Sponsored by Spectra Group
https://tacs.at/Spectra
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16 May 19. IZT New Radio Direction Finder. Germany-based IZT is introducing its new R5506 Radio Direction Finder (RDF) for the first time at EW Europe 2019 in Stockholm. The new RDF is a compact, high performance solution for the frequency range of 1 MHz to 6,000 MHZ with 60 MHz instantaneous bandwidth. The RF and digital processing is closely integrated with the antenna system and involves a five-channel receiver.
The company showcased the RDF integrated into an antenna from South African company Alaris.
The decision to use the Alaris antenna was taken because ‘it has hard to find independent antenna providers,’ according to Rainer Perthold, general manager at IZT.
Perthold noted that in this case the RDF had been integrated inside of the antenna, because there was room to do so, but it could also be, and typically would be, attached externally.
The company focuses on high performance radio frequency technologies in communications, according to Perthold, so the addition of the R5506 was a ‘logical extension to our product portfolio’.
Other features include the receiver being non-switching which should maximise sensitivity and minimise detection times. It samples signals synchronously from all antenna elements in a specific frequency band therefore eliminating the need for additional RF switches. Company literature states that if supported by the DF processor software, this feature allows short detection times, beamforming and maximum sensitivity.
In addition, the receiver uses only a hybrid cable to the indoor unit and processor which means the systems is quick to install and can be utilised at a significant distance away from the processor, increasing operational flexibility. It also avoids the loss of performance due to long coaxial cables. The indoor unit for the IZT R5506 contains the power supply, surge protection and access to the DF processor server. All of the sensor’s functions are remote controlled via the optical interface. (Source: Shephard)
08 May 19. DOD keeps getting ‘out recruited’ for cyber talent, Shanahan says. Congress wants more cyber warriors, but they’re hard to hold onto, according to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Testifying May 8 on the 2020 defense budget before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Shanahan said he’s happy to invest in more cyber scholarship programs, training ranges and red team capabilities, but keeping cyber specialists onboard is the real challenge.
“Our biggest challenge with the red teams is keeping the people,” Shanahan said, “We get out-recruited.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) suggested Shanahan and the Defense Department lean more on the National Guard, which has members who often work for tech companies full-time and serve on the weekends, to bolster cyber warrior capabilities.
During a May 1 House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) requested an update on DOD’s cyber scholarship program’s effectiveness. Shanahan didn’t have a ready update but was confident that DOD should put more into it.
“The scholarship and the recruitment and the retainment of cyber professionals is probably the greatest skill challenge that we have in the department,” Shanahan responded. “There aren’t enough software engineers in the world, and there probably never will be. The skills that we’ve developed inside the department are world class, and the ability to recruit and retain — in Cyber Command, within each of the services, the NSA — is probably our biggest threat.”
DOD has struggled, like the tech industry at large, to attract and retain cyber workers. Congress has previously pushed for more scholarships to encourage applicants.
For 2019, DOD had $17m set aside for its cyber scholarship program, which is “designed to encourage the recruitment of the nation’s top cyber talent and the retention of DOD personnel who have skills necessary to meet DOD’s cyber requirements and help secure our nation against the threats to information systems and networks,” DOD spokeswoman Elissa Smith told FCW via email. Some of 2019 funding, which sits in the research budget, is still available for use in 2020, she said.
Creating cyber warriors remains a top priority set by Cyber Command. Shanahan called the National Security Agency and Cyber Command a “jewel” for creating cyber warriors.
“Retention,” he said, “really comes from how you treat your people, and [NSA Director and Cyber Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone] is a supreme leader in that regard.”
DOD set aside nearly $10bn for cybersecurity, network defenses and offensive operations. Shanahan said the boost in Cyber Command’s budget in fiscal 2020 was needed to help invest in offensive cyber operations because deterrence is needed more than “building thicker walls.”
“Just relying on someone to police it, doesn’t give us the coverage that we need,” Shanahan said. (Source: Defense Systems)
14 May 19. DOD’s $8.2bn back-office cloud contract expected this summer. The Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract – the Pentagon’s other major cloud acquisition — will be soon be awarded with requests for information on voice and video capability sets to follow.
The DEOS award is expected summer, to include an initial task order, with integration and initial testing taking place in the fall, and migration planned from fiscal 2020 through 2022, Kevin Tate, a management analyst for the Defense Department CIO’s portfolio lead on enterprise capabilities and productivity services, said during a presentation at the Defense Information Systems Agency’s May 13 TechNet Cyber conference with AFCEA in Baltimore.
