Sponsored by Spectra Group
https://tacs.at/Spectra
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27 Sep 18. Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) have developed a cyber card game which helps staff identify and learn about some of the key open source techniques a cyber aggressor might use to gain insight, access and control over industrial and commercial infrastructures. Extensive testing of the game and positive stakeholder feedback has shown a very rapid initial learning curve compared to conventional training alone and this contributed to the game winning the 2018 Dstl ‘Innovator of the Year’ award. The UK government and commercial sectors face a growing challenge in the form of cyber-attacks and information warfare from criminals and state actors. Such attacks take various forms and are often very sophisticated, meaning they may go unnoticed. Training staff to recognise and counter common information warfare attack strategies can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. The key benefits of Dstl’s cyber card game are that it:
- Provides a rapid upskilling in understanding high level, open-source cyber-attack techniques and enhances learning on possible defensive strategies
- Offers a more enjoyable approach to cyber training – staff have the option to continue playing in their own time
- Is adaptable across a range of audiences and knowledge levels- the game can be tailored to various scenarios, ranging from a rapid two hour session for corporate management through to an extended campaign for cyber professionals
- Avoids using classified information, and therefore does not need security clearance to play
The cyber card game is available for license on a non-exclusive basis through Dstl’s Easy Access IP (EAIP) licencing framework. The EAIP framework allows companies to develop Dstl’s work at no cost, facilitating commercialisation of products that will benefit the economy and society. Dstl has signed their first cyber card game licencing agreement with Coruscant Productions LLC who plan to develop and market the cyber card game training approach further. The lead scientist who developed the game at Dstl said: “It is exciting to see the cyber card game being developed externally for the benefit of both security and commercial environments.”
Tomas Owen, Founder of Coruscant Productions added: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to license such unique intellectual property from Dstl. The cyber card game fundamentally alters the way cyber is thought about, taught and employed. We’re proud to be chosen as the first licensee, and look forward to working with cyber training providers across the world with the goal of ensuring all organisations are better able to understand and defend against cyber criminals and digital attacks.”
26 Sep 18. USAF SBIR/STTR pushed forward with PaaS project. To reduce costs through cloud use, the Air Force and a small-business partner recently moved a software application to a secure web service platform for government users. Security was a major concern as the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program worked with Solid State Scientific Corp. to create a cloud environment that looks like the Air Force Network (AFNet), which service members, civilians and contractors use and expensive data centers support.
The small business developed a virtual private cloud architecture in the Amazon Web Services GovCloud with a “robust security posture,” Matthew Shaver of the Information Handling Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate told GCN. Security features include Common Access Card authentication using public-key infrastructure and the Assured Compliance Assessment Solution, an integrated software solution that provides automated network vulnerability scanning, configuration assessment and network discovery. The Defense Information Systems Agency provides the latter to Defense Department customers at no cost.
“Security is of vital importance in any of our operations,” Shaver added.
Solid State Scientific completed the work in two phases over the course of almost three years. The first phase, which had a contract value of $150,000, “was the initial research initiative for a cloud architecture that would provide the trust and security [Air Force] users require in cloud-hosted applications,” he said. It ended with the early development of the virtual private cloud architecture components. Phase II, which cost $750,000, concluded development work and led to the first migration to the cloud, which was the Air Force Doctrine, now known as Doctrine Next. SBIR/STTR funded both phases.
“Some of the early application migrations were simple lift-and-shifts, from the old environment to the new [Platform-as-a-Service],” Shaver explained. “Most of the work in the early stages was building out the platform in order to enable more rapid future application migrations. For example, automating Security Technical Implementation Guideline (STIG) implementation for the virtual environment, and deploying enterprise services/[application programming interfaces] such as scanning, anti-virus, logging, and authentication. Bringing these components into the platform as services has allowed app owners to focus their efforts on high-impact software development initiatives, not the continual configuration and deployment of requisite enterprise services on a case-by-case basis.”
