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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
17 Jun 19. UK sets out vision for ‘Intelligent Warship’ technologies. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is soliciting proposals for novel concepts aimed at integrating ‘intelligent systems’ into future warships. Being competed through the MoD’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) programme, the Intelligent Ship programme is seeking to mature innovative technologies and techniques applicable to ship classes in the 2040+ timescale. A budget of GBP1m (USD1.3m) is available to fund multiple Phase 1 proposals, with an additional GBP3m potentially available to fund follow-on phases.
Released on 12 June, the Intelligent Ship competition document has set out to de-risk and evaluate technologies and approaches that could enable alternative, revolutionary future fleet concepts that can maintain or enhance UK military advantage. “This aim is based on a future vision where elements of automation, autonomy, machine learning and artificial intelligence [AI] are closely integrated and teamed with human decision makers,” said the MoD. It added, “It is expected that this will ensure timely, more informed and trusted decision making and planning, within complex, cluttered, contested and congested operating and data environments.”
Phase 1 proposals are sought to improve automation, autonomous functions, AI-enabled decision aids, or alternative human-machine interfaces, and how they could improve speed and/or quality of decision-making and mission planning in a future operating environment. Proposals may also aim to demonstrate innovative system and platform design options that could enable the exploitation of intelligent systems in alternative platform concepts.
The competition document has set out six specific ‘challenge’ themes: mission planning and decision aids, information fusion, sensor and information management, novel human-machine interfaces, human-machine teaming (applied to challenges 1-4), and integration.
Phase 1 submissions are due on 23 July. Potential further phases are expected to include the development of an evaluation environment to enable demonstration of quantification of the selected intelligent functions. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/IHS Jane’s)
EUROPE
17 Jun 19. Saab offers GlobalEye system to Finland with Gripen aircraft proposal. The proposal covered 52 single-seat Gripen E aircraft, 12 dual-seat Gripen F aircraft, and two GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft. Saab has offered Gripen aircraft and GlobalEye early warning planes in response to Finland’s request for fighter plane procurement, the Swedish aerospace company said.
Finland seeks to increase its fighter plane capability and is expected to make a procurement decision by 2021, the company said Friday in a press release.
Supported by the Swedish government, the package offered by Saab includes 52 Gripen E and Gripen F planes, as well as two GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.
“Our offer to Finland is a comprehensive solution for air power and air defense, responding to the requirements of the HX program,” Anders Carp, senior vice president and head of Saab’s surveillance division, said in the release. “GlobalEye is the world’s most advanced AEW&C solution and combined with Gripen E/F fighter aircraft, it will provide a substantial contribution to the joint operational capability of the Finnish Defense Forces.”
GlobalEye is a new multi-role airborne surveillance system capable of offering air, maritime and ground surveillance on a single platform. Based on the Bombardier Global 6000 ultra-long range jet aircraft and unveiled in 2016, it accommodates up to seven command-and-control workstations, with displays presenting target data obtained by the onboard sensors or received via the data links. The aircraft allows operators to find, track and monitor threats, as well as manage all onboard systems. GlobalEye’s main sensor is an extended-range S-band scanned array multi-mode radar. The radar is designed to collect target data across a vast surface area. The Gripen’s most recent variant was developed in 2018.
The aircraft can carry air-to-air IRIS-T, Meteor, Sidewinder and A-Darter missiles, and be fitted with air-to-surface weapons. The Swedish and Swiss air forces have ordered Gripen aircraft, and Saab’s proposal for Finland includes 52 single-seat Gripen E and 12 two-seat Gripen F variants. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/UPI)
14 Jun 19. GA-ASI Selects Three Finalists After Blue Magic Belgium Event. Three finalists have been selected from GA-ASI’s Blue Magic Belgium event with the goal of supporting GA-ASI and the development of MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft for Belgium. The three Belgian companies selected are AIRobot, ALX Systems, and Hexagon.