DEOS, which is being run through GSA Schedule 70, will be a $8bn-plus blanket purchase agreement for multiple business software tools including email and chat. Following the panel, Tate told FCW that RFIs regarding capability sets two and three — for business and assured IP voice and video functions — are expected later this year or by early 2020, pending internal cost analyses.
Business analysis decisions still need to be made, Karl Kurz, DISA’s chief engineer for the unified capabilities portfolio, told FCW, as old analog infrastructure lingers. Kurz also said during the joint presentation that some of the distinctions between DEOS and the other two capability sets led to a “logical breakdown” across the commercial space.
Both Kurz and Tate indicated that DOD and DISA are taking their time in evaluating the technical and financial costs of solutions for IP voice and video. However, like DEOS, moving to a reliable capability from aging legacy systems is urgent. (Source: Defense Systems)
13 May 19. USAF slows roll out of new cyber career category. US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced delays to plans for new career promotion paths, including in cybersecurity. A trial run of several months will precede a final decision to revise occupational categories.
“We’ve been looking at it, and we think we have a concept we will roll out. But … we think that this is such a big change for people and their careers and lives that we may need to do a period of kind of a road show, a listening session out with the force to present this kind of concept and then go out and get feedback,” Air Force Secretary Wilson told reporters following a May 13 event at the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C.
“This would be one of the biggest changes we’ve done in 30 years in the way we manage people,” she said.
A draft proposal would be rolled out and assessed throughout Air Force ranks over several months instead of a new policy put into effect this summer with other talent initiatives. Changes to how the Air Force assigns jobs in the talent marketplace will move forward this summer.
Wilson previewed new competitive categories that would include cybersecurity during an April 2 House Armed Services Committee hearing. The initiative would allow officers to compete for promotion against others in their particular field rather than across the force. The new categories would include cybersecurity, space and intelligence, among others that have not been named.
“We’ve probably made more personnel management process changes in the last seven months than we’ve made in the last seven years,” Wilson said. “We don’t always get the officers we need at different levels by having just one big category because there are so many specializations.” (Source: Defense Systems)
13 May 19. New US defense cyber commission plans for future threats. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the newly established Cyberspace Solarium Commission, said the group is currently determining how best to structure itself and allocate resources as it seeks to explore three visions for defending U.S. interests in cyberspace.
The commission, chartered in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, is made up of 14 members drawn from federal agencies, Congress and the private sector. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) is the other co-chair. The commission also includes FBI Director Christopher Wray, cyber-focused lawmaker Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Sue Gordon the deputy director of the Office of National Intelligence, former National Security Agency Deputy Director Chris Ingles and Suzanne Spaulding, who used to lead the cybersecurity agency at the Department of Homeland Security.
Their mandate includes election meddling, 5G and economic espionage, threats against government infrastructure, the financial system, electric grid, pipelines and businesses.
The commission draws inspiration for its name and mission from Project Solarium, a 1953 body formed by President Dwight Eisenhower that debated three strategies for confronting Soviet expansion. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission plans to break into working groups focusing on offensive strategy, defensive strategy focused on deterrence, and regulating threats through global norms enforced by the international community.
“There’s no central leadership and there’s no policy that our adversaries — or our allies for that matter — can discern about what we’re going to do in a particular situation, and my belief is that until we clarify that, we’re going to keep getting hit,” King said during a May 13 conference call with reporters.
The group’s final recommendations will likely combine efforts from all three working groups. King said that separate strategies might be needed to deal with disparate threats from nation states, rogue actors and criminal organizations.
Proponents of each of the three strategic perspectives will debate the virtues of each approach at an event in September, to be followed by a final report that includes policy and legislative recommendations.
The U.S. government isn’t exactly lacking in such strategies: the Trump administration, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security each rolled out visions for defending U.S. interests in cyberspace last year, and King said the commission will try to build on, not supplant, those strategies. While the commission isn’t currently working directly with the White House, King said the group includes executive branch agency representatives, and it envisions the administration will weigh in at some point. (Source: Defense Systems)
15 May 19. UK’s DASA to host collaboration day for ‘Don’t Blow It’ competition. The UK Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) will organise a collaboration event for its ‘Don’t Blow it’ competition that focuses on mitigating the threat of chemical and biological weapons on the battlefield. The objective of the event is to encourage new relationships and collaboration to create innovative technology for Phase II of the competition and beyond, as well as identify new project opportunities.
