BATTLESPACE UPDATE Vol.20 ISSUE 23

04 June 2018

NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF – EUROPE

Land Ceptor: Baltic Trials

Sea Venom: Trials Success

CATT: Support Contract

Georgia: Ministerial Visit

Kenya: Training Mission

Malawi: Poaching

Chile: Foreign Sec. Visit

Chemical Weapons: Conference

Space Strategy: Leaflet

U.S. missiles for Germany?

UK receives first F-35B jets

Germany rejects US drone tech

Belgian Minister Hoisted

Poland wants US presence

French Senate Adopts Bill

Dassault Will Play Role

NEWS IN BRIEF – USA

MQ-4C Triton Welcomed To Fleet

USN selects Raytheon Naval Missile

American Panel at Eurosatory

Trump tariff fallout

Dogfight over aircraft

NEWS IN BRIEF – REST OF THE WORLD

Operation Roundup Hits ISIS Remnants

Canadian Investment Plan

Chinese carrier group readiness

Over 70 Taliban leaders killed

Foreign Troops Must Leave Syria

Gaza Terror Groups Agree Ceasefire

Afghanistan Strategy Shows Results

KADEX 2018 defence contracts

India’s gross defence budget

Saudi Arabia shuts out Germany

Chinese jets do night landings

BUSINESS NEWS

US firms losing edge

Mettis Aerospace Results

Thales extends Gemalto period

Airbus wait for new CEO

Axiom purchases FRH

L3’s growth strategy

BHEL net up 112%

Verint to Buy NSO

ST Engineering branding

Elbit reported results

Terma order intake up

Lürssen teams up with Civmec

MILITARY VEHICLE NEWS

US Navy’s new robot road map

UK Gears up for MRV(P)

Otokar Presents ARMA 8×8

First Dutch-German Leopard

New variant of PIRANHA IFV

French VBMR-L 2019 rollout

LOGISTICS AND THROUGH LIFE UPDATE

Oshkosh sponsors Logistics

GDLS parts contract

Self-Maintaining Machines

TEST-FUCHS selects IFS

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Improved King Air Navigation

Autonomous Drone Navigation

US post-Vietnam tech advances

SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE

Gogo offers Iridium Certus

Thales Alenia SCNTPL Agreement

Saab Develops Space Offer

SpaceDataHighway Laser Connections

SpaceX launched Iridium Satellites

SpaceX’s Launches Satellites

BridgeSat’s Agreement with ICEYE

Global Satellite Modem Market

Kymeta demos during SOFIC

Kymeta Appoints CopaSAT

VT iDirect market lead

RADAR, EO/IR, NIGHT VISION AND SURVEILLANCE UPDATE

Raytheon expands center

Arms race for surveillance

Japan buys AN/ALR-69A(V)RWR

Germany’s new spy drone search

Cambridge Pixel RadarWatch

Sierra Nevada counter-UAV system

Thales and CarteNav ISR solution

Philippine Navy TC-90 aircraft

BEL IRST For Sukhoi Su-30 MKI

Don’t freeze UK out of Sentry

3D Radar Market

Photonis/Night Vision Devices JV

MISSILE, BALLISTICS AND SOLDIER SYSTEMS UPDATE

Berlin’s combat drone

USS The Sullivans launches SM-2

Success for MBDA’s Sea Venom/ANL

SIG SAUER’s Thin Blue Line pistol

Russia Tests Laser Weaponry

Swedish $1bn Patriot deal closes

Turkey, Pakistan T129 ATAK contract

Smart Rifles For Foot Soldiers

Airtronic HEAT round for PSRL

Land Ceptor destroys target

Diamond Age’s Bastion Helmet

Epsilor chargers for Canada

Rafael launches Fire Weaver

Slovakia unveils Predator AX-1

B-1B uses Lockheed LRASMs

Rosoboronexport loses in India?

UNMANNED SYSTEMS UPDATE

India’s Rustom-2 by 2020

MQ-9 Operations out of Poland

UMS SKELDAR and QinetiQ Partner

Kratos High Performance UAS

Team SkyGuardian® Canada Launched

Cormorant IDF Mission Demo

IIT-Kanpur Develops VTOL UAV

C2, TACTICAL COMMUNICATIONS, AI, CYBER, EW, CLOUD COMPUTING AND HOMELAND SECURITY UPDATE

US needs more than one cloud

New TerraLens SDK unveiled

Airbus Viewcor application

Chemring launches VIPER

AI in EW countermeasures

F-15C EW upgrade cancelled

Information warfare Top Guns

F/A-18/F-35 Face Stealth Dilemma

Raytheon EW agreement with Aus DST

INTERNATIONAL PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO

Babcock Team 31 Arrowhead 140

EUROPE

Turkey, Rolls-Royce deadline

USA

Sierra Nevada UH-1N replacement

USAF aircraft contract delayed

REST OF THE WORLD

Babcock Canadian sub contract

L3 teams with IAI for RCAF RPAS

Japan seeks Cobra replacement

CASG head rejects ANAO concerns

CSC rivals await selection

India, Russia sanctions plan

France and Ukraine helo contract

Canada proceeds with CMLU

Argentine Navy seeks spares

Australian Submarine costs

Future Australian Submarine

CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF

EUROPE

LAND

Airbus Nato comms contract

Raytheon Romanian contract

Saab Carl-Gustaf FMV contract

USA

LAND

AM General HMMV contract

American Ordnance contract

DRS MFOCS contract

FLIR Black Hornet® contract

Harris HH-VDL contract

Mack Defense M917A3 contract

Orbital ATK AARGM contract

Orolia PNT contract

Oshkosh MTV contract

SEA

Raytheon OHW contract

AIR

Raytheon AIM-120D contract

UTC F-35 contract

REST OF THE WORLD

LAND

Rafael Aus Spike contract

SEA

Babcock Canada contract

Elbit contract from STX

XTEK Australian contract

AIR

Boeing Saudi CH-47F contract

Kazakhstan orders Mil Mi-35M

Raytheon Japan RWR contract

Rockwell selected by Cascade

MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE

LOCATIONS

LAND

Satcom Direct European office

MARITIME

IN commissions floating dock

Australia launches Patrol Boat

USS SIOUX CITY Acceptance Trials

Indian Navy’s new landing craft

AIR

Mi-171Sh update

MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT

PERSONNEL

U.S. APPOINTMENTS

LG Austin S. Miller appointed

Rear Adm. R.A. Correll assigned

Capt. J.S. Scheidt selected

INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY TEAMINGS

GA-ASI/P&W team

PERSONNEL

Serge Dassault dies at 93

EUROPE APPOINTMENTS

Airbus hires E. Dominguez Puerta

Boughton appoints Graeme McGregor

EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES

Qioptiq sponsors Owning The Night

Eurosatory held from 11-15 June

Military vehicle systems

Naval Innovation Days

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Defence Fire and Rescue

Nuclear Weapons

European Fighter Aircraft

Defence Fire and Rescue

FEATURES

A roadmap for energy storage on board armoured vehicle

By Ori Kost, Large Format Battery Program Manager at Epsilor

TAILPIECE

Keda, a former Army explosives search dog, has won The Sun’s Hero Dog award for her work in helping sick and injured soldiers recover from their conditions. (Army website, 31 May 18.) (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 18/20, 04 Jun 18)

CONTACT DETAILS

Julian Nettlefold

BATTLESPACE Publications

8 Sinclair Gardens

London W14 0AT

Tel/Fax: +44 (0)207 6105520

Mobile: +44 077689 54766

e-mail

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NEWS IN BRIEF – EUROPE

Sponsored by MILLBROOK

Tel: +44 (0) 1525 408408

www.millbrook.co.uk/military

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30 May 18. 3 big takeaways from the US Navy’s new robot road map. Where the Navy goes, it doesn’t need roads. It does need road maps, however, and as incongruous as a metaphor about terrestrial travel is for a maritime military, the Navy’s Strategic Roadmap for Unmanned Systems offers a guide to the sailor-less seas of the future.

The road map was formally signed in March, with a summary released in May. From this rough outline we can spot three trends: robots will fight alongside sailors, not replace them; that robots will be developed alongside the laws governing autonomous weapons; and to get robots as quickly as they’re developed, the Navy will need to rethink acquisitions.

Robots alongside people, not replacing people

“Unmanned and autonomous technologies will become a powerful and ubiquitous force multiplier in an integrated human-machine team. The combination will provide capabilities that far exceed the effectiveness of platforms or humans alone,” states the report. “The combination will provide capabilities that far exceed the effectiveness of platforms or humans alone.”

When we think of automation, and robots in general, we tend to think of them replacing people entirely, as though a mechanical person steps into the exact role. Hardly any robots come close to that, and even the ones that are much more autonomous are designed to augment human abilities, instead of entirely replacing humans.

It is a further degree of specialization: nothing about the job of tracking submarines at sea requires that humans be physically present, so if the Sea Hunter autonomous ship can do the job while humans remotely monitor the data it collects, all the better.

Humans augmented by machines have a lot of names in the Pentagon. One not mentioned in the Navy’s road map but relevant to the whole concept is “Centaur Warfighting,” borrowing the term “centaur” from chess, where it describes amateurs using computers to help plot moves that allow them to can defeat far more skilled humans playing on their own.

Autonomous robots are coming, and so are laws of robotics

Experiments with human/machine teaming date back to at least World War II. So what sort of tasks will the Navy ask of its robots?The Navy will eventually want robots that can use weapons for offensive purposes, of course.

The Navy will eventually want robots that can use weapons for offensive purposes, of course.

