Sponsored by Spectra Group
https://tacs.at/Spectra
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08 Apr 20. COVID-19 Statement from Spectra from CEO, Simon Davies. During these uncertain and unprecedented times, Spectra is committed to following the UK Government and scientific advice relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that this advice will evolve as the Country moves through the stages of this pandemic and we will adapt our response, directives and ongoing support to our members of staff in accordance with that advice.
We will communicate changes to our procedures as and when they occur.
Our primary concern and responsibility is to ensure the continued safety and well-being of our staff, customers and suppliers. To observe our duty, protect those individuals and support the government’s instruction to “Stay at home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives”, the majority of our workforce are currently working from home. In order to carry out critical tasks essential to the continued operation of Spectra, the remaining members of staff will only attend Spectra facilities when required, where the necessary social distancing and safety measures are in place and observed.
Business Continuity
While adhering to the UK Government set guidelines, it is also imperative that we continue to provide our customers with products, services and support. Particularly to Defence and Government customers who are diligently maintaining our safety and security whilst deployed on operations.
To ensure this happens:
- Our 24/7 Network Operations Centre continues to be operational and ready to support deployed customers globally.
- We are continuing to manufacture products while adhering to social distancing requirements and health & safety guidelines, to ensure we can meet demand.
- Our logistics department is operating a limited service (with limited manning) to receive supplies and to ship orders.
- Support for ongoing Projects continues remotely.
- Meetings are being conducted virtually, and all non-essential travel has been suspended.
Summary
These are extraordinary times, and Spectra has invoked its Business Continuity Plan, which is proving to be robust and effective. We are, and remain committed to, rigorously enforcing the necessary measures laid down by the experts and the UK Government to protect our staff, customers and suppliers. We do so while maintaining effective and efficient business operations, enabling us to continue delivering first-class products, services and support.
Simon Davies
CEO
10 Apr 20. The Federal Communications Commission is poised to approve a draft order as soon as today that would reallocate a specific portion of the radio spectrum for broadband communications, overruling a decade of strong objections from the Department of Defense.
Senior Pentagon leaders warn that such a move will lead to “unacceptable” harm to the GPS system by creating new interference that could disrupt satellites critical to national security.
The decision, described by multiple sources to C4ISRNET, would allow the privately held Ligado Networks, formerly known as LightSquared, to operate in L-band frequency range despite years of government resistance, largely led by the DoD.
The emphasis comes amid renewed focus on 5G technology from key White House administration officials.
Sources say the drive to approve Ligado is coming from the White House National Economic Council. That office is led by Larry Kudlow, who has expressed interest in the economic benefits of expanding the nation’s 5G capabilities.
In addition, Attorney General William Barr announced April 7 he will lead a new national security group known as “Team Telecom.” Barr, a former telecom executive, has also talked about expanding the United States’ 5G capabilities — or next-generation mobile communications technology — as a way to fend off China’s dominance in the sector.
A source familiar with the proceedings said “the approach being considered provides protection to government GPS orders of magnitude above the point at which there would be harmful interference, while advancing America’s economic and national security interests and leading the world in 5G.”
If approved, the Ligado draft order would appear to override concerns from the DoD that Ligado would cause “unacceptable operational impacts to the warfighter” while promising a solution that is “not feasible, affordable or technically executable,” according to the Pentagon.
Other experts, who see Ligado as a way to help boost the economy and to help compete with China, claim that the Defense Department’s analysis does not show that interference is a certainty.
The DoD, the White House, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration — which is part of the Commerce Department — declined to comment for this story. The FCC did not return a request for comment by press time.
A yearslong fight
For roughly 10 years, officials from Ligado, and its predecessor LightSquared, have tried to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission to use part of the L-band spectrum for communications.
L-band is described as the range of frequencies between 1 to 2 GHz. GPS, and other international navigation systems, rely on L-band because it can easily penetrate clouds, fog, rain and vegetation. Ligado owns a license to operate the spectrum near GPS to build what the firm describes as a 5G network that would boost connectivity for the industrial “internet of things” market. The company uses the SkyTerra-1 satellite, which launched in 2010 and is in geostationary orbit, and it has planned to deploy thousands of terminals to provide connectivity in the continental United States.
