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16 May 24. USSOCOM seeks new mounted, dismounted EW capabilities. US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM’s) electronic warfare (EW) Family of Systems (FoS) is the “newest” programme in the Program Executive Office (PEO) – SOF Warrior portfolio and was initially approved in November 2023 to focus on the “ground domain” operations, the command announced on 7 May.
SOF Warrior documents stated the EW FoS will include “dismounted/body-worn; mounted; unattended sensor; and small unmanned payloads to enable electromagnetic surveillance (ES), electromagnetic attack (EA), and electromagnetic protection (EP) capabilities”. The documents were presented at Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week 2024 in Tampa, Florida.
Officials suggested aspects of EP would be “pertinent” to countering unmanned aircraft systems as well as electromagnetic countermeasures (ECM). Other areas of interest include jamming-resilient radar capabilities. (Source: Janes)
16 May 24. Strong Connections. In the early 2000s a certain Japanese car manufacturer made a very memorable commercial. The advert featured a myriad of components from the vehicle the company was promoting. Like a line of dominos, one part collided into the next in a beautifully choreographed ballet of automotive components. The whole three-minute commercial was akin to an art installation; effortless, elegant and intelligent. Bizarrely, your editor was reminded of the advert in the wake of Iran’s 13th April missile and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attack on Israel.
The Islamic Republic unleashed 170 UAVs, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles from sites in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Despite the formidable number of projectiles, Iran’s attack faced formidable opposition. The Israelis are no strangers to shooting bad stuff out of the skies, with their David’s Sling and Arrow-3 surface-to-air missiles doing their thing with aplomb. Meanwhile, Israel’s American, British, French and Jordanian allies got stuck in providing radar coverage and added kinetics. The result was a resounding defeat for Tehran with the vast majority of incoming missiles and UAVs neutralised. Mercifully, casualties were relatively light with one person critically hurt, some slight damage to an Israeli airbase and others treated for minor injuries.
The success of Israel and her allies would have been impossible without the robust and capable communications which knitted together the sensors and effectors engaging the Iranian attack. The response underscored just how vital survivable and secure links are to countering such strikes. After all, as the strap line to the car commercial said: “Isn’t it nice when things just work?” (Source: Armada)
14 May 24. Talking to the Banshee. A new British Army capability is providing cellular connectivity on the battlefield for voice and data traffic, along with conventional communications backhaul, all via a single system. Armada has learned more details about the British Army’s Fenix Banshee BTR backpack tactical communications system. According to the radio’s manufacturers the Banshee BTR provides a bubble of Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular communications coverage across a specific area. The radio provides LTE frequencies across a waveband of 700 megahertz/MHz to 3.7 gigahertz/GHz. Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) backhaul frequencies from one to six gigahertz are also provided. Armada was told that the Banshee BTR can host up to 120 subscribers at any one time. The backpack weighs 9.4 kilograms (20.8 pounds) including the radio’s batteries.
The company’s own literature says that the Banshee BTR offers download speeds of 300 megabits-per-second/mbps and 100mbps upload speeds. The system has AES 128 level encryption and can use encryptors meeting the US National Security Agency’s Type-1 standard. Coverage of circa one kilometre (0.6 miles) is provided by the Banshee BTR. Ranges can be extended to seven kilometres (4.4 miles) when using the vehicle-mounted Banshee BMR. The Banshee BMR hosts up to 800 subscribers and has 20 watts of transmission power, compared to the one-watt output of the Banshee BTR.
Armada was told by British Army sources that the Banshee BTR’s range can extend to five kilometres (3.1 miles) if the radio is elevated on a vantage point. The system can be made ready for use in under eight minutes. Troops can bring their own end user devices like smartphones or tablets which can send and receive traffic across the Banshee BTR’s LTE network. All that is required is for these devices to have an appropriate Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.
Preserving discretion
The Banshee BTR brings several key benefits vis-a-vis battlefield communications: By using a secure cellular service voice and data traffic with lower, or zero, levels of classification can be moved off conventional tactical networks. This frees up addition space on these latter networks. Conventional tactical links tend to always be in demand and are invariably operating at, or close to, their limits.
The Banshee BTR also helps shield traffic from electronic attack. The LTE network established by the radio can be given an innocuous name to make it sound like a standard, generic civilian cellphone service. Thus, this network’s purpose might not be immediately obvious to red force communications intelligence cadres. As the Banshee BTR provides MANET backhaul, traffic needing to be shared with recipients beyond the radio’s range can be easily moved onto conventional ultra-high frequency trunk links.
