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21 May 19. US Navy holds event to promote 3D printing at shipyards. The US Navy has conducted Print Sprint II event in San Diego to encourage the use of 3D printing technology at naval shipyards to support fleets.
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Tactical Innovation Implementation Lab (TIIL) organised the event designed to enable navy maintenance providers to work collaboratively to develop new 3D printing solutions and applications.
Print Sprint II comes after the first print sprint was conducted last year at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Keyport to gauge the fleet and shipyards’ abilities to create a random part in a short time through additive manufacturing.
The latest event saw participation from more than 51 people from several navy organisations, including NUWC Division Keyport, all four major shipyards, and regional maintenance centres.
TIIL tactical implementation manager Suzie Simms said: “NUWC Division Keyport has been super engaged with the afloat components to find parts that could be 3D printed remotely or even aboard a ship once we can get printers out there.”
Under the provisions of the FY 19 US Department of Defense Appropriations Act, an additional $20m has been provided to support the development of advanced additive technologies to help sustain the country’s naval assets.
TIIL director Janice Bryant said: “It is important to recognise the link between investment in, and development of, emerging technologies to create efficiency for both public and private organisations.
“Additive manufacturing has the potential to revolutionise the navy’s supply chain. Sprint efforts are centred on advancing and maturing this capability within and across navy maintenance depots.”
NUWC Division Keyport contains 3D printers capable of producing metal. It is one of the only facilities with the capacity to 3D print metal.
The navy added that this ability allows for 3D printing technology across NAVSEA in real-time. (Source: naval-technology.com)
14 May 19. 23 Member States sign new military mobility programme. In the margins of today’s EDA Steering Board, 23 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden) and EDA signed a new programme that will facilitate the granting of cross-border surface and air movement permissions. The programme is developed in the framework of EDA’s work on military mobility. It implements an important part of the ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility’ which was presented by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) and the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council in March 2018. Military mobility is also highlighted in the EU-NATO Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw in 2016.
The purpose of the programme signed today is to harmonise different national regulations of the participating Member States. It should allow Member States to reduce the administrative burden associated with different permission procedures and thus significantly shorten the timelines for granting surface and air cross border movement permissions. The programme provides the basis for important activities at technical and procedural level to develop the necessary arrangements for cross border movement per transport mode during crises, preparations for crises, training and day-to-day business. The arrangements cover surface (road, rail and inland waterways) and air movements (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, fighter aircraft or helicopters). They are expected to be finalised in 2020.
“Military mobility is about improving the movement of military personnel and assets across and beyond the EU. The high number of Member States participating in this new programme on cross-border movement permissions shows the need to alleviate the administrative burden while fully respecting the sovereignty of Member States”, said Jorge Domecq, EDA’s Chief Executive.
Military mobility
Military mobility covers the movement of military personnel and assets from one place to another, including crossing borders by using different modes of transport. The latter is of utmost importance for multinational operations. The capacity to ensure a smooth, efficient and effective movement of military personnel and assets across and beyond the European Union (EU) will enhance the EU’s preparedness and response to crises. It will enable EU Member States to act faster, in line with their defence needs and responsibilities, both in the context of Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations, and in the framework of national and multinational activities.
EDA’s role in the implementation of the Action Plan
EDA is committed to supporting its Member States. The ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility’ builds upon the ‘Roadmap on Military Mobility’ developed by an EDA expert working group which was set up on request of the EDA Member States in September 2017. In addition to the programme on cross border movement permission, the Agency support to Member States comprises another programme on harmonising of military requirements in the customs domain as well as surveys on transportation of dangerous goods and other legal aspects. (Source: EDA)
20 May 19. F-35 Spare Parts Funding at Risk as Pentagon Seeks Data Rights. The House panel that approves defense spending intends to withhold half of next year’s funding for F-35 spare parts until the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp. agree on the sale of technical data for spare parts to improve the tracking of items and allow purchases from other suppliers. Struggling to resolve spare parts shortages and bottlenecks for the fighter plane worldwide, the Defense Department this month requested that Lockheed offer a proposal to sell it cost and technical data rights to the parts. That would give the Pentagon the ability to seek its own suppliers for parts or even produce some at its maintenance depots. But the panel said the department has yet to hear back from Lockheed, the No. 1 U.S. defense contractor. With the issue unresolved, the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee said it will only allow spending of $364m of $728m requested for Navy and Marine Corps jet parts in fiscal year 2020 until the Pentagon has “received an adequate cost proposal” from Lockheed.
(defense-aerospace.com EDITOR’S NOTE: This is just the opening skirmish in what promises to become a full-scale war between the Pentagon and its largest supplier, Lockheed Martin, over the Intellectual Property rights to the F-35 fighter and its Autonomic Logistic Information System (ALIS) support software.
