in downtown Tampa, Florida, from 6-10 May 2024.
JFD will be taking both its Carrier Seal and Shadow Seal TDVs to the SOF Week event, but will additionally be demonstrating the Carrier Seal in waters close to the SOF Week location in Tampa after the event closes. The Shadow Seal, meanwhile, was first exhibited at the SOF Week event in May 2023.
Speaking to ESD on 16 April 2024, Alistair Wilson, JFD's strategy, sales and marketing director, also noted that the company is in the final stages of onboarding the Carrier Seal TDV with the US Department of Defense's Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) programme, which is designed to test platforms and technologies of US allies that have a high technology readiness level with a view to rapidly and economically address US defence requirements.
"We bid [for FCT] in December," said Wilson, "and by the end of this month they've got to kind of finalise their position."
The company established JFD North America, based in Reston, Virginia, in March 2021 to bring its portfolio to the US defence market and in October 2023 appointed Keith Lehnhardt as its general manager in the United States. Lehnhardt has a 35-year career with the US Navy behind him that includes the kind of experience, with diving units and on submarine operations, that covers the spectrum of JFD's portfolio.
Meanwhile, in March 2022 JFD signed a strategic partnership with Fort Lauderdale-based Blue Tide Marine (BTM), which acquired a JFD Shadow Seal four-man TDV through a leasing arrangement in 2023. BTM's business model revolves around selling capability development training, while JFD would essentially be the platform provider for any TDV-related business that BTM picks up. The BTM relationship thus raises the profile of JFD's Shadow Seal TDV, with Wilson noting that "the Blue Tide Marine folks have got exposure to all the right people".
Explaining one of the key selling points of its TDVs, beyond their ability to approach a hostile shore submerged and undetected, Wilson explained that, while minisubs like the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) used by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) require a high-value submarine to approach a hostile coast for them to be deployed, JFD's TDVs can be deployed from a significant stand-off range. The eight-man Carrier Seal, for example, has a typical surface range of 150 n miles (278 km) in addition to its 14 n mile subsurface range, but Wilson noted that, by carrying extra fuel bags in place of two personnel, its range can be extended out to 225 n miles.
JFD TDVs can also be transported innocuously in standard ISO containers and deployed from any marine vessel that has the equipment to launch them.
JFD is also looking into the possibility of its TDVs being operated autonomously. Wilson noted that the company has already remotely operated a Shadow Seal and has a roadmap for autonomous operations with the Carrier Seal. He explained a concept whereby a marine commando raiding party, once deployed using TDVs, could then be resupplied by autonomous/remotely operated TDVs.
Wilson additionally mentioned that the company's TDVs could quite easily be converted to carry a range of different payloads beyond combat swimmers, such as various sensors or other effectors.
In terms of TDV sales opportunities, Wilson noted that there are two Carrier Seals in service – one in Europe and one in Asia – with interest in its TDVs currently coming from Greece, Sweden, Japan and the Indo-Pacific region in general. A particular potential opportunity is with South Korea, which is developing a requirement for a 'Special Assault Boat'. This concept involves five 'motherships' each carrying four Carrier Seal-type TDVs, giving a requirement for 20 such vessels.
"We expect to that to be ratified as a programme by the end of this year," said Wilson.
Regarding JFD's prospects for selling its TDVs, Wilson remarked, "We're nearly there; I'd be really surprised if we don't break good ground within the next 12 months."
Looking beyond TDVs, JFD is also examining potential opportunities within the trilateral Australian-UK-US (AUKUS) strategic partnership, under which the UK Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will operate a future fleet of SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered attack submarines. JFD is looking in particular at opportunities under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS partnership, which includes among other things the development of advanced undersea capabilities. As a world leader in the provision of submarine rescue services, JFD is already the incumbent supplier of such services for the RN and RAN, so is well positioned to provide a future solution for the SSN-AUKUS boats as well as other advanced underwater warfare capabilities.
Among its other products and services, JFD continues to pursue further opportunities with its range of military diving equipment.