The British Army trialled the Banshee BTR at the force’s 2022-2023 Urban Series Warfighting Experiment that was hosted by the Royal Navy in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. Army tactical communications modernisation initiatives have had their share of difficulties. Nonetheless, the Banshee BTR is a capable system and a good example of the force procuring useful capabilities to enhance connectivity. Moreover, the embrace of cellular technology makes the Banshee BTR’s networks easy to access and use while helping to safeguard battlefield communications integrity. (Source: Armada)
15 May 24. Cleansing the Skies. A new report details the communications challenges faced by the British Army as the force looks to enhance and overhaul its ground-based air defence capabilities.
Mid-April saw the publication of a report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) entitled Requirements for the Command and Control of the UK’s Ground-Based Air Defence. RUSI is a thinktank based in London and the report was authored by researchers Dr. Jack Watling and Dr. Sidharth Kaushal. The publication examined Command and Control (C2) requirements for the British Army’s Ground-Based Air Defences (GBAD): “The future threat environment is … characterised by diversifying and converging threat systems,” warned the authors. These diversifying and converging threats include everything from ballistic missiles to uninhabited aerial vehicles. This multiplicity of dangers means that “future air defences must be designed to maximise their efficiency as a system, allocating appropriate interceptors against simultaneous, multiple threats.” The authors assert that “(t)he challenge is how to establish a robust, layered air defence capability that can identify, classify and assign the most appropriate defeat mechanism to complex salvos.”
Data centrality
It is axiomatic that agile, robust and configurable communications underpin GBAD C2 system. These links carry track data from a multiplicity of sensors including radars and acoustic devices. Sensors could also include civilian capabilities like air traffic control radar. Track data in turn helps develop rich Recognised Air Pictures (RAPs) to assist air defenders. The Army will need links which can share its RAP outwards with allies when fighting in a coalition context and vice versa. The authors continue that the Army’s GBAD C2 architecture might need to share relevant data with UK authorities involved in civil defence such as the emergency services. This requirement is particularly relevant when Army GBAD is deployed to help protect targets in the United Kingdom.
Drs. Watling and Kaushal sound a note of caution regarding data sharing: “Whether … track data can be passed from the forward sensor and refined sufficiently to provide a guidance solution is dependent upon latency and on the compatibility of data between systems.” In a nutshell, it is good to have data, but if those data cannot be easily shared for reasons of compatibility or available links, then its utility diminishes.
Capabilities
Looking towards the design of any future British Army GBAD C2 architecture, the authors recommend communications links which can translate disparate data arriving from within and beyond the force. Likewise, this data must be moved at pace within and beyond GBAD formations. One potential solution mooted by the authors include middleware equipped with layered link translators that effectors and sensors can easily plug into. Moreover, the need to move data is directly dependent on overcoming differing national classification levels. The authors warn that “(a)ny system will also need mechanisms for moving data across classifications within the joint force.”
Solutions proposed by Drs. Watling and Kaushal include “a software-defined system that can incorporate multiple waveform cards at a central node.” Equally, data could be “routed to a common node via third-party platforms that receive and retransmit waveforms.” Conversely, other potential solutions include “(s)oftware-defined signal processing” which could allow “a system to receive data across multiple waveforms without a requirement for an unmanageable number of waveform cards.”
Securing the C2
Ultimately, “(t)o achieve the requisite efficiency, the C2 architecture for British GBAD must be able to distribute track-quality data to a diverse array of organic/inorganic systems and joint/combined assets.” The British Army is currently overhauling its ground-based air defence posture via the Land GBAD initiative. Almost $2 billion has been allocated to this programme. Nonetheless, the authors warn that “realising the programme’s goals will depend on having an open-architecture C2 capability that can integrate the increasing numbers and types of sensors that are proliferating across the battlefield.” (Source: Armada)
15 May 24. Band on the Run. The introduction of in-band full duplex techniques could help to reduce the spectrum congestion caused by tactical radios on the battlefield, while potentially enabling transceivers to perform addition, simultaneous missions such as electronic attack and electronic support.
In-band full duplex radio communications is a potentially game-changing technology enabling simultaneous voice and data transmission and reception, and electronic warfare applications, using the same frequency and transceiver.