Successful bidders from Phase I, experts in chemical and biological weapon disposal, and those who intend to bid into Phase II can participate in the event, which will be held on 22 May 2019 at Victory Services Club in London.
Companies with technologies that can offer potential solutions for the competition, and public sector organisations interested in access, delay and destruction of munitions in the field can also participate in the event.
Under Phase I of the competition, proposals were sought for innovative technologies and approaches to access, disable and / or destroy chemical and biological munitions, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) containing chemical and biological agents, as well as containers of bulk chemical or biological agents, in challenging environments.
The first phase of the competition addressed three challenge areas, namely access, disable, and destroy.
Access, the first challenge, looked for technologies and approaches that can access munitions, IEDs and containers of bulk agent without depending on the original design features such as filling ports, which are access holes into a munition or container that enable them to be filled or drained.
The second challenge, disable, sought innovative technologies and approaches that can prevent munitions, IEDs and bulk agents being used as intended, which could be achieved by delaying their deployment to such a degree that it prevents their imminent use.
DASA said that proposed technology or approaches should prevent munitions, IEDs or bulk agents from being used for their intended purpose temporarily or, if possible, permanently.
Under the third challenge, destroy, the competition sought novel and innovative technologies and approaches that can permanently and irreversibly destroy munitions, IEDs and bulk agents.
Registration to participate in the collaboration event will close on 16 May.
15 May 19. Israel Shipyards Ltd. and SK Group member – a leading shipbuilding and repair company for the naval and commercial marine markets – presents its advanced solutions for seaborne interdiction and prevention of terrorist and illegal activities for navies, law enforcement and HLS forces, at SIDEF 2019. Israel Shipyards will introduce coastal defense vessels for short- and long-distance protection, developed to prevent illegal activity and maritime terrorism, provide coastal protection for Naval forces, and protect territorial waters and EEZs. The company will present a range of vessels and combat-proven solutions, including SHALDAG Fast Patrol Craft and OPVs with a high level of maneuverability and capabilities. Among the solutions installed on these vessels are cutting-edge weapon systems as well as command and control, electro-optics, and night vision systems.
SHALDAG Fast Patrol Craft (FPC) Family
The company will showcase one model of Fast Patrol Craft (FPC), the SHALDAG MK II. The FPCs are made of marine aluminum and driven by water jets, with a speed of above 45 knots even in rough seas. It provides outstanding maneuverability and minimal draft, enabling operation in shallow waters. The SHALDAG MK II is designed for coastal protection as well as for rivers.
“We welcome cooperation between Israel shipyards and Naval forces worldwide and in Latin American in particular”
Says Mr. Eitan Zucker ISL’s CEO: “The recent delivery of four SHALDAG – Fast Patrol Craft – to Argentina is a major milestone in our activities in the region, and we are looking forward to expand it furthermore”
Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)
The company will also showcase the most advanced and cost-effective OPV available. Designed mainly for coastal protection, drilling rigs, and offshore facilities, they have variety of remotely controlled and stabilized armament systems. With a hull made of steel and a superstructure of aluminum, the vessel sails at high speeds (above 32 knots). Weapon control stations and navigation systems are installed on the command bridge, enabling the commanding officer to have centralized control from the bridge. A helipad is also optional.
The new version is available with a modern bridge structure design.
14 May 19. A classified DoD network has problems. Now what? The Defense Information Systems Agency undertook a strategic review. In the second half of 2018 of one of the Department of Defense’s most complex IT programs. The Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS) has been a multi-year effort to shrink the cyberattack surface by consolidating countless classified entry points around the world to 25 sites. Officials have said this will not only provide increased security, but also unprecedented situational awareness into the network globally. The program has continued to receive poor remarks from the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester, who asserted in 2018 that DoD should halt the program.
The most recent assessment noted that JRSS continues to experience operational and technical problems, including high latency and delaying integration. Moreover, JRSS’s poor performance led its senior advisory group and executive committee for DoD’s Joint Information Environment to delay JRSS migration to Central Command, the Marine Corps and defer JRSS deployments for DoD’s secret network until fiscal year 2019.
The JRSS review sought to address operational and technical issues users experienced, DISA Director Vice Adm. Nancy Norton said May 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, at an AFCEA-hosted event.
Norton explained the review led DISA to five areas of improvements:
First was training. She said they created 10 on-demand operator training videos and trained 169 defensive cyber operators.