As framed in the road map, “capability developers must consider mission requirements, potential offensive use of existing threats, and governing law and policy,” which is phrased blandly enough that it obscures the lack of settled or even agreed-to law regarding autonomous weapons.

As the European Union looks to move forward with defense funding, it also sidestepped languageprohibiting the development of autonomous weapons, instead deferring to the same unfinished deliberations of international law.

Rather than simply wait for the rules about autonomous weapons to be negotiated in their absence, however, the Navy notes that it should “influence policy and law regarding the use of weaponized [unmanned systems].” This will tackle the legality of the capabilities from both ends: making sure that the autonomous machines the Navy builds fall within the law is easier when the Navy is also actively shaping the law.

A related objective is promoting the national public acceptance of use of unmanned systems, which the road map notes will have to take into account public input on privacy, offensive use and safety.

Still, everything in this suggests the Navy is looking for some for some form of lethal autonomy, and the matter in question is not if it will employ autonomous weapons, but what type of autonomy those weapons will use. Provided, of course, that the Navy can actually get the machines made on time, which brings us to the third big takeaway.

Keeping pace with technology means faster acquisitions

No amount of theory or legal wrangling will mean anything for the Navy if it cannot move machine from concept to functional, deployable tool in time for the machines to be useful. A specific solution for the slowness of the acquisitions isn’t offered, and would be beyond the scope of this road map summary anyway, but the need for one is real and felt.

“Technological advancements are outpacing all aspects of acquisition, hindering insertion of innovative capabilities into the fleet and full realization of employment,” the road map states plainly, “Development and use of new policy must match the pace of technology and threats.”

The Navy is hardly alone in this; the Army is looking at ways to field imperfect but useful and upgradeable equipment for tasks like electronic warfare, rather than waiting for a perfect tool that ships after the adversary’s technology has moved on.

As for getting around the present obstacles to field new forms of useful autonomy, we can expect that is covered in more depth in the full road map; the summary notes that the Comprehensive Roadmap outlines 30 specific barriers to adoption of unmanned systems as desired, and likely those descriptions of barriers come with ways around them.

Until then, the summary tells us upfront that the Navy is not looking to replace sailors or Marines with robots, but rather augment them; that the Navy wants a hand in both shaping the laws around autonomous weapons and developing robots in accordance with those laws; and that all of this hinges on an ability to get around the current hurdles of acquisitions. Then, and only then, can the Navy get the drones its looking for.

The full text of the summary road map is available at USNI News.

(Source: C4ISR & Networks)

31 May 18. UK Gears up for MRV(P). As the UK ramps up the process to acquire over 2000 MRV(P)vehicles from Oshkosh, BATTLESPACE understands that the UK MoD has launched a programme to slim down its existing fleet of armoured light vehicles, many of them bought under UOR during Operation Herrick. The first vehicles to be disposed of are believed to be the 400 Panther vehicles with the possibility that Husky may follow. Foxhound is currently n service in Afghanistan but believed to be under review, although the Army will still require a ‘SNATCH Type vehicle.’ Jackal will certainly be retained for SF duties.

30 May 18. Otokar to Present ARMA 8×8 in HEMUS 2018. Otokar, a Koç Group company, with products used in more than 30 countries across the world, attends at HEMUS Exhibition set to take place between May, 30th and June, 3rd, 2018 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. During the five-day exhibition Otokar will promote ARMA 8×8 armored fighting vehicle at its stand.

Emphasizing Otokar’s outstanding success in international markets, General Manager Serdar Görgüç said “Our strength in the defense industry is driven by our experience, engineering and R&D capabilities, and successful use of technology. Today over 30,000 Otokar military vehicles are in service in many different parts of the world. The success of our vehicles has always been a reference for new orders. Otokar as a registered NATO and United Nations supplier is ready to meet Bulgarian Armed Forces’ needs with its wide product range. Apart from the our displayed ARMA 8×8 we are well aware the further potential in the country for our 6×6 and 4×4 vehicles. With the advantage of having such wide product range, we also desire to contribute to Bulgarian economy through creating added value in the country.”

ARMA: MODULAR 8×8 ARMORED VEHICLES

Otokar presents ARMA 8×8 in HEMUS; the modular multi-wheeled vehicle with superior tactical and technical features. Thanks to its superior mobility, high mine and ballistic protection, medium and high calibre weapon system integration options; ARMA is capable to serve modern armies in the real battlefield, peace keeping and human relief operations in most difficult terrain and climatic conditions. ARMA 8×8; is available in various types of configurations such as Personnel Carrier, Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Fire Support Vehicle, Mortar Carrier, Short and Medium Range Air Defence, Mobile Gun Carrier, Command and Control Vehicle with optional amphibious capability. ARMA is suitable for integration of various weapon systems from light machine gun weapon stations up to 25-30mm medium calibre cannon and 105mm cannon.

30 May 18. Dutch-German tank battalion receives first Leopard 2A6MA2. The German Army’s Panzerbataillon (Armour Battalion) 414, which includes a Dutch tank company, received its first Leopard 2A6MA2 recently, the Bundeswehr announced on 25 May. The remaining 16 main battle tanks are scheduled to be delivered to the battalion in Lohheide, northern Germany, by the end of June, the Bundeswehr added.

Panzerbataillon 414, which the German and Dutch armies began forming in 2015, comes under the command of the Royal Netherlands Army’s 43 Mechanised Brigade, which is in turn part of the German 1st Panzer Division.

Panzerbataillon 414 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Marco Niemeyer described the “hand over – take over” of the Leopard 2A6MA2, which will equip the Dutch tank company, as a major step in the integration of the unit, with the tank’s Dutch Essential Land based Information Application & Services (ELIAS) battlefield management system providing technical interoperability with 43 Mechanised Brigade.

Panzerbataillon 414’s German Leopard 2s will also be upgraded to the 2A6MA2 standard and equipped with ELIAS so they can operate with 43 Mechanised Brigade, bringing the total number of tanks to be upgraded to 48.

29 May 18. General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) presented a new variant of its advanced 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle PIRANHA IFV, at the XIII International Defence Exhibition HEMUS 2018 between May 30 and June 2 in Plodiv, Bulgaria. The PIRANHA IFV will be fitted with the latest Elbit UT30MK2 unmanned turret armed with an Orbital ATK Armament Systems 30 mm MK44 dual feed cannon, 7.62 mm co-axial MG, a

pod of two anti-tank guided weapons (ATGW) and an advanced digital Communication and Information System (CIS) from General Dynamics Mission Systems. The vehicle is a candidate for the Bulgarian Army’s Battalion Battle Group (BBG) acquisition project.

“It is key for us to present to our customer various options of armament systems so he can choose the optimum for his specific needs,” said Thomas Kauffmann, General Dynamics European Land Systems Vice President International Business & Services.

In 2017, General Dynamics European Land Systems presented the PIRANHA IFV with a medium calibre armament system from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to the Bulgarian Army at the Military polygon Tylbeto near the city of Kazanlak, Bulgaria. The PIRANHA is one of the most successful Western 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicle in the world. More than 12,000 vehicles of the PIRANHA family are in service with 20 user nations including Canada, the United States and European countries like Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland.

29 May 18. French VBMR-L set for 2019 rollout. The first 4×4 Vehicule Blinde Multi-Role-Light (VBMR-L) vehicles developed by Nexter Systems for the French Army will be completed in 2019, with an initial operating capability (IOC) expected in 2021. The company is currently developing three variants of the VBMR-L: 10 vehicles configured for armoured patrol missions – operated by a two-person crew and carrying eight dismounts – expected to be qualified in 2021, as well four communications and three reconnaissance vehicles scheduled to be qualified in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The VBMR-L will have a conventional layout with the power pack at the front, commander and driver to the immediate rear, and troop/mission area extending to the rear. A gross vehicle weight (GVW) of between 15 and 17 tonnes is also expected, with growth potential to 18 tonnes. The hull will be of welded aluminium or steel construction to which an applique passive armour can be added.

Texelis will provide the powerpack, drivetrain, suspension, and wheels.

The powerpack comprises a Cummins 375-hp diesel engine coupled to an Allison SP3000 automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case, which will provide a maximum road speed of up to 100km/h and range of up to 600km.

The VBMR-L will also be fitted with Texelis’ T700 axle system, which incorporates the company’s existing proven wheel-end and differential components with Timoney’s double wishbone suspension concept. An anti-skid braking system (ABS), a central tyre inflating system (CTIS), and run-flat tyres will be fitted to the axle system as standard equipment.

The system is already in production in France for the 4×4 Serbian Yugoimport Milosh Armoured Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle (AMPCV) BOV M16 vehicle, which has entered production, with 14 vehicle sets to be delivered from late 2017.

In terms of mission equipment, the VBMR-L will include the Synergie du COntact Renforcé par la Polyvalence et l’InfovalorisatiON (SCORPION) electronic architecture, Systeme d’Information du Combat Scorpion (SICS) battle management system, and the Thales Communications Numériques Tactiques et de Théatre (CONTACT) radio system. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

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Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrook’s remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.

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LOGISTICS AND THROUGH LIFE UPDATE

Web Page sponsored by Oshkosh

www.oshkoshdefense.com

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01 Jun 18. New sponsor! We are delighted to welcome Oshkosh as the sponsor for our new Logistics And Through Life Update. Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK].