PLATH’s annual intelligence workshop is always a useful opportunity to explore interesting innovations in the military communications and Electronic Warfare (EW) domains. This year’s event was held on 13th May in the town of Lillestrøm, southeast Norway. The workshop included a presentation by Professor Taneli Riihonen from Tampere University, southwest Finland. Prof. Riihonen’s presentation explained In-Band Full Duplex (IBFD) radio to delegates; an area of expertise for him and his colleagues.
IBFD Defined
Most tactical radios are half-duplex meaning that one person can transmit (Tx) but occupies a specific frequency, waveband or channel while they do so which means that the traffic can only move in one direction at a time. The receiver (Rx) must wait to obtain the traffic, be that voice or data, before they can transmit a response. Full duplex communications can move traffic in both directions simultaneously. Full duplex communications use one channel or frequency for Radio A to transmit to Radio B, and a different channel or frequency for Radio B to transmit to Radio A, for example. This approach means that a certain amount of radio bandwidth is needed to facilitate full duplex communications. Spectrum is an increasingly precious and finite commodity on and off the battlefield. Anything that can be done to reduce radio spectrum occupancy can only be beneficial.
Prof. Riihonen says that IBFD takes a different approach: The same frequency or channel can be used for the simultaneous transmission and reception of traffic. How is this achieved? The main challenge, Prof. Riihonen notes, is avoiding self-interference within the radio, primarily by preventing the Tx signal from leaking into the receiver. The problem is that the comparatively high power of the outgoing Tx signal risks ‘washing out’ the lower power incoming Rx signal. This phenomenon is akin to “trying to listen to someone whispering while someone is shouting at you.” Prof. Riihonen said that self-interference levels can reach up to 150 decibels in signal strength. The approach taken by Prof. Riihonen and his colleagues is hardware-specific, chiefly to isolate the Tx and Rx chains from one another using analogue and digital cancellers as one part of this approach. Resonators on the radio’s antennas also help reduce self-interference.
As well as offering benefits from a communications perspective, Prof. Riihonen highlighted that IBFD could be employed for EW. An Rx channel could receive traffic while a Tx channel transmits a jamming signal. Likewise, the Rx function could assist Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) gathering while the Tx function is sending traffic. This approach could put a combined EW and communications system using a single architecture and hardware into the hands of the operator. Several other capabilities were touted by Prof. Riihonen exploiting the IBFD approach including “two-way tactical radio links moving simultaneously between two or more networks, self-organising radio networks, real-time spectrum sensing, network jamming detection and uninhabited aerial vehicle swarm detection.”
Demonstrations
Prof. Riihonen said the IBFD technology has already been demonstrated to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s Science and Technology Organisation. The demonstration saw IBFD radio architectures being used for simultaneous electronic support and electronic attack. The radios used frequencies of 225 megahertz/MHz to 400MHz and transmitted 100 watts of spot jamming power. Although the hardware in this demonstration was used to demonstrate EW acumen, Prof. Riihonen said that the same architectures can be employed for two-way communications.
Into the hands of the operator
Prof. Riihonen asserts that IBFD is now mature enough for civilian and commercial applications and expects the adoption of the technology from the early 2030s onwards. He anticipates that IBFD will be supporting the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 3GPP initiative brings together several standards organisations involved in cellular communications protocol development. Other applications include IBFD incorporation into the long-term evolution of fifth-generation (5G) cellular protocols, and IBFD’s inclusion as standard in future 6G cellular communications.
The technology could be made available to the military in a similar 2030 timeframe but will require the creation of a new generation of software-defined radios. Prof. Riihonen added that IBFD protocols can work comfortably with frequency hopping techniques. Nonetheless, tactical radios are increasingly adopting MIMO (Multiple-In/Multiple-Out) techniques. MIMO transmits traffic simultaneously across several different frequencies and wavebands. The goal of MIMO is to avoid signal disruption through phenomenon like multipath interference. Multipath interference can corrupt signals and the traffic they carry as signals collide with solid surfaces; a notable problem in built-up urban environments. Prof. Riihonen said that, while it can be difficult to get IBFD to work with MIMO protocols, it is not impossible. He also expects in-band full duplex techniques to be used as standard in future cognitive radio architectures. IBFD looks destined to equip both the civilian and military worlds in the coming years. “The academic research has been completed,” Prof. Riihonen says, “it is now time to transition the technology to a commercial environment in partnership with industry.” (Source: Armada)
16 May 24. May Radio Roundup. Armada’s monthly roundup of all the latest news in the military communications product, programme and operational domains.