The company did, in fact win a US contract to provide a new deep-diving rebreather to replace the Mk 16 system for mine countermeasures operations, although this contract has been protested four times by competitor Avon Protection.
Meanwhile, JFD is currently competing to address the US Naval Sea Systems Command's Multi-Mission Underwater Breathing Apparatus (MMUBA) requirement to provide a closed-circuit, mixed-gas diving system for a variety of military diving operations in both deep and shallow water. This contract is for 675 rebreathers, which Wilson noted is "as many rebreathers as we've sold in 20 years of that type".
https://euro-sd.com/2024/04/major-news/37729/jfd-carrier-seal-to-sof-week/
UK underwater operations specialist JFD is looking to extend its market recognition among the special operations forces (SOF) community, especially with its range of tactical diving vehicles (TDVs), with attendance at the SOF Week event in downtown Tampa, Florida, from 6-10 May 2024.
JFD will be taking both its Carrier Seal and Shadow Seal TDVs to the SOF Week event, but will additionally be demonstrating the Carrier Seal in waters close to the SOF Week location in Tampa after the event closes. The Shadow Seal, meanwhile, was first exhibited at the SOF Week event in May 2023.
Speaking to ESD on 16 April 2024, Alistair Wilson, JFD's strategy, sales and marketing director, also noted that the company is in the final stages of onboarding the Carrier Seal TDV with the US Department of Defense's Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) programme, which is designed to test platforms and technologies of US allies that have a high technology readiness level with a view to rapidly and economically address US defence requirements.
"We bid [for FCT] in December," said Wilson, "and by the end of this month they've got to kind of finalise their position."
The company established JFD North America, based in Reston, Virginia, in March 2021 to bring its portfolio to the US defence market and in October 2023 appointed Keith Lehnhardt as its general manager in the United States. Lehnhardt has a 35-year career with the US Navy behind him that includes the kind of experience, with diving units and on submarine operations, that covers the spectrum of JFD's portfolio.
Meanwhile, in March 2022 JFD signed a strategic partnership with Fort Lauderdale-based Blue Tide Marine (BTM), which acquired a JFD Shadow Seal four-man TDV through a leasing arrangement in 2023. BTM's business model revolves around selling capability development training, while JFD would essentially be the platform provider for any TDV-related business that BTM picks up. The BTM relationship thus raises the profile of JFD's Shadow Seal TDV, with Wilson noting that "the Blue Tide Marine folks have got exposure to all the right people".
Explaining one of the key selling points of its TDVs, beyond their ability to approach a hostile shore submerged and undetected, Wilson explained that, while minisubs like the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) used by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) require a high-value submarine to approach a hostile coast for them to be deployed, JFD's TDVs can be deployed from a significant stand-off range. The eight-man Carrier Seal, for example, has a typical surface range of 150 n miles (278 km) in addition to its 14 n mile subsurface range, but Wilson noted that, by carrying extra fuel bags in place of two personnel, its range can be extended out to 225 n miles.
JFD TDVs can also be transported innocuously in standard ISO containers and deployed from any marine vessel that has the equipment to launch them.
JFD is also looking into the possibility of its TDVs being operated autonomously. Wilson noted that the company has already remotely operated a Shadow Seal and has a roadmap for autonomous operations with the Carrier Seal. He explained a concept whereby a marine commando raiding party, once deployed using TDVs, could then be resupplied by autonomous/remotely operated TDVs.
Wilson additionally mentioned that the company's TDVs could quite easily be converted to carry a range of different payloads beyond combat swimmers, such as various sensors or other effectors.
In terms of TDV sales opportunities, Wilson noted that there are two Carrier Seals in service – one in Europe and one in Asia – with interest in its TDVs currently coming from Greece, Sweden, Japan and the Indo-Pacific region in general. A particular potential opportunity is with South Korea, which is developing a requirement for a 'Special Assault Boat'. This concept involves five 'motherships' each carrying four Carrier Seal-type TDVs, giving a requirement for 20 such vessels.