Many federal government leaders, including those from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, worry about the proximity of that spectrum to the radio frequency used by GPS satellites.
In an op-ed for The Hill newspaper in 2017, former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said the decision would be akin to “allowing a frat house (LightSquared) to move into the lot next to an already established library (existing satellite licensees), which needs a quiet neighborhood to operate.”
Top U.S. Air Force officials doubled down Tuesday on the message the Pentagon will not vacate airwaves that telecom firms want in their race with China to build the next-generation mobile networks, known as 5G.
Some satellite operators, including Iridium, whose services are used by the DoD, are also worried about potential interference from Ligado.
But perhaps nowhere has the opposition been greater than at the Pentagon. The Air Force’s GPS satellites underpin the Pentagon’s information advantage in position, navigation and timing. GPS is used for targeting, weapons guidance and reconnaissance. In addition, the department has spent tens of billions of dollars on the satellites and associated ground systems in the last several decades.
Discussion about LightSquared’s impacts appeared during congressional hearings as far back as 2011, but the most recent public concern within defense committees about the issue came during a March 15, 2016, hearing. During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Gen. John Hyten, then the head of Air Force Space Command and now the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worried about Ligado’s impact on GPS, saying: “We cannot do something that will infringe on our national security, period.”
In December 2018, the National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing recommended against approving Ligado Networks’ request to use the spectrum. In April 2019, then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to the FCC recommending it reject the company’s proposal, while now-Defense Secretary Mark Esper sent a similar rejection request in November 2019.
The most recent push by the DoD began with a Feb. 14 memo, written by Thu Luu, the Air Force’s executive agent for GPS. The memo was co-signed by representatives from 12 other agencies, including NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the departments of the Interior, Commerce, Justice, Transportation and Homeland Security. Officials sent the memo from the DoD to the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee, an office inside the Commerce Department that oversees the spectrum that enables America’s GPS capabilities.
On March 12, Michael Griffin, the DoD’s head of research and engineering, and Dana Deasy, the department’s chief information officer, sent another letter, with the memo attached, this time addressing an office inside the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA. The two officials reiterated the concerns in the memo and twice asked that it be entered into the public record, as the information would be “critical” to any decision made on Ligado.
Then, on March 24, the Pentagon escalated its concern to a higher level, through a letter from David Norquist, the department’s No. 2 official, to Wilbur Ross, the secretary of commerce. Once again, Norquist asked that the information be sent to the Federal Communications Commission’s panel in charge of making a decision on the Ligado case.
But weeks later, there is no sign of the department memos in the FCC’s public docket, which sources say is due in part to pressure from Kudlow’s office, the White House National Economic Council.
Technical concerns
Over the years, Ligado officials have argued their system would use less spectrum, have lower power levels and reduce out-of-channel emissions. In the face of complaints from major commercial GPS companies such as Garmin and John Deere, Ligado has also offered to reduce the amount of spectrum it had initially planned. The company has also said it will work with government agencies to repair and replace equipment if necessary.
At the same time, proponents have argued that the NTIA, not the Pentagon, oversees spectrum use for the executive branch.
However, in a Dec. 6 letter, Douglas Kinkoph, the acting deputy assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, said the NTIA is “unable to recommend the Commission’s approval of the Ligado applications.” He cited the DoD’s opposition as well as other 5G efforts in the letter.
Concerns among the DoD and other government agencies have not calmed since then.
Luu, the Air Force’s executive agent for GPS, wrote in the Feb. 14 memo that it would be “practically impossible” for the DoD to identify the impacted receivers and replace them without investing “significant time and resources to effect software modifications, trial and testing, and validation.” She specifically cited a 2016 test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the results of which are classified.