One of the major anomalies of the Joint Strike Fighter program is that the original contract allowed Lockheed to keep ownership of the IP, even though the program was – and remains – fully financed by the US government and its foreign partner nations. Ownership of the IP rights allows Lockheed, alone, to decide how much to charge for its services. In addition, it alone also controls the ALIS software and its servers, without which F-35s throughout the world cannot operate.
Customer nations will have only two alternatives: pay whatever Lockheed charges, or not pay, and see their F-35 fleet become inoperative. And there is no legal recourse, since the IP rights conferred by the contract are also enshrined, at least implicitly, in the various international agreements signed by participating governments. Lockheed, as detailed in the above article, is not shy about asserting its contractual rights. It is ignoring a Pentagon request to provide information, and the government can only cut spare parts funding in the hope of forcing Lockheed to reply.
The inanity of the situation is that, as recently reported by the GAO, a lack of spare parts has seriously degraded F-35 availability, and cutting spare parts funding in half can only aggravate an already unacceptable situation. Unless the government recovers the program’s IP rights, the fight with Lockheed can only worsen.) (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Bloomberg News)
21 May 19. Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced it is doubling the size of its European Distribution Center (EUDC) in Düsseldorf later this year, highlighting the company’s continued investment in European customer support that covers all its Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker products.
“The expansion of the parts distribution center in Düsseldorf will increase available part numbers to nearly 35,000 items across Europe, including all six service center parts rooms,” said Brad Thress, Textron Aviation senior vice president, Parts, Programs and Flight Operations. “The additional space keeps us ahead of growing demand and ready to support our customers at any time.”
“Our strategy in Europe, and around the world, has always been to provide unrivaled support for the aircraft we produce with centrally located, company-owned service centers and parts distribution centers, mobile service units, and fast AOG response with 1Call,” said Kriya Shortt, Textron Aviation senior vice president, Global Customer Support. “Along with service center growth, this is a signal to us that our strategy continues to win customer approval.”
Textron Aviation provides complete support for all Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker aircraft in Europe at its company-owned service centers in Doncaster, Düsseldorf, Paris Le Bourget, Prague, Valencia and Zurich, and offers line service at Biggin Hill, Bremen, Cannes, Geneva, Nice and Stuttgart. Textron Aviation leads the European market with more than 1,800 jet and turboprop aircraft operating in the region. The company recently enhanced its 1Call service in Europe with greater capability during peak hours and multi-lingual support in German, French and Spanish, as well as English.
20 May 19. Airbus honours best in class Defence and Space Suppliers. Airbus Defence and Space revealed the winners of its best in class awards with an official ceremony at its 5th Supplier Conference. The four winners Mercury Systems, Airgrup S.L., All System and Kappa Optronics were selected from among the entire supply chain of more than 10,000 suppliers.
Barbara Bergmeier, Head of Operations at Airbus Defence and Space, said, “our suppliers are key to our global success and we are pleased to have the opportunity to recognise the top performers on this stage and – in turn – further support our long term business relationships and performance.”
The Best Performance award in Equipment & Systems was presented to Mercury Systems for having achieved a 100% score on their on-quality and on-time performance, as well as overall responsiveness, supporting specifically the C295.
Airgrup S.L. was awarded Best Performance in Structure & Materials for their excellent service level and outstanding customer approach. They were also a key collaborator in new developments for Military Aircraft programmes, such as LTA and MRTT.
All System took the Services & IT Best Performance award for their quality, responsiveness and AOG performance, as well as their proactive approach to ad-hoc needs in the delivery of consumables, expendables and standard parts (CES).
Finally the Best Innovator Overall award was presented Kappa Optronics GmbH for their highly engaged collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space in the development of the new generation of cameras for the MRTT – the new generation tanker and strategic transport aircraft.
17 May 19. Royal Engineers trial new bridges for army rescue and assault missions. The UK Royal Engineers Trials and Development Unit (RETDU) has carried out military trials of a new bridging concept that will facilitate British Army rescue and assault missions. The new bridging concept, developed by Devon-based firm EasiBridge, includes a range of man-portable, long-span rescue and assault bridges.
The development of the new bridging concept was supported by a £77,086.80 funding by the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), made in July last year.
DASA head Lucy Mason said: This is a cross defence innovation success story. By embedding exploitation at the beginning of the innovation process and having the end user in mind throughout, it can lead to faster adoption of innovative ideas into defence and wider government.
“DASA is committed to supporting small businesses with great ideas and providing a platform upon which they can shine; EasiBridge did just this, attracting both UK and international interest.”
EasiBridge products are said to be 85% lighter, 80% more compact and cheaper than the currently used infantry assault bridges.