A third phase is now in the works as Solid State Scientific migrates and sustains several applications in the commercial cloud under additional contracts with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
The company is also working to obtain an Authority to Operate (ATO) that would enable it to migrate, at a mission owner’s request, other unclassified applications to its virtual private cloud architecture in the AWS GovCloud environment as a PaaS.
“If the ATO is granted, it would mean more efficient cloud migration of applications,” Shaver said. “Without the PaaS ATO, an ATO per application migration would be required, which would increase overhead as well as time per migration.”
The current timeline seeks the PaaS ATO by mid-August 2019, he added. The push to the cloud comes from “a recent request by Air Force Headquarters for mission owners to migrate individual apps to the cloud in an effort to decrease sustainment costs,” Shaver said. As data center inventory decreases, so too will IT costs, although Shaver did not have data to illustrate the effect of this migration on data centers. (Source: Defense Systems)
26 Sep 18. Get ready to ditch miles of cables ― this will give Marines a secure LTE network in the field. For decades or longer, Marines tasked with setting up a command post and ensuring that communications were encrypted faced hours, if not a day’s worth, of running cables through tents, hooking up individual crypto devices to nearly every piece of hardware and constantly reloading crypto keys.
That wasn’t only a massive time suck, it also meant that few, if any now ubiquitous civilian devices such as smartphones and tablet computers could come near the tactical network, for fear of a break in the security bubble.
In 2017 a tactical communications equipment company called PacStar showcased a Wi-Fi solution to that problem. By creating a simple user interface and hardware that incorporated a host of government-required systems, it put a 100-ft Wi-Fi bubble into the tactical mix. Think of something like a Starbucks Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere a command post tent can go. Only this time, nobody should be stealing your banking information or national security data. This year the company, in partnership with OCEUS Networks, has boosted that signal to LTE levels. That advance broadens the connectivity bubble to more than two miles and it can take on 100 devices or more. The “flip-switch” technology puts nearly all command post encryption in a box the size of a 24-pack of beer, coupled with an LTE amplifier-like device that can fit in a ruck or be mounted on a standard vehicle radio rack.
PacStar Chief Technical Officer Charlie Kawasaki told Marine Corps Times at the annual Modern Day Marine Expo in Quantico, Virginia, that the secure wireless command post is a 65-pound device that does the work a 500-pound system used to a few short years ago at a tenth the power requirements.
That fits nicely within the long-held expeditionary nature of the Marine Corps missions. It can be configured within a standard command post, old-fashioned tent style, mounted on any medium or heavy-sized vehicle in the fleet or taken to a Forward Operating Base with enough power.
The nature of the setup means that a vehicle can do command post functions, sending and receiving encrypted data not only in one spot but also while on the move, rolling through an area of operations, Kawasaki said.
And, it’s off the backs of Marines. The only needed connection point or node for the individual Marine is their smartphone or other device. The LTE network functions identically to what civilian users would see, meaning Full Motion Video, Skype-like voice calls and a variety of mobile applications, he said. Some of its equipment is in use as the Army also explores making mission command posts more mobile through programs in the Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. (Source: Defense News)
25 Sep 18. Airbus has successfully tested stratospheric 4G/5G defence applications with a high-altitude balloon demonstration. The technology tested, an Airbus LTE AirNode, represents a key part of Airbus’ secure networked airborne military communications project, Network for the Sky (NFTS). With this new generation of long-range communications in the sky, high-altitude platforms such as Airbus’ Zephyr will be able to create persistent, secured communication cells to relay information on a variety of different aircraft platforms including helicopters, tactical UAVs and MALE UAVs (Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). With the support of French and Canadian space agencies, Airbus flew and tested the communications solution in Canada at all altitudes up to 21km above the Earth’s surface, using a stratospheric balloon to create a high-altitude airborne cell site. In its payload, the balloon carried an Airbus LTE AirNode, which provided a 30km-wide footprint of coverage for private and secure communications. The Airbus team, equipped with two vehicles and two drones, tracked the balloon over 200km, exchanging 4K video between the different assets – simulating an ISR mission with real-time transmission. The data was sent via a private network at speeds from 0.5 to 4 Mbps, which is comparable to 4G/5G mobile communication.
