Sponsored By Curtiss Wright
https://www.curtisswright.com/
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
12 Feb 26. SATCOM in the Dessert
Iraq is big. With a land area of 435,052 square kilometres (167,974 square miles) the country has a population of over 48 m people and a population density of 111 per square kilometre (286 people per square mile). Germany is slightly smaller, but more densely populated with 240 people per square kilometre (622 people per square mile). Moreover, 70 percent of Iraq’s population live in cities. As the country’s population density suggests much of the nation has scant human habitation. Iraq’s terrain compounds this as most of the country is hot arid desert or steppe. This is the environment within which Iraq’s armed forces must operate. As the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book articulates, the Iraqi military has its work cut out: Political violence remains a scourge. No fewer than eleven insurgent organisations are identified by the publication as operating in Iraq. Some of these groups are not only performing conventional acts of political violence such as the use of improvised explosive devices: Air attacks via the employment of suicide uninhabited aerial vehicles are used by some groups to violently further their aims. The country faces the risk of blowback from any collapse of the regime in the neighbouring Islamic Republic of Iran. Renewed hostilities between Iran on the one side, and Israel and the United States on the other could similarly spill over Iraq’s borders. Instability on the wider Arabian Peninsula poses a similar threat. Iraq’s security challenges and an unforgiving geography place a premium on robust, survivable, Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) military communications to facilitate expeditious command and control. High frequency radio and Satellite Communications (SATCOM) are perfect to satisfy these BLOS requirements. Iraqi troops hunting down bad guys in the dessert, perhaps hundreds of kilometres from their headquarters, can employ HF and SATCOM to keep in touch. Both deployed troops, and their commanders, can be confident of ensuring their situational awareness via these links. The United States government is clearly aware of the importance of SATCOM to the Iraqi military. This January US lawmakers approved a foreign military sale worth $110 m to enhance Iraqi military SATCOM. Terminals will be provided along with SATCOM nodes, spare parts and technical support. This builds on previous SATCOM provision the US government made to Baghdad. Not only does the foreign military sale provide important capabilities to the Iraqi military it helps further strengthen the defence relationship between Washington DC and Baghdad. Sadly, as 2026 unfolds, the Middle East remains stricken with political instability. Helping to enhance the security of US allies in the region helps enhance the security of US strategic interests in the Middle East. Practical measures like SATCOM are important contributions to assisting allied militaries to meet domestic and regional security challenges. (Source: Armada)
12 Feb 26. Singing From the Same Hymn Sheet
A project has concluded in the United Kingdom (UK) evaluating methods by which the networking of radars can help improve air and maritime situational awareness, and command and control. Project SIREN (System for Integrated Radar Early Response Networking), as the initiative was dubbed, commenced in April 2024 and concluded in 2025, according to a spokesperson from the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). DSTL was one of the participants in the initiative. Other participants included the Royal Navy. The project was commissioned by the Defence Science and Technology department of the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the spokesperson continued.
SIREN Defined
According to reports, SIREN worked to network radars equipping air and maritime platforms. The goal of the initiative was to take the radar imagery produced by each platform and to fuse this imagery together. Combining these radar pictures will give a detailed, common recognised maritime and air picture. Users of this imagery will improve their situational awareness of the tactical and operational environment. Threats can be determined, located and engaged by several assets using a common radar picture. The work pioneered by SIREN will also help improve command and control. Reports continued that SIREN included an airborne demonstration of associated technologies during flight trials held off the east coast of Scotland in May 2025. SIREN used cloud computing to receive imagery from disparate radars and to combine this into a common recognised air and maritime picture. The work undertaken by SIREN is seen as integral to the United Kingdom’s Digital Targeting Web. DSTL declined to state which communications protocols, systems or networks were employed as part of the SIREN effort due to security and classification concerns. Radar data is typically shared using protocols like ASTERIX (All Purpose Structured Eurocontrol Surveillance Information Exchange). ASTERIX allows different radar types to share their imagery with comparative ease. The DSTL spokesperson noted that Project SIREN was commissioned to deliver several Key Driving Outcomes (KDO). The primary KDO was the integration demonstration and trial event which occurred in May 2025 discussed above. Other KDOs included detailed insight into the relative maturing of the SIREN innovations. These outcomes will be integral to developing technology roadmaps which can be used to drive the full realisation of the technologies and concepts Project SIREN analysed. The SIREN undertaking formed one part of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy, also known as MATX. The British government provided additional information on the MATX initiative during questions in the House of Commons, the UK’s lower house of parliament, in October 2025. In response to a question from Ben Obese-Jecty, member of parliament for Huntingdon, eastern England, Al Carns, parliamentary undersecretary of state for the armed forces, defined MATX as “the Royal Navy’s strategy to shift towards a digitally led crewed-uncrewed operating model”.