31 May 18. General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded a $9,151,320 modification (P00022) to a three-year base contract (SPE7MX-16-D-0100) with two one-year option periods adding vehicle spare parts. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Michigan and South Carolina, with an Aug. 11, 2019, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio. (Awarded May 30, 2018)

30 May 18. Self-Maintaining Machines. Indra is envisionig a new way for the logistical management of system and platform life cycles. A new way that Indra’s Director of Defense and Air Vehicles Logistics, José Manuel Sánchez Serrano, said to become a revolution. “The revolution in logistical processes is rapidly and inexorably leading to Support 4.0 through the application of the Industry 4.0 concept, or the fourth industrial revolution in the field of de-fence.”

This will not only enable aircraft to monitor their own state of health, they will also be able to gather information about the mission environment in which they are going to operate and take it into account, so they are ready to take off at the scheduled time. According to Sánchez Serrano maintenance will become more predictive due to artificial intelligence systems processing huge volumes of information to determine the remaining life of each of their components. This will enable armies to avoid excessive maintenance and the high costs which that entails, to launch maintenance actions before failures occur, and to prevent the malfunctions that reduce their availability and operability.

Supply processes will also be smart, using proactive organisation to anticipate needs. All the actors involved will be integrated and the system will offer end-to-end traceability and logistics intelligence throughout the whole supply chain. Achieving all of these capabilities will demand enormous research and coordination efforts as well as the use of the most innovative technologies such as big data and data analytics, machine learning, cyber-physical systems, smart logistics, integration and new communications, Sánchez Serrano pointed out.

Indra is also implementing a new operating concept in which systems behave practically like humans, capable of feeling, understanding, acting and learning. (Source: ESD Spotlight)

29 May 18. IFS, the global enterprise applications company, today announced that the TEST-FUCHS Group, a leading manufacturer of test systems and components for the aerospace and defence (A&D) industry, is one of the first A&D customers to select the recently launched IFS Applications™ 10 as its global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) solution.

Headquartered in Austria, TEST-FUCHS selected IFS because of its industry-specific capabilities, completeness of the solution, and its long-term aerospace and defence industry experience. TEST-FUCHS will roll out IFS Applications 10 across Austria, Germany, Italy, France, UK, USA, Singapore, and China to support its global mechanical engineering and maintenance operations, which serve some of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers, airlines, OEMs and MROs, including Airbus, Boeing, Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Sikorsky, and Embraer.

IFS Applications 10 has been designed to help companies connect their business to a digital backbone and capitalise on disruptive technologies, processes, and business models such as automation, connected devices, and servitization. The implementation at TEST-FUCHS will cover preventive maintenance, fleet & asset management, component MRO, manufacturing, human resources, financials, supply chain, CRM, service management, document management, quality management, and quality assurance.

In addition to the new deployment, TEST-FUCHS will enter into a long-term strategic partnership with IFS to help organisations in the aerospace and defence sector react to industry changes by implementing IFS Applications.

“As a fast-growing international technology and engineering company, it is essential that our operations are supported by enterprise software that can adapt and scale at the same rate as the business,” said Armin Havlik, CFO, TEST-FUCHS Group. “The flexibility of IFS Applications and the numerous optimisation possibilities to further refine our business processes was a key factor in our decision, as was its built-in internationality, which enables TEST-FUCHS to easily adapt to country-specific requirements.”

Peter Höhne, VP Sales & Marketing for IFS in Central Europe, added, “For over 70 years, TEST-FUCHS has focused on technology and innovation to help its customers stay ahead in the fast-paced aerospace sector. This is why the company sought an integrated solution to manage and optimise all key business areas and enable it to continue providing a world-class service to its global customer base. The agreement with TEST-FUCHS is yet another example of a leading A&D organisation that selects IFS’s solution to get ahead of the disruptive technology challenges facing the industry. We are very pleased to win TEST-FUCHS as a strategic new customer as we expand our footprint in the A&D industry in the region.”

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About Oshkosh Defense

Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK].

To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at

www.oshkoshdefense.com.

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments

www.oxleygroup.com

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30 May 18. Beechcraft King Air 350i Rolls Out Improved Situational Awareness, Navigation. Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) 2018 that iTAWS is now standard on the Pro Line Fusion-equipped Beechcraft King Air 350i/ER turboprop aircraft. The system provides an integrated Terrain Awareness and Warning System (iTAWS) with the Fusion’s high-resolution Synthetic Vision System (SVS) for easy operation. iTAWS brings aural and visual warnings to the primary flight display and multi-function displays, and it eliminates the standalone TAWS line-replaceable unit along with all related wiring and complexity. Also newly standard for the King Air 350i is multi-scan radar with turbulence detection that automatically detects short, mid and long-range weather. This provides an optimized weather picture regardless of the aircraft altitude or the range selected. Additionally, mobile enablement is now available as an option that allows wireless chart and flight plan uploads from an iPad via the ARINCDirect app, in addition to allowing the avionics to wirelessly receive and upload v-speeds.

“Integration of the latest technology and comfort throughout the cockpit and cabin have made the Pro Line Fusion-equipped King Air 350i a success since it achieved certification and entered service in late 2015,” said Rob Scholl, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “We continue to invest in the world’s best-selling business turboprop family, bringing owners/operators features that are important to them. Better navigation, more accurate storm information and increased situational awareness lower the pilot workload and boost the comfort of everyone on board.”

All new Beechcraft King Air turboprops come equipped with Pro Line Fusion flight decks. The company expects to roll out the above new features on the King Air 250 in the near future.

24 May 18. Humatics & Hangar Partner to Deliver Precision Autonomous Drone Navigation. Microlocation services to support autonomous drones in Smart Cities and other challenging environments. Humatics Corporation, the company developing breakthrough microlocation products, today announced a partnership with Hangar Technology, Inc., the world’s first autonomous data acquisition platform for 4D Visual Insights™. The combination will add unprecedented centimeter- and millimeter-scale positioning to Hangar’s autonomous flight control engine – opening the possibility of true, scalable indoor and outdoor precision-captured asset imagery, bringing real-time microlocation to autonomous drones, cars and robotics. Enabling these capabilities in a complex urban environment is made possible by the integration of technology among the partners. The commercial implementation of this unique partnership will include installations at Vapor IO’s Kinetic Edge™, a platform that will enable high-precision navigation, industrial automation, next-generation construction, autonomous vehicles, and ultimately bring smart cities to life. The partnership is expected to collaborate on joint solution development and demonstrations in 2018, with commercial deployments in 2019.

Autonomous Robotics at the Kinetic Edge

The Humatics partnership expands on Hangar’s existing autonomous infrastructure leveraging Vapor IO’s Kinetic Edge to plan and execute autonomous missions to produce 4D Visual Insights™. The Kinetic Edge will be rolled out in the US via Project Volutus, a partnership that was announced in June of last year. Project Volutus will deploy a nationwide network of Kinetic Edge micro data centers in key metropolitan cities, including Chicago as the first Kinetic Edge city.

Hangar’s Robotics-as-a-System on top of the Kinetic Edge will provide intelligent infrastructure for autonomous robotics across the entire network of Project Volutus cities as they come online. Together, Hangar and Humatics will enable new services for autonomous vehicles that include precision navigation, microlocation, and universal traffic assistance.

“The physical world moves rapidly and unpredictably. As autonomous systems such as drones, vehicles, and robots gain mass adoption, they’re going to require precise awareness of the environment around them,” says Jeff DeCoux, CEO and founder of Hangar. “Fractions of seconds and location accuracy are paramount. Humatics gives us the added ability to safely and seamlessly navigate complex environments with centimeter- and millimeter-scale accuracy.”

The Humatics Spatial Intelligence Platform™ is comprised of its centimeter- and millimeter-scale microlocation systems and analytics software, capable of capturing and calculating precise 3D positions, both outside and indoors. This data stream allows for quick and robust drone positioning and navigation in any environment.

“We are piloting our breakthrough microlocation system with key smart city innovators like Hangar,” said David Mindell, Humatics co-founder and CEO. “High precision position data can dramatically improve safety, efficiency and productivity. We envision many applications for precise drone navigation in smart cities, from inspections of construction, transportation and other infrastructure, all the way inside buildings, where precision becomes even more critical.”

Supporting Resources

Hangar’s Robotics-as-a-System at the Kinetic Edge
Previous Hangar and Vapor Release
Kinetic Edge Video

(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)

24 May 18. US Army ‘living off the fat’ of post-Vietnam tech advances. After the losses of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army experienced a wake-up call that it needed to improve its warfighting technologies, which in turn led to many of the tools and practices that made it a world military power.

But according to Maj. Gen. William Hix, deputy director of the Army Modernization Command Task Force, the Army has since been “living off the fat” of those technological advances, and will have to do more to keep ahead of the other rising world powers.

China and Russia have set goals to improve their military prowess through technology over the next couple decades, with China especially aiming to become the world military power by 2050.

“We have to recognize that it’s a challenge, and that they are serious-minded about what they intend to achieve, as are the Russians,” Hix said. “The IT revolution is fundamental to the combat output of the Army. And our adversaries’ perception of that output, our competitive advantage, is fundamental to preventing war, which is our first job.”

According to Hix, Operation Desert Storm was a sign for China and Russia that they were not capable of military combat on the same level as the U.S. But those events also drove their leaders to push harder for military advancement.

“We should give them something else to recognize that they’re not ready for,” Hix said. He explained that network capabilities would be at the core of the Army’s advancements.

The advantage the United States has, Hix said, is that it has already cultivated a culture that prioritizes innovation in ways that China and Russia do not.

“I believe that their systems, their political and economic systems, effectively create a ceiling that they can’t get through. And because of the dynamic nature of our society and our political and economics, we always reward top doers and innovators in ways that they will not be able to match,” Hix said.