Part of the problem stems from the fact that some older GPS receivers “listen in” on signals next door, meaning those in the Ligado spectrum, according to 2012 testimony. As a result, DoD officials want a small margin of error when it comes to interference. But Ligardo’s supporters argue the Pentagon’s standard is unnecessarily stringent. The FCC proposal will suggest a wider margin of error for interference outside of the GPS spectrum — a win for L-band proponents.
Luu argued that any mitigation plan put forward by Ligado will be “impractical and un-executable in that they would shift the risk of interference to, and place enormous burdens on, agencies and other GPS users to monitor and report the interference. … Ligado’s proposal to replace government GPS receivers that are affected by its proposed network is a tacit admission that there would be interference.
“Additionally, the mitigation proposal by Ligado, even if technically feasible, only covers those receivers owned by the government and would leave many high-value federal uses of civil GPS receivers not owned by the government, such as high precision receivers, vulnerable to interference, as Ligado has admitted in its filings.”
Even if such a solution was shown to work, it could take “on the order of billions of dollars and delay fielding of modified equipment needed to respond to rapidly evolving threats by decades,” Luu said.
‘Free market’ principles
Now, despite the DoD’s national security concerns, it appears Ligado is on track to receive its authorization, perhaps as soon as April 10.
What changed, according to the sources who spoke to C4ISRNET, is both a growing interest from the White House in the economic and political benefits of expanding 5G capabilities, as well as an increased sense in parts of the government that the GPS concerns may be overblown.
“Fortunately, it has been proven time and time again that Federal users can reduce their spectrum holdings without putting at risk their vital missions. Nonetheless, these same entities, especially the Department of Defense (DoD), which is the largest holder of the most ideal mid-band spectrum, are exceptionally reluctant to part with one single megahertz,” FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said in an April 8 letter to President Donald Trump. “Simply put, every excuse, delay tactic, and political chit is used to prevent the repurposing of any spectrum.”
Ligado has repeatedly pushed the FCC to make a decision on its approval, saying it is integral to the advancement of 5G services in the United States. That argument has gained traction with those concerned about China’s growing 5G capabilities, which Beijing has used to gain political leverage across the globe.
Some, such as Attorney General Barr, have argued it’s long past time for the FCC to decide the issue. In a Feb. 6 speech, he said that “by using the L-band for uplink, we could dramatically reduce the number of base stations required to complete national coverage. It has been suggested that this could cut the time for U.S. 5G deployment from a decade to 18 months, and save approximately $80m. While some technical issues about using the L-band are being debated, it is imperative that the FCC resolves this question.”
Attorney General William Barr gives the keynote address at an event with the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Feb. 6, 2020, in Washington. (Cliff Owen/AP)
The new “Team Telecom,” stood up by an executive order from Trump, is tasked with reviewing and assessing “applications to determine whether granting a license or the transfer of a license poses a risk to national security or law enforcement interests of the United States.”
While Barr is chair of the new group, it does include a seat for the secretaries of defense and homeland security, among others.
In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in January, former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin said “more than 5,000 hours of testing has shown there is no harmful interference to GPS. This isn’t a technology problem; it’s a bureaucracy problem. … [I]f we do not accelerate the deployment of U.S. 5G now, we risk the very economic, national security and technological leadership we endeavor to protect.
Doug Smith, the chief executive of Ligado, asked the FCC in February for approval, saying it had waited four years for the commission to vote on a proposed spectrum plan that would help Ligado build the network it needs.
“The FCC already has all of the information it needs to make an informed decision that is in the public interest. The FCC should decide the matter promptly so that we do not miss this opportunity to advance the future of 5G in America,” a Feb. 20 letter read.
That argument may be behind the interest in the company from Kudlow’s office, the sources said. Kudlow, in his role as economic adviser to Trump, is hoping for an economic turnaround following the new coronavirus pandemic, and has expressed a desire to grow America’s native 5G capability.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Kudlow was planning a major 5G summit at the White House, tentatively for sometime in April, which was planned to include a mix of major telecom players and a handful of smaller firms — another sign of the administration’s interest in 5G.