Future efforts
Where do SIREN’s achievements go from here? The integration of the capabilities trialled during SIREN were not assessed overall as a system-of-systems. This makes it difficult to talk about SIREN from a technology readiness level standpoint. Instead, the SIREN effort documented system and subsystem performance in a test environment and matched these results against analytical predictions. The DSTL spokesperson told Armada that the scoping of future work is currently in progress. The release of the UK’s Defence Investment Plan could provide additional details on how the innovations pioneered in SIREN could move forward. The plan will detail how the capabilities and requirements outlined in the UK’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review will be financed. Overall, the adoption of the technologies trialled as part of SIREN should help provide low cost, flexible and readily deployable capabilities to the UK defence community, the spokesperson emphasised. These capabilities will help increase combat mass, supplement and/or replace crewed capabilities while increasing operational effectiveness. These aspirations also give some important clues into some of the goals of the much-anticipated Defence Investment Plan, expected to be published by April. (Source: Armada)
12 Feb 26. Sprucing up Norwegian Army Comms. Norway is taking important step forward in the modernisation of its land forces tactical communications with the procurement of several new systems. On 15th January, Clavister was awarded a contract worth $31m to develop the Norwegian armed forces’ Tactical Core Network System (TCNS). Of that sum, $28m is for the system’s development with $3 m covering support and maintenance. The contract also contains options valued at an additional $1.6m. The company will provide its networking and security software is the basis for the Tactical Core Network System. A Clavister press release continued that work on the TCNS will commence by the end of the first quarter of 2026, concluding three years later. The TCNS initiative falls within the Norwegian Defence Material Agency’s (NDMA’s) Mime combat Information and Communications Technology undertaking. According to reports, Kongsberg is the prime contractor for the initiative. It will design the overall Mime architecture and perform systems integration. According to Norwegian government documents, the capabilities procured via Mime will enter service with the country’s armed forces from 2028 with this process concluding in circa 2030. Mime will be delivered in three tranches: The first runs between 2025 and 2026 and is expected to cost up to $303 m, with the second tranche following in 2027 and concluding in 2028. This latter tranche should be worth circa $253 m with the last tranche commencing and concluding in 2029. The final tranche is expected to cost $202 m.
Thor
Mime’s delivery will complement the NDMA’s Thor tactical communications procurement programme. In July 2024, the Kongsberg received a contract to provide its Thor multiband tactical radios for Norwegian Army vehicles. Kongsberg already provides several transceivers to the force including its K-Tacs, and MH600 and MV600 very high frequency (30 megahertz/MHz to 300MHz) handheld and vehicular/backpack transceivers. MH600 radios are routinely used by dismounted infantry commanders. Thor will replace the MV600 radios routinely deployed onboard Norwegian Army manoeuvre force vehicles. Beyond-line-of-sight trunk communications are facilitated by L3Harris AN/PRC-150 High Frequency (HF: three megahertz to 30MHz) radios. Satellite communications can be accessed via the force’s L3Harris AN/PRC-117F/G radio which cover frequencies of 30MHz to two gigahertz. Alongside Thor, Armada understands the NDMA will acquire a new two-channel, vehicular/backpack radio via an acquisition that could be work up to $94.5 m. These new radios will replace existing vehicular/manpack transceivers not covered by the Thor acquisition. A decision on which systems will fulfil this requirement could be made by the end of this year, and deliveries could follow between 2028 and 2030. Other future tactical radio procurements could include a new system to replace the AN/PRC-150.
TCNS defined
A spokesperson for the NDMA told Armada that the Tactical Core Network System is a “software and network logic layer that will provide our forces with user-friendly, robust connectivity across all available military and civilian communications carriers in the theatre of operations”. The latter point is particularly important: The Norwegian military plans to acquire a dedicated fifth generation (5G) communications capability known as the 5G Military Coverage Extension Network. Armada has been informed that military 5G provision will see the Norwegian government initially providing 2.3MHz of dedicated bandwidth on Norway’s 5G network. Although reserved for military use, this bandwidth will not be permanently allocated. Instead, the frequencies will be rapidly made available in times of war or crisis. Military users will access the bandwidth using a dedicated subscriber identity module card they can add to their smartphones. The 5G Military Coverage Extension Network is expected to be made available by circa 2030. The TCNS is primarily “a software solution intended to be run on tactical communications nodes already in use, as well as future hardware and virtual platforms”, the spokesperson continued. Moreover, “TCNS is intended to replace older software solutions that provide similar capabilities currently in use, while also expanding on functionality to serve future needs”. As tensions in northern Europe increase Norway’s tactical communications modernisation is the right approach at the right moment. The combination of the TCNS, new tactical radios and the 5G Mobile Coverage Extension Network overhauls the links the Norwegian Army depends on. The connectivity of the Norwegian armed forces writ large will also benefit. Furthermore, these procurements will help accelerate Norway’s implementation of NATO’s Multi Domain Operations doctrine. (Source: Armada)
12 Feb 26. Postmortem
Despite the debacle to replace the legacy Bowman tactical communications, and command and control system used by UK land forces, efforts are now advancing to acquire new capabilities to this end. A new, timely, in-depth report gives a detailed assessments of the failures of the UK’s efforts to replace the Bowman combined tactical communications and command and control system. In January Armada published an article entitled ‘Moving Forward’ which detailed new plans by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) to replace the Bowman tactical communications, and command and control system. Bowman is primarily used by UK land forces. The MOD’s plans to replace Bowman have a tortured history. One of the most recent efforts, known as Evolve to Open (EVO) collapsed in 2024. EVO saw General Dynamics contracted to turn the current monolithic Bowman Combat Infrastructure Platform-5.6 (BCIP-5.6) architecture into an open, modular system. The logic behind EVO was to let Bowman easily accept hardware and software improvements over the rest of its life. EVO was part of the MOD’s Project Morpheus, the overarching initiative to replace UK land forces tactical communications. Morpheus in turn is part of the MOD’s wider Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LETACCIS) initiative. In late January a new report was published by Intelligent Consulting. This company, its own words, “provides strategic cyber security, risk management and board-level advisory services to institutions operating at the heart of Europe’s political and defence landscape”. Written by the company’s director, Suzanne Button, the publication is entitled UK Defence Tactical Communications Modernisation: The Bowman Replacement Challenge. The report examines the status of efforts to overhaul UK land forces tactical communications, the legacy of these efforts and risks that may still be faced therein.