FMC300 helps SDR Upgradability
Abaco Systems has shared details regarding their FMC300 wideband, low latency FMC (Field Programmable Gate Array Mezzanine Card) module. “The FMC300 brings Analog Devices’ AD9084 multi-channel wideband radio frequency analogue-to-digital converters and digital-to-analogue converters into a FMC module designed to VITA 57.4 open standards,” Dinesh Jain, a senior product manager at Abaco Systems, tells Armada. “Most military radio hardware is designed for modularity to allow for future SDR (Software Defined Radio) upgradeability,” says Mr. Jain. One of the most common methods to achieve this SDR upgradeability “is through the industry-standard FMC connector.” The company’s FMC300 module can be installed into existing radio hardware. The module can also be installed into new systems using low-latency processing carriers such as Abaco’s SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture) aligned 3U VPX VP891 Xilinx FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) board. Mr. Jain says that the FMC300’s seven gigahertz “wideband characteristics” mean that a single multi-band radio based on the FMC300 can replace multiple single-band transceivers. This helps reduce system complexity, footprint, maintenance, power consumption and weight. “Rather than having to support multiple, different RF modules operators can select the FMC300 and load the appropriate software and firmware to support a particular mission.” This approach reduces overall support and training costs, and allows for design reuse. “The FMC300 is available now and it is currently being designed into several different programmes including SDR and other applications,” says Mr. Jain.
Herrick Technology Laboratories provide a range of signals intelligence, electronic warfare and military communications systems to US government and allied customers.
Herrick Moves Forward
On 10th April Herrick Technology Laboratories (HTL) announced it had received an investment of $25 million from Blue Delta Capital Partners. A press release announcing the news said HTL “designs and manufactures integrated hardware and software products and systems implemented through a core Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform. The SDR platform incorporates high performance, multi-channel radio frequency and microwave receive and transmit functionality along with mission-specific firmware/software applications.” The $25 million investment “allows us to accelerate fielding the cutting-edge signals intelligence and electronic warfare products and solutions that we provide to US government defence and intelligence customers, as well as our nation’s allies.” Acie Vickers, HTL’s chief executive and co-founder, told Armada that the funding will also assist the development of “our next generation of high performance, low SWAPC (Size, Weight and Power Consumption) software defined radios along with processing improvements against sophisticated signals.” These capabilities will be made available from this year onward, Mr. Vickers continued.
DOCK StreamCaster Debuts
Silvus Technologies has joined forces with Kägwerks to develop the DOCK StreamCaster family of tactical networking systems Silvus Technologies announced in a press release published on 16th April. The DOCK StreamCaster is a soldier-worn tactical networking system. DOCK stands for Dismounted Operator’s Combat Kit. The press release continued that the DOCK StreamCaster combines Silvus Technologies’ StreamCaster MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Networking) handheld radio with a Samsung S23TE militarised smartphone. The phone includes the ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) tactical situational awareness software application. ATAK was developed by the US Air Force’s research laboratory. The press release says that the DOCK StreamCaster combines the radio with Kägwerks’ DOCK dismounted soldier equipment. Silvus Technologies told Armada in statement that the first three DOCK StreamCaster models are now complete. Orders are being received. The two companies worked closely with a pilot customer in the US federal law enforcement community “to develop and refine the design of the DOCK StreamCaster.” The statement added that this pilot customer “has been operating a fleet of DOCKs in a hybrid network along with their existing StreamCaster radios, supporting tactical teams with both air and ground assets.” The ensemble has been tested in a range of environments from jungle to desert. Silvus Technologies is seeing a lot of customer interest in the product family, particularly “as a turnkey ground station” for uninhabited aerial vehicles using Silvus Technologies’ systems. (Source: Armada)
15 May 24. SANDF’s 22-year journey to modernise combat net radios. It’s taken 22 years for an upgrade of the SA National Defence Force’s (SANDF’s) combat net radio (CNR) systems, with SA Army brigade, division and formation commanding officers hearing upgraded radio communications have been tested by South African force elements in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The taking into service of improved and technologically updated combat net radios – as per Project Radiate – was imparted during a project outcome briefing with a view to force-wide implementation and utilisation in KwaZulu-Natal’s New Germany, where contractor Reutech Communications is headquartered.
