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13 Mar 19. SYPAQ to develop battlefield logistics small UAS for Australian Army. SYPAQ has been awarded an Army Innovation Day contract by the Australian Army, in partnership with the Defence Innovation Hub.
Under the $1m contract, the company will work with defence partners to develop the Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS). The next-generation battlefield logistics small unmanned aerial system (UAS) will be fielded by the Australian soldiers. The company procured the contract as part of Army Innovation Day 2018 through the Defence Innovation Hub’s special notice solicitation.
Australian Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds said: “Defence units have an enduring need to be able to resupply their combat forces in the most hazardous environments.
“Ensuring our defence force personnel have the most innovative, cutting-edge technology will ensure they are supported in their mission to defend Australia and its interests on the battlefield.”
Australian Land Capability head major general Kath Toohey said: “Army’s soldiers will get the opportunity to test this platform later this year and guide the development of advanced capabilities like the PPDS.”
SYPAQ is an Australia-based innovative engineering and systems integration company.
The Defence Innovation Hub was formed in December 2016 and since then has received five innovation contracts for concept exploration and capability demonstration.
An initiative of the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement, Defence Innovation Hub brings together research institutions, academia, industry and innovative technologies.
It will invest around A$640m ($452.48m) from 2025-26 to facilitate innovation activities that will allow the army to tackle modern and future battlefield challenges.
SYPAQ CEO Amanda Holt said: “Through initiatives such as the Defence Innovation Hub and Army Innovation Day, SYPAQ has had access to opportunities not typically available to small and medium-sized businesses, including direct collaboration between innovators and end-users.” (Source: army-technology.com)
13 Mar 19. Refurbishment of IAF’s Mi-26 helicopters faces delay. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing delays in its plans to overhaul its fleet of three Mil Mi-26 ‘Halo’ heavy-lift helicopters and extend the platforms’ total technical life (TTL). Official sources told Jane’s on 13 March that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi has so far not acted upon its three-year-old proposal of having the platforms shipped to the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant for refurbishment. Two of the IAF’s Mi-26s, which are a part of the No 126 ‘Featherweights’ Helicopter Flight squadron in Chandigarh, were grounded on completion of their TTL in September 2013 and August 2014, respectively. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Mar 19. Lockheed, AIM Norway to establish F-16 sustainment hub in Norway. The companies on Tuesday announced a deal to create the first Lockheed-licensed F-16 Falcon Debot in Kjeller, Norway, to support the global F-16 fleet. Lockheed Martin will establish its first F-16 Falcon Depot in the world in Norway with government-owned AIM Norway.
Sustainment services will be provided for the Royal Norwegian Air Force and other regional F-16 customers, Lockheed Martin said in a news release Tuesday. The facility will be located in Kjeller at an existing maintenance, repair and overhaul facility used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Lockheed Martin, the original equipment manufacturer and design authority of the F-16, said it is utilizing AIM’s extensive technical expertise and MRO experience.
“Lockheed Martin is extremely proud of our longstanding relationship with AIM Norway and Norway,” said Susan Ouzts, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Program. “This first-of-its-kind Falcon Depot Center reflects the strong global demand for F-16 sustainment services, which is poised to grow as we continue to produce new F-16s and upgrade existing aircraft.”
AIM has been involved in the Norwegian aviation industry since 1916 and was made a fully owned state enterprise by the Ministry of Defense in 2011, according to the company.
“AIM Norway is extremely proud that Lockheed Martin recognizes our experienced personnel, competence and capabilities,” said AIM Norway CEO Ove Haukassveen. “Together we will ensure continued success and readiness for existing and new F-16 operators.”
Approximately 3,000 operational F-16s are in service in 25 countries, and Lockheed expects new F-16 production opportunities totaling more than 400 aircraft.
Lockheed in 2017 announced it would move its F-16 production line to Greenville, S.C., from Ft. Worth so the Texas facility can focus on F-35 Lightning II production.
The F-16s to be built there are next-generation Block 70 versions of the aircraft. In one year, the first of 16 F-16s for Bahrain will enter the assembly building, The Post and Courier reported. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2022.
Lockheed has partnered with Tata Advanced Systems to produce the F-16 in South Carolina. Tata delivers weapons to the Indian security forces.
The company’s long-term plan was to move F-16 production to India and build next-generation training jets in South Carolina but Boeing won the training jet contract and Lockheed needed a use for its Greenville plant.
Lockheed plans to produce the F-16 in India if that country buys at least 100 of the jets for its military, the company has said, and that the Indian facility would also build and maintain F-16s for other countries.
Lockheed envisions enough work to sustain two production sites.
“We have a lot of growth potential,” Mike Fox, site director for Lockheed’s Upstate operations, said of the Greenville site. “We’re committed to South Carolina.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/https://www.upi.com)
08 Mar 19. Key Piece of F-35 Logistics System Unusable By US Air Force Students, Instructor Pilots. The F-35 fighter jet’s logistics backbone has proven so clunky and burdensome to work with that the U.S. Air Force’s instructor pilots, as well as students learning to fly the aircraft, have stopped using the system, Defense News has learned. The Autonomic Logistics Information System, built by F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, was supposed to consolidate training, maintenance and supply chain management functions into a single entity, making it easier for users to input data and oversee the jet’s health and history throughout its life span. ALIS has been a disappointment to maintainers in the field, with updates coming behind schedule and many workarounds needed so it functions as designed. But the Air Force’s F-35A instructor and student pilots at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, were so disappointed with the performance of ALIS’ training system that they bailed entirely, confirmed Col. Paul Moga, commander of Eglin’s 33rd Fighter Squadron.
