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06 Jan 22. US Naval Surface Warfare Center invests in additive manufacturing prototypes. The Naval Surface Warfare Center is investing in six additive manufacturing prototypes through its Crane, Ind., division as it looks for new ways to protect military technologies.
Additive manufacturing is technology that adds materials to existing objects instead of removing materials. The Naval Surface Warfare Center believes the military can use additive manufacturing to help protect its systems from intrusion or compromise.
Selected vendors “will demonstrate prototype capabilities that address the AM technical domain problem set. The prototypes will demonstrate improvement over current technology protection techniques, processes, or systems as well as feasibility for eventual deployment on DoD systems and platforms,” said Crane Division Technical Director Angela Lewis in a Jan. 5 statement.
The six contracts were issued through the NSWC Crane Strategic & Spectrum Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems, or S2MARTS, other transaction authority, a vehicle used by the Pentagon for investments in microelectronics, spectrum, and other mission areas. The S2MARTS contracting process is managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL) Consortium.
Proposals were reviewed by Naval Sea Systems Command, Air Force Research Lab, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army. Awards were issued to General Electric, Johns Hopkins APL, Lockheed Martin RMS, Mercury Systems, ReLogic Research and Charles Stark Draper Laboratories. NSTXL did not reveal the value of the awards in its statement.
Prototypes will be evaluated at the end of the effort to determine how well they address the problem, how easily they can be deployed, reliability, cost, as well as size, weight and power.
The awards are sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s Trusted and Assured Microelectronics programming. It’s one of several efforts under the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing for Technology Protection (AMTP) Consortium, which was established in 2019 to drive government efforts on finding innovative ways to protect technologies.
There has been limited research previously into applying additive manufacturing to technology protection, according to the consortium statement.
“Applying additive manufacturing techniques to technology protection will truly be a game changer. We’re looking forward to leveraging the seed funds from this award to demonstrate the powerful, complementary nature of these two areas,” said Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Senior Scientist Korine Ohiri in a statement. “The stochastic nature of [additive manufacturing] means we can manufacture unique designs on demand, and allows for an incredibly broad breadth of security solutions for [technology protection].” (Source: Defense News)
05 Jan 22. £460m logistics contract to sustain more than 600 UK jobs.
A logistics system critical to UK Armed Forces operations worldwide will be supported under a new five-year, £460m contract with Boeing Defence UK.
- New five-year contract to support UK Armed Forces from the warehouse to the front line
- 675 jobs sustained across UK supply chain
- Contract expected to deliver £54m in efficiency savings
The contract supports implementation of the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper, published last year, which placed an emphasis on more productive, active and globally deployed Armed Forces.
Logistics Information Systems (LogIS) support vital services including inventory, transport, engineering and general ledger management, ensuring the UK can successfully deploy military personnel and equipment globally.
Supporting the Ministry of Defence’s ongoing Modernising Defence Programme, this new contract will ensure all single services have access to a single technology-enabled system to support essential inventory services, covering everything from washers and bolts to replacement parts for nuclear missiles.
Around 300 jobs will be sustained at Boeing Defence UK’s Milton Keynes and Bristol sites, as well as a further 375 roles in the wider UK supply chain including IBM, Fujitsu, Sopra Steria and BAE Systems.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin said:
This contract helps ensure our Armed Forces can rapidly deploy personnel and equipment on operations at home and abroad whenever required, maintaining their reputation as one of the finest fighting forces in the world.
Safeguarding the UK’s ability to provide critical defence, security and resilience, the contract enables the management of current and future equipment through ongoing access to cutting-edge software applications that are maintained and updated in line with the changing needs of Defence.
Head of Support Chain Information Systems at Defence Equipment & Support, Dave Penlington said: “Defence cannot mount or sustain operations without logistics information. This crucial capability will make our Armed Forces more agile and better placed to support future cutting-edge equipment. I am delighted that the team’s hard work alongside industry has ensured the UK Armed Forces have the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.”
Director Support Transformation at UK Strategic Command, Air Vice Marshal Richard Hill said: “Securing this contract will provide the means to deliver and modernise Logistic Information Systems (LogIS). This in turn will enable our transformation programme by integrating with industry partners to deliver Support Advantage.”
Negotiated by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK Ministry of Defence, the £460m contract is being delivered three months early and is expected to save £54m over the five years.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
04 Jan 22. FRCE achieves verification milestone for first laser shock peened F-35B. The aircraft has now returned to the US Marine Corps to perform operations. The US Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has achieved a new milestone with the completion of the verification for the first laser shock peened F-35B Lightning II aircraft.
According to the US Navy, laser shock peening increases the aircraft frame’s strength without the addition of any extra material or weight.
This peening procedure helps expand the life expectancy of the F-35B, a fifth-generation fighter.
The verification process also confirms that the aircraft meets system-level requirements evaluated through inspection, analysis, demonstration, and testing,F-35B is the short take-off-vertical landing (STOVL) variant flown by the US Marine Corps (USMC).
FRCE commanding officer colonel Thomas Atkinson said: “The laser shock peening modification is essential to extending the life of the F-35B STOVL variant, and the ability to complete this procedure successfully allows FRC East to support this critical workload.
“Standing up this strategic capability positions FRC East as a readiness multiplier for the future of Marine Corps aviation, and I’m proud of the hard work and dedication shown by the team in achieving verification of the process and returning the first laser shock peened F-35 aircraft to the fleet.”
In August 2019, FRCE completed construction on a $6m purposely built laser shock peening facility.
It marks the world’s first and only facility that can conduct the laser shock peening modification on an F-35 jet, US Navy stated.
In June 2020, the facility inducted the first F-35 to undergo the peening procedure. (Source: naval-technology.com)
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TEK Military Seating Limited
TEK Military Seating Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of ProTEK military vehicle seating which offer the highest standards of safety and protection. The ProTEK brand is well respected across the globe for its robust construction, innovative design, built in modularity and cost effectiveness. Our superior products are supported by our experienced team who endeavor to offer unrivalled service to our customers from enquiry, through design and acceptance, to through life support.
From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: David Parkman
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