Speaking at an April 2019 event, Kudlow indicated it was the White House’s preference to apply “free market, free enterprise principles” to building 5G capabilities.
(Source: C4ISR & Networks)
08 Apr 20. Wickr Selected as Only Secure Communication Platform for Strategic Expansion Initiative with U.S. Air Force. Wickr, Inc., the secure collaboration platform known for its robust end-to-end encryption and the ability to securely operate on Zero Trust Networks (ZTN), announced today the company was awarded a strategic financing contract from the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) AFVentures Strategic Financing (STRATFI) program. Air Force personnel will be able to securely communicate anywhere in the world, without the risk of being breached or hacked.
USAF refers to the military’s self hosted instance as Wickr RAM, which is a self-hosted end-to-end encrypted collaboration platform deployed to address the requirements to serve Recall, Alert, and Messaging needs. Wickr RAM is a highly scalable version of Wickr Enterprise with full administrative and compliance controls enabled to meet Department of Defense (DOD) security requirements while providing an easy to use solution for zero trust, encrypted messaging, audio and video calling with screen share, large file transfers, and secure storage. All features use the exact same encryption, which is compliant with For Official Use Only (FOUO) document designation, PII, and higher levels of security.
With an increased effort to work with small businesses, USAF recently introduced AFVentures as the collaboration between the Air Force Acquisition, AFWERX, and the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program to fund critical technologies for the warfighter. Thus far, the umbrella organization has identified 21 companies, including Wickr, who are tentatively selected to receive part of a combined $550m in Strategic Financing (STRATFI) contracts as part of the initiative.
“With the unique ability to enforce security policies, active directory integration for syncing users and groups, as well as compliance logging for records retention requirements, Wickr is the only scalable option to manage this enormous task,” said Joel Wallenstrom, CEO of Wickr. “Wickr has a longstanding partnership with the DOD and we are honored to be chosen to protect USAF here and abroad.”
Earlier this year, Wickr received the Authorization To Operate (ATO) on DOD communication networks approved for FOUO documents on government issued and personal devices. As part of the ATO evaluation, Wickr’s secure collaboration platform was put through a rigorous vetting of the technology, which included the installation of Wickr Enterprise in Amazon’s FedRAMP approved AWS GovCloud, and through testing against the Risk Management Framework (RMF) to ensure this central deployment opened to the entire DOD, is hardened to U.S. Department of Defense standards.
“Wickr is honored to provide service members and coalition partners with a compliant collaboration service which includes global network access hardened to DOD standards. The system is both easy to use and familiar to new service members, allowing our military to modernize enterprise access and data sharing while removing the data risks that come from shadow IT endemic to less secure messaging systems,” said Dan Skinner, Head of Federal Operations.
To learn more about Wickr RAM, visit https://wickr.com/secure-communication-for-the-military/ (Source: PR Newswire)
08 Apr 20. Bittium Started Deliveries of the Tactical Bittium Tough SDR Handheld™ Radios to the Finnish Defence Forces. Volume deliveries for Bittium Tough SDR Handheld radios have begun. The product deliveries are based on a Purchase Agreement signed in December 2018 according to which Bittium will supply the Finnish Defence Forces with Tough SDR Handheld and Vehicular radios and their accessories. The value of the Purchase Agreement is approximately EUR 10.5m (excl. VAT). The volume deliveries for the Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radios are estimated to start during the second half of this year.
The modern software defined Bittium Tough SDR radios enable broadband data transfer and the radios support the reformed combat doctrine of the Finnish Defence Forces. At the first phase, the Tough SDR radios will be used by the Army and the radios will replace the analogical field radios in phases. A part of the performance of the software defined radios will be created through the waveform software used in the radio. This way the performance of the radios can be developed throughout their whole life cycle with software development. Bittium Tough SDR radios are compatible with the software defined Bittium Tactical Wireless IP Network™ (TAC WIN) system already used by the Finnish Defence Forces.