As Ms. Button notes, the Morpheus initiative commenced in 2016 and was supposed to conclude nine years later. To date, $1.1 bn has been spent but has yielded no deliverables. EVO’s termination alone cost $445 m. As Armada’s January report made clear, new efforts to replace Bowman could cost up to $12.8 bn. UK land forces should begin to receive new tactical communications from circa 2026 with deliveries concluding in 2034. As these new systems enter service, Bowman will be progressively retired. Nonetheless, retirement of the latter is not expected to commence before 2031.
Ms. Button identifies several risks inherent in extending Bowman’s service into the 2030s: There are questions regarding the resilience of Bowman’s anti-jam waveform to contemporary and future electronic attack vectors. Similar questions surround Bowman’s resistance to cyberattack. At the hardware level, Bowman’s electronics are obsolescent. Replacement parts are expensive and require substantial testing before use, which further increases costs. Moreover, the system’s software cannot support the data-intensive links that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO’s) Multi-Domain Operations depends on.
Shortcomings
Where does the blame lie for EVO’s failure? Ms. Button argues that the MOD “set unrealistic requirements, demanding not merely an open architecture but the capability to integrate electronic warfare, cyber and Multi-Domain Integration concepts that were still nascent” when the EVO contract was awarded. As Armada has previously argued, moving Bowman from a closed to open architecture was akin to turning a 1990s cellphone into a smartphone. Another issue was the EVO contract itself. Ms. Button states that the MOD contracted General Dynamics to deliver a laboratory-tested Bowman architecture, as opposed to a field-ready design. However, at the same time, the ministry “specified capabilities equivalent to full operational requirements”. Intelligent Consulting’s report claims the contract failed to produce the viable laboratory-tested Bowman architecture, let alone a field-ready version.
Risks ahead
Where does Morpheus go from here? As Armada’s January article stated, the MOD has launched a new tactical communications procurement known as the RM6393 Tactical Communications Framework. As opposed to adopting a ‘big bang’ approach to turn the Bowman architecture from a closed into an open configuration, the ministry is moving towards an “incremental, modular procurement strategy”. Ms. Button continues that the MOD’s desire to procure “fully integrated and supported systems” now suggests the acquisition of “multiple competing platforms with integration layers rather than a unified architecture”.
Replacing the entire Bowman architecture will not be easy. Intelligence Consulting’s report notes that over 50,000 transceivers must be acquired alongside their supporting infrastructure. Just taking the UK land forces vehicle fleet into account, new radios will demand new antennas, wiring, installation harnesses and software interfaces, to name just four elements. New tactical radios will need to work with a host of sovereign, NATO and allied waveforms. This latter point is essential to ensure intra- and inter-force communications. From a strategic perspective, the new radios must be ‘future proofed’ and flexible. While a revanchist Russia has put near-peer competition back on the strategic agenda, missions like counterinsurgency have not disappeared.
Ms. Button is concerned that RM6393 could see the procurement of fragmented solutions and capabilities that lack coherent integration. She warns that “evaluation and contract management will demand sophisticated government capability, precisely the weakness that undermined Morpheus’ oversight”. The existing Bowman architecture which is being evolved to BCIP 5.7 standard to allow it to remain in service until its new retirement date will have to be compatible with new RM6393 capabilities. However, “the technical interface specifications” to this end “remain undefined”. This risk is problematic as bidders will need to know how their wares can be backwards-compatible with the BCIP 5.7 architecture. Locking the specifications for RM63939 creates the danger that the development of avantgarde technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum-resistant encryption outstrip the MOD’s procured capabilities: “Freezing requirements in 2026 risks fielding obsolete systems by 2030”, warns the report.