AIRobot, a company based at DronePort in Sint Truiden, Belgium focuses on developing drone performance equipment for easy, precise and safe professional operations, while specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for processing hyper-spectral imagery. ALX Systems is an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) solution provider based in Liège, Belgium and specializing in AI for processing Full Motion Video. Hexagon’s Geospatial division, with an office in Leuven, Belgium, specializes in software solutions and geospatial tools for visualizing location intelligence, such as auto-routing UAS and creating a smart digital reality.
GA-ASI held outreach events in Belgium May 15-16 with the goal of identifying small to medium-sized Belgian companies that can support SkyGuardian development through cutting-edge technologies. This followed the Government of Belgium’s approval for Belgian Defense to negotiate acquisition of GA-ASI’sSkyGuardian to meet the nation’s RPA requirements.
“We were very impressed by the many talented companies and particularly by the innovative concepts presented by these three finalists,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI.
Blue Magic Belgium was a Research and Development (R&D) event held in two regions of Belgium. Approximately 50 related companies registered for the event and 19 companies were selected to present their innovative technologies to a technical panel of experts from GA-ASI. GA-ASI is committed to placing $3m in R&D funding with Belgium industry. This investment will focus on high-value technological development with small to medium-sized enterprises. The seed funds will be utilized to develop Belgian capabilities that meet Ministry of Defense (MOD) and industry objectives to be competitive in future European RPA programs.
USA
21 Jun 19. USN releases FFG(X) RFP. The US Navy (USN) released the request for proposal (RFP) on 20 June for the proposed new guided-missile frigate (FFG(X)). The official RFP, which essentially mirrors the draft RFP released 1 March, is for the detail design and construction (DD&C) of 10 FFG(X) ships, including post-delivery availability support, engineering and class services, crew familiarisation, training equipment, and provisioned item orders. The RFP opens the competition to all contractors. As it did in the draft, the USN said it would favour “an accelerated detail design and construction period – that is faster than 72 months for detail design, construction, and delivery of the first FFG(X) ship”, the RFP noted. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
19 Jun 19. The US Navy’s new frigate program is careening toward a roadblock. The U.S. Navy’s program to buy a new frigate, known as FFG(X), has been smooth sailing since it was announced in 2017, but congressional protectionism could torpedo much of the progress the service has made to date.
The House Appropriations Committee’s defense bill, which was adopted and passed by the House on Wednesday as part of a larger spending package, funds from the Navy’s frigate program if the service tries to contract for any auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, or propulsion equipment or shipboard cranes not manufactured in the United States. In other words, those components must be manufactured in the United States, or Congress won’t fund them.
The Navy opposes the measure, saying the provision would increase the cost of the program and delay it by at least a year.
“The Navy does not agree with the proposed language in the HAC-D bill,” the Navy said in an information paper dated May 17, referring to the Defense Subcommittee. “If enacted, it will result in the potential for: redesign, loss of commonality with the rest of the US Fleet, increases in cost, and delay to the FFG(X) Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) contract award.”
Furthermore, the language would undermine almost the entire purpose of the FFG(X) program, which sought to drive down costs and speed up acquisition timelines by adapting parent designs for U.S. Navy purposes, the service said.
“The FFG(X) program utilized a strategy to require parent designs to reduce cost, technical, and schedule risk to get to a competitive DD&C contract award,” the paper said. “As such, many of the referenced components are proven on the parent designs.
“An insertion of change of this magnitude would negate much of the progress achieved during the Conceptual Design phase. This would result in a loss of design maturity and the FFG(X) DD&C award will be delayed a minimum of one year.”
Uncertain future
The spending package that passed Wednesday but could still be killed in negotiations with the Senate and the White House. But if it survives, much of the work the Navy and the four main competitors — Fincantieri, Navantia, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Austal USA — could be undone. The Navy wants to award the final detailed design and construction contract by the end of fiscal 2020.
“The FFG(X) program is nearing completion of Conceptual, the primary purpose of which is to stabilize requirements and mature the designs in advance of the competition for DD&C,” the Navy information paper said. “The proposed language would delay the Primes readiness to respond to a DD&C Request for Proposal.”