According to the Purchase Agreement, the Finnish Defence Forces have an option to purchase additional tactical radios and their accessories, training and system management for the use of the Army, Air Force and Navy. If the optional additional purchase amounts materialize in full, the total value would be approximately EUR 207m (excl. VAT) at the maximum. There will be separate purchase orders for the optional additional purchases.
12 Mar 20. BAE Demos ‘Hedgehog’ Geolocation, RF Comms Tech for DARPA. BAE Systems has completed a demonstration of its Hedgehog semiconductor built to support radio frequency sensing functions and support communications with unmanned aerial systems in contested environments.
BAE said Tuesday it demonstrated the software-defined radio semiconductor as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Distributed RF Analysis and Geolocation on Networked System program, which seeks to integrate geolocation and signal identification capabilities with drones.
As part of the exercise, BAE showcased Hedgehog’s capacity to conduct real-time geolocation and signals intelligence data processing to military officials.
Chris Rappa, product line director for RF, electronic warfare and advanced electronics at BAE’s FAST Labs, said the small-form-factor semiconductor has the potential to provide tactical advantage to warfighters due to its capacity for deployment across various platforms.
According to BAE, Hedgehog leverages BAE’s MATRICS SDR chip technology designed to support applications such as EW, SIGINT and other communications functionalities. (Source: Armada)
01 Apr 20. DoD Presses Industry For 5G Spectrum Sharing Prototype Ideas. DoD hopes that sharing spectrum will help lower costs and create a sustainable 5G industrial base as it battles to keep up with China.
DoD issued its eagerly awaited request to industry today for prototypes that could allow private companies and the military to share the radio-frequency spectrum needed to underpin 5G cellular communications.
Industry anticipates that spectrum-sharing will allow expansion of their 5G operations and markets; DoD hopes that sharing spectrum will help lower costs and create a sustainable 5G industrial base as it battles to keep up with China.
The Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) calls for industry input into technology development related to “dynamic spectrum sharing testbed, enhancement and applications at Hill Air Force Base (Hill AFB) and Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) in Utah,” explains the National Spectrum Consortium in a press release today.
The consortium serves as a contracting agent between DoD and its member companies. The consortium is currently under a Section 815 Prototype Other Transaction Agreement with the Army Contracting Command at Picatinny Arsenal, on behalf of the deputy assistant secretary for emerging capabilities’ prototyping office.
This is the fourth in a series of DoD RPPs related to 5G development issued over the past month. It is perhaps, as Sydney reported in October, the most highly anticipated of the lot because it is focused on high-value mid-band frequencies now dedicated solely to military uses. These frequencies provide high enough bandwidth to transmit lots of information fairly quickly, and they use wavelengths long enough to penetrate most obstacles.
“The DOD today released the latest in a series of 5G-related request for prototype proposals, this one focused on expanding mid-band spectrum sharing. This effort will demonstrate mid-band spectrum sharing critical to our national 5G plan. Sharing technology can bring spectrum to market while protecting and enhancing future military capabilities.” retired Vice Adm. Joseph Dyer, chief strategy officer at the consortium, said.
In mid-March, the Pentagon issued two 5G “Smart Warehouse” RPPs for technology development at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga. and Naval Base San Diego. Smart warehouses would use 5G networks to create an automated network able to track supplies and shipments via radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags.
A third RPP also was issued in March for Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality prototypes at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. AR/VR systems currently are being explored by all the services for enhancing training, as well as mission planning.
Drones An “Immediate Threat” – DoD Plans Rapid Acquisition of Counter-UAS Systems
According to the consortium, DoD is looking to fulfill the following requirements with the spectrum-sharing effort:
- NSC-20-2070 – 5G Prototype Testbed to design, construct and operate a localized, private full scale 5G mobile cellular network in order to evaluate the impact of the 5G network on airborne radio systems.
- NSC-20-2080 – 5G Prototype Enhancements specifically to enhance dynamic spectrum sharing and spectrum co-existence capabilities.