Pushing the boundaries in delivering easily deployable communications, this capability will significantly increase operational flexibility during air missions. An LTE AirNode allows opportunistic, secure communications between different aircraft as they fly within range of each other, where operations require permanent and powerful connectivity. It will deliver highly secure communications for airborne assets, ground or maritime-based operations for several weeks or months at a time – combining the persistence of a satellite with the flexibility of a UAV. This type of ad-hoc network can be adaptable to all users – from special forces to disaster relief scenarios.
Airbus unveiled its NFTS solution at the Farnborough International Airshow 2018. It combines different communication technologies to form one resilient global mesh network, allowing aircraft to be a fully integrated part of a high-speed connected battle space.
Today, individual aircraft, UAVs and helicopters continue to operate on separate networks with limited bandwidth and interoperability, and often little resilience. NFTS will integrate various technologies, such as satellite links with geostationary, medium and low Earth orbit constellations, tactical air-to-ground, ground-to-air and air-to-air links, voice links, 5G mobile communication cells and laser connections, into a single global secure network. Network for the Sky is the foundation for the connected airborne battlespace, with the objective to offer a full operational capability by 2020. The NFTS programme is part of Airbus’ Future Air Power project and is fully aligned with the development of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
25 Sep 18. South Korean military to upgrade ‘friend or foe’ ID capability. Thousands of South Korean jet fighters, helicopters, warships and missile systems will be fitted with sophisticated identifications technologies by the mid-2020s under a major weapons upgrade program, according to the military and defense companies.
For the $2.2bn deal to switch the decades-old Mode-4 Identification Friend or Foe, or IFF, system to the latest Mode-5, South Korea’s arms procurement agency has started issuing a request for proposals.
“The number of equipment eligible for the Mode-5 upgrade account approximately 2,000 related to 70 weapons systems,” according to a spokesman for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. “The request for proposals will continued to be issued separately by the types of weapons systems over the coming weeks.”
The upgrade program is in line with the transfer of IFF systems to the Mode-5 version by the U.S military, as the South Korean military conducts key operations with U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula under the authority of the Combined Forces Command. By 2020, all NATO nations are required to introduce the Mode-5 systems, using advanced cryptographic techniques to secure their systems against electronic deception by adversaries.
“This is a huge program as for the numbers and budget, and is strategically important to upgrading the battlefield capability of the South Korean military and its joint operations with allied forces,” said Kim Dae-young, a military analyst at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.
“The new encrypted system will allow South Korean and its allied troops to work safely together, reducing the risk of friendly fire incidents, and it will also offer commanders a better view of the battlefield,” Kim added.
IFF works by sending coded signals, with equipment on friendly planes and ships able to receive and instantly decode the encrypted challenge message, then send the appropriate response to identify themselves.
Three South Korean defense manufacturers are competing for the IFF upgrade contract by teaming up with foreign IFF developers. They are Hanwha Systems, teaming up with U.S. company Raytheon and Hensoldt of Germany; LIG Nex1, with Italy’s Leonardo and Thales of France; and Korea Aerospace Industries, joining hands with BAE Systems of the United Kingdom. Unlike the installation of the Mode-4, the technologies of which belong to foreign IFF makers, domestic companies are involved in the Mode-5 systems development and will locally produce the equipment for cost-effectiveness and sustainable integrated logistics support, according to Defense Acquisition Program Administration officials.
Hanwha Systems, a leading defense electronics company formerly known as Samsung Thales, claims it has the advantage of having know-how related to IFF integration and design.
“Our company was in charge of almost all Mode-4 upgrade programs in cooperation with foreign partners,” said Yoon Seok-joon, a consultant with Hanwha Systems’ avionics business team. “Through the experience, we have much better knowledge of IFF design and functions than other local competitors. This is a clear advantage.”