Under the guidance of DASA’s partner and project technical advisers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the products underwent a series of military trials including deployment on an international exercise.
Additionally, the equipment demonstrated its effectiveness for other forms of usage such as emergency and rescue services.
The concepts were used in combinations to develop seven different capabilities including footbridges, fence-breaching frameworks, materials-handling conveyors and blast-resistant roofing systems.
British Army Future Force Development head brigadier Kev Copsey said: “The army is embracing emerging technologies and adopting innovation that eases the tasks of our people.
“We are delighted to be supporting a UK innovator, turning new ideas into military capability and putting it into the hands of soldiers quickly for trials and testing.”
Currently, EasiBridge is working on an order to supply three bridges, three conveyors and one footbridge to the RETDU. The equipment will be used as trial structures for army rescue and assault missions. (Source: army-technology.com)
17 May 19. US Navy Selects Elbit Systems of America Subsidiary for Logistical Support and Maintenance of Various Aircraft. The United States Navy named Elbit Systems of America subsidiary, M7 Aerospace LLC, as one of the companies selected for the Contracted Maintenance, Modification, Aircrew and Related Services (CMMARS) program. The CMMARS program covers logistical support and maintenance for various Navy and other U.S. Department of Defense aircraft for all phases of the acquisition life cycle. The multiple companies selected by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division will compete for individual orders for the U.S. Navy and Air Force under this contract vehicle.
“Being selected on the CMMARS contract is a testament to the trusted partnership both M7 Aerospace and Elbit Systems of America has developed with the U.S. Navy,” said Raanan Horowitz, President and CEO of ESA. “We’re honored to continue providing innovative solutions to keep U.S. service members safe, so they can continue their important missions.”
“Our goal is always to reduce operating and support costs, while achieving optimum asset readiness and mission performance for our customers,” said Chris Hickey, Vice President of Sustainment and Support Solutions at ESA. “We look forward to providing our high level of expertise and experience to the U.S. Navy and others under CMMARS.”
M7 Aerospace provides contractor logistics support, modifications and upgrades and aerospace engineering services to military and commercial aviation customers, both national and international. M7 Aerospace is located at the San Antonio International Airport.
For 25 years, Elbit Systems of America employees have been entrusted to perform high-quality work that helps to protect and save lives. In addition to providing advanced electro-optical and precision targeting solutions, the company also provides situational awareness and information fusion capabilities for our nation’s military and commercial pilots and border patrol agents; sustainment and support solutions for aircraft and ground vehicles; and life-saving medical instrumentation technologies. (Source: ASD Network)
17 May 19. Northrop Grumman Celebrates Ten Years of Collaboration with the Lebanese Air Force. Celebrating ten years of continuous collaboration and partnership, Northrop Grumman began its relationship with the Lebanese Air Force in 2009 with the delivery of its first missionized Cessna 208 aircraft.
“Northrop Grumman is honored to celebrate the last ten years of collaboration and camaraderie with the Lebanese Air Force,” said Cary Ralston, vice president, defense electronic systems, Northrop Grumman. “We remain committed to providing affordable, game-changing equipment and dedicated support that ultimately prepares our customers with the ability to respond to their rapidly evolving mission requirements. We look forward to continuing our partnership.”
Over the years, Northrop Grumman has delivered two variants of converted Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, a popular single engine turboprop, to the Lebanese Air Force. Lebanon received two armed aircraft (AC-208B) and one intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft (RC-208B) that was later converted into an armed variant.
Additionally, Northrop Grumman has continuously provided in-country maintenance, on the job training and logistics support for missionized Caravans. The certified and battle-proven AC-208B Armed Caravan is an affordable, highly reliable solution that requires minimal personnel and facilities to operate and maintain.
The aircraft modification integrates an electro-optical sensor, tactical communications, video datalinks, a mission system operator console and aircraft self-protection equipment into the aircraft, as well as Northrop Grumman’s own wing hard points. The mission system operator console unites Northrop Grumman’s Mission Management and Fire Control System giving the aircraft precision strike capability with Hellfire missiles and provides day/night reconnaissance, and the ability to acquire, monitor and track items of interest.
16 May 19. US Navy secretary says USN will soon be using unmanned systems for logistics. Unmanned aerial systems will soon be delivering parts and logistical supplies for US Navy (USN) and US Marine Corps (USMC) operations, USN Secretary Richard Spencer said.
“I saw some of the exercises they [USMC operators] are doing in unmanned aerial delivery,” Spencer said on 16 May during a presentation on military maritime logistics at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a Washington-based think tank.
He specifically noted experimental hybrid logistical experiments being done to complement Marine Air Ground Task Force operations and the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) programme, executed by the USMC and Office of Naval Research (ONR). (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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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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