Second was migration. The DISA team simplified customer migration process with standardized roles, account provisioning and prerequisite migration checklists.
Third, Norton said, was reliability and stability. She explained they reconfigured the joint management system tools and doubled the virtual desktop infrastructure capacity.
Modifying the secret network system came next, said Norton. Using the same tools as the unclassified network for trouble ticket management, fault detection and performance monitoring and management helped prepare the system for migration.
Last, DISA assessed JRSS operational policy, process and governance by developing best practices for the firewall, intrusion prevention system and intrusion detection system, Norton said. These measures were all designed to optimize the use of tools through the defensive cyber operations community. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
14 May 19. Cyber Solarium sets ambitious goals for U.S. digital strength. In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower convened Project Solarium, a group of senior national security officials who met in the top floor of the White House to come to a consensus on how to deal with Soviet expansion. Over six decades later, members of Congress, federal agencies and the private sector will meet in a similar fashion in a Cybersecurity Solarium Commission to address the cybersecurity threat to the United States, both on a governmental and private sector level.
The commission includes four members of Congress from all parties: republicans Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin; democratic Rep. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island; and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.
On the agency side, Department of Defense acting-Deputy Secretary David Norquist, Department of Homeland Security acting-Deputy Secretary David Pekoske, Deputy Director for National Intelligence Susan Gordon and FBI Director Chris Wray will also serve on the commission.
On top of the eight government members, the commission will also have six members from the private sector, many of whom have former government or academic experience.
According to King, a co-chair of the commission along with Gallagher, the members will break into three groups to address facets of the cybersecurity issue: persistent engagement, deterrence and international norms and standards.
Engagement and deterrence are “similar but not identical,” according to King, who spoke on a call with reporters May 13, as the first ensures that cyber adversaries know the United States is watching and investigating them, while deterrence includes capabilities and repercussions that keep adversaries from engaging in the first place.
The groups have yet to be determined, according to King, but commission members have been asked to submit their interest in each of the three areas. The commission was also granted a budget to hire staff in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which first granted authority for the new Solarium.
“We’re going to get the best talent that we can,” said King.
Despite the commission’s broad range of issues it plans to address in the coming months, King said he hopes to be “as specific as possible” in recommendations so that cyber adversaries “understand what the rules of the game are.”
In the coming weeks, the commission plans to issue more details on staff positions and how people can contribute to discussions, and a full report on each of the three groups’ findings is expected by the end of the year. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
14 May 19. Electronic Warfare On Airborne Platforms. At EW Europe Lockheed Martin showed several interesting and new electronic warfare solutions. Among them CAP8 ES/EA that is part of the receiver processor form fit function programme for the AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures ESM) system. The Lockheed Martin AN/ ALQ-217 ESM system can be described as a highly sophisticated ears of ad-vanced tactical aircraft. As a passive sensor system, the AN/ALQ-217 protects the warfighter by identifying and locating sources of radio frequency (RF) emission and providing a full range of ESM operation, the company ex-plained.
The passive ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures system autonomously scans the environment allowing for a high probability of detection and accurate identification. The system operation is completely tailorable through mIssion data loads which can be reloaded in flight for adapting to each specific geographic region. The AN/ ALQ-217 employs open systems architecture and commercial off-the-shelf processing to ensure long term supportability and growth. It is composed of four antennas, four Active Front Ends (AFE), and a com-bined receiver and processor.
The subsystem architecture divides the RF operating range into three bands: low, mid and high. Full 360° acquisition coverage exists in each band, facilitating powerful performance. The AN/ALQ-217 is in production and available for domestic and international sales, Lockheed Martin pointed out. In June 2018 Lockheed Martin won the contract to upgrade electronic warfare (EW) systems aboard the U.S. Navy‘s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft. (Source: ESD Spotlight)
14 May 19. Flight-Tested ARDS. At EW Europe in Stockholm Raytheon Deutschland announced that their Advanced Radar Detection System (ARDS) was successfully flight tested in September last year. Therefore, this digital receiver technology is now ready for integration with manned aircrafts, UAVs, naval surface vessels or ground-based systems. It is the next generation of the successful and proven Tornado pod, therefore offering reliable technology together with new functions.
