Category: Military

Barnes Aerospace secured an agreement to partner with Blue Raven Solutions. The two businesses entered a U.S. military Aftermarket distribution agreement for Barnes Aerospace products. This agreement helps Barnes Aerospace grow its U.S. military Aftermarket business through Blue Raven Solutions’ tech-enabled, scalable supply chain solutions across various platforms that support the warfighter, the nation, and commercial customers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Barnes Aerospace appointed Blue Raven Solutions as an exclusive distributor of Barnes Aerospace products directly to the DLA Aviation, DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Troop Support divisions, and all other U.S. military agencies for Aftermarket sales. Barnes Aerospace will maintain its existing contracts and relationships with the OEM customers and, indirectly, the U.S. military agencies.

“Barnes Aerospace is honored to announce an agreement to partner with Blue Raven Solutions,” said Ian Reason, senior vice president, Barnes and President, Barnes Aerospace. “Their proven legacy of driving supply chain transformation through intelligent systems to ensure customers are always ready will help Barnes Aerospace make more of its products and services available to the U.S. military aftermarket. We are grateful and proud of Blue Raven Solutions’ choice to partner with Barnes Aerospace and their confidence in our ability to grow this market better together.”

By leveraging Blue Raven Solutions’ strong heritage in the Military Aftermarket and intelligent systems, Barnes Aerospace says it is well-positioned to meet the requirements of the U.S. military aftermarket.

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) in Koblenz, Germany has awarded Airbus with a contract renewal for the Luftwaffe’s A400M In-Service Support. The contract has a duration of 7.5 years and serves as an extension of the A400M In-Service Support contract that had been in place since December 2014.

“This contract extension shows a long-term commitment of the German government to the A400M. Together with the customer, we have made big strides in recent years to improve availability as well as the operational capabilities of the A400M, which has become an indispensable asset in Germany’s air force inventory”, said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems of Airbus Defence and Space. “This contract allows us to deepen our fruitful cooperation which, I believe, can serve as a role model of how industry and customers can work together successfully.”

The industrial technical support of the German Air Force A400M fleet covers a wide range of services provided by the Airbus Support Centre in Wunstorf Air Base and the central Centres of Competence in Getafe, Spain.

Airbus will ensure full coverage of scheduled Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services from its main MRO base in Manching, near Munich as well as at Wunstorf Air Base, near Hannover, Germany and at Hannover Airport.

The contract also foresees the establishment of a new A400M maintenance facility in direct proximity to Wunstorf Air Base. Commencing operations in 2027, the facility will perform MRO services and also host the Airbus A400M Support Centre with a total workforce of approximately 300 who will work hand in glove with suppliers and customer representatives. Construction work will commence with immediate effect.

Germany is the biggest customer of the A400M. Currently, the Luftwaffe operates 40 A400M out of a total of 53 aircraft on order. The entire fleet operates out of Wunstorf Air Base which is home to the Air Transport Wing 62 (Lufttransportgeschwader 62). 

Since 2019, the Aircraft Maintenance Division has entrusted manufacturer Dassault Aviation with the vertical agreement on life-cycle maintenance for Rafale aircraft (MCO Ravel). Under this contract, Dassault Aviation and the Aircraft Maintenance Division are implementing the AirScan automated airframe inspection service, of which Donecle drones are a cornerstone. This solution simplifies the visual inspection of Rafale aircraft for the French Air and Space Force (AAE) and the French Navy.

It is the result of close collaboration between Dassault Aviation and Donecle for the development and operational validation of AirScan, a service that combines Donecle’s automated drones and artificial intelligence algorithms with Dassault Aviation’s technical expertise and software solutions.

Donecle and Dassault Aviation have been working on the use of drones for airframe inspections for the past five years, and currently cover the Rafale, the Atlantique 2 and the Falcon family. In 2020, an initial agreement was signed to develop and test the solution on the Rafale as part of the aircraft’s “F4 standard” modernisation programme. This was carried out under the supervision of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). Under this contract, the drones were deployed on a trial basis at various air and naval bases, in order to identify constraints and refine user requirements. The next stage of the program saw the development of a navalized drone kit to enable autonomous drones to be used on board the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during operational missions. After two sea trials, these developments validated the drones’ ability to inspect Rafale airframes at sea — a world first,” said Matthieu Claybrough, Donecle’s CEO. “The order received under the Ravel contract marks both the success of several years of collaborative development and the start of our drones’ operational service for the French armed forces. The size and duration of this contract reflect the confidence in and benefits of AirScan. This announcement will no doubt contribute to our growing reputation, as this success consolidates our strong expansion, including in the defence sector.”

Under this contract, around ten drone kits will be distributed between the various Rafale bases and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. The integration of these technologies is helping to digitise maintenance, with the AirScan service gradually linking up with the various systems already in place.

This major step forward is part of a shared commitment by Dassault Aviation and the Aircraft Maintenance Division to further improve aircraft availability for the French armed forces.

“Our duty as defence contractors is to support our armed forces. The vertical agreements underpinning these life-cycle contracts are based on the principles of a single prime contractor, comprehensive services and a long service life,” Bruno Chevalier, Senior Executive Vice President, Military Customer Support at Dassault Aviation, said. “They reflect a strong commitment to the long-term availability of fleets and the support system. We need to modernize our resources if we are to meet this commitment, and it is essential that we bring our capacity for innovation to our armed forces. This first contract for the AirScan service on the Rafale paves the way for the modernization of resources and services deployed on other Dassault Aviation aircraft, whether civil or military.”

Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, with partners ILC Dover and Oceaneering, announced recently it has been awarded a new task order under NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract to modify the company’s current spacesuit to support lunar endeavors.

The follow-on task order allows Collins to add on to the company’s new spacesuit design, developing elements that are compatible for use on the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.

“Our next-generation spacesuit design is nearly 90% compatible with a lunar mission,” said Dave Romero, director, EVA & Human Surface Mobility Systems for Collins Aerospace. “This formal contract award will support continued efforts to modify our next-generation spacesuit, making it suitable to tasks on the Moon.”

Collins was awarded a task order valued at five million dollars, following a proposal process that required the company to identify the methodologies to develop a crossover product. 

Collins’ next-generation suit is lower in weight than the current extravehicular mobility unit and will improve astronaut efficiency, range of motion, and comfort. Designed to fit nearly any body type, it also has an open architecture design that enables the suit to be easily modified as missions change and evolve.

As NASA and Collins continue to advance the xEVAS program with events like Collins’ upcoming Critical Design Review and testing, such as a thermal vacuum test and underwater tests held at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Collins stands ready to help NASA and its international and commercial partners from low Earth Orbit to deep space.

Pratt & Whitney held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 845,000 square foot facility in Oklahoma City, Okla. As part of the project announced in March, Pratt & Whitney is investing $255 million in the new facility, which will act as a hub for depot support for Pratt & Whitney military engines maintained at Tinker Air Force Base and other depot locations, including those for the F-35, C-17, F-22, F-15, F-16, B-52, and E-3 AWACS.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by key local leaders, including Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04), Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Sec. John Nash, Councilman Todd Stone, and representatives from Sen. James Lankford’s, Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s, and Mayor David Holt’s offices.

“Aerospace and defense play a major role in Oklahoma’s economy and growing workforce, and I’ve been glad to see Pratt & Whitney be a key asset to the industry over the past several decades,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “It is great to see Pratt & Whitney choose to invest and expand their operations in our great state, and I look forward to continuing to make Oklahoma Top Ten for aerospace and defense.”

Pratt & Whitney has deep roots in Oklahoma City dating back to the 1940s, when the Army established a depot for the C-47 Skytrain and its R-1830 Twin Wasp engines. Today, Oklahoma City is the heart of Pratt & Whitney’s global sustainment network and plays a critical role in many of the company’s most important military engines programs, achieving record output from the F117, F119, and F135 Heavy Maintenance Centers in 2022.

“With strong demand for our newer products such as the F135 engine for the F-35 fighter – which is about to enter its first scheduled maintenance cycle – and increased operational tempo for other engine programs to help protect U.S. national security interests, we have continued to grow our presence in Oklahoma City to ensure we have the right people, processes, and infrastructure in place to keep pace,” said Jill Albertelli, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.

Once complete, the new facility will expand the company’s current sustainment capacity in Oklahoma City while consolidating six existing sites into two locations: the new Pratt & Whitney Oklahoma City facility and Tinker Air Force Base’s Air Logistics Complex.

“Pratt & Whitney is a trusted partner for military engine sustainment which enables wartime readiness and provides our armed services the competitive advantage needed to win,” said Congressman Tom Cole, OK-04. “Pratt & Whitney’s Oklahoma City site is the only depot capable of performing all F135 power module scope levels for the F-35, and expanding its capacities is the right decision as the military begins adopting the new F135 Engine Core Upgrade.”

Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) is an upgrade for the F135 that will provide an affordable, low-risk, and agile pathway to enabling Block 4 capabilities for all F-35 customers. The ECU leverages Department of Defense investments in propulsion technology to deliver the advanced capability needed for Block 4 and beyond, while maintaining the variant-commonality and international partnership approach upon which the joint program was built.

“I am especially pleased that Pratt & Whitney is expanding their operations in the state,” said Congresswomen Stephanie Bice, OK-05. “Not only will this expansion bring more valuable jobs to Oklahoma, but more importantly, our servicemen and women will have better sustainment support that will help them complete their missions and return home safely.”  Pratt & Whitney employs more than 450 full-time employees and an additional 450 partner contractors in Oklahoma City across disciplines including engineering, operations, finance, data analytics, materials and logistics, quality, and procurement. The new facility, which will be comprised of offices, meeting and collaboration spaces, storage and procurement facilities, and engineering workspaces, is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024.

Boeing signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ST Engineering to outline potential areas of collaboration in systems integration, training, local parts distribution, support and sustainment work for the P-8A Poseidon.

Boeing and ST Engineering have identified opportunities to collaborate in a number of areas and will explore these in more detail, including jointly developing a P-8 service center in Singapore with the provision of engineers and aircraft maintenance technicians to support maintenance and engineering services.

The P-8A is a long-range, multi-mission aircraft that delivers unmatched antisubmarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.

The P-8A, a military derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800, combines superior performance and reliability with an advanced mission system that ensures maximum interoperability in the future battle space. With more than 160 aircraft in service, the P-8 has executed more than 600,000 mishap-free flight hours around the globe.

Militaries that operate or have selected the P-8 include the U.S. Navy, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Indian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Republic of Korea Navy and German Navy.