The project started in 2002 with Reutech Communications and the SANDF Command and Management Information Systems (CMIS) Division jointly at the helm.
Christened a “work session” by Captain Lehutso Phahlamohlaka and starting on 7 May, the gathering concentrated on transitioning and implementing project outcomes as well as deployment and integration strategies. The five-day KwaZulu-Natal session followed baseline manufacturing targets being met, developmental operational testing and evaluation (OTE) successfully concluded, along with final OTE and ongoing training for operators and maintenance personnel.
Reporting on the briefing, Phahlamohlaka wrote it was a success paving the way for roll-out with the extra of active service evaluation by South African soldiers deployed to the United Nations (UN) mission in the DRC. Apart from being one of three troop contributing countries (TCCs) to the MONUSCO Force intervention Brigade (FIB), the SANDF contribution to the UN force consists of a quick reaction force (QRF), a tactical intelligence unit – all drawn from SA Army formations – and SA Air Force (SAAF) and SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) elements.
The first CNR units to be sent to the DRC formed part of extensive OTE with reports from the central African country indicating the radios performed well under “wet and nasty conditions”.
The new tactical radios allow for inter-service and division operability as specified in project documentation. The CNRs operate in HF, VHF and UHF frequencies with secure voice and data network links for ground to air, ground-based and naval applications. The new radios are reverse compatible with older still in service units.
Reutech’s landward radios are Link-ZA compatible and feature encryption, frequency hopping and fitted GPS receivers for situational awareness. The radios Reutech is supplying to the SANDF under Project Radiate were designed as a family from the outset for ease of use across all systems for logistics and human-machine interface functionality. Around 4 000 vehicle radios were ordered, with similar numbers of man portable radios. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
16 May 24. USSOCOM seeks new mounted, dismounted EW capabilities. US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM’s) electronic warfare (EW) Family of Systems (FoS) is the “newest” programme in the Program Executive Office (PEO) – SOF Warrior portfolio and was initially approved in November 2023 to focus on the “ground domain” operations, the command announced on 7 May. SOF Warrior documents stated the EW FoS will include “dismounted/body-worn; mounted; unattended sensor; and small unmanned payloads to enable electromagnetic surveillance (ES), electromagnetic attack (EA), and electromagnetic protection (EP) capabilities”. The documents were presented at Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Officials suggested aspects of EP would be “pertinent” to countering unmanned aircraft systems as well as electromagnetic countermeasures (ECM). Other areas of interest include jamming-resilient radar capabilities. (Source: Janes)
15 May 24. CSignum Launches EM-2 Wireless Underwater Communications for Maritime Security, Water Quality Monitoring & Energy Applications.
CSignum, a leader in underwater and underground data networking, is proud to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the EM-2 wireless platform for IoT sensor data and control from above the surface to below. The EM-2 interfaces to many common underwater sensors to wirelessly communicate data from under the water to above the surface or directly on land.
EM-2 represents a breakthrough in wireless communication technology employing electromagnetic fields to pass data through water, ice, concrete, and rock to overcome the limitations of traditional wireless technologies. By harnessing electromagnetic field signaling (EMFS), data can be transmitted from below the water’s surface or underground to above-surface devices with unparalleled reliability.
EM-2 is a vital asset for the reliable transmission and retrieval of sensor data essential to monitor and protect resources and critical infrastructure across a variety of key sectors including:
- Maritime Security & Defense: EM-2 offers a robust solution for enhancing maritime security by providing real-time data transmission from below the water’s surface to above-surface devices. This enables continuous monitoring of critical infrastructure such as ports and offshore structures, ensuring early detection and response to security threats.
- Water Quality Monitoring: EM-2 revolutionizes water quality monitoring by facilitating wireless communication across the air-water boundary in both fresh and saltwater scenarios. It ensures reliable transmission of data from underwater sensors to above-surface devices, enabling timely assessment and management of environmental conditions in inland and coastal waterways, around offshore structures and aquaculture installations.
- Offshore Wind & Energy Applications: EM-2 presents a game-changing solution for offshore energy applications by enabling seamless communication between subsea infrastructure and topside facilities. This enhances operational efficiency and safety in offshore energy operations, including wind farms and oil and gas platforms as well as inshore hydropower facilities.
