INDUSTRY REPORT
In addition to developing skills and technologies critical for the defence of nations , the defence industry contributes hugely to engineering expertise and innovative R & D worldwide
Major ongoing procurement programmes include the procurement of Virginia-class , Columbia-class and the F-35A . In April , the U . S . Defence Department hired a former computer science professor and head of machine learning for Lyft to elevate digital and artificial intelligence strategy development and policy formulation . As chief digital and artificial intelligence officer , Craig Martell is responsible for accelerating the adoption of data , analytics , digital solutions and AI functions .
The U . S . Defence Department has prioritised five areas important to national defence where supply lines are challenged . Those include castings and forgings ; missiles and munitions ; energy storage and batteries ; strategic and critical materials ; and microelectronics .
" Workers are a critical component of supply chains , and make them possible . In U . S . manufacturing , the gap between open positions and available workers is not expected to close , with an estimated 2.1- million unfilled jobs by 2030 ,” commented Deborah Rosenblum , who performs the duties of the assistant secretary of defence for industrial base policy , in June this year .
“ Through the industrial skills initiative , part of the Defence Department ' s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment programme , the department has invested over US $ 80 million in industrial workforce development and training projects since 2019 ,” she continued .
“ The intention of this initiative is to support a variety of defence weapon system development , production and sustainment needs , with a focus on skills such as welding , advanced machining , electronics , precision optics , metrology , digital / additive manufacturing and other emerging Industry 4.0 skills . These efforts will grow and strengthen the manufacturing workforce pipeline , provide skills to new workers and upskill existing workers , and improve public perception of industrial skills careers ,” she concluded .
M109A7 tank ( image : BAE Systems .).
U . S . Secretary of Defence , Lloyd J . Austin III , spoke with service members at Sembawang Naval Base , Singapore on 12 June 2022 .
An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ). Image : U . S . Navy .
Skills , R & D and productivity
In addition to developing skills and technologies critical for the defence of nations , the defence industry contributes hugely to engineering expertise and innovative R & D worldwide . For example , at BAE Systems , more than two-thirds of its UK employees are in engineering-related roles and the highly skilled and technical nature of their work results in an average productivity of £ 83,000 per employee .
“ That ’ s 17 % higher than the UK manufacturing sector and almost 30 % higher than the average across the whole economy ,” the company told ISMR . “ Our significant UK footprint across more than 50 sites and extensive supply chain mean that in 2020 , we supported 143,000 jobs across the country and contributed more than £ 10 billion to UK GDP , equivalent to 0.5 % of the domestic economy .”
To ensure a robust pipeline of talent for the future , BAE Systems invested £ 93 million in skills , training and development activities in 2020 . That included more than 2,000 apprentices and nearly 600 graduates in training across a wide range of roles from electronics and electrical , structural , software and research engineers , to manufacturing , operations and project
management .
Boeing ’ s CH-47F Chinook has been selected for the heavylift helicopter requirements ( STH ) of the German Bundeswehr . Continuing its support for young
people , BAE Systems will this year recruit almost 1,700 apprentices and graduates across the country – 25 % up on last year and the largest intake it has offered in a single year . It continues to invest in research and development , selffunding more than £ 100 million of research in the UK and being the ninth largest patent applicant in the UK . The company also delivered more than £ 1.1 billion of research activity on behalf of the UK Government , helping the country to drive technological innovation .
Continuous investment and innovation , with an eye on sustainability , skills and diversity , is key to maintaining market share in aerospace and defence markets . n
28 | www . ismr . net | ISMR July / August 2022