At the top of the list of technologies that will aid the Army war fighter, Hix said, are networks such as the cloud that can connect troops more effectively and virtual reality training systems.

“The idea is that the immersion in a virtual environment gives the average leader the sets of reps to raise their game in ways that we have not been able to do because of the expense of live training,” Hix said.

But having all the technology in the world won’t mean anything if the Army doesn’t have a clear plan of how to use it, he said.

“Technology by itself is not a panacea, ownership is not nine-tenths of the law in war,” Hix said. “You have to have an intellectual concept that compliments and provides an integrated approach to how you leverage and integrate and eventually apply technology to solve problems.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

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Oxley Group Ltd

Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.

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SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE

Web Page sponsor Viasat

www.viasat.com/gov-uk

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01 Jun 18. Gogo to offer complete Iridium Certus global connectivity package. Gogo pioneered business aviation connectivity with Iridium in 2002, connecting thousands of business aviation aircraft with Aircell/Gogo Iridium solutions. Today we are proud to announce a new evolution in our long-standing partnership. Gogo has been selected as an Iridium Certus℠ service provider and a Value Added Manufacturer (VAM), enabling us to design and manufacture terminals and small-form factor antennas. Gogo will offer a turnkey Iridium Certus package to business aviation customers around the globe, after the network becomes available in 2019. Iridium Certus complements Gogo’s current air-to-ground systems and is a great choice for customers looking to add global satellite connectivity as it will offer the industry’s fastest L-Band speeds.

We will provide you with updates as they become available.

25 May 18. Thales Alenia Space Signs Partnership Agreement With SCNTPL Polish Technology Center. Thales Alenia Space (JV Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%) together with Thales Alenia Space in Poland today signed a partnership agreement with SCNTPL (Slaskie Centrum Naukowo – Technologiczne Przemyslu Lotniczego Sp. z o.o.), the Silesian Science and Technology Center of Aviation Industry Ltd., based in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland, specialized in composite materials.

This partnership is the culmination of joint work between the partners reaching back several years, bolstered by the creation of Thales Alenia Space in Poland in 2015. The agreement signed today also confirms a new joint initiative by SCNTPL and Thales Alenia Space, focused on both Research & Development and the production of satellite structures, and anchored in transfers of composite technologies. Based on this agreement, Thales Alenia Space has placed an initial order with SCNTPL, to provide structural panels for its Spacebus NEO platform.

“With this agreement, Thales Alenia Space shows its sustained commitment to becoming a major partner in the Polish space industry, by calling on the large pool of skills in the country and proposing even broader partnership initiatives, focused not only on government requirements, but also the commercial market,” said Jean Loïc Galle, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space. “This agreement confirms SCNTPL’s role in building sophisticated satellite structures to meet the needs of both the domestic and international markets.”

Bartlomiej Plonka, President of the Management Board of SCNTPL, added, “The agreement signed today reflects our efforts over the last few years to develop materials processes and facilities with the support of both national and European institutions. We are very proud to have been chosen as a partner by Thales Alenia Space, and to work as a team to enhance the competitiveness of satellite solutions. It also allows to foster involvement of Poland on key ESA programs in the domain of spacecraft structures”. (Source: ASD Network)

23 May 18. Saab Develops Space Offer. Saab broadens its offer with a solution connecting several of the company’s existing products and combat management systems with satellite data. Saab will also offer a surface-based space surveillance radar. The new solution will allow fusion of satellite data with other products, including Saab’s airborne surveillance solution GlobalEye, the Giraffe family of surface radar and the 9LV combat management system. It will allow users to compare big data from a wide range of sources simultaneously. Saab is also developing its existing radar technology offer to include satellite- space debris and intercontinental ballistic missile surveillance.

“With tensions growing around us we see an increasing demand for more comprehensive situational awareness. We are now developing a platform that allows fusion of satellite data from space with our existing products”, says Anders Carp, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s Business Area Surveillance.

Space solutions can support existing military technology and improve accuracy in determining time and location. It can also be used for surveillance, early warning and to detect what others are doing in space.

“Analyses of how movement patterns change over time can be used not only for military purposes but also for other things, such as tracking iceberg movements in the Arctic to prevent ships colliding with them or protecting societies by tracking how wildfires are spreading”, says Anders Carp.

The international space industry is expanding fast. Almost 2,000 active satellites are currently circulating the Earth and this number is expected to increase rapidly over the next few years. (Source: ASD Network)

21 May 18. The SpaceDataHighway Accomplishes 10,000 Successful Laser Connections. The SpaceDataHighway system — the world’s first ‘optical fiber in the sky’ based on cutting-edge laser technology — has achieved 10,000 successful laser connections — the reliability rate has reached 99.8 percent and, during the first one-and-a-half years of routine operations, these successful connections have downloaded more than 500 terabytes of data. The system’s satellites are designed to lock on to low-orbiting satellites via laser and collect their data as they travel in LEO scanning the Earth. From its position in geostationary orbit, the SpaceDataHighway acts as a relay, transmitting the large quantities of data acquired by these observation satellites down to Earth in near-real time at a speed of 1.8 Gbit/s, instead of storing the data on board until the satellites pass over their own ground station.

The establishment of the laser connections is controlled by the SpaceDataHighway’s Mission Operation Center, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at Airbus premises near Munich. Operators receive transmission requests from customers, program the space and ground segment and monitor the performance of communications. Each day, the SpaceDataHighway is capable of relaying as much as 40 terabytes of data that has been acquired by observation satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or aircraft, to Earth. It is currently used by the European Union’s Copernicus program; however, its capacities could be used by many more customers.

In 2019, the system will also relay information from the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS). From 2020, the Pleiades Neo satellites will start to use the SpaceDataHighway.

The SpaceDataHighway is a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus, which today owns and operates the system, with the laser communication terminals developed by Tesat-Spacecom and the DLR German Space Administration. EDRS-A, the first SpaceDataHighway relay satellite launched in 2016, offers coverage from the American East Coast to India. A second satellite, EDRS-C, will be launched in 2019 and will double the system’s capacity as well as extend the coverage and redundancy of the system. Airbus intends to expand the SpaceDataHighway with a third node, ERDS-D, to be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region.

Hughes Boulnois, Head of the SpaceDataHighway program at Airbus Defence and Space, said that the total amount of data transferred is equivalent to around 100 million MP3 music files, but the transmission capacity of the SpaceDataHighway goes far beyond that. (Source: Satnews)

23 May 18. Iridium’s Sixth Successful Iridium® NEXT Launch With 55 in Orbit, 20 More to Go. Always good news when all goes perfectly at a launch such as Iridium Communications Inc.’s (NASDAQ: IRDM) announcement today that at 12:47:58pm PDT (19:47:58 UTC) SpaceX successfully launched five Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Iridium satellites were joined by the twin spacecraft for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, in a unique “rideshare” launch.

Shortly after deployment, Iridium confirmed successful communication with all five new satellites, formally bringing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 55. This leaves just two more launches of 10 satellites each to complete this ambitious launch program. The Iridium NEXT constellation, featuring 66 interconnected low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, will enable never before possible services like the AireonSM global aircraft tracking and surveillance system and its new broadband service, Iridium Certus.

Iridium NEXT is the Company’s $3bn, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion this year. It will replace the existing network in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. Today’s launch delivered all five Iridium NEXT satellites to orbital plane six where they will immediately begin preparations for the pre-operational testing and validation processes. The network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each hosting 11 satellites, blanketing the Earth with reliable satellite connectivity.

Iridium Certus is stated to be the world’s first truly global broadband service, providing reliable connections for the aviation, maritime, land-mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) related industries, including essential safety services. And while Iridium is already relied upon by first responders, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a variety of industries worldwide, Iridium Certus will bring users an upgraded infrastructure using Iridium’s resilient L-band spectrum, but with higher throughputs and faster speeds.

Iridium’s safety services portfolio includes multiple capabilities including aircraft tracking and communications, emergency voice and data communications, personal tracking and remote monitoring applications. Specific to the maritime industry, Iridium has been recognized as the second-ever satellite communications provider for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and plans to begin providing service in early 2020. This is a critical, life-saving service for mariners, and the addition of Iridium will for the first time extend the reach of satellite-enabled GMDSS to even the most remote waterways.

“Our strong presence in the world of safety services is a testament to the unique benefits our network can enable,” said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. “With every successful launch, we are one step closer to Iridium NEXT being fully operational, which officially starts a new age of satellite connectivity. When it comes to safety communications, especially for those operating in the skies or out at sea, having built-in network redundancy and resiliency enabled by our satellite’s crosslinks is paramount, especially during times of distress. We recognize this and feel that as the only network covering the entire planet, we have an inherent responsibility to constantly innovate for this critical arena.”

To date, Iridium has completed six launches, all with SpaceX out of its west coast launch facility, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A total of eight Iridium NEXT launches are currently planned with SpaceX and will deliver 75 new satellites to orbit. In total, 81 satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares. (Source: Satnews)

22 May 18. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Successfully Launches Iridium-6 and GRACE-FO Satellites. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched a total of seven satellites on Tuesday, May 22, at 12:47 p.m. PDT. The launch includes Iridium-6 and GRACE-FO satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The instantaneous launch opportunity occurred right on the second. The GRACE-FO were deployed approximately eleven minutes and thirty seconds after launch, that will be followed by the deployment of five Iridium® NEXT satellites beginning about an hour after launch. SpaceX will not attempt to recover Falcon 9’s first stage after launch. This isn’t a first meeting for Iridium’s GRACE-FO as the Falcon 9’s first stage for the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission previously supported the Zuma mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in January 2018.