- NSC-20-2090 – 5G Prototype Applications to design, construct and deploy a Spectrum Coexistence and Sharing (SCS) system to identify and demonstrate deployable SCS.
Full proposals are due May 15. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
06 Apr 20. Australian defence project tests potential of AI at sea. The Australian Department of Defence is conducting trails to test the potential of an artificial intelligence (AI) system in the Ai-Search project at sea.
Tests conducted in the search-and-rescue (SAR) trials as part of the project will recognise the potential of AI to augment and enhance SAR and to save lives at sea.
The project is conducted in collaboration with Warfare Innovation Navy Branch, Plan Jericho, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Mobility Group’s No 35 Squadron, and the University of Tasmania’s Australian Maritime College.
Modern AI is used for the detection of small and difficult-to-spot targets, including life rafts and individual survivors.
Plan Jericho AI lead wing commander Michael Gan said: “The idea was to train a machine-learning algorithm and AI sensors to complement existing visual search techniques.
“Our vision was to give any aircraft and other defence platforms, including unmanned aerial systems, a low-cost, improvised SAR capability.”
A series of new machine-learning algorithms were developed for the AI. Deterministic processes to analyse the imagery collected by camera sensors and aid human observers were also used. Last year saw the first successful trial conducted aboard a RAAF C-27J Spartan. The second trial was performed last month near Stradbroke Island, Queensland.
During these trials, a range of small targets were detected in a wide sea area while training the algorithm as part of the project.
The trials highlighted the feasibility of the technology and its easy integration into other Australian Defence Forces (ADF) airborne platforms.
Warfare Innovation Navy Branch lieutenant Harry Hubbert said: “There is a lot of discussion about AI in Defence but the sheer processing power of machine-learning applied to SAR has the potential to save lives and transform it.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
06 Apr 20. Deloitte’s EMEA Cybersphere Center and Nozomi Networks Inc., the leader in OT and IoT security, today announced a partnership to address growing EMEA demand for managed security services and solutions designed to holistically address IT, OT and IoT cybersecurity requirements. Deloitte will offer Nozomi Networks’ advanced solutions for OT and IoT visibility, operations monitoring, and threat detection to customers in EMEA.
“With this partnership, our customers immediately gain access to OT and IoT network monitoring and threat detection that is fully supported by Deloitte’s cyber risk services,” said Nicola Esposito, Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte Spain. “By partnering with Nozomi Networks, we are delivering complete IT, OT and IoT expertise and a superior solution for our most demanding clients. With more than 25 Deloitte engineers now trained and certified on Nozomi Networks technology, we are equipped to support custom deployments for our clients. Additionally, customers have the option to leverage Nozomi Networks solutions as part of a full suite of IT, OT and IoT security services now available through Deloitte’s Cyber Intelligence Centers in EMEA.”
“We are excited to team with Deloitte to help more organisations meet their requirements for critical OT cybersecurity solutions that integrate effectively with IT and IoT,” said Nozomi Networks CEO Edgard Capdevielle. “This partnership accelerates our joint efforts in EMEA to help protect business critical infrastructure.”
Recognised as the market leader in OT and IoT security in the latest Frost & Sullivan Radar report, Nozomi Networks is valued for superior operational visibility, advanced OT and IoT threat detection and strength across EMEA deployments. Nozomi Networks solutions support more than 2.6 million devices in more than 2,250 installations spanning energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation, utilities and critical infrastructure. Nozomi Networks products span IT, OT and IoT to automate the hard work of inventorying, visualising and monitoring industrial control networks through the innovative use of artificial intelligence. Use cases stretch beyond cybersecurity, and include trouble shooting, asset management and predictive maintenance.
In an increasingly digital world, cyber brings new opportunities and threats. Deloitte’s Cyber Risk services help clients address those threats to build smarter, faster, more connected futures. As a leader in cyber strategy consulting and cyber intelligence in EMEA, Deloitte offers a fully customisable suite of cyber solutions and managed services. With a commitment to technological innovation and broad industry expertise, Deloitte’s global network provides insight and experience to face any scenario.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the “Deloitte organization”). DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloittee.com/about to learn more.