"We expect to that to be ratified as a programme by the end of this year," said Wilson.
Regarding JFD's prospects for selling its TDVs, Wilson remarked, "We're nearly there; I'd be really surprised if we don't break good ground within the next 12 months."
Looking beyond TDVs, JFD is also examining potential opportunities within the trilateral Australian-UK-US (AUKUS) strategic partnership, under which the UK Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will operate a future fleet of SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered attack submarines. JFD is looking in particular at opportunities under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS partnership, which includes among other things the development of advanced undersea capabilities. As a world leader in the provision of submarine rescue services, JFD is already the incumbent supplier of such services for the RN and RAN, so is well positioned to provide a future solution for the SSN-AUKUS boats as well as other advanced underwater warfare capabilities.
Among its other products and services, JFD continues to pursue further opportunities with its range of military diving equipment.
The company did, in fact win a US contract to provide a new deep-diving rebreather to replace the Mk 16 system for mine countermeasures operations, although this contract has been protested four times by competitor Avon Protection.
Meanwhile, JFD is currently competing to address the US Naval Sea Systems Command's Multi-Mission Underwater Breathing Apparatus (MMUBA) requirement to provide a closed-circuit, mixed-gas diving system for a variety of military diving operations in both deep and shallow water. This contract is for 675 rebreathers, which Wilson noted is "as many rebreathers as we've sold in 20 years of that type".
https://euro-sd.com/2024/04/major-news/37729/jfd-carrier-seal-to-sof-week/
#94
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: Internationale ontwikkelin...
Last post by Benji87 - 22/04/2024 | 10:43 uurCitaat van: Lynxian op 22/04/2024 | 10:23 uurIk zei dat Putin dat zou denken en daarop acteren. Ik weet dat de Amerikanen daar juist wel op ingericht zijn. En ja, Russische militaire planners weten dit ook wel, maar de oorlog in Oekraïne laat zien dat daar niet altijd naar wordt geluisterd door Putin. (Of ze zijn echt vreselijk incompetent.)
Het is omgekeerd anders net zo erg, misschien nog wel erger. Rusland is al helemaal niet in staat om ook nog eens gedonder op hun oost flank te gebruiken. Ze lopen zich aardig stuk op Oekraïne momenteel, in het huidige tempo zal ze in 2-3 jaar militair niet meer in staat zijn om überhaupt nog oorlog te voeren.
Dat niet alleen maar de diplomatieke banden met China zijn nou ook niet zo sterk dat hier gesproken kan worden van een effectieve militaire samenwerking. Ja de landen oefenen weleens met elkaar en er vindt handel plaats maar China heeft zich ook vaak zat afzijdig gehouden tov Rusland haar houding in Oekraïne. Ze hebben Rusland zelfs al een paar keer terug gefloten om hun agressieve houding met de inzet van nucleaire wapens.
Voor China geldt dat net zo. In hoeverre gaat Rusland hun ten hulp schieten als ze Taiwan binnen vallen? Doen ze dat überhaupt wel? Bovendien heeft China ook meerdere balletjes hoog te houden in de regio. Taiwan binnen vallen is een ding maar de zuid Chinese zee en het grens dispuut met India komen dan ineens ook onder druk te staan. Ook China haar handelspositie als een vrij kwetsbare economie zal klappen krijgen. Het innemen van Taiwan zal met een enorm hoge prijs moeten worden betaald. Ik vraag me af of ze bereid zijn die prijs te betalen
#95
KL / Re: Groene baretten verhuizen ...
Last post by Sparkplug - 22/04/2024 | 10:36 uurCitaat van: Kornet43 op 21/04/2024 | 13:05 uurMensen met een beperkte visie zitten er niet op te wachten, daar moet ik je dan weer gelijk in geven, want enige visie is ver te zoeken bij defensie, maar dat is slechts mijn persoonlijke mening.