LIG Nex1, a precision missile developer, formed a task force in 2016 for Mode-5 upgrade work to seek related technology for localization. As a result, the company successfully localized a Mode-5 system for its KP-SAM Shin-Gung (or Chiron) shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles with the help of Thales, which is contracted to provide Mode-5 technologies for ground weapons systems.
“Based on the successful development of a Mode-5 device for Shin-Gung, we’re now able to independently develop Mode-5 equipment for other weapons systems, such as Hybrid Biho air defense system; Chunma short-range surface-to-air missile; and TPS-830K low-altitude radar,” said Park Jung-ho, program manager of LIG Nex1’s Mode-5 upgrade team.
To help facilitate the certification of its Mode-5 systems by the U.S. Defense Department, LIG Nex1 recently signed an agreement with the U.S. defense system certification contractor KBR.
Korea Aerospace Industries is expected to win contracts for Mode-5 devices to be fitted on advanced aircraft, including F-15K fighters, T-50 trainer jets and Surion utility helicopters. KAI develops the Surion platform.
“We own thousands of platforms around the world with this product, so we have lots of experiences in the U.S. and other countries as well as with this IFF piece of equipment,” said Rob Peer, president of BAE Systems in Korea. “It’s advanced technology with low weight, low power and cost effective. All of those things make it very effective.”
Peer stressed that he feels BAE Systems’ Mode-5 is the best fit for the systems of the F-35 fighter jet, which South Korea is to deploy in the coming years. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
25 Sep 18. Rohde & Schwarz introduces the all-new R&S FSW with enhanced analysis bandwidth and RF performance. With the R&S FSW, Rohde & Schwarz is the technology leader in signal and spectrum analyzers. Now, Rohde & Schwarz has completely enhanced this high-end analyzer family. All R&S FSW models with a maximum input frequency of 26.5 GHz and above are now available with a 2 GHz internal analysis bandwidth option and an 800 MHz bandwidth option for real-time analysis. Users will appreciate the new look and feel with a new operating concept and an SCPI recorder for remote controlled test sequences. The well-established family of R&S FSW high-end signal and spectrum analyzers is used for measurements in various applications, for example in wireless communications device testing for 5G and Wi-Fi, in radar analysis in the automotive and A&D sectors and in satellite system testing. The signal and spectrum analyzers can also be used to characterize RF components such as power amplifiers.
Rohde & Schwarz has further improved the market-leading performance of the R&S FSW family. The new R&S FSW features up to 10 dB lower phase noise compared with the previous models, which is extremely important in applications such as troubleshooting the modulation of 5G signals in the microwave range.
Internal analysis bandwidth of 2 GHz
The new R&S FSW analyzers above 26.5 GHz offer an internal analysis bandwidth of 2 GHz. Now users can analyze wideband signals from radar systems or 802.11ad Wi-Fi signals without requiring an external digitizer such as an oscilloscope in the test setup. The R&S FSW can also analyze bandwidths greater than 2 GHz, a feature that may be necessary for automotive radar or 5G applications. When performing measurements with an R&S FSW43 or R&S FSW85, the bandwidth can be extended up to 5 GHz using an R&S RTO2000 oscilloscope.
800 MHz for seamless real-time analysis
800 MHz instead of 500 MHz bandwidth is now available for real-time analysis. The new R&S FSW models process the measurement signals twice as fast as before and perform more than two million FFTs per second. They have a 100 % probability of intercept of detecting and accurately measuring signals with a minimum duration of just 0.46 µs. Consequently, all signal details are detected without gaps. This is a crucial feature for transient analysis and when troubleshooting high-frequency applications.
SCPI recorder to automate test environments It is very easy to create automated test sequences with the R&S FSW analyzer’s embedded SCPI recorder. The user operates the analyzer as usual; the SCPI recorder records the all involved settings and converts them into a script for controlling the analyzer.
As easy to use as a Smartphone
The R&S FSW now has a capacitive touchscreen and can be operated like a smartphone. The redesigned operating concept and user interface let users take full advantage of this modern operating method.