“Digital receivers are well suited to support strategic ELINT reconnaissance tasks from high altitudes and great distances as well as tactical combat missions in theatre. Thanks to its scalable system architecture, the digital receiver can be tailored to various platforms and mission profiles. Reconfigurable firm-ware and mission-specific algorithms enable a cost-effective customisation”, Raytheon Deutschland said. “This innovative digital receiver technology enables the ARDS to work as an entirely passive system, which localises and identifies emitters quickly while scanning the RF spectrum.” (Source: ESD Spotlight)
14 May 19. Consistent Situation Image For Enhanced Forward Presence. With the takeover of the Information Mediation Service (IMS) by the Lithuanian armed forces, a consistent picture of the situation at all management levels can now for the first time be guaranteed for all nations involved in Enhanced Forward Presence. This represents an important step towards comprehensive interoperability of the deployed troops and increases their capabilities and operational value.
The IMS developed as software by ESG is a stand-alone service that ensures the cooperation of different command systems via international interfaces as well as proprietary / national special solutions. It makes it possible for the first time to connect several nations simultaneously using different standards, thus creating a common picture of the situation.
In May 2017, during an on-site demonstration, ESG demonstrated that the Information Mediation Service it had developed could ensure exactly the required capability − out of the box. At the end of 2018, ESG was commissioned by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to deliver the Information Mediation Service on the basis of a state agreement between Lithuania and Germany. (Source: ESD Spotlight)
14 May 19. Ultra Electronics, 3eTI and Poly (Formerly known as Polycom and Plantronics) have partnered to make their unique technologies jointly available to federal customers who need superior video teleconferencing (VTC) systems that automate switching between security classification networks as defined by the US Department of Defense (DoD). 3eTI now offers its Criticom ISEC (Integrated Secure Encryption Console) for Poly RealPresence providing seamless interoperability and allowing users to securely switch video conferencing systems to manage the mission critical communications involving highly sensitive data.
The Criticom ISEC for Poly RealPresence can also be bundled with other RealPresence Group Series solutions to provide enhanced next-generation HD video, voice and content-sharing capabilities for conference rooms, training facilities and meeting spaces.
“By combining these two leading teleconferencing products, we’ve met clients’ need for a turnkey solution that’s agile, user-friendly and secure,” says Charlene Mowery, vice president of global business development and marketing.
“This strategic partnership has grown over the years, with now a new Poly and Ultra Electronics, 3eTI providing mission critical multi-domain solutions to Federal/DoD and Intel markets. We’re looking forward to supporting the mission of our joint customers,” says Steve Gossage, federal DoD territory manager.
13 May 19. ManTech introduces STEP for real-time data analytics. ManTech has introduced its Secure Tactical Edge Platform (STEP) to deliver real-time data analytics to field combatants, the company announced on 7 May. The high-bandwidth capable, ruggedised, secure and scalable solution leverages micro-services delivered via cloud technology to cull data at the tactical edge and provide computer and storage capabilities.
Military personnel operating at the front line or conducting close-in reconnaissance of hostile forces can communicate on a secure cloudlet that can operate standalone, or, as the need arises, connect to affiliate US military cloudlets for tactical support from ground, air or naval forces.
Andrew Twomey, senior vice president and general manager pf Mission Solutions and Services Group’s Army Business Unit at ManTech, said: ‘Until now, warfighters operating at the tactical edge have been hampered by slow systems that force them to connect back to the core network for complex analytics. Our solution is a significant ‘STEP up’ over conventional capabilities, delivering real-time access to analytics at the tactical edge.’ (Source: Shephard)
10 May 19. Northrop Grumman gears up for SEWIP Block 3 production. Northrop Grumman has begun work on two low-rate initial production (LRIP) Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 electronic-attack systems for the US Navy (USN).
Speaking to Jane’s on 8 May at the 2019 Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition, which was held in National Harbor, Maryland, from 6 to 8 May, Michael Meaney, Northrop Grumman vice-president for Maritime, Electronic, and Information Warfare, said work on the ship sets is now under way and the company expects to deliver them to the USN in the 2020–21 timeframe.
The company received the green light to progress with LRIP production for two systems in December 2018, following a Milestone C decision for the SEWIP Block 3 AN/SLQ-32(V)7 programme. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 May 19. NGA’s new deputy director is a familiar face. Stacey Dixon, the director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, has been named deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency according to a May 9 announcement.
Dixon will replace current Deputy Director Justin Poole, who announced last month that he would resign June 11. According to a Politico report, NGA leaders placed Poole on administrative leave in February following an investigation by the Department of Defense into allegations of personal misconduct.
