07 September 2021
by Gareth Jennings
The US Army has received the first of 18 new Airbus Helicopters UH-72B Lakota support helicopters, the manufacturer announced on 7 September.
The first of 18 UH-72B helicopters was delivered to the National Guard on 7 September. (Airbus)
The National Guard took receipt of the first aircraft direct from Airbus Helicopters' Columbus production facility in Mississippi, marking the latest phase in the US Army Lakota programme that began with the contract award for the first of an eventual 463 UH-72A variants in 2006.
Derived from the civil EC145 (latterly known as the H145), the Lakota was originally procured by the US Army to free up front-line types such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, and to enable the phasing out of older types such as the Bell UH-1 ‘Huey' and OH-58A Kiowa Warrior.
First revealed in late August 2020 at the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) virtual trade show, the UH-72B variant features a number of enhancements over the older UH-72A, namely the addition of a more efficient Fenestron tail rotor, more powerful engines, enhanced controls, and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite.
24 April 2024
by Jeremiah Cushman
Saab has developed an autonomy package for its CB 90 fast boat and demonstrated its ability to navigate the Swedish coast. Pictured above is a CB 90 that was delivered to Malaysia. (Dockstavarvet)
Saab has established a new business function to revamp how it develops and delivers products to meet changing customer requirements. Skapa, a Swedish word that means “to create, to make, or to shape”, will focus on solving customer and stakeholder problems at speed, Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab in the United States, told reporters on 23 April. “Skapa will accelerate the development and deployment of cutting-edge solutions to our warfighters” at pace, he said.
24 April 2024
by Michael Fabey
US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said the country needs more blue-collar workers to meet navy shipbuilding needs at yards like Newport News Shipbuilding, shown here. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
To address the shortage of workers needed to build the number of ships needed to meet US Navy (USN) fleet plans, the country should seek to bring in more legal immigrants from foreign shores, according to US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
While acknowledging the impact of Covid-related issues on USN shipbuilding schedules on 23 April during an event at the Stimson Center, Del Toro said, “The bigger problem is the lack of blue-collar workers.”
Del Toro called on US lawmakers to “increase the amount of legal immigration” and work visas for potential shipbuilding work to come into country, despite the political divisions preventing such bipartisanship.
“We need to open up the spigot on legal immigration and allow blue-collar works to come here,” he said.
He underscored the need for retraining the new workforce for shipyard trades needed to build USN ships.
24 April 2024
by Giles Ebbutt
The XR Training consortium's USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle driver simulator in its seat configuration with two DoF motion platform. The Vive HTC Elite headset is on the seat. The Instructor station laptop is on the table behind. (XR Training)
A consortium led by XR Training has been awarded a contract by the US Marine Corps (USMC) under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to produce a driver training simulator for the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). The value of the contract was not disclosed but Neil Levin, XR Training CEO, told Janes that it was “in the high seven-figure area”.
The consortium, which also includes Talon Simulations (hardware), 302 Interactive (software development), and Theory Studios (modelling and visuals), will deliver 81 simulators by the end of 2024, followed by a two-year training and sustainment period. Most simulators will be deployed to Camps Pendleton and Lejeune, with some for use for “schoolhouse” training and some for deploying units.
The US Army has received the first of 18 new Airbus Helicopters UH-72B Lakota support helicopters, t...
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