That the MOD has launched a new effort to replace the UK’s ageing and troubled land tactical communications systems should be applauded. The ministry has no excuse not to learn lessons from the recent part, particularly given the publication of Intelligence Consulting’s report. Significant previous commentary has highlighted the failings of Bowman’s replacement, and suggested ways forward. Bowman’s age means that the MOD is fast running out of road to ensure UK land forces have the tactical communications they will need for a turbulent world. Executed correctly, Bowman’s replacement could be a textbook example of how to manage such a complex and expensive programme. Whether that becomes the case is entirely up to the MOD. (Source: Armada)
12 Feb 26. February Radio Roundup
Bittium and Indra are collaborating on the development of new tactical radios that are destined to equip the Spanish armed forces. These transceivers will be based on Bittium’s Tough SDR products. (Bittium) Armada’s monthly roundup of all the latest news in the military communications product, programme and operational domains.
Bittium and Indra Collaborate
As 2025 was drawing to a close, Bittium revealed it had signed a licencing agreement with Indra. According to a press release announcing the news, the licencing agreement is worth $58 m. The two companies had already concluded an agreement of intent to collaborate in July 2025. This latter agreement covered the collaboration by both companies in developing Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Since then, Bittium has transferred its Tough SDR product knowhow to Indra. The transfer will help Indra develop and manufacture tactical radios which will initially equip the Spanish armed forces. The press release noted that options may exist for Indra to export these transceivers to other countries in the future. According to a statement provided to Armada by Bittium, the company “is licensing its software defined radio technology that is used for the Bittium Tough SDR product family, including Bittium Tough SDR vehicular and handheld radios”. Indra’s products will be based on this technology and should yield “sovereign, high-performance handheld, vehicular, and (backpack) radios” in the coming years.
Curtiss-Wright bags new PacStar order
In late December 2025, Curtiss-Wright announced that it had been awarded a contract worth $18m to provide several of the company’s PacStar tactical communications systems to the United States Marine Corps (USMC). According to reports, the contract covers the provision of Curtiss-Wright’s PacStar 451 server, PacStar 453 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) enhanced server and PacStar 448 ten-port, ten-gigabit ethernet switch modules. The order was made by the USMC’s Programme Executive Office for Land Systems. Roark McDonald, general manager of PacStar for Curtiss-Wright’s defence solutions division, told Armada that the recent contract “builds upon (the company’s) earlier selection as a trusted and critical supplier to the (USMC’s) Combat Data Network programme”. The company declined to provide details of how many PacStar systems it was delivering as per this recent contract, or how the USMC may use these products. Nonetheless, Mr. McDonald did add that that these systems are “designed to meet mission requirements across operational environments”. He added that the company can “scale to meet the potential future needs of the Marine Corps as well as other customers requiring battlefield networking and connectivity”. (Source: Armada)
11 Feb 26. Singapore hosts UK-led cyber-defence exercise for first time. Singapore has hosted ‘Defence Cyber Marvel’ for the first time, serving as the hub for the week-long UK-led multinational cyber-defence exercise that brings together more than 2,500 personnel from 70 different organisations across 29 countries from 9 to 13 February. The fifth edition of the exercise saw 36 teams combat simulated cyber threats in a realistic operational environment. Participating UK government organisations included the UK Ministry of Defence, the National Crime Agency, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Cabinet Office, and the Department of Business and Trade. Singapore’s Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) participated alongside its British Armed Forces counterparts in a combined cyber-defence team. Now in its fifth year, ‘Defence Cyber Marvel’ has evolved from an Army Cyber Association initiative into a triservice operation led by the UK’s Cyber & Specialist Operations Command. The exercise featured several distinct scenarios, split between blue and red teams controlled from a central command point, examining how escalating pressure leads commanders and teams to make different decisions. The exercise tested participants’ ability to co-ordinate international responses against scenarios mirroring genuine cyber threats, including simulated attacks targeting critical infrastructure, government networks, and private-sector systems. Teams also gained practical experience in countering advanced persistent threat (APT) actors in an evolving digital threat landscape. In a statement issued to mark the exercise, Air Marshal Suraya Marshall, Deputy Commander of the UK’s Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, noted that cyber attacks from adversaries have become a daily threat to the UK and its allies and partners. (Source: Janes)
11 Feb 26. Northrop Grumman developing expeditionary IBCS variants. Northrop Grumman is developing more expeditionary variants of its Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), beginning with an IBCS variant designed for the US Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV). Development on an ISV IBCS variant was an internal investment by Northrop Grumman, who purchased three ISVs from GM Defense at the end of 2025 with plans to “incorporate IBCS on them”, said Jon Ferko, senior director for mission solutions and strategy at Northrop Grumman. The notion of an ISV IBCS variant initially began after programme officials saw lightweight combat vehicles beginning to proliferate across army formations. As more and more ISVs entered the army’s ranks, “we said ‘how do we make IBCS that mobile’”, Ferko said during a February briefing. The development of an ISV variant of IBCS is “really turning the current, static air-[defence] model on its head”, according to Kenn Todorov, Northrop Grumman vice-president and general manager of command-and-control (C2) and weapons integration.