Deloitte is a leading global provider of audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services. Our global network of member firms and related entities in more than 150 countries and territories (collectively, the “Deloitte organization”) serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 312,000 people make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com
About Nozomi Networks
Nozomi Networks is the leader in OT and IoT security and visibility. We accelerate digital transformation by unifying cybersecurity visibility for the largest critical infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation, building automation and other OT sites around the world. Our innovation and research make it possible to tackle escalating cyber risks through exceptional network visibility, threat detection and operational insight.
www.nozominetworks.com
06 Apr 20. Advantech Releases SOM-9590: Defence-Grade COM Express for Empowering defence & Communication Applications.
6th April, 2020 – Advantech (2395.TW), a leading embedded computing solutions provider, is thrilled to announce the release of its new Type 7 COM Express Basic Module designed for a ruggedized applications, SOM-9590. The SOM-9590 provides an ideal foundation for new product designs due to its server-grade computing capability. With all solder-down design components, SOM-9590 meets the requirements of users requiring a reliable, high-performance solution. Target applications include railway transit, defence, mining, and communications requiring high computing power, data bandwidth, and the ability to work in harsh indoor and outdoor environments.
Integrated Server Performance and Enhanced Security Protection
SOM-9590 delivers powerful server-grade performance powered by Intel ® Xeon® processors and integrated with two 10GBASE-KR interfaces to help fulfill ever-increasing computing application demands in the area of edge networks. Users can take advantage of SOM-9590’s native 10GBASE-KR interface to design 10GbE carrier boards. TPM 2.0 is secured with 128bit capability (up to 256bit), a secure boot, and frozen BIOS to provide the best possible protection for user applications.
Reliability Guaranteed for Mission-Critical Applications
SOM-9590 features many design elements that fulfill the requirements of demanding environments. All components, including the processor, DDR4 memory, and SSD storage use onboard design, meet industrial-grade standards, and are IPC-A-6012 class 3 compliant in the hardware and layout phase. With certification from the MIL-STD-810G standard, SOM-9590 meets the exact demands of military applications. It’s capable of survival at vibration 7.7Grms (Method 514.7C-4), operating at a 50,000 feet altitude (Method 500.6 Procedure II), and it can perform in a -40 ~ 85°C temperature range. SOM-9590 has the IPC-A-610G Class 3 qualification—defined by IPC-org as fulfilling the highest quality product demands for critical applications.
SOM-9590D8AA-U0A1 is available for order. Please contact an Advantech sales office or visit the website (www.advantech.com) for more information.
SOM-9590 Features:
- Powerful Performance Capability in Slim Body
- Intel® Xeon® Processor D1539 with TDP 35W
- iManager, WISE-PaaS and Embedded Software APIs
- Low Module Profile 10.3 mm
Wider Ability in Bandwidth and Connectivity
- Configurable PCIe Gen3 x16, x8 and 7 x1 expansion
- Two 10GBASE-KR interfaces and 1000BASE-T
- USB 3.0/ 2.0, SATA III, UART, GPIO and I2C
24/7 Non-Stop Reliability for Extreme Environments
- Onboard ECC Memory and Storage SATA SSD
- Certified by Miltary Standard MIL-STD-810G
- Qualified by Manufacturing Process IPC-A-610G Class 3
Add-on Services
- Conformal Coating Services
- Advanced Cooling Solution – Quadro Flow Cooling System (QFCS)
- Enhanced longevity of 7-15 yrs and beyond for long life military programs
12 Mar 20. RFSoC Module and Baseboard Developed by Trenz Electronic GmbH. With the beginning of 2020, Trenz Electronic released it’s own, fully customizable TE0835 RFSoC module. An extended-grade module based on Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC. The module is equipped with 4x 8 Gb DDR4 SDRAM, 2x 512 Mb SPI Flash, USB2.0, Ethernet transceiver and 2x Samtec Razor Beam B2B connectors. The CPLD is a MachXO2 provided by Lattice. Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC features an eight-channel A/D and D/A converter, which means Trenz Electronic’s TE0835 is aimed at applications in the signals-intelligence, radar and communications area, but there are no limitations to other markets. Matching TE0835 perfectly, Trenz Electronic has developed a baseboard that is also customizable to your specifications. The provided reference designs will be purpose-built for your custom hardware design. Like all of Trenz Electronic’s products, the development and manufacture of TE0835 is in our own facility in Germany. Development, production and testing in one location guarantees quick reaction times and improved process speeds. (Source: Armada/https://www.embedded-computing.com/)
10 Mar 20. Pasternack, an Infinite Electronics brand and a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, has just launched a new series of Double Ridge Waveguide Electromechanical Relay Switches which perform over broader frequency bands, making them ideal for applications involved with electronic warfare, electronic countermeasures, microwave radio, VSAT, radar, test instrumentation, and research and development.