- Underground Applications: EM-2 extends its capabilities to underground applications, providing reliable data transmission through various layers, including buried structures. This makes it invaluable for monitoring and controlling underground infrastructure such as tunnels, storm drains, and underground utilities.
“EM-2 represents a quantum leap in underwater and underground communications technology,” said Jonathan Reeves, CEO at CSignum. “With its ability to transcend the barriers of traditional methods, EM-2 empowers industries to explore, monitor, and protect our waterways and subsea environments with unprecedented efficiency and reliability.”
EM-2 establishes a wireless communication link that transcends the limitations of acoustic, optical, and cabled underwater communications. It enables real-time data transmission from beneath the surface to shorelines or riverbanks, and even through ice or underground locations.
With bidirectional data transfers of up to 200 meters, EM-2 ensures successful deployment in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Its unique electromagnetic field-based communication method enables effective data transmission through mixed media scenarios.
Benefits of the EM-2 include:
- Resilience: Unaffected by biofouling, turbidity, or environmental noise, ensuring consistent performance.
- Flexibility: Easily integrated with various sensor packs and compatible with industry-standard data interfaces.
- Environmental Compatibility: No adverse effects on aquatic life, making it ideal for sustainable monitoring solutions.
- Diverse Environments: Operates through water, ice, rock and soil.
The versatility of EM-2 lends itself to diverse applications including Internet of Underwater Things, ship monitoring, offshore structural monitoring, inland and coastal environmental monitoring, underground data monitoring, and defense and security operations.
Monitoring and assessing ecological health are essential components in combating and mitigating problems in critical inland and coastal waterways. Remote sensing observations utilizing EM-2 provides rapid, accurate data to assess and act on ecosystem changes.
Traditional methods of underwater communication face numerous challenges, from cable entanglement and unreliable communications to signal degradation. EM-2 offers a reliable, cable-less alternative, providing flexibility in deployment and superior performance across various environmental conditions.
CSignum remains committed to advancing underwater and underground data transmission. Future plans include enhancing range, data rate, and battery life, while providing cellular/satellite backhaul and CSignum Cloud data analytical services.
For inquiries and further information, please visit www.csignum.com.
14 May 24. Global: New vulnerability underscores increased security, financial risks from cyber criminal groups. On 14 May, the cyber security company Kapersky reported that a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2024-30051) in the Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) service was exploited during attacks delivering the ‘QakBot’ malware. The campaign has been ongoing since mid-April. The vulnerability allows threat actors to corrupt and overwrite portions of a system’s memory. This subsequently enables them to escalate their privileges to execute malicious code and to access sensitive information. Although QakBot’s infrastructure was dismantled by the FBI in August 2023, the malware resurfaced in December 2023 to target the hospitality sector, healthcare providers and government agencies. This underscores the threat actor’s ability to redevelop Qakbot and resume operations at speed. Several ransomware groups, including ‘Conti’ and ‘Black Basta’, have used QakBot as dropper malware in financially motivated operations, underscoring the increased security and financial risks facing global firms. Microsoft has released a patch for the vulnerability, pointing to the need for strict patch-management policies to prevent compromises in the long term. (Source: Sibylline)
10 May 24. Thales doubles down on radio production as US Army rethinks its network. “It’s not explosive, so don’t worry about it.”
Michael Sheehan was talking about fuzes embedded in the tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided, or TOW, missile used for decades to blow up armor and fortifications.
“We build that here,” he said of the components resembling electronic rounds. “In the room over there.”
Sheehan is the chief executive of Thales Defense and Security Inc., a U.S. offshoot of the French Thales Group. The stateside company’s work spans air, land, and sea, including cockpit technologies, handheld communications gear, and sonar systems.
Its headquarters here in Maryland, some 40 minutes north by car of Washington, has long maintained a manufacturing capability to fulfill orders. Under the same roof where TOW fuzes are crafted are helmet displays for F-16, A-10 and helicopter pilots and the radios lugged around by troops.
A little less than half of the business TD&SI does is in the area of “tactical comms,” according to Sheehan. Standouts are Army leader and combat net radios, the latter of which the company is betting big on.