Several of the components that would be covered in the bill, such as auxiliary propulsion units, are not available in the United States and would require redesigns to fit American-made parts, the paper noted. Furthermore, it would put systems in the fleet that are not common with systems that are already in service on other ships, reducing commonality and driving up the cost of spare parts and training for unique systems.
Achieving commonality with systems already in the fleet was one of the key goals spelled out by the Navy at the outset of the program.
The delays would undercut Navy efforts, pushed on by pressure from lawmakers, to cut down the time it takes to develop and acquire major systems, said Thomas Callender, a retired submarine officer and analyst with The Heritage Foundation.
“Congress will tell you: ‘We want you to go faster and cut costs.’ Then they’ll turn around and add requirements that slow the program down and increases costs,” Callender said.
Rising costs and schedule delays introduce the possibility of another dynamic with Congress where programs that get behind and run over budget face funding cuts, which further drives up the overall cost of the program, Callender said.
There is already some pushback on the provision from lawmakers. In the House Armed Services Committee, the National Defense Authorization Act contains a provision pushed by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., that directly counters the appropriations bill. But it’s unclear if the language in the authorization would allow the services to override the appropriations law. (Source: Defense News)
11 June 19. More money for 5G, AI could make it into 2020 NDAA. A showdown is brewing over the top-line defense budget. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, submitted an amendment June 11 to add $17bn to the top-line defense budget to match the White House proposal of $750bn. The amendment also proposes increasing funds for 5G testing, artificial intelligence and the Pentagon’s fast acquisition arm, the Defense Innovation Unit.
“What I am doing with this amendment is to restore the funds to the level requested,” Thornberry told reporters during a Defense Writers Group breakfast event June 11.
Much of the amendment’s requested increase supports personnel and readiness efforts, chiefly a $1.2bn increase for service member pay, retirement and housing, as well as $2.3bn for disaster relief for military bases and replenishing construction funds “diverted for border barriers.”
Thornberry said his proposal avoids controversial issues, such as the border wall funding that was included in the Defense Department’s proposed budget, and instead focuses on “core military needs.”
Those capabilities include 5G test locations, AI and other critical technology efforts ($261m); the Rapid Innovation Fund, which targets small-business-developed tech ($250m); unmanned surface vessels ($246.3m); and Defense Innovation Unit investment activities ($75m).
“One of the things I wanted to make really clear is that $750 [bn], which is right about 3% real growth, enables us to do very specific, concrete things that are important to national security,” he said. Thornberry added that increasing the defense budget at least 3% was needed to stay competitive with Russia and China.
The amendment challenges the bill from the Democratic majority on the committee that proposed $733bn for defense. HASC Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters on June 10 that he didn’t want to authorize more money for DOD than it had planned to use.
But Democrats could be in for a dust-up. When asked whether he would vote against the bill if the increased funding weren’t requested, Thornberry hedged, saying Republicans want to vote for the bill but won’t support anything that sets back national security interests.
“If you say, no we’re not going to fund these things, that’s a big deal,” he said, without saying whether or not he would vote the bill down without his amendment.
“Without question, all Republican members on the committee want to vote yes on this bill…. We are just not going to participate on moving us backwards.” (Source: Defense Systems)
16 Jun 19. North Dakota “to issue USD28m tender for state-wide UTM system.” The US Government Technology journal reports that the North Dakota Legislature has passed a bill this year “infusing USD33m into Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), USD28m of which is earmarked for a statewide network so that soon an aircraft can fly long distances without losing radio connection to its remote operator.”
The report quotes Nicholas Flom, executive director of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, as saying the system will use a combination of radar and radio transmissions to track aircraft and facilitate the piloting of UAS; the design for how the system will function and be deployed is almost complete. Once finished, a request for proposals will be drafted for a long-term vendor to install the hardware and software.
“North Dakota is collaborating with the FAA to ease limitations to allow for a statewide network, said Dr. James Leiman, director of economic development and finance in the Department of Commerce. Leiman said rollout of the network will be at the federal administration’s pace,” says the report. “Gov. Doug Burgum addressed members of the UAS industry at the Drone Focus Conference 2019. Burgum toted the beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) research at the Northern Plains Test Site, which both the governor and Leiman consider the catalyst for a multitude of new uses for UAS and the base operating structure of the statewide network.”