Zo'n visie moet wel aansluiten op de mogelijkheden van vlb. Woensdrecht (EHWO). Is daar werkelijk ruimte voor alle KCT wensen en mag dat daar worden uitgevoerd? En één van de belangrijkste vragen is wat KCT zelf van EHWO als locatie vindt.
Edit. De nieuwe locatie moet volgens het hln.be artikel minimaal 50 hectare groot zijn. De oppervlakte van EHWO is 495,5 hectare. Kunnen zij minimaal 50 hectare missen?
#96
Defensie Nieuws & Media (Internationaal) / Re: Duitsland zoekt CH-53 Stal...
Last post by Harald - 22/04/2024 | 10:35 uurRNLAF helps Luftwaffe prepare Chinook capability
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is helping the Luftwaffe prepare for its upcoming Chinook heavy-lift helicopter capability, dispatching one of its own helicopters to the type's future operating station in mid-April.
The Bundeswehr said on 18 April that an RNLAF CH-47F Block 1 Chinook landed for the first time at Holzdorf Air Base (also known as Schönewalde), south of Berlin, to help the Luftwaffe prepare for the arrival of the first of its CH-47F Block II Chinook Standard Range (SR) air-to-air refuelling (AAR)-capable heavy-lift helicopters from 2027 to 2032.
"With the future stationing of the CH-47, Holzdorf Air Base will become a hub for helicopter transport. The [Luftwaffe] is gaining initial experience with the Chinook transport helicopter with its Dutch allies – in flight operations, refuelling, and training," the Bundeswehr said.
Holzdorf Air Base is currently the main operating base for the Luftwaffe's fleet of 70 VFW-Sikorsky CH-53G-series Stallion helicopters that are to be replaced by 60 Chinooks under the Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) requirement.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/rnlaf-helps-luftwaffe-prepare-chinook-capability
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is helping the Luftwaffe prepare for its upcoming Chinook heavy-lift helicopter capability, dispatching one of its own helicopters to the type's future operating station in mid-April.
The Bundeswehr said on 18 April that an RNLAF CH-47F Block 1 Chinook landed for the first time at Holzdorf Air Base (also known as Schönewalde), south of Berlin, to help the Luftwaffe prepare for the arrival of the first of its CH-47F Block II Chinook Standard Range (SR) air-to-air refuelling (AAR)-capable heavy-lift helicopters from 2027 to 2032.
"With the future stationing of the CH-47, Holzdorf Air Base will become a hub for helicopter transport. The [Luftwaffe] is gaining initial experience with the Chinook transport helicopter with its Dutch allies – in flight operations, refuelling, and training," the Bundeswehr said.
Holzdorf Air Base is currently the main operating base for the Luftwaffe's fleet of 70 VFW-Sikorsky CH-53G-series Stallion helicopters that are to be replaced by 60 Chinooks under the Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) requirement.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/rnlaf-helps-luftwaffe-prepare-chinook-capability
#97
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: Internationale ontwikkelin...
Last post by Lynxian - 22/04/2024 | 10:23 uurCitaat van: Huzaar1 op 22/04/2024 | 08:24 uurIk heb die memo gemist denk ik. Waar staat die algemeen bekende spelregel over het niet willen en kunnen vechten op 2 plekken precies? En waaom is dat een typische zwakheid van de amerikanen?
Citaat van: Benji87 op 22/04/2024 | 09:49 uurOnzin, de gehele Amerikaanse defensie is er juist op ingericht om 2 grootschalige conflicten tegelijkertijd te kunnen voeren. Dat hebben ze toen met Irak en Afghanistan ook gedaan.Ik zei dat Putin dat zou denken en daarop acteren. Ik weet dat de Amerikanen daar juist wel op ingericht zijn. En ja, Russische militaire planners weten dit ook wel, maar de oorlog in Oekraïne laat zien dat daar niet altijd naar wordt geluisterd door Putin. (Of ze zijn echt vreselijk incompetent.)