For this sixth Iridium mission, five Iridium® NEXT satellites will be launched as part of the company’s campaign to replace the world’s largest commercial satellite network. A total of eight Iridium NEXT launches are planned with SpaceX, which will deliver 75 new satellites to orbit. In total, 81 satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares. Iridium is the only satellite communications network that spans the entire globe.

Iridium NEXT is one of the largest “tech upgrades” in space history. The process of replacing the satellites one by one in a constellation of this size and scale has never been completed before. The new constellation is enabling the development of innovative products and services including Iridium CertusSM, the Company’s next-generation broadband solution for specialized applications, like safety services, data and communications, remote monitoring, tracking and more.

The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission will continue GRACE’s 15-year legacy of tracking the movement of Earth’s mass. As its twin satellites fly over areas of higher and lower mass, the distance between them changes slightly due to gravitational forces. By precisely measuring these changes, the distribution of Earth’s mass can be mapped monthly and tracked over time. This data can be used to monitor changes in ice sheets and glaciers, underground water storage, water in large lakes and rivers, and sea level, providing a unique view of Earth’s evolving climate and its water and energy cycles, with far-reaching societal benefits.

SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, has a long history dating back to the early 1960s. Originally an Atlas launch pad activated in 1962, SLC-4E was in active use until its last Titan IV launch in 2005. SpaceX’s groundbreaking was in July 2011, and the pad was completed just 17 months later in November 2012.

SpaceX took advantage of some existing pad infrastructure, but implemented extensive modifications and reconstruction of the launch complex. Part of the renovation included tearing down a 30+ story mobile service tower and a 20+ story umbilical tower. Ninety-seven percent of these units were recycled.

SLC-4E consists of a concrete launch pad/apron and a flame exhaust duct. Surrounding the pad are RP-1 and liquid oxygen storage tanks and an integration hangar. Before launch, Falcon 9’s stages, fairing and the mission payload are housed inside the hangar. A crane/lift system moves Falcon 9 into a transporter erector system and the fairing and its payload are mated to the rocket. The vehicle is rolled from the hangar to the launch pad shortly before launch to minimize exposure to the elements.

GRACE-FO carries on the legacy of the original GRACE mission, which launched in 2002 on a planned five-year mission and concluded operations in October 2017 (well beyond the anticipated expiration date). Among its insights, GRACE transformed the information of the global water cycle by showing how masses of liquid water and ice are changing each month. The mission also added to the knowledge of large-scale changes in the solid Earth. GRACE-FO will provide continuity for GRACE’s landmark measurements for at least another five years, further improving scientific understanding of Earth system processes and the accuracy of environmental monitoring and forecasts.

GRACE obtained its data on the movement of Earth’s mass by precisely measuring slight changes in the distance between two spacecraft that flew one behind the other around Earth. When the satellites encountered a change in the distribution of Earth’s mass, such as a mountain range or mass of underground water, Earth’s gravitational pull on the spacecraft changed the distance between them. The Himalaya Mountains, for example, changed the separation distance by about three-hundredths of an inch (80 micrometers). By accurately calculating each month how the satellites’ separation distance changed during each orbit and over time, it was possible to precisely detect changes in Earth’s mass distribution.

Measuring the change in the separation between the spacecraft was possible to a high degree of precision because each spacecraft was transmitting microwaves toward the other. The way the waves interacted with each other — the way they interfered with each other— created a microwave interferometer in space. This process essentially transformed the two spacecraft into a single instrument that could very precisely measure the distance change between them, which in turn can be related to changes in the mass distribution on Earth.

This latest version of GRACE-FO works on these same principles. Each spacecraft again carries a microwave instrument to track changes in the separation distance. But GRACE-FO also carries something new: a technology demonstration of a laser ranging interferometer (LRI), jointly managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein Institut) in Hanover, Germany. In addition to transmitting microwaves between each other, the GRACE-FO satellites will shine lasers at each other.

Since the wavelengths in a laser beam are significantly shorter than microwave wavelengths, the laser ranging interferometer will improve the tracking precision of separation changes — just as measuring in millimeters instead of centimeters would be more precise. GRACE-FO’s interferometer will detect changes in distance more than 10 times smaller than what the microwave instrument detects — changes on the order of 100 times narrower than a human hair.

“With GRACE-FO, we’re taking something cutting-edge from the lab and making it ready for space flight,” said Kirk McKenzie, the LRI instrument manager at JPL. “The reason we spend decades working in the lab is to see our technology enable a new type of measurement and result in scientific discoveries.” The rest of the information regarding GRACE-FO can be obtained here.

GRACE-FO is a partnership between NASA and German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) in Potsdam, Germany. JPL manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Additional contributors to the laser ranging interferometer include SpaceTech in Immenstaad; Tesat-Spacecom in Backnang, Germany; Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado; iXblue in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France; the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics in Adlershof and Institute of Space Systems in Bremen; Hensoldt Optronics in Oberkochen; Apcon AeroSpace and Defence in Neubiberg/Munich; Diamond USA, Inc., and Diamond SA in Losone, Switzerland; and Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen. (Source: Satnews)

22 May 18. BridgeSat’s Agreement with ICEYE Provides Laser Satellite Terminals and Data Services to Microsatellite SAR Constellation. An agreement has been reached in which BridgeSat will provide space laser terminals and data services to ICEYE, the first commercial microsatellite synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) constellation. BridgeSat’s low-cost terminals and associated ground services give businesses and government agencies a faster, less expensive alternative to traditional radio frequency (RF) solutions for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) applications.

ICEYE provides turnkey data delivery and analytics services for commercial and government applications worldwide, including global disaster response, agricultural management, city planning, maritime port traffic management and forest management. It’s the first organization in the world to successfully deploy SAR satellites with a launch mass under 100kg.

BridgeSat will provide ICEYE its Compact Laser Comms Terminals (CLCT), which provide up to 10 Gbps LEO downlinks in a compact form factor that weighs less than 2 kg. BridgeSat will also provide ground services through BridgeSat’s free-space optical network.

Barry Matsumori, BridgeSat CEO said that pioneers seek out other pioneers to change the world. They’re the first to commercialize laser-based free space optical communication and associated ground services, which are an ideal match for ICEYE, the world’s first commercial microsatellite synthetic aperture radar constellation.

Rafal Modrzewski, ICEYE CEO added that by leveraging next-gen satellite technology, ICEYE is giving commercial and government users affordable new options for making informed decisions. BridgeSat’s compact, low-cost, high-speed space laser communicaitons terminals and ground services are key for achieving their goal of democratizing access to Earth observation data. (Source: Satnews)

21 May 18. The Global Satellite Modem Market Analyzed in New Technavio Report. Technavio projects the global satellite modem market to post a CAGR of more than 5 percent during the forecast period with their new Gobal Satellite Modem Market 2018-2002 report — the increasing need to enhance off-shore communication is a key driver, which is expected to positively impact market growth during the period 2018-2022.

There is a growing need to deploy efficient communication networks for crews and passengers including fishermen, sailors, engineers at oil-rigs, and tourists on cruise ships. Providing a cellular network off-shore is difficult as the installation of cell phone towers is a challenging and rather expensive task. Satellite communication can fulfill the need for off-shore communication. A satellite modem is one of the core equipment required to establish satellite communications.

In this report, Technavio highlights the high preference for MEO and LEO over GEO satellites as one of the key emerging trends to drive the global satellite modem market.

High preference for MEO and LEO over GEO satellites

Geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites are located 35,800 km above the equator. As these satellites have a large distance between them and the Earth station, the delay and losses are high. However, the major advantage of a GEO satellite is that it has more coverage and it does not need to be tracked.

Although the gateway costs of MEO and LEO satellites are higher, they do offer a lot of advantages. One of the reasons for the increasing popularity of these satellites is the increasing interest in GPS, which has become an integral part of satellite communications network. Numerous MEO satellites are launched into space to provide GPS. This will lead to an increase in demand for satellite modems to be installed across base stations for efficient signal transmission. LEO satellites are useful in areas where obtaining a signal is difficult such as oil rigs.

“The increase in demand for GPS, and growing need to strengthen the network signal and bandwidth is leading to increased adoption of LEO and MEO satellites, despite the high cost. The high ROI is compelling several firms to adopt satellite communication which is established using LEO and MEO satellites,” said a senior analyst for embedded systems research at Technavio.

Market segmentation and analysis through 2022

This market research report segments the global satellite modem market by application (communications, IP trunking, and tracking and monitoring), by type (MCPC and SCPC), and key regions (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA).

In 2017, the global satellite modem market was led by the Americas which accounted for 50% share followed by APAC and EMEA respectively. The Americas and APAC are also expected to witness an increase in their market share over the forecast period, while EMEA will see a commensurate decline in its market share. (Source: Satnews)

15 May 18. Kymeta—the leader in flat-panel satellite antennas enabling always-on mobile broadband—and Microsoft today announced simultaneous land mobile, maritime defense and first responder demonstrations during the 2018 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) and Connectivity Expo (Connect X). The companies will be jointly demonstrating end-to-end communications and network on the edge with Microsoft’s patrol and tactical vehicles featuring cutting-edge hardware, software, Windows Apportals, Azure Cloud integration, and connectivity to the Internet of Things (IoT), all connected using a flat-panel, satellite Kymeta™ KyWay™ Terminal (KyWay Terminal).