“The functionality in ALIS with regards to TMS — the training management system — was such a source of frustration and a time waste to the instructor pilots and the simulator instructors and the academic instructors that we at [Air Education and Training Command] in coordination with us [at Eglin] and Luke made a call almost a year ago to stop using the program,” Moga said during a Feb. 26 interview.
Moga said the command’s F-35 training squadrons are “not going to start using TMS again until it works.” (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Defense News)
13 Mar 19. USAF forms partnership for C-5 fleet modernisation best practices. The US Air Force (USAF) Rapid Sustainment Office (AF RSO) has formed a partnership for sharing of best practices related to C-5 Galaxy modernisation and reliability processes. Partners in the collaboration include the AF RSO, the C-5 System Program Office, Delta Air Lines and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Delta and Georgia Tech will be responsible for sharing commercial best practices for the C-5 programme.
The new partnership began with a three-day workshop hosted by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the applied research division of Georgia Tech, in Warner Robins.
Workshop attendees studied current C-5 maintenance practices. Participants included experts in reliability engineering, maintenance operations, fleet management, software development and predictive maintenance from GTRI, Delta TechOps division and the C-5 sustainment enterprise.
Over the next six months, Delta and Georgia Tech will deliver recommendations to modernise aircraft maintenance and reliability processes across the USAF, based on Delta’s innovative processes.
Delta Air Lines MRO services president Jack Arehart said: “Delta TechOps has a long-standing history of supporting various commercial derivative platforms, including the C40, C32, and the P-8.
“This expansion into helping identify where best commercial practices could be incorporated into US Air Force operations review is exciting.”
The USAF intends to benefit from Delta’s aircraft reliability programme and step function improvements in maintenance completion metrics.
GTRI’s expertise in software development and high-performance computing tools will be leverage by the service. The tools are useful in designing an analytics-based maintenance programme on large-scale implementation.
The partnership will analyse and identify the difference in approaches of the USAF and Delta on how collected information is used to influence maintenance decisions. AF RSO was formed in July last year to use new and emerging technology to reduce sustainment costs and improve readiness. The body collaborates with suitable partners across industry, academia, and the federal government to achieve the stated objectives. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
08 Mar 19. Japan gears up to boost F-35 support. Japan is preparing to expand its engagement on supporting regionally operated Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters following its announcement in February that it has been assigned additional maintenance work on the platform. A spokesperson from the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) told Jane’s on 6 March that the country’s maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade (MRO&U) facility is being prepared with a view to providing such support to F-35 aircraft within the next few years. The spokesperson said the facility’s initial work will be focused on supporting the airframes of F-35 aircraft operated by the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF). (Source: IHS Jane’s)
11 Mar 19. MOU to secure aerospace industry and supply chain development. The Australian Defence Alliance (ADA) and Aviation/Aerospace Australia (A/AA) have signed a memorandum of understanding for partnership and collaboration to support the development of a sustainable national aviation and aerospace industry. The partnership is based on mutual goals of representation, support, sustainable growth through collaboration, innovation, and facilitation of new regional and global partnerships and the development of the aviation and aerospace industries domestically and globally.
ADA spokesperson Claire Willette said, “This MOU enables both organisations to co-develop positions of national interest and provide credible, experienced feedback into government as further policy and implementation guidance is enacted, whether that is on export strategy, workforce development, free trade agreements or any of the other relevant policies targeted at growing an economically sustainable industrial base.”
The MOU was signed on 27 February 2019, immediately following an ADA-A/AA jointly-hosted panel titled ‘Innovation and Strategy in Space’, featuring former US astronaut Pam Melroy of Nova Systems; Carley Scott, CEO of Equatorial Launch Australia; and Mike deLaChapelle of Boeing.
Adam Burford, chairman of A/AA reinforced Willette’s comments, saying, “The ability to align our member’s interests alongside those of Australia’s key defence aviation and aerospace SME supply chain partners is a priority for A/AA. And the opportunity to collaborate and leverage nationally businesses in the sector using our joint organisational links across our associations will be beneficial for all parties.”
The ADA is Australia’s largest independent, professional advocacy body representing the policy and strategic governance needs of SME businesses in the defence and dual-use industries.
Representing 1100+ SMEs nationally through its partnership, which is between the Australian Defence Alliance – Victoria, the Defence Teaming Centre in SA, and the Henderson Alliance in WA, the ADA works at both tactical and strategic levels to ensure all opportunities are realised, and all obstacles examined, in the quest for increased global marketshare by Australia’s dual-use and defence SMEs. A/AA is a not-for-profit and independent association, with an overarching objective to contribute to the long-term health and sustainability of Australia’s aviation and aerospace sector. (Source: Defence Connect)
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About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK].
To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com.
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