“We hear our customers talk all the time talk about the need to get [lighter], the need to get off the ground and … get mobile”, Todorov said during the same briefing.
As designed, the IBCS is an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) C2 system that will integrate current and future IAMD systems via open-architecture applications, enabling users to employ a range of sensors and weapons during combat operations. Aside from open-architecture applications, IBCS leverages common software and standard interfaces to expand potential sensor and shooter combinations via its integrated fire-control network. (Source: Janes)
10 Feb 26. RTX’s (NYSE: RTX) BBN Technologies has been awarded a contract by the Department of War (DoW), in partnership with the National Spectrum Consortium, to support its Advanced Spectrum Coexistence Demonstration program. This initiative addresses concerns about maintaining the operational readiness of critical national security radars when they share the same radio frequencies with commercial 5G networks. Current spectrum coexistence tools can take tens of minutes to detect interference, negotiate a new allocation, and reconfigure radios. This delay leaves both commercial 5G users and incumbent radars vulnerable to service loss or unsafe operations. In the program’s first phase, the BBN-led team will create a basic “smart spectrum manager” that can detect when a radar is operating and predict whether a 5G signal might interfere and automatically shift 5G traffic to avoid issues in seconds. In the second phase, the project will evolve from a basic working model to a more advanced prototype equipped with cutting-edge tools to ensure radar and 5G networks can share the same frequencies reliably and seamlessly. These tools will transform the system into a smart, self-managing platform that follows preset rules to automatically optimize spectrum sharing. Once developed, this platform can be deployed on operational radars and 5G systems, allowing them to work safely, securely, and efficiently side by side, with little need for human involvement.
“Lives are put at risk when a radar misses a target, whether it’s a ship navigating waters or a rescue team tracking a storm,” said Chris Vander Valk, BBN principal investigator for the effort. “Our work ensures those radars stay reliable, even as 5G frequencies become increasingly congested, so public and private shared use of the spectrum is optimized for all users.”
The multi-team effort brings together the expertise needed for a comprehensive solution:
- Raytheon Advanced Technology will provide real radar signals and test equipment.
- Ericsson Federal Technologies Group will contribute 5G network expertise to ensure feasibility of transition.
- Signal Processing Technologies will share advanced interference cancellation, detection and localization techniques.
- Federated Wireless will bring dynamic spectrum management capabilities to optimize shared spectrum usage.
- Purdue University will deliver advanced signal processing and machine learning (ML) models for faster interference predictions.
- Novowi will offer ML-based techniques for real-time spectrum sensing, classification and localization, as well as security analysis.
BBN will integrate these components into a system for future government use and will incorporate a risk management function to balance potential impacts on incumbent and commercial operations. The team hopes to achieve a 50% increase in usable commercial 5G capacity, a 20 dB drop in unwanted interference to radars, and a 1,000-fold improvement in 5G link quality when both systems operate side by side. To accelerate the transition, the team will also deliver a “sandbox” version of the spectrum access system that can run in the cloud or at the edge of the network, simplifying the move from testing to real-world deployment. If successful, the system will turn a longstanding “either/or” dilemma—protect the radar or grow 5G—into a “both/and” solution, expanding the nation’s digital economy while preserving national security. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Marlborough, Massachusetts; Plano, Texas; Vienna, Virginia; Merrimack, New Hampshire; Arlington, Virginia; West Lafayette, Indiana; and Brookline, Massachusetts. This effort was sponsored by the U.S. Government under Other Transaction number W15QKN-21-9-5599 between the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) and the Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. (Source: PR Newswire)
10 Feb 26. Naval Group and Thales join forces for a sovereign AI in France.
- Naval Group, an international player in naval defence, takes a 20% stake in cortAIx France and joins its governance.
- cortAIx, Thales’ artificial intelligence accelerator dedicated to critical systems, is enriched with cutting-edge AI engineering applied to naval defence systems, with the opening of a dedicated centre in the South of France, near Naval Group’s site.
- This strategic partnership for France aims to quickly provide the armed forces with solutions that integrate trusted, cyber-secure, and sovereign AI, enhancing their operational superiority in the face of constantly evolving threats, while keeping humans in control.