Where there was once only a single line for a mix of products there are now two, with one dedicated to the CNR endeavor. And portions of the facility are being rearranged or reworked for efficiency. The Army in 2022 tapped Thales and competitor L3Harris Technologies to furnish the radios to help phase out older gear and overhaul battlefield connectivity.
An initial order placed with Thales was valued at $18.2 m. The overarching indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract is worth billions more.
“They’re big numbers, and we were sort of at capacity,” Sheehan told C4ISRNET during an April visit. “We basically doubled our throughput, and we’re making more investments for that line.”
Order up
There was a thrum to the production floor. Pick-and-place machines chewed through reams of tiny components and, nearby, workers tinkered with larger pieces and parts. Headsets, battery packs, radios and more stood at varying levels of assembly. Some were moving through quality checks.
The additional line at the Clarksburg facility was established in late 2023 and has since undergone preparations for a large volume of orders. Combat net radios are slated to replace the older Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System, or SINCGARS, which Sheehan described as the “backbone for three, four decades of Army communications.”
Thales recently delivered a preliminary batch to the Army for inspection and testing, and the company is working with labs at Aberdeen Proving Ground to make sure “we are meeting the future needs of this program,” according to Gary Kidwell, the vice president of communications systems at TD&SI.
Aberdeen Proving Ground is home to both the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical and the Network Cross-Functional Team. PEO C3T described the CNR effort as supporting cryptographic modernization and the service’s unified network, where the tactical links of frontline troops meld with the larger, less-mobile systems used at headquarters.
“It’s not the SINCGARS radio of yesterday,” Kidwell told C4ISRNET. The new radios are software-defined, meaning updates can be quickly patched in and hardware poses fewer constraints on performance.
Thales has so far received orders for thousands of radios and expects demand for many thousands more in the coming years.
“You have a significant number of radios that, potentially, have to be replaced,” Kidwell said. “Knowing what those annual quantities look like, and even in a split, competitive market between us and L3Harris delivering capabilities, we stood up the second line.”
(An L3Harris executive, Samir Mehta, separately told C4ISRNET the company was moving in-step with the Army. Mehta described their effort as “on track,” “bullish” and considerate of lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war.)
Radio check
Updated connectivity has for years been a priority for the Army, alongside desires to overhaul long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, and aviation.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George last year declared the network his top priority, publicly elevating what has long been considered the backbone of the service’s modernization goals. Without the ability to talk, few other things work as promised.
“Soldiers need to shoot, move and communicate,” George said at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in October. “Technology should facilitate those fundamentals, not encumber them.”
“Antenna farms and endless server stacks are conspicuous and generate too much electromagnetic signature,” he added. “If we slog around the battlefield with massive operation centers, which are difficult to set up, and often contractor-supported, we will get pounded.”
Radios play a key role in the equation. The gear can range in size and weight and complexity, and demands among different formations can vary dramatically.
Portions of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii and the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina last year received tailored packages of radios, variable height antennas and the like known as the integrated tactical network.
Through in-the-field experiments, the goal was to see what worked and what didn’t, and how fighting styles influenced the answers. Island hopping and watercraft look vastly different than joint forcible entry and seized airfields. And Thales is preparing to satisfy soldiers’ asks, according to Kidwell.
“How can we merge commercial technologies with others to listen to the end user and give them what they’re asking for?” Kidwell said. “As you’ve heard the Army say, not every unit is going to fight the same way.”
(Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
13 May 24: MASS has launched THURBON CEMA, a new centralised cyber electromagnetic activity (CEMA) database management system that brings CEMA data together in one place to improve battlespace spectrum management.
THURBON CEMA is the first system of its kind, enabling users to manage CEMA data in land, air and maritime domains operating in multi-threat environments. This force multiplier will support the synchronisation and co-ordination of offensive, defensive, inform and enabling activities, across the electromagnetic environment and cyberspace.
Michael Swift, Business Development Director at MASS, said: “The EMS is constantly evolving, thanks to technological advances and the continued efforts of adversary forces. In this context, simplicity for operators is key and by reducing the reliance on multiple data sources and bringing all CEMA activity into one database, THURBON CEMA will enable quicker decision-making. Through our work with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and other partners, MASS has led the way in electronic warfare (EW) and CEMA management and we’re delighted that THURBON CEMA is the next step in improving battlespace spectrum management.”