“BVLOS is where this industry’s going, and that’s what’s going to change,” he said in his speech. “The platform that’s going to be created by UAS, think of platform like a smartphone platform, the applications that are going to come on top of this, we can’t even imagine all of the applications that are going to be created.”
For more information
https://www.govtech.com/products/North-Dakota-Plans-Statewide-Drone-Air-Traffic-Control.html? (Source: https://www.unmannedairspace.info)
16 Jun 19. U.S. Navy official sees more orders for Boeing P-8A in coming months. The U.S. Navy expects additional U.S. and international orders for the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in coming months, which should extend production by two years to late 2025, a senior U.S. Navy official told Reuters.
Navy Captain Tony Rossi, program manager for the P-8 and its predecessor, the P-3, said the Navy was hoping to finalize the order book for the program soon to be able to “effectively and efficiently close out the production.”
He said the program could see about 21 additional orders from the U.S. Navy on top of 117 aircraft already funded, plus roughly the same number from other countries, although he declined to name potential new buyers.
The P-8, based on Boeing’s 737-800 airframe, conducts anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and shipping interdiction, and also carries electronic support measures, torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and other weapons.
It is already operated by the U.S. Navy, Australia and India, and has been ordered by Britain, Norway, New Zealand and South Korea.
Rossi said he was urging potential buyers to place their orders soon.
“The message is clear. The time is now to make sure that production continues to get those orders filled,” he said. “I’m upbeat. I think there’ll likely be additional U.S. orders and additional FMS (foreign military sales) quantities in the next six to nine months.”
Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis for the Virginia-based Teal Group, said other potential buyers included Singapore and Canada. The transatlantic NATO alliance was also considering ordering the aircraft, according to sources familiar with the program.
“The market is somewhat thinner than expected, but they’ll get more orders. The production line will probably wind up running into the late 2020s,” Aboulafia said.
Boeing builds about 1.5 P-8 aircraft a month, but could slow production to extend the line, which is now slated to end in mid- to late-2023, and allow additional international customers to join the program, Rossi said.
He said demand for broad-area maritime patrol was rising given sharp increases in Russian submarine activity, and the capabilities of those vessels. (Source: Reuters)
13 June 19. KC-46 refueling system flaws will take years to fix and cost hundreds of millions, GAO says. New designs will be required to fix some of the issues with the refueling boom and the remote vision system on the Air Force’s new KC-46 Pegasus tanker, and that could take years to fix, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Wednesday.
The refueling boom on the Pegasus could inadvertently scratch fighter jets’ stealth coatings, or otherwise damage aircraft, according to the GAO.
The good news is that the cost of delivering all 179 KC-46 tankers is now expected to come in at $43 bn, or nearly $9bn cheaper than originally estimated in 2011, GAO said in the report. More, the KC-46 is ultimately expected to meet all 21 of its performance goals.
But delays in the program mean that Boeing will not be able to make good on its most significant delivery requirement — delivering nine sets of wing aerial refueling pods — until mid-2020, or nearly three years later than originally expected.
In addition to previously reported foreign object debris problems, the GAO report details deficiencies with the tanker’s remote vision system and refueling boom — which could damage aircraft, especially stealth coatings.
As has been previously reported, the remote vision system’s cameras sometimes had problems with glare when the sun shone at certain angles, GAO said. This caused the display screens to be washed out or blacked out during some test flights, and the aerial refueling operators had a hard time seeing the receiving aircraft’s receptacles to guide in the boom. The system also doesn’t provide enough depth perception in some lighting conditions, GAO said.
Boeing said it has already made changes, such as adjusting the contrast on the display screen and allowing operators to more quickly switch between different viewing options.
However, GAO responded that those changes didn’t fix the underlying problem: KC-46 operators need to be able to refuel aircraft in all conditions, with sufficient visual clarity in all lighting conditions. Boeing has agreed to redesign the vision system to do so, but the redesign could take three or four years, plus several more years to install it in the planes.
