Archive for December, 2009
Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
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BAE Systems has welcomed a decision by the Government Accountability Office, the US watchdog, in favour of the UK-based arms manufacturer after it protested against the award of a lucrative contract to a US competitor.
The $3bn (£2.7bn) defence contract for the production of FMTVs, or Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, was awarded to Oshkosh by the US Department of Army in a surprise decision in August.
BAE had held the previous contract but the department stripped BAE of it and opted for Oshkosh over both BAE and Navistar International. Navistar partners BAE in producing other military vehicles.
From 1991, the contract had been with Armor Holdings, which was acquired by BAE in 2007 for $4.1bn. During these 16 to 17 years of production the company built more than 50,000 vehicles at its operations in Texas and Michigan.
FMTVs are a series of vehicles that vary by payload and mission requirements but are based on a common chassis. They are used in Iraq and Afghanistan as trucks and trailers.
The GAO ruled that the Army had overestimated Oshkosh’s capability to deliver on contractual obligations.
The GAO recommended in a statement that the US army “re-evaluate the offerors’ proposals” and “make a new selection decision”.
BAE managed to gain the backing of two US congressmen who wrote to Pentagon acquisitions chief Ashton Carter to protest against the award to Oshkosh.
The decision comes as BAE is embroiled in a similar fight in the UK as it battles with US competitor General Dynamics for a £4bn contract to produce FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) reconnaissance vehicles.
The new vehicles are planned to replace the Scimitar scout vehicles currently in use in Afghanistan.
Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
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Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
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Soldier launching UAV (Source: Sgt. 1st Class Michael Guillory, U.S. Army)Robots with ethics could one day be used on the battlefield
The United States military continues to invest heavily into robotic technology, as the newer generations of robot-based soldiers will be programmed to understand battlefield ethics.
According to an article in the Army Times, the so-called ‘ethical robots’ would follow international laws. Ronald Arkin, from the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology, wrote a book to discuss the future of robotics.
In “Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots,” Arkin claims robotics, if programmed correctly, have numerous advantages over human ground troops. Robots are emotionless , expendable, and can be customized for specific missions.
It’s possible the robots could be taught remorse, compassion and guilt, but exact senses the robots would be programmed with are still unknown. Furthermore, depending on the determined level of guilt, and the mission being carried out, the firepower and effectiveness of weapons used will change.
The robots could also be used to monitor soldiers to ensure international treaties are being followed by U.S. and coalition ground troops. Although many soldiers don’t want to be monitored in such an intrusive manner, several high-profile cases of abuse and murder have further blemished the military’s image among locals in Iraq.
If funding is properly allocated for the research, it could be available in 10 to 20 years. As the U.S. continues to fight wars using enhanced technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other unmanned resources have become popular alternatives to launching manned missions — and is expected to further increase in the future.
source > DailyTech.com
Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
U.S. company Aura Systems Inc. has been selected to receive additional funding to continue a program integrating its power technologies in a military vehicle.
Aura announced the recent 2010 defense authorization bill included an $800,000 allocation of funding to the company for continued development of military vehicle applications for its 30 kW Viper system.
The $800,000 in funding is for work on upgraded electronics for the Viper power technology. As part of the funding, Aura will build and test the system for integration into a military vehicle and conduct an eventual demonstration.