Naval Group has invested in the capital of cortAIx France, joining Thales to address major challenges related to integrating AI into critical defence systems. This unprecedented alliance will accelerate the deployment of AI technologies and their adoption by the armed forces, while upholding algorithm sovereignty and safeguarding sensitive data. AI experts from Naval Group—particularly from the Digital Excellence Centre in Ollioules (South of France)—will strengthen the cortAIx France teams with their specialised knowledge of the naval environment. This joint venture aims to accelerate the industrialisation of AI solutions applied to defence systems within cortAIx. Launched in 2024 by Thales—a global leader in advanced technologies—the cortAIx initiative brings together more than 800 AI experts across five hubs in France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and Germany. By consolidating AI research, engineering, and industrialisation activities for critical environments, the initiative strengthens Thales’ technological leadership. Over the past decade, Thales’ substantial investment in R&D has made it Europe’s top patent filer for AI in critical systems. This expertise has enabled the integration of artificial intelligence into more than 100 Thales products, offering customers a decisive competitive edge and enhanced resilience, all while ensuring human oversight remains at the core. Naval Group has placed innovation at the heart of its strategy and culture to ensure the competitiveness and technological superiority of its clients at sea. By relying on new digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, and through its activities covering the entire lifecycle of ships, Naval Group enables its clients to maintain the scientific, technological, and industrial capabilities necessary for their sovereignty over the long term.
“The entry of Naval Group into the capital of cortAIx France is a significant step for the company in its efforts to integrate AI into naval systems. Thanks to the pooling of resources from our two companies, this strategic partnership marks a major acceleration for the future of engineering and naval systems, in which AI plays an increasingly important role. It reflects the will to push beyond traditional boundaries of architecture and innovation, in favour of sovereign and controlled AI, which is essential to build the naval warfare of tomorrow.” — Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group.
“With Naval Group joining us, cortAIx is taking a major step forward in a collective innovation effort in France. This cooperation between two major defence players will pool expertise and accelerate the integration of sovereign AI into critical systems to respond more quickly to the challenges of the armed forces. This alliance will help them gain an edge in the face of increasingly numerous and immediate threats in an ever more complex environment, while keeping humans in control.” — Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales.
Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group, and Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales ©Anthony Guerra Together, Thales and Naval Group will accelerate the development of trusted AI solutions applied to critical systems in several key areas:
- Collaborative combat, enabling operators to manage multiple systems simultaneously and assist with observation and surveillance missions.
- Decision support systems, based on the rapid analysis of massive, strategic, tactical, and operational data.
- Electronic warfare, to reduce the cognitive load on operators, automate signal identification, radar geolocation, and mission analysis report generation.
- Training and simulation, to offer realistic and adaptive scenarios while optimising costs, operational preparation, and post-exercise analysis.
- Logistics and support, using analytical rules to better anticipate operational needs.
09 Feb 26. GenAI.mil’s Rapid Expansion Continues With OpenAI Partnership. In just two months since deployment, the War Department’s enterprise AI platform, GenAI.mil, has surpassed one m unique users. With adoption spanning every Military Service, GenAI has cemented itself as the Department’s unified environment for secure, mission-ready AI capabilities. Building on this momentum, the Department today announced a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into GenAI.mil. This partnership will make OpenAI’s advanced large language models readily available to all 3 m Department personnel. ChatGPT will be made available to enhance mission execution and readiness, delivering reliable capabilities to the joint force. GenAI.mil’s rapid rise reflects a decisive cultural and technological shift, validating the Department’s commitment to being an AI-first enterprise. The platform’s proven reliability, evidenced by its 100% uptime since launch and its robust infrastructure, has established it as the trusted AI platform across the Department. The platform’s adoption is already accelerating operational tempo and sharpening the decision superiority of its users. To ensure this advantage extends to the entire joint force, comprehensive training for all Department personnel will continue, empowering them to effectively learn the platform and integrate AI capabilities into their daily workflows. This initiative is a direct execution of the War Department’s AI Acceleration Strategy released last month, and acts on the mandate of President Trump’s White House AI Action Plan. The War Department is building an AI ecosystem for speed, security, and enduring mission impact. Integrating ChatGPT into GenAI.mil marks another critical step in making frontier AI capabilities the standard for daily operations. (Source: U.S. DoD)
09 Feb 26. iDirect Government (iDirectGov), a leading provider of satellite communications to the military and government, today announced the successful live over-the-air point-to-point testing of a DVB-S2X waveform on the 450 Software Defined Modem (SDM) using the company’s virtualized waveform core (WCore). The test validated iDirectGov’s DVB-S2X waveform functionality, stability and interoperability in a real-world radio frequency (RF) environment. Operating on the 450SDM through the WCore, the waveform delivered reliable end-to-end performance without compromising security. The test demonstrated a 200Mbps x 200Mbps SATCOM link over a Mil-Ka-band spot beam. The 450SDM with the DVB-S2X waveform can support speeds up to 672Mbps x 672Mbps.
“iDirectGov is building a clear implementation path for developers to integrate waveforms on software-defined modems using the WCore, enabling seamless, secure and interoperable communications,” said Tim Winter, iDirectGov president. “Our recent milestone includes successful testing on mid-Earth orbit (MEO), and since WCore is waveform-independent, it is designed to operate seamlessly across geostationary (GEO), low-Earth orbit (LEO), and other multi-orbit constellations, extending our DVB-S2X capabilities for partners and end users.”