#98
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: U(C)AV ontwikkelingen
Last post by Harald - 22/04/2024 | 10:14 uurMove over FARA: General Atomics pitching new Gray Eagle version for armed scout mission
General Atomics will also showcase its Mojave demonstrator for the first time during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, a company spokesman said.
General Atomics first revealed photos of the Mojave drone outfitted with M134 miniguns in January 2022.
General Atomics is positioning a future version of its MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drone as a potential alternative to the Army's now-canceled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft effort, the president of its aeronautics unit told Breaking Defense.
The California-based defense firm intends to pitch a short takeoff and landing version of the Gray Eagle — what it calls Gray Eagle STOL — to fulfill the armed scout mission now that the service has halted work on a manned helicopter and shifted the focus to drones.
"We're trying to jump into that [opportunity]," Dave Alexander, who leads General Atomics' aeronautics unit, told Breaking Defense in a recent interview.
Not yet fully designed, a Gray Eagle STOL would build on the company's Mojave demonstrator, which has acted as a "proof of concept" to test capabilities that can be incorporated in future products, said General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley.
Mojave, whose existence was first reported by Breaking Defense in 2021, already shares common DNA with the extended-range version of the Gray Eagle, adding short takeoff and landing capability and the ability to carry a maximum payload of 16 Hellfire missiles — double that of the baseline MQ-1C.
In its most recent test on April 13 at Yuma Proving Grounds, the Mojave hit ground targets using miniguns mounted on its wings for the first time — providing an alternative to precision-guided missiles typically used by General Atomics drones, Brinkley said.
The company is showing off that Mojave demonstrator to service officials next week during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, Brinkley said. The aircraft will be displayed in a configuration with two M134 miniguns made by Dillon Aero mounted on its wings.
After decades of failed attempts at replacing the OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopter, service leaders announced in February their hunt would end with the canceled FARA program.
"We are learning from the battlefield — especially Ukraine — that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed," Army Chief Gen. Randy George said at the time. "Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching and more inexpensive than ever before."
The Army anticipates that that decision — coupled with ending production on the UH-60 V Black Hawk, keeping General Electric's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) in the development phase, and phasing Shadow and Raven unmanned aerial systems out of the fleet — will free up $4.5 billion between fiscal 2025-30, with the lion's share reinvested in aviation coffers.
So far, the plan is to give Boeing some of those dollars for CH-47F Block II Chinook production, a new multi-year procurement deal with Lockheed-Sikorsky for UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft, develop and buy unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems like the future tactical unmanned systems, and move out on the launched effects portfolio.
And while it has not yet announced new aviation requirements or program competitions in the wake of that FARA decision, companies like General Atomics are beginning to float potential options.
The goal of bringing Mojave to the show, Brinkley said, is to highlight the versatility that a STOL version of the Gray Eagle could bring to the Army, such as its ability to deploy launched effects and operate in austere environments or onboard ships. The company also intends to show a contested resupply pod that can be carried by the drone, allowing it to carry 1,000 pounds of cargo for ground resupply missions up to 500 kilometers away.
"The opportunity to use UAS [unmanned aerial system] in a new way is tremendous when we look at the requirements that FARA laid out and what FARA was trying to achieve," he said.
Mojave, or a purpose-built derivative, has yet to land its first customer, but Brinkley said interest is "significant, especially internationally following our Mojave carrier demo last year."
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/general-atomics-pitching-new-gray-eagle-version-for-armed-scout-mission/
General Atomics will also showcase its Mojave demonstrator for the first time during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, a company spokesman said.
General Atomics first revealed photos of the Mojave drone outfitted with M134 miniguns in January 2022.
General Atomics is positioning a future version of its MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drone as a potential alternative to the Army's now-canceled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft effort, the president of its aeronautics unit told Breaking Defense.
The California-based defense firm intends to pitch a short takeoff and landing version of the Gray Eagle — what it calls Gray Eagle STOL — to fulfill the armed scout mission now that the service has halted work on a manned helicopter and shifted the focus to drones.