Dixon has held a number of positions in the intelligence community since 2003. She worked on advanced satellite systems for the Central Intelligence Agency’s directorate of science and technology from 2003 to 2007, and then went to work for the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Dixon is no stranger to the NGA. She first joined the agency in 2010 as the chief of congressional affairs. In the following years, she would go on to serve as the deputy director of the agency’s office of corporate communications, the director of the agency’s information integration office, and the deputy director of NGA’s research and development directorate.
In 2016, Dixon joined IARPA, the intelligence community’s research arm, as their deputy director on a joint duty assignment before being named director in August 2018.
Dixon will take over the position during a transitional period at the NGA. Vice Admiral Robert Sharp took over as director of the agency in February, replacing Robert Cardillo, who had served as director of the NGA since 2014.
“Dr. Dixon is a proven leader who has a deep understanding of NGA and the entire intelligence community, its current challenges and the bright opportunities that lie ahead,” NGA Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp said in a statement. “She has earned a stellar reputation for synthesizing complex national security problems, developing solutions, boldly leading enterprise operations and caring for people.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
13 May 19. USAF to display communications link for allied forces at Bold Quest. The US Air Force (USAF) is set to demonstrate a prototype combat system that can provide a real-time digital communications link for allied forces at the Bold Quest exercise in Finland. A team at Hanscom Air Force Base is developing the prototype system that is expected to serve as a cost-effective solution to provide combat insight such as video, voice, chat, and command and control to partner nations.
Known as the Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network (AERONet), the system is capable of providing friendly forces with their own location, the location of other friendly forces, as well as real-time information on enemy movement.
Conceived by USAF chief of staff general David Goldfein, AERONet is a modified variant of systems already in use with law enforcement agencies to perform border patrolling duties and to track and combat smugglers.
The system was refined by the US Air Force Research Lab and will be made available by the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Program (C3I&N) executive office at Hanscom AFB. C3I&N Quick Reaction Capability Branch AERONet programme manager major Scott Frye said: “Bold Quest is the first time we will be able to show our target partner nation audience what AERONet can do for them.
“We already have interest from several countries, so we think there’s a large demand out there for a system that creates a combat network and makes intelligence gathering and close-air support more effective.”
The project is intended to provide turnkey combat networks to partner nations that are not signatories of arms export agreements to facilitate this kind of data link information.
The team was mandated to develop a system that would make off-the-shelf technology available to countries that require the necessary equipment to fight extremists. The service believes AERONet can offer an inexpensive solution for these countries.
“Imagine you’re a country, or a military, with a problem combating violent extremists who hide in remote regions,” said C3I&N Quick Reaction Capability Branch lead lieutenant colonel Jung Ha.
“The advantage you have is your training and your technology. AERONet implementation can provide non- Link 16-enabled U.S. and partner nations’ warfighters the requisite data to enhance battlespace intelligence superiority by providing near-real-time situational awareness, thereby increasing their own force’s combat lethality while reducing the probability of fratricide incidents.”
The AERONet communications link for allied forces has three nodes, namely the airborne node, the ground node, and a reach-back command and control tactical operations centre.
The airborne node was designed so that it can be easily integrated into fixed wing aircraft such as the Beechcraft AT-6B Wolverine, military helicopters and unmanned aircraft platforms from multiple partner nations. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
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Spectra Group Plc
Spectra has a proven record of accomplishment – with over 15 years of experience in delivering secure communications and cybersecurity solutions for governments around the globe; elite militaries; and private enterprises of all sizes.
As a dynamic, agile, security accredited organisation, Spectra can leverage this experience to deliver Cyber Advisory and secure Hosted and Managed Solutions on time, to spec and on budget, ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.
Spectra’s SlingShot® is a unique low SWaP system that enables in-service U/VHF tactical radios to utilise Inmarsat’s commercial satellite network for BLOS COTM. Including omnidirectional antenna for the man, vehicle, maritime and aviation platforms, the tactical net can broadcast over 1000s miles between forward units and a rear HQ, no matter how or where the deployment. Unlike many BLOS options, SlingShot maintains full COTM (Communications On The Move) capability and low size and weight
On 23 November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced that it had recently been listed as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier for 2015-2016 by the UK Crown Commercial Services
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 BATTLESPACE Businessman of the Year by BATTLESPACE magazine and is a finalist in the inaugural British Ex-Forces In Business Awards in the Innovator Of The Year category.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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