22 Sep 18. US Army makes strides toward network modernization with much anticipated radio award. The Army has awarded Harris Corp. and Thales Defense a much anticipated radio contract that leaders say is critical for mission command on contested battlefields in the future. The two-channel leader software-defined radio will allow commanders on the ground to switch frequencies if one is being jammed by adversaries. The Army said it plans to exercise a delivery order for 1,540 Leader Radio sets and 338 vehicular mounting kits. The value of the order was not immediately clear.
“This is an important step in providing critical tactical communications capabilities that are interoperable and effective in a contested electronic warfare environment,” Col. Garth Winterle, project manager for tactical radios, said in a Sept. 21 Army release.
Army leaders have described the radios as critical to the Army’s overall network modernization strategy. The contract allows for annual orders and for the easy integration of new capabilities.
“The award of the two-channel Leader radio contract is an important milestone in the modernization of the Army’s tactical network and Harris is honored to be part of it,” Dana Mehnert, President, Harris Communication Systems, said.
Maj. Gen. David Bassett, the program executive officer for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, told reporters in March that these types of radios have shown themselves to be able to run a wide range of waveforms. This has proven to be a critical feature as the Army considers more advanced, harder-to-jam waveforms for the future. This could be especially important in electronic warfare as adversaries make strides in their jamming and sensing abilities within the electromagnetic spectrum.
The two-channel Leader radio will also be a key component of what the Army is calling the integrated tactical network, which focuses on a simplified, independent, mobile network solution at the battalion level. That solution is intended to provide network availability down to the small unit dismounted leader for better mission command, situational awareness and air-to-ground integration. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
21 Sep 18. Lockheed supports USAF DCGS signals intelligence capabilities upgrade. The US Air Force (USAF) and Lockheed Martin have worked in collaboration to upgrade the signals intelligence capabilities of the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS). DCGS is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system that generates actionable intelligence from data collected by sensors on manned and unmanned ISR platforms. With the use of the agile software development approach, Lockheed Martin has enabled the USAF to transform DCGS to a modern architecture capable of rapidly integrating new capabilities with the rise in threats.
Lockheed Martin Unmanned Aerial Systems C4ISR vice-president Dr Rob Smith said: “To help our customers upgrade systems, Lockheed Martin is using modern agile methodologies, which unlike other software development approaches, welcome change.
“For DCGS, we worked with the airforce to provide a spiral-based agile development and integration model leading to ‘continuous integration, continuous delivery’.”
The improved signals intelligence capabilities will help aircrew members carry out the DCGS worldwide intelligence mission more quickly and effectively. This will also enable the airforce to transform DCGS from traditional sites to a worldwide hub-based architecture, which would support and promote centralised processing and remote support. The worldwide hub-based architectural tenet will offer significant cost savings in support contracts. The savings can then be reinvested into the development of new applications and capabilities for the system. Currently, Lockheed Martin is focusing on modern agile methodologies to field capabilities that are modular, open, non-proprietary and customer-specific, and promotes faster and cost-effective development efforts. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
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Spectra Group Plc
Spectra has a proven record of accomplishment – with over 15 years of experience in delivering secure communications and cybersecurity solutions for governments around the globe; elite militaries; and private enterprises of all sizes.
As a dynamic, agile, security accredited organisation, Spectra can leverage this experience to deliver Cyber Advisory and secure Hosted and Managed Solutions on time, to spec and on budget, ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.
Spectra’s SlingShot® is a unique low SWaP system that enables in-service U/VHF tactical radios to utilise Inmarsat’s commercial satellite network for BLOS COTM. Including omnidirectional antenna for the man, vehicle, maritime and aviation platforms, the tactical net can broadcast over 1000s miles between forward units and a rear HQ, no matter how or where the deployment. Unlike many BLOS options, SlingShot maintains full COTM (Communications On The Move) capability and low size and weight
On 23 November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced that it had recently been listed as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier for 2015-2016 by the UK Crown Commercial Services
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 BATTLESPACE Businessman of the Year by BATTLESPACE magazine and is a finalist in the inaugural British Ex-Forces In Business Awards in the Innovator Of The Year category.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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