“Microsoft’s Azure cloud-based services can be locally replicated in a deployed environment such as a patrol vehicle, firehouse or command post, and can significantly enhance the capabilities of first responders and defense users, especially when using drones, robots, and IoT devices. Combined with Microsoft Artificial Intelligence tools, this forms the intelligent edge, enabled by Microsoft and Kymeta,” said Scott Montgomery, Senior Industry Solution Manager, Microsoft. “This is a huge leap forward provided by the combined Microsoft-Kymeta solution, using Kymeta’s advanced flat-panel satellite antenna technology to enable reliable mobile communications, in a way that has never been done before.”

“Kymeta is providing a dependable, flexible, on-the-move satellite connectivity solution that defense and first responder organizations can rely on” said David Kervin, General Manager & SVP Kymeta Solutions. “Our ability to move communications, video, audio, and other sensor data to the Azure cloud, via Kymeta satellite terminals, provides an always-connected experience, regardless of how remote the location, or how congested or unavailable a terrestrial cellular network may become. This represents a significant advancement in operational tactics, situational awareness and command and control, enabled by Kymeta’s revolutionary KyWay satellite terminal and Microsoft Azure at the edge.”

Microsoft built two vehicles designed for demonstration purposes including a Chevrolet Suburban Tactical Vehicle (at SOFIC) and a Chevrolet Tahoe Advanced Patrol Vehicle (at Connect X). Both vehicles feature a Kymeta KyWay Terminal for always-on connectivity.

15 May 18. Kymeta Appoints CopaSAT as Kymeta Government Solutions Authorized Partner for U.S. Department of Defense. Kymeta—the leader in flat-panel satellite antennas enabling always-on mobile broadband—announced today that CopaSAT LLC—a leader in reliable, secure communications technology—has joined forces with Kymeta Government Solutions to deploy Kymeta satellite communications (SATCOM) products and services for military users.

The partnership makes the full line of Kymeta products available to U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

“Welcoming CopaSAT as an important distribution partner marks another milestone in our record of success within the U.S. Department of Defense and Special Operations community,” said David Kervin, General Manager & SVP, Kymeta Global Solutions. “CopaSAT’s history of providing SATCOM solutions to units within SOF and DoD makes them an ideal partner to serve these specialized customers.”

CopaSAT will provide installation, integration, and training support for the entire line of Kymeta solutions. In addition, CopaSAT will provide a 24/7 network operations center out of its brand new Tampa, Florida facility, covering tier 1 and tier 2 support for all Kymeta solutions, including the KyWay™ on-the-move satellite terminal and KyWay™ Go portable terminal.

“The partnership with Kymeta Government Solutions takes our capability of providing leading-edge technology to the most sophisticated warfighters in the world to the next level,” said Scott Bohnsack, COO, CopaSAT. “Bundling Kymeta solutions with our newly released AxialOne service provides global Ku bandwidth at the cost of a single region. Users can now take advantage of the world’s most sophisticated flat-panel SATCOM terminal and a network of high-throughput satellites around the globe to create a very powerful capability. We are very excited about the possibilities that are on the horizon for our military customers.”

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), has extended its partnership with Kymeta in an agreement to become an official reseller of the KyWay™ Terminal (KyWay Terminal) to its global base of mobility-focused partners. The Kymeta™ KyWay Terminal integrates ground breaking mTenna™ flat-panel antenna technology and the industry’s leading iDirect X7 modem, to serve a broad range of mobility applications, uniting high throughput performance with a sleek form factor, electronic steering, and attractive price point.

09 May 18. VT iDirect holds the market share lead for VSAT ground infrastructure in key mobility markets. This agreement provides VT iDirect customers with a strong competitive advantage to expand their footprint into new emerging mobility markets for the land mobile, maritime, government and defence. The KyWay Terminal is the only commercially available electronically-steered flat-panel antenna solution built to scale and support many different mobility applications. The unique design and form factor of the Kymeta antenna, combined with VT iDirect’s established Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) platform, enables a new connectivity solution for land mobile markets such as trains, buses, agriculture and construction. The ability to offer a viable solution in these new segments is creating new demand for satellite services. The KyWay Terminal has already gained traction in key markets like maritime, government and military.

“Kymeta’s mission is to enable seamless, always-connected mobile communications,” said Neville Meijers, Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, Kymeta. “We are excited to make KyWay Terminals available to iDirect’s ecosystem of leading connectivity solution providers. Together, our companies will enable a broad range of new mobility use cases that will make broadband available where it has never been before.”

“Kymeta is playing a major role in revolutionizing satellite communications with its KyWay electronically-steered, flat-panel terminals,” said Kevin Steen, VT iDirect’s Chief Executive Officer. “By combining the KyWay Terminal with our iDirect infrastructure, our channel of satellite service providers will gain a powerful competitive advantage to expand their mobility footprint and will be well-positioned to capture the emerging land mobility market.”

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At Viasat, we’re driven to connect every warfighter, platform, and node on the battlefield. As a global communications company, we power millions of fast, resilient connections for military forces around the world – connections that have the capacity to revolutionize the mission – in the air, on the ground, and at sea. Our customers depend on us for connectivity that brings greater operational capabilities, whether we’re securing the U.S. Government’s networks, delivering satellite and wireless communications to the remote edges of the battlefield, or providing senior leaders with the ability to perform mission-critical communications while in flight. We’re a team of fearless innovators, driven to redefine what’s possible. And we’re not done – we’re just beginning.

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RADAR, EO/IR, NIGHT VISION AND SURVEILLANCE UPDATE

Web Page sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems

www.blighter.com

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31 May 18. Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN] is expanding the footprint of its Forest-based manufacturing center, company and state officials announced today. A new building on the campus will be a hub for test, integration and production of s-band radars – including the U.S. Navy’s next generation SPY-6, Air and Missile Defense Radar program.

“Construction of a new radar production facility is the next step in our decades-long partnership with the state of Mississippi and its highly skilled workforce,” said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Together we will integrate, test and deliver the most technologically advanced military radar systems to our U.S. and international customers.”

Raytheon is investing $100m in the new 50,000 square foot Leadership in Environmental Design, or LEED, certified facility that will provide future growth opportunities across the company’s diverse product portfolio. The new radar production facility will bring dozens of jobs to Forest over the next five years – including the potential for future personnel growth – in addition to many dozens of external jobs from the local community in support of the construction, supply and design of the facility.

Governor Phil Bryant said, “Raytheon recognizes the value of continued investment in the state of Mississippi. Together, along with Raytheon’s outstanding employees, we will continue supporting the U.S. military and strengthening our national defense through the innovative, high-tech radar systems developed in East Mississippi.”

The facility will become the newest addition to Raytheon’s existing Consolidated Manufacturing Center campus in Forest, which will continue uninterrupted delivery on critical commitments across the airborne radar and electronic warfare markets.

30 May 18. At Beijing security fair, an arms race for surveillance tech. It can crack your smartphone password in seconds, rip personal data from call and messaging apps, and peruse your contact book. The Chinese-made XDH-CF-5600 scanner – or “mobile phone sleuth”, as sales staff described it when touting its claimed features – was one of hundreds of surveillance gadgets on display at a recent police equipment fair in Beijing. The China International Exhibition on Police Equipment is something of a one-stop shop for China’s police forces looking to arm up with the latest in “black tech” – a term widely used to refer to cutting-edge surveillance gadgets.

The fair underscores the extent to which China’s security forces are using technology to monitor and punish behavior that runs counter to the ruling Communist Party.

That sort of monitoring – both offline and online – is stoking concerns from human rights groups about the development of a nationwide surveillance system to quell dissent.

The Ministry of Public Security, which hosted the Beijing fair, did not respond to a request for comment.

At the fair, Reuters also saw stalls offering cute-looking robots, equipped with artificial intelligence systems to detect criminals, as well as an array of drones, smart glasses, DNA database software and facial-recognition cameras.

At the fair, which is held annually, most buyers appeared to be local Chinese police, though some global firms attended, selling mainly vehicles and aircraft. Ford Motor Co, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Airbus SE had cars and model helicopters on display.

The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It is not unusual for western companies to sell vehicles to overseas police forces.

It was not possible to verify all the claims made about the products at the fair, including the XDH-CF-5600 scanner, which is made by Xiamen Meiya Pico Information Co Ltd, a Chinese provider of security products and services.

Scanners like the XDH-CF-5600 exist in other markets around the world, including the United States, but their use is contentious, especially regarding the forcible extraction of data from mobile phone devices.

Chinese firms are rushing to meet the growing demand from the country’s security services, fuelling a surveillance tech arms race as companies look to outdo each others’ tracking and monitoring capabilities. Western firms have played little overt role so far in China’s surveillance boom.

Beijing-based Hisign Technology said its desktop and portable phone scanners can retrieve even deleted data from over 90 mobile applications on smart phones, including overseas platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

A big selling point of the technology, according to one policeman from the restive far western region of Xinjiang who was eyeing a Hisign scanner, was its claimed ability to get data from Apple Inc’s iOS operating system, used in products like the widely popular iPhone.

“We are actually using these kinds of scanners in Xinjiang already, but I am interested in this one as it claims to be more successful with iOS phones than other brands,” said the policeman, surnamed Gu, who traveled 3,000 kilometers to attend the fair. He declined to provide his given name.

The iPhone’s iOS system is seen by many analysts as the most secure operating system. A handful of firms in Israel and the United States have been able to crack into the iOS system, according to media reports. That ability is often shrouded in secrecy, however.

“The ability to crack iOS has been around,” said Matthew Warren, the deputy director of the Deakin University Center for Cyber Security Research in Melbourne. “What’s different in this situation is that Chinese authorities are admitting that they have the capabilities to do that.”