The 450SDM uses the WCore interface to securely integrate iDirectGov-hosted and third-party applications through abstraction and virtualization. The WCore can manage and orchestrate multiple waveforms —up to 16 on the 450SDM—and provides access to additional applications such as AES encryption and iDirectGov’s Communication Signal Interference Removal (CSIR) technology.
“Live RF testing confirms that our satellite modems can support diverse waveforms across multiple constellations in operational environments,” Winter said. “This flexibility is essential for defense and government customers who depend on secure, resilient and adaptable satellite communications to meet their evolving tactical communications needs.”
The iDirect Government 4-Series SDMs with the WCore deliver resiliency, security and optimized size, weight and power (SWaP) for U.S. DOD users, while enabling commercial innovation and development and in particular, where protection of intellectual property is critical.
10 Feb 26. Modirum Platforms has joined the Digital Defence Ecosystem Finland (DDE), strengthening the national network that accelerates secure, resilient and innovative digital defence capabilities. The membership supports Modirum Platforms’ goal of expanding its role in Europe’s dual-use and new digital defence technology landscape and contributing its deep expertise to shared national and international objectives. As a new DDE member, Modirum Platforms brings significant competencies in mission‑critical communications, real‑time situational awareness, AI‑driven analytics, advanced cybersecurity, and secure digital infrastructure design. The company’s solutions—including the development of its M Orbit multimodal situational awareness platform—enable defence and security actors to operate more effectively in increasingly complex and data‑intensive environments.
“We are committed to ensuring that organisations protecting citizens and critical infrastructure have secure and sustainable digital platforms,” says Petri Anttila, GM of Modirum Platforms. DDE provides the collaboration environment needed to scale these capabilities across Finland and the wider European market.”
Modirum Platforms’ membership follows the successful participation of its sister company, Modirum Gespi, whose network expansion within DDE has opened new market opportunities. The company sees similar potential for Modirum Platforms, particularly in areas such as protection of critical infrastructure, secure communication ecosystems, and advanced data‑driven defence technologies. DDE Finland connects companies, research organisations and public‑sector stakeholders to accelerate innovation in defence and dual‑use technologies. Modirum Platforms’ addition further strengthens the ecosystem’s capabilities and supports the broader development of Finland’s defence industry and digital resilience.
09 Feb 26. French shipbuilding giant Naval Group and Lithuanian space-tech company Astrolight signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The MoU marks the beginning of a collaboration between the two companies to test Astrolight’s POLARIS laser terminal on Naval Group’s vessels, exploring the potential for future integration of the technology. The partnership comes as Naval Group works to design a new multi-purpose vessel for the Lithuanian Navy, with plans to equip the ship with POLARIS.
“With the growing threat of electronic warfare at sea, especially in the Baltic, Europe needs ships that can operate reliably in these challenging conditions,” said Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO of Astrolight. “Our interference-resilient laser technology, already successfully tested by NATO and the Lithuanian Navy, provides a secure way to communicate in the most challenging environments. Working with the Naval Group is an exciting step towards establishing laser-based communication as a new standard in European naval security.”
Laser communication uses narrow, focused light beams that are nearly impossible to interfere with and detect. This new technology complements today’s cutting-edge technologies by mitigating risks associated with communication security, bandwidth, and data rate.
“We’re excited to have Astrolight on board for the Lithuanian Navy’s new ship,” said Simon Blanc, International Procurement and Cooperation Manager at Naval Group. “Together, we aim to provide Lithuania with a comprehensive, jam-resistant communication solution for the Baltic Sea and strengthen European defense capabilities.”
The new Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel developed by Naval Group is designed to be versatile, capable of adapting quickly to changing mission needs. It can be used for combat, transport, launching unmanned aerial vehicles, and even converting into a floating hospital in an emergency.
The MoU between Naval Group and Astrolight was signed at the Lithuanian Maritime Defence Industry Days in Vilnius, where Naval Group, Belgium Naval & Robotics, and Exail showcased their vision for a new ship tailored to the needs of the Lithuanian Navy. The event was organized by the Lithuanian Engineering and Technology Industry Association. This year, Astrolight’s POLARIS laser terminal was successfully tested with the Lithuanian Navy, as well as at NATO’s REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger, the largest exercise focusing on maritime unmanned systems in the world, and NATO’s largest military exercise in Latvia, DiBax. There, Astrolight demonstrated jam-proof, undetectable, and high-bandwidth ship-to-ship and land-to-land laser-based communication links.
06 Feb 26. Cyber Update Key points.
- An increase in the number of organisations targeted in ransomware attacks in Q4 of 2025 highlights data-theft and disruption risks to high-profile sectors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 2 February 2026).
- The exploitation of software updates for a popular legitimate open-source editing tool (Notepad++) showcases the long-term supply-chain risks from Chinese threat actors (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 3 February 2026).