This comprehensive selection of 12 new double ridge waveguide electromechanical switch models are now available featuring broadband multi-octave frequency coverage spanning 6.5 GHz to 40 GHz in SPDT and optional DPDT configurations. Designs support WRD-650, WRD-750 and WRD-180 waveguide sizes. Impressive typical performance includes 2.5 dB insertion loss, 80 dB isolation and up to 8.5kW power handling capability. Desirable features include latching self-cut-off actuators, TTL logic, position indictors with manual override, and patented motor drive with arc suppression. These fully weatherized rugged mil-grade packages are designed for 100% humidity exposure across a -40°C to +85°C operating temperatures and support an environmentally-sealed quick-connect DC-control connector with mate.
“Having a comprehensive selection of broader-band, double ridge waveguide electromechanical switch designs in-stock and ready for immediate shipment is critical for RF designers who need only one module for an urgent proof-of-concept or prototype application and can’t afford to wait for several months. Typically, other suppliers require a 16 -20+ week lead time and minimum order quantities (MOQs) for these types of products,” said Tim Galla, Product Line Manager.
Pasternack’s new double ridge waveguide electromechanical relay switches are in-stock and available to ship today. (Source: Armada)
05 Mar 20. Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a leader in trusted, secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, today announced the EnsembleSeries™ DCM3220 digital transceiver, a multi-channel, highly configurable transmit/receive module with integrated FPGA processing. This versatile, low-latency digital transceiver has the highest spectral processing density of any 3U OpenVPX™ module available today. Engineered to minimize volume without reducing bandwidth and digital signal processing (DSP), the transceiver brings the latest in electronic warfare technology to smaller airborne platforms, expanding protection from highly complex radar threats. Mercury’s pioneering technology delivers high performance in a smaller form factor without sacrificing ruggedness or performance including easy clocking and scalable coherency.
“Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to Innovation That Matters by providing rugged, mission-critical technologies for airborne, naval, and land environments,” said Neal Austin, Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Embedded Sensor Processing group. “As our adversaries take electronic threats to an increasingly crowded airborne domain, it’s critical for the U.S. and its allies to have the necessary technology to mitigate these threats. Our new transceiver is a perfect example of how we continue to make commercial technology profoundly more accessible to aerospace and defense.”
With increasing demand to achieve more with less power and space, the DCM3220 transceiver challenges previous limitations and sets a new standard for what is achievable on a smaller 3U platform. A base and mezzanine combination design exploits the full volume of the modular digital transceiver by incorporating advanced conduction cooling technology. When paired with a specially designed 3U microwave transceiver, the extended frequency coverage enables operation across the entire standard electronic warfare band. Additionally, the DCM3220 withstands harsh conditions despite its smaller size, meeting industry environment qualification standards for demanding environments.
Mercury is accelerating innovation for its customers as the Company bridges the gap between commercial technology and defense applications to meet the industry’s current and emerging needs, and is now accepting orders for the DCM3220 transceiver for delivery in the third quarter of calendar year 2020. (Source: Armada)
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Spectra Group Plc
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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