At the Beijing fair, several firms told Reuters they could crack 4-digit passwords on platforms ranging from iOS 6 to iOS 8.1, and were working to break through security of the latest iOS 10 platform.

(Source: glstrade.com/Reuters)

30 May 18. Japan buys radar warning receivers that adapt to new threats. Raytheon has won a U.S. Air Force contract to manufacture AN/ALR-69A(V) digital radar warning receivers (RWR) for Japan under a foreign military sale, the Department of Defense announced May 29. The $90m indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract includes the fabrication, integration, testing and delivery of the radar Raytheon says is the first all-digital RWR.

But what does the receiver actually do?

In general, RWRs detect radio signals emitted by radars, and alerts users through visual prompts and audible tones if the signal could be a threat. These receivers can also identify radar signal types and distinguish between ground-based and air-based radars. Essentially, RWRs are much more advanced versions of radar detectors some lead-footed drivers have in their cars to avoid speeding tickets.

According to Raytheon, the ALR-69A ups the ante on RWR technology. The system adds capabilities unattainable in previous iterations, like enemy air defense suppression, simplified cross-platform integration, improved spectral and spatial coverage for high-sensitivity detection in cluttered signal environments and single-ship geolocation.

Discussing a recent deal made by the USAF to purchase 779 ALR-69A’s, Raytheon Electronic Warfare Systems Vice President Travis Slocumb said, “The ALR-69A provides USAF pilots the situational awareness required to operate in current and future complex emitter environments.”

“We will continue to upgrade the receiver and add machine learning-based modules so the system can autonomously adapt to new threats,” Slocumb added.

The latest contract is the result of a direct request from Japan, which will pay Raytheon $51.5m from the Japanese FMS fund after placing its initial delivery order. The ALR-69A is currently installed on USAF C-130H and KC-46A aircraft, and is being tested on F-16 Fighting Falcons.

Work on the radar warning systems will be conducted in California and Mississippi, and is expected to be complete by May 2023. (Source: Defense News)

26 May 18. ‘Euro Hawk’ fiasco looms large in Germany’s new spy drone search. Bruised by a failed program that ate through $700m five years ago, defense officials here are eager to avoid painful mistakes as they prepare the purchase of three Northrop Grumman-made “Triton” unmanned aircraft from the U.S. Navy. Especially when it comes to the new drones’ airworthiness in shared airspace, Berlin wants to make sure there are program off-ramps predefined in case the aircraft fail to get the necessary permits, the government has told lawmakers. For example, officials want a section in the contract dedicated to an “airworthiness qualification plan,” states a defense ministry response to members of the leftist Die Linke party, first reported by the Tagesschau website.

In addition, Germany wants to be able to walk away if certification of the Triton’s sense-and-avoid system by U.S. authorities fails to translate into approval by the Bundeswehr’s own safety inspectors.

The acquisition of the U.S. Navy’s derivative of the Global Hawk is called “Pegasus” in Germany, which is short for “Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System.” Berlin recently received word from Washington that a foreign military sales case would be granted in response to Germany’s request for the aircraft.

Contract negotiations are expected to conclude in the first half of 2019. The first Pegasus drone will reach the Bundeswehr inventory in 2025.

The “Euro Hawk,” canceled in 2013, was a textbook example of seemingly trivial acquisition oversights that end up sinking a program. Designed to carry the awkwardly named “ISIS” signals-intelligence sensor, made by an Airbus subsidiary, regulators never certified the Euro Hawk to fly safely in the skies above Europe. The program almost sacked the German defense minister at the time, who was criticized for failing to flag the airworthiness-certification problem early enough in the program.

Mimicking a human’s course of action to avert an impending mid-air collision remains a difficult problem in drone aviation. German officials have justified the Triton purchases, worth more than $2bn, by arguing the U.S. work on flight-safety issues was more advanced than German efforts, and that the U.S. Navy’s certifications to that effect would be more or less applicable in Europe. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)

30 May 18. Cambridge Pixel, a developer of radar display, tracking and recording sub-systems, has announced RadarWatch, its new radar and sensor-agnostic display software application designed for in-country integrators developing coastal surveillance, small port & harbour security, and short-range vessel traffic management system (VTS-Lite) applications. The Windows-based RadarWatch software application can display tiled maps, S57/S63 electronic charts, video from up to 2 radars and video from up to 16 cameras, within multiple windows and across multiple screens. RadarWatch is compatible with a wide range of radar scanners, including those from Kelvin Hughes, Simrad, Terma and Furuno, and provides a common software architecture that can be scaled to single or multi-sensor installations.

Augmented vision is implemented within RadarWatch to fuse primary radar tracks with data from ship (AIS) and, where appropriate, aircraft (ADS-B and IFF) transponders and then display this as an overlay to camera video. This feature aids the interpretation of a complex surveillance situation enabling a faster response to threats, clarity of decision making and improved situational awareness, as well as enabling features such as slew-to-cue.

David Johnson, CEO, Cambridge Pixel, said, “RadarWatch provides an in-country integrator with a modern, multi-screen, multi-window display solution that fuses information from radar sensors, transponders and cameras to present a consolidated view of maritime information. Our product works seamlessly with many different radar and camera sensors and by implementing augmented vision, we can allow targets to be labelled within the camera video footage, easing the burden on the operator and enabling faster, clearer and better-informed decisions.”

RadarWatch also features comprehensive alarm logic allowing alarms to be configured based on areas, target activity, or target behaviour. Full recording of sensor data, cameras, network traffic and operator screens is provided by the optional RDR software. Target tracking is provided by Cambridge Pixel’s SPx Server, which can run local to the RadarWatch display, or remotely if the radar sensor is distant.

Cambridge Pixel provides integrators with a highly flexible solution. The RadarWatch software accepts open data formats such as ASTERIX and NMEA-0183 and works with Cambridge Pixel’s own software modules too, such as SPx Fusion, SPx Camera Manager and SPx Radar Data Recorder.

“This open and modular approach gives systems integrators the flexibility to design and build a complete coastal security solution selecting from us just the functional modules they need to meet the requirements of the particular project,” said David Johnson. “This enables them to add their own value and not get locked into an expensive and inflexible coastal surveillance solution.”

Cambridge Pixel’s radar technology is used in naval, air traffic control, vessel traffic, commercial shipping, security, surveillance and airborne radar applications. Its systems have been implemented in mission-critical applications with companies such as BAE Systems, Frontier Electronic Systems, Blighter Surveillance Systems, Exelis, Hanwha Systems, Kelvin Hughes, Lockheed Martin, Navtech Radar, Raytheon, Saab Sensis, Royal Thai Air Force, Sofresud and Tellumat.

26 May 18. Sierra Nevada has a counter-drone system that works on the move. The counter-drone solution set is already crowded, but a Sierra Nevada-led team is seeking to set itself apart with a system that can work on the move.

Sierra Nevada brought its X-MADIS mobile drone defeat system mounted on a Chevy Colorado pickup truck to the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference this week, stirring up interest within the special operations community.

Over the past year, Sierra Nevada, in partnership with Ascentvision and Israeli company RADA Technologies Inc., developed the C-UAS system for a customer within the U.S. Department of Defense. The team was formed because the customer chose each for “best of breed” capabilities essential to a highly mobile system, according to Jerry Coburn, Sierra Nevada’s director of business development, who spoke to Defense News at the show.

RADA provides radar technologies; Ascentvision brings electro-optical, software and user-interface expertise; and Sierra Nevada provides the electronic warfare piece of the solution.

The system can detect, identify and defeat threats through EW attack while on the move at up to 50 mph, Coburn said. It requires just a single user or operator to manage the system from within ― in this case, the cab of the truck.

X-MADIS has been tested on other military-specific platforms including a much smaller Polaris MRZR vehicle and a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle.

The team decided to showcase the system on a pickup truck at SOFIC to demonstrate the possible utility for non-DoD customers as well, such as law enforcement, border protection or other organizations that work on securing critical infrastructure within the U.S., where a climate-controlled, road-worthy vehicle would be the platform of choice, Coburn said.

But it can be integrated onto other platforms, such as a palette or even a boat. The current DoD customer is using the system in a fixed configuration.

The team continues to upgrade the system to get after what could be emerging threats.

“We recognize the effectiveness of the system is only as good as our knowledge of the threats that exist out there around the globe,” Coburn said. “And currently those are largely commercial off-the-shelf. But we know that our adversaries will never rest as they continue to develop their tactics, techniques and procedures and incorporate new controller technologies.”

The challenge is to maintain pace with the UAS market, Coburn added.

The team will participate in the SOFWERX ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping event at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, next month. SOFWERX is a U.S. Special Operations Command organization that helps industry better interface with the government and rapidly test and acquire new capabilities. (Source: Defense News)

30 May 18. Thales and CarteNav to collaborate on new ISR solution that will transform aircraft surveillance capabilities at home and abroad. As countries tackle emerging risks such as piracy, border disputes and mass migration, they need to monitor their land and maritime borders more closely than ever before. Challenges including the protection of maritime sovereignty, the surveillance of shipping activity and the monitoring of an increasing number of submarine fleets, demands new ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) capabilities.

At CANSEC 2018, Thales and PAL Aerospace, via its CarteNav Solutions subsidiary, announced a new collaboration agreement and expanding their partnership in a manner that promises to engage Canadian industry and deliver future economic benefits to Canada. Under the agreement, the partners will move quickly to define a solution for fewer operators based on CarteNav’s mission system software integrated with a set of on-board radar, electro-optical, acoustic and electronic warfare sensors provided by Thales. The surveillance solution will be an ideal response to the needs of countries like Canada that operate aircraft designed for a variety of platform and mission types and require improved ISR capabilities. It will combine CarteNav’s expertise in mission system software with Thales’s technological capabilities in sensors and mission system integration through AMASCOS©, a powerful, integrated multi-mission system. Thales and CarteNav will work together to explore international opportunities for this new surveillance solution.