That vision problem also caused the boom nozzle to bump into the receiving aircraft, without the knowledge of the refueling operators. This could damage the antenna or other structures near the refueling receptacle, GAO said.
This especially presents a problem for low-observable planes such as the F-22 fighter, because inadvertent boom nozzle contact could scratch or damage special stealth coatings, and make them visible to radar.
GAO also said the Pegasus’ telescoping boom is stiffer than expected, which means lighter aircraft — such as the A-10 and F-16 — must use more power to move the boom forward while in contact to compress it and stay in refueling position.
The need for additional force can create a problem when the receiving planes disconnect from the boom. When they disconnect, their additional power can cause them to lunge forward back into the boom, which could damage the plane and the boom itself.
For the A-10, because the receptacle is located on its nose, a collision with the boom could damage the windshield and put the pilot at a greater risk.
Boeing said that fixing that problem will require a hardware change, which could take three or four years to be designed and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
But because the contract didn’t specify how much force should be needed to compress the boom, and because the Air Force signed off on Boeing’s original proposed specifications, program officials said the Air Force will have to foot the bill. The total cost for designin (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Airforce Times)
14 June 19. Boeing warns ‘last chance’ to buy V-22. Prospective customers of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey need to place their orders sooner rather than later as the tiltrotor’s production run enters into its final stages, Boeing warned ahead of the Paris Air Show.
Speaking at Boeing’s Philadelphia production facility in Pennsylvania, Rick Lemaster, Director Vertical-Lift Global Sales and Marketing, said the company is currently talking to “about a dozen” interested countries in a final attempt to add to Japan’s only export order for the platform.
“We are getting to the end of the window if you’ve been putting off buying the V-22. With the current multi-year III contract about half-way through its five-year run, international customers need to be having LoAs (letters of acceptance) signed with the US government by about September 2020,” Lemaster said.
He declined to identify the potential customers that Bell-Boeing is talking to, except to note that Israel has shown strong interest. He said that “countries with blue water navies and new aircraft carriers” have also been in discussions.
Sales for the V-22 comprise 360 MV-22Bs for the US Marine Corps (USMC), 54 CV-22Bs for the US Air Force (USAF), 48 CMV-22Bs for the US Navy (USN), and 17 MV-22Bs for the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF). Lemaster said he sees potential for a further 50 sales but conceded that the pace and level of exports to date has been disappointing.
“I thought we would be a lot further along with international customers by this stage of the programme, based on the capabilities that the V-22 offers. The international market has been very slow to mature,” he said. “Some say it is an expensive helicopter but it is also a pretty cheap C-130 [fixed-wing transport aircraft]. If you want an aircraft that does both then this is what you need.”
REST OF THE WORLD
20 Jun 19. Indonesian MoD to acquire amphibious aircraft from Viking Air. Canada-based utility aircraft manufacturer Viking Air announced on 18 June that it has been awarded a contract to supply six new Viking Canadair CL-515 and one upgraded Canadair CL-415EAF amphibious aircraft to Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Four of the CL-515 twin-turboprop aircraft will be delivered in “first responder” multi-mission configuration, while the remaining two will be handed over “in optimised aerial firefighter configuration”, said the company in a statement.
It also pointed out that, due to its flexible architecture, the CL-515 is capable of integrating mission equipment for a variety of roles, including aerial firefighting, maritime patrol, surveillance, medevac, environmental monitoring, insect control, oil spill detection and dispersal.
The deal, the value of which was not disclosed, also includes a Canadair CL-415EAF aircraft converted from a Canadair CL-215 to Enhanced Aerial Firefighter (EAF) standard by Longview Aviation Services.
Viking Air, which is a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital, pointed out that while the deal is a “firm commitment”, it is conditional on Longview Aviation Capital’s board of directors approving the production launch programme.