- The exploitation of a software vulnerability affecting Microsoft Office underscores increased security risks from a Russian state-sponsored group (‘APT28’; see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 4 February 2026).
- The increasing abuse of IT and OT technologies underlines operational and supply-chain risks for global businesses (see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 5 February 2026 and our technical analysis below).
- Government and law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia face elevated espionage risks from a Chinese state-sponsored subgroup (‘Amaranth-Dragon’; see Sibylline Cyber Daily Analytical Update – 6 February 2026 and our technical analysis below).
Technical analysis of weekly stories
The number of cyber attacks on global operational technology (OT) environments increased significantly in 2025. According to figures released by the company Forescout, this included an 84% rise in cyber attacks that exploited OT-specific protocols – such as Modbus (57%), Ethernet/IP (22%) and BACnet (8%) – highlighting cyber threat actors’ growing ability to disrupt industrial processes. Cyber attacks on Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices also rose from 16% to 19% over 2025, while the exploitation of network infrastructure devices accounted for 19% of all observed activity in about 900 m cyber attacks, suggesting that these devices remain vulnerable and present a popular attack vector. Simultaneously, the exploitation of software vulnerabilities also surged during 2025, with a 30% year-on-year increase. Although the number of cyber attacks stemming from state-sponsored and cyber criminal groups was largely similar, cyber criminals conducted nearly six times the number of incidents in 2025 compared to 2024, underlining a significant rise in financially motivated activity. More broadly, the number of cyber attacks mounted from the top ten origin-countries in 2024 decreased by 22%, showcasing a growing global dispersion, as threat actors increasingly abuse cloud technologies. Specifically, cloud infrastructure by the technology companies Amazon and Google was abused in more than 15% of attacks, constituting an 11% increase from 2024. Elsewhere, threat actors exploited vulnerabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, profiting from the wider adoption of these technologies among businesses to improve cyber security practices.
A Chinese state-sponsored subgroup (Amaranth-Dragon) has targeted government and law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia in a cyber espionage operation since at least March 2025. The group uses phishing emails as an initial attack vector to distribute malicious archives, which are hosted on legitimate file-sharing services, likely to enhance legitimacy. In most instances, the archive exploits a software vulnerability (CVE‑2025‑8088) to execute a custom malware loader (‘Amaranth’) onto compromised systems via side-loading techniques to evade detection. The loader then fetches a decryption key to install two additional malicious payloads: a remote access trojan (RAT; ‘TGAmaranth RAT’) and a malware framework (‘Havoc’) to establish communication with command-and-control (C2) infrastructure as well as conduct reconnaissance and intelligence collection. To increase the campaign’s stealth, TGAmaranth RAT uses anti-debugging techniques while the C2 infrastructure is configured to only respond to IP addresses located within targeted countries, highlighting the group’s sophistication and resources.
Non-exhaustive recommendations to mitigate these threats include:
- Monitor devices and networks for suspicious activity.
- Add available Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) to your organisation’s security systems to detect potentially malicious samples on the network; configure firewalls to block outbound communications to malicious IP addresses associated with any known malware.
- Adopt behaviour-based endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, prioritising the detection of the initial stages of a compromise.
- Conduct cyber hygiene awareness courses for users, enabling them to recognise and report phishing and other types of social engineering.
Our cyber word(s) of the week: Network protocol
Definition: A set of rules that dictate how data is structured, sent, received and interpreted to allow devices to communicate over a network.
Example: ‘[…] included an 84% rise in cyber attacks that exploited OT-specific protocols, highlighting cyber threat actors’ growing ability to disrupt industrial processes’ Frequency of TTPs during this monitoring period: LOW frequency, MODERATE frequency, HIGH frequency
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a globally accessible documented collection of information detailing the malicious behaviours of cyber threat actors. It is used as the foundation for organising the processes that threat actors execute during cyber operations. It provides an encyclopaedic reference for organisations, highlighting the TTPs cyber threat actors employ in campaigns, while also providing suggestions for detecting and mitigating against specific TTPs to bolster organisations’ security mechanisms. The framework organises a threat actor’s entire operational lifecycle from reconnaissance to exfiltration and impact. (Source: Sibylline)
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) has a long history with its roots dating back to Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first flight in 1903, and Mr. Glenn Curtiss, the father of naval aviation. In 1929, the companies founded by these three great aviation pioneers, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and Wright Aeronautical Corporation, merged to form the largest aircraft company at the time, Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
We have continued on the path of innovation and advanced engineering, and have applied that expertise to a number of critical applications in high-performance markets. Our success has resulted in a world-renowned reputation for performance, long-standing customer relationships and significant growth and profitability in the markets in which we compete.
Today, we are a global, integrated provider of highly engineered, technologically advanced products and services. Our revenues are generated by providing our critical solutions through three segments: Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics and Naval & Power, which support several of the largest, most vital industries in the world.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-