30 May 18. Philippine Navy commissions third TC-90 aircraft. Key Points:

The Philippine Navy has enhanced its aerial maritime surveillance capabilities with a third TC-90
Service is on track to operate a fleet of five aircraft in the coming months

The Philippine Navy’s Naval Air Group (NAG) has commissioned a third Beechcraft TC-90 King Air aircraft that was formerly in service with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).

The aircraft, which bears the serial number 394, was commissioned on 29 May in a ceremony officiated by the Philippine Navy’s flag officer in command, Vice Admiral Robert A Empedrad, at the NAG’s headquarters at Sangley Point, Cavite City.

The airframe is part of an assistance package of five TC-90s donated by the Japanese government to improve the Philippine Navy’s aerial maritime surveillance capabilities. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

30 May 18. BEL In Race To Develop Infrared Tracking System For Sukhoi Su-30 MKI Jet. India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is in the race to develop a thermal imaging sights for rocket launchers and infrared image search and track system (IRST) for Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft of the Indian armed forces. The two systems is part of an INR 6,900 crore (US$ 1.01B) procurement cleared by India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Monday.

BEL Chairman and Managing Director M V Gautama said today that his company had received an expression of interest from the MoD seeking its interest in bidding to supply these two systems. Gautama told defenseworld.net that BEL had the required technical expertise to execute the project.

“The TI sight for 84mm RL will be used by troops in operations to facilitate accurate and continuous engagement of moving and static enemy targets and destruction of field fortifications (bunkers) during hours of complete darkness,” an MoD statement said yesterday.

The DAC headed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also accorded approval for design and development of the Long Range Dual Band Infrared Imaging Search and Track System (IRST) for Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

The IRST system will help the Su-30MKI to detect ultra-stealthy aircraft like the F-22 and Chengdu J-20. which are made up of radar-absorbing materials. The system relies on its infrared detection capability to plot and track the target and could be a game-changer enhancing the capabilities of the Indian jet. (Source: Google/http://www.defenseworld.net)

28 May 18. Don’t freeze UK defence sector out of Sentry contract, ministers warned. A battle is brewing between defence companies and government over upgrading or replacing the RAF’s fleet of airborne early warning “Sentry” jets. The E-3D Awacs aircraft are used to detect enemy aircraft and guide fighters to intercept them. The ones currently in service were built by Boeing and first began protecting Britain’s skies in the Nineties. With the heavy demands placed on them the RAF’s Sentries are worn out, with maintenance on the ageing aircraft becoming prohibitively expensive. It has been argued that rather than spend an estimated £2bn on upgrades, it would be cheaper to replace them in the long term. However, fears are growing that a contract for new aircraft will be handed to US defence giant Boeing without a competitive process, freezing out companies in the UK.

This could be the latest in a series of multi-billion arms contracts handed to US and other foreign manufacturers at the expensive of companies in the UK.

Recent examples include the MoD’s agreements with Boeing to buy P-8 Poseidon maritime spyplanes and Apache attack helicopters. Last month MPs heard the MoD had awarded a £4.4bn deal to a German-led consortium for new armoured vehicles for the Army without a full competition.

MP Madeleine Moon, a member of the defence select committee, has called for any Sentry contract to be bid for in an “open and transparent” way.

She said: “Buying from Boeing forgets the importance of British defence jobs and maintaining this country’s defence industry’s capabilities.

“By buying off the shelf without an open competition how will we know we will be getting not only the best deal but also the best equipment?”

The MP also claimed Boeing has a “poor record” in the UK for “offsetting” defence deals. Offsetting is the process where companies agree to build or maintain equipment in the country which is buying it, keeping some of the value of a defence order within the economy making the purchases.

Defence industry insiders say that UK and European companies – and even US groups with a UK footprint – are preparing for battle with Whitehall to have an open competition held over renewing the Sentry fleet.

“It’s looking like the P-8 Poseidon all over again,” said one industry source. “We’re ready to fight to have a chance to take part.”

Companies likely to offer their version of the Sentry include Airbus, using a design based on it A330 airliner whose wings are made in company’s factory in North Wales. Sweden’s SAAB could also be a contender. Rival bids are likely to pledge to offset as much work in the UK with subcontractors as they can to secure the deal.

Answering parliamentary questions on Sentry, Guto Bebb, defence procurement minister, said: “No decision has been made with regard to the future delivery of the UK’s airborne warning and control capabilities, although a range of options are being explored.” (Source: News Now/Daily Telegraph)

25 May 18. 3D Radar Market – Global Scenario, Market Size, Outlook, Trend and Forecast, 2016 – 2025. By Range: Long Range, Medium Range and Short Range; By Platform: Airborne, Ground and Naval: By Frequency Band: C/S/X Band, E/F Band, L Band and Other Frequency Bands; By Geography: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Row. Global 3D Radar Market is estimated to reach $3,195 million by 2025; growing at a CAGR of 20.8% from 2017 to 2025. 3D Radar is an essential part of any defense inventory and this technology is used for tracking & detecting the visions and information. The 3D radar delivers a complete subsurface detection system that utilize an arrangement of COTS (commercial off the shelf), GPR components and custom software to achieve robust non-metallic and metallic object detection performance. This system is ready off the shelf to be fitted to a wide range of commercial and military vehicles, and can be customized for operation on almost any vehicle platform. It also provides reliable automatic detection of subsurface objects to depths beyond a meter. Moreover system provides an alternative detection solution for roadway and airfield inspection, tunnel detection, and route clearance patrols.

Growing usage of modern warfare techniques by the defense organization, and adoption of 3D radar by airports are the drivers propelling the growth of the market. In addition, geopolitical instabilities in the Middle East and Asia Pacific have also stimulated the market growth. However, high pricing of 3D radar and installation may hamper the market growth. Moreover, rising deployment of air & missile defense organizations, and miniaturization of 3D radar for unmanned combat vehicles and UAVs are expected to equally influence the overall growth of market during the forecast period.

Range, platform, frequency band, and geography are the segmentation of the global 3D radar market. Range segment is bifurcated into long range, medium range and short range. Platform segment comprises airborne, ground, and naval. Frequency band segment is classified into C/S/X band, E/F band, L band and other frequency bands.

24 May 18. Photonis USA Pennsylvania, Inc. has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Night Vision Devices, Inc. as the United States’ exclusive distributor and integrator for Photonis’ lightweight and small form factor 16mm night vision image intensifier tubes. This announcement comes as the US night vision market continues to expand, and solutions that offer lighter weight, less volume and enhanced capabilities are becoming the norm for specialized operations which rely on the best in night vision technology.

Photonis is the world leader in Image Intensifier Tubes, which form the heart of any night vision system and has been manufacturing Image Intensifier Tubes for over 60 years for integration into a variety of night vision systems, whether helmet mounted or hand-held. Photonis 16mm Image Intensifier Tubes are the lightest mass-produced tubes on the market, customized with a choice of photocathode, phosphor screen, gating speed, and power supply. Photonis image intensifier tubes provide a distinct advantage to the warfighter in the full spectrum of low light conditions.

“This partnership is a key step in bringing together two companies with a shared common goal – to provide the best and most capable night vision devices to our nation’s finest,” said Photonis USA CEO Larry Stack, while visiting Night Vision Devices’ manufacturing facilities. Also in attendance was James Brennan, Vice President for Night Vision and Digital Vision at Photonis. “Through the use of our Image Intensifier Tubes in their systems, Photonis and Night Vision Devices together will offer the highest quality, comprehensive night vision solutions, designed to help our military and first responders see through the night.”

Bill Grube, CEO of Night Vision Devices said, “Over the years we’ve been working with Photonis Image Intensifier Tubes and have been exceptionally impressed with their performance. Their new 16mm tubes are the perfect companion to our entire product line of night vision devices, and we’ve been looking forward to this partnership for quite some time.”

Night Vision Devices is the premier source for the highest quality US manufactured night vision binoculars, monoculars, weapon sights, and night vision parts and service. Through their tremendous experience in working directly with the Department of Defense, and other Federal, State and Local agencies, Night Vision Devices is a trusted source for the finest in professional-level night vision products.

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Blighter® Surveillance Systems (BSS) is a UK-based electronic-scanning radar and sensor solution provider delivering an integrated multi-sensor package to systems integrators comprising the Blighter electronic-scanning radars, cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions. Blighter radars combine patented solid-state Passive Electronic Scanning Array (PESA) technology with advanced Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Doppler processing to provide a robust and persistent surveillance capability. Blighter Surveillance Systems is a Plextek Group company, a leading British design house and technology innovator, and is based at Great Chesterford on the outskirts of Cambridge, England.

The Blighter electronic-scanning (e-scan) FMCW Doppler ground surveillance radar (GSR) is a unique patented product that provides robust intruder detection capabilities under the most difficult terrain and weather conditions. With no mechanical moving parts and 100% solid-state design, the Blighter radar family of products are extremely reliable and robust and require no routine maintenance for five years. The Blighter radar can operate over land and water rapidly searching for intruders as small a crawling person, kayaks and even low-flying objects. In its long-range modes the Blighter radar can rapidly scan an area in excess of 3,000 km² to ensure that intruders are detected, identified and intercepted before they reach critical areas.

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MISSILE, BALLISTICS AND SOLDIER SYSTEMS UPDATE