"We're trying to jump into that [opportunity]," Dave Alexander, who leads General Atomics' aeronautics unit, told Breaking Defense in a recent interview.
Not yet fully designed, a Gray Eagle STOL would build on the company's Mojave demonstrator, which has acted as a "proof of concept" to test capabilities that can be incorporated in future products, said General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley.
Mojave, whose existence was first reported by Breaking Defense in 2021, already shares common DNA with the extended-range version of the Gray Eagle, adding short takeoff and landing capability and the ability to carry a maximum payload of 16 Hellfire missiles — double that of the baseline MQ-1C.
In its most recent test on April 13 at Yuma Proving Grounds, the Mojave hit ground targets using miniguns mounted on its wings for the first time — providing an alternative to precision-guided missiles typically used by General Atomics drones, Brinkley said.
The company is showing off that Mojave demonstrator to service officials next week during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, Brinkley said. The aircraft will be displayed in a configuration with two M134 miniguns made by Dillon Aero mounted on its wings.
After decades of failed attempts at replacing the OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopter, service leaders announced in February their hunt would end with the canceled FARA program.
"We are learning from the battlefield — especially Ukraine — that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed," Army Chief Gen. Randy George said at the time. "Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching and more inexpensive than ever before."
The Army anticipates that that decision — coupled with ending production on the UH-60 V Black Hawk, keeping General Electric's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) in the development phase, and phasing Shadow and Raven unmanned aerial systems out of the fleet — will free up $4.5 billion between fiscal 2025-30, with the lion's share reinvested in aviation coffers.
So far, the plan is to give Boeing some of those dollars for CH-47F Block II Chinook production, a new multi-year procurement deal with Lockheed-Sikorsky for UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft, develop and buy unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems like the future tactical unmanned systems, and move out on the launched effects portfolio.
And while it has not yet announced new aviation requirements or program competitions in the wake of that FARA decision, companies like General Atomics are beginning to float potential options.
The goal of bringing Mojave to the show, Brinkley said, is to highlight the versatility that a STOL version of the Gray Eagle could bring to the Army, such as its ability to deploy launched effects and operate in austere environments or onboard ships. The company also intends to show a contested resupply pod that can be carried by the drone, allowing it to carry 1,000 pounds of cargo for ground resupply missions up to 500 kilometers away.
"The opportunity to use UAS [unmanned aerial system] in a new way is tremendous when we look at the requirements that FARA laid out and what FARA was trying to achieve," he said.
Mojave, or a purpose-built derivative, has yet to land its first customer, but Brinkley said interest is "significant, especially internationally following our Mojave carrier demo last year."
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/general-atomics-pitching-new-gray-eagle-version-for-armed-scout-mission/
#99
Defensie Nieuws & Media (Internationaal) / Re: Internationale pantservoer...
Last post by Harald - 22/04/2024 | 10:06 uurRheinmetall – Exclusively Lynx XM30 for the U.S. Army's next-gen combat vehicle program
The Lynx XM30 is a transformational, next-gen combat vehicle, designed and developed for the Army's XM30 Combat Vehicle program (formerly designated as Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program). Featuring a U.S. designed, unmanned 50mm turret, an advanced technology Two-Soldier Crew approach, a highly mobile and powerful chassis, integrated vehicle protection systems, and a modular, open systems architecture ensuring overmatch today and overmatch tomorrow.
#100
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen op Defensiegebied / Re: Internationale ontwikkelin...
Last post by Benji87 - 22/04/2024 | 09:49 uurCitaat van: Lynxian op 22/04/2024 | 08:13 uurMocht dat gebeuren dan zet ik serieus geld in dat Putin na die invasie, en de Amerikaanse reactie erop, een inval zal doen in de Baltische staten, de kend dat de Amerikanen geen oorlog op twee fronten willen en kunnen bevechten.
Onzin, de gehele Amerikaanse defensie is er juist op ingericht om 2 grootschalige conflicten tegelijkertijd te kunnen voeren. Dat hebben ze toen met Irak en Afghanistan ook gedaan.