The upgraded database management system allows users to achieve information dominance with a single source of accurate, near real-time intelligence across the full EMS. THURBON CEMA takes advantage of new, richer multi-threat data to feed its common operating picture.
Designed and programmed by MASS EW and CEMA software development experts, THURBON CEMA includes a modern user interface to provide clear, accurate spectrum visualisation to inform and improve battlespace management.
THURBON CEMA is an upgraded version of MASS’ world-leading EW database management system, THURBON, which has been used and trusted by the UK MoD for over 10 years. To find about more about THURBON CEMA, visit https://mass.co.uk/.
10 May 24. Cyber Update key points.
- A new campaign exploiting weak email security configurations highlights security and information-theft risks stemming from the North Korean group ‘Kimsuky’ (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 7 May 2024 and our Technical analysis below).
- The discovery of a major online shopping fraud network underscores the elevated reputational and financial risks facing businesses (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 8 May 2024).
- Influence operations targeting Israeli citizens point to the disinformation risks stemming from Iranian state-sponsored actors and our Technical analysis below).
- A new phishing campaign targeting Polish government organisations underscores the sustained security and information-theft risks stemming from the Russian state-sponsored actor ‘APT28’ (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 10 May 2024).
Technical analysis of weekly stories
Iranian state-sponsored groups are targeting Israeli citizens in a multi-pronged influence campaign called ‘Emerald Divide’. The campaign seeks to manipulate Israeli citizens so as to exacerbate existing ideological and political divisions. For instance, it aims to amplify divisions between Israel’s ultra-Orthodox religious groups and the LGBTQI+ community, as well as the far-left and -right ends of the political spectrum. We also assess that it strives to sow discontent regarding the Israeli government’s response to Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack. The threat actors use several social media platforms and fake online personas to incite debate and to propagate content. Notably, they have increased their use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes to drive engagement and to boost the effectiveness of the campaign; they often impersonate figures on both sides of the debate, engaging in fraudulent conversations online to galvanise audiences. In some cases, the campaign has been successful in prompting citizens to participate in anti-government protests, underscoring the real-life consequences of influence operations. The Israel-Hamas war-focused iteration of the campaign has also managed to harvest personally identifiable informa(Source: Google/
tion (PII) to dox Israeli officials. Emerald Divide has demonstrated how state-sponsored influence operations can dynamically shift objectives to reflect the changing political landscape; this highlights the ongoing disinformation threats influence operations pose to governments.
The North-Korean threat group ‘Kimsuky’ is exploiting weak domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC) configurations as part of a new spear phishing campaign. In this campaign, Kimsuky has exploited organisations’ misconfigured DMARC settings; this has enabled the group to reach targets with tailored phishing messages. The group specifically spoofs email domains to impersonate journalists and trusted individuals from think tanks, academia and government organisations; this has enabled Kimsuky to build rapports with their victims, thereby effectively infiltrating targeted organisations. Subsequently, Kimsuky has taken advantage of being able to access these organisations to send additional spear phishing emails from the organisations’ legitimate domains. The highly tailored and detailed nature of the emails sent by the group further highlight the growing sophistication and adaptability of the group’s tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).
Some non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate against these threats include:
- Ensure organisational DMARC policies are configured to quarantine unauthenticated messages.
- Conduct cyber hygiene awareness courses for users to enable them to recognise and report phishing and other types of social engineering attempts.
- Monitor devices and networks for suspicious activity.
- Add available Indicators-of-Compromise (IoCs) to your organisation’s security detection systems to detect potentially malicious samples on the network.
- Ensure adequate security detection measures are in place, particularly behaviour-based end-point detection and response (EDR) solutions.
Our cyber word(s) of the week: Domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC)
(Source: Sibylline)
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Spectra Group (UK) Ltd
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, internationally renowned award-winning information security and communications specialist with a proven record of accomplishment.
Spectra is a dynamic, agile and security-accredited organisation that offers secure Hosted and Managed Solutions and Cyber Advisory Services with a track record of delivering on time, to spec and on budget.
With over 15 years of experience in delivering solutions for governments around the globe, elite militaries and private enterprises of all sizes, Spectra’s platinum and gold-level partnerships with third-party vendors ensure the supply of best value leading-edge technology.
Spectra was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2019 for SlingShot.
In November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced its listing as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier by the UK Crown Commercial Services.
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 Businessman of the Year by Battlespace magazine.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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