“We are very well advanced in all aspects of programme planning, including our supply chain, and we are nearing a final decision on manufacturing and final assembly sites. We expect to complete the remaining programme milestones in the near future, and deliver the first new CL-515 on schedule in 2024,” said David Curtis, chairman and chief executive officer of Longview Aviation Capital. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
19 Jun 19. Philippine Navy commissions two AW159 helicopters, four KAAVs. The Philippine Navy (PN) commissioned two Leonardo AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters and four Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles (KAAVs) in a ceremony held on 17 June at the Naval Base Heracleo Alano in Cavite City.
The AW159s, which arrived in the Philippines on 7 May 2019 as part of a PHP5.24bn (USD101m) contract signed with Leonardo in 2016, feature anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities and will serve with the Naval Air Wing’s Squadron MH-40 at the Danilo Atienza Air Base.
The rotorcraft are expected to be deployed from the PN’s two José Rizal-class frigates, the first of was which was launched on 23 May at the Ulsan facility of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries. The keel for the second ship of the class was laid down that same day. The first of these frigates is set to be delivered to the PN in September 2020 and the second one in 2021.
In the ASW role the AW159s can be equipped with active dipping sonar, sonobuoys, depth charges, and torpedoes, as Jane’s previously reported. In the anti-surface warfare role the helicopters can be fitted with anti-ship missiles, rockets, and guns.
The service also commissioned the first four of eight KAAVs ordered in April 2016 from South Korean defence company Hanwha Techwin for PHP2.42bn. The vehicles, which arrived in the country in the first week of May, are armed with .50 calibre machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers and smoke launchers, and will be operated by the Philippine Marine Corps. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Jun 19. IAI offering Kfir NG to Colombia, expects to return Sri Lanka and Ecuador jets to service. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) is offering Colombia an upgraded variant of the Kfir combat aircraft it currently flies, dubbed the Kfir Next-Generation (NG).
Speaking to Jane’s at the Paris Air Show, Yossi Melamed, head of IAI’s Aviation Group, said that with the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana: FAC) being “very happy with the performance” of the 22 Kfirs that IAI had previously upgraded for the service, the company is developing a further enhanced Kfir NG that it sees as a perfect fit for a follow-on replacement.
“I think the Kfir NG offers a huge advantage for Colombia,” Melamed said. “There is no argument about the current capability of the Kfir, and the Kfir NG would provide a meaningful change. Colombia already has the infrastructure, training, simulators, and even ammunition for the aircraft so why would they want to spend two billion dollars on another aircraft?”
With the current Kfir Block 60 that the FAC operates featuring a ‘zero-timed’ airframe, system, sensor, avionics (comparable with the F-16 Block 52), and weapon enhancements, the Kfir NG adds a more powerful General Electric (GE) F414 engine (as already powers the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Saab Gripen E/F) in place of the outdated GE J79; an enhanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar; improvements to the datalinks; and upgraded avionics. Another feature that is still in development is a redesigned aft-fuselage that will increase the aircraft fuel capacity. According to Melamed, this should double the Kfir’s endurance.
The Kfir NG could be based on remanufactured FAC airframes, surplus Israeli Air Force airframes, or could even be new-build depending on the requirements. Melamed declined to put a timeline on the Colombian offer. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 June 19. Canada “launches CD6m C-UAS radar programme to protect prison service.” Canadian broadcaster CBC reports that the Correctional Service of Canada will launch a CD6m pilot drone detection programme
“The Correctional Service of Canada will be spending CD6m to install radar-based drone detection equipment at six facilities following a spike in drone incidents,” reports the news service. “Staff members have reported finding fragments of drones on prison grounds, or spotting the unmanned aerial devices flying above prison facilities at night. Ghislain Sauvé, a director general with the Correctional Service of Canada, tells CBC News the prison service is fighting back.
“We want to eliminate to the maximum degree possible contraband coming into our institutions,” Sauvé was quoted. “It’s becoming more and more common that drones are observed over institutions. It’s more and more common that we’re observing them dropping packages.”
“Sauvé wouldn’t disclose exact numbers, but said that since 2015, the Correctional Service of Canada has seen an uptick in drone incidents. The federal agency has launched a tender inviting companies to bid on a contract to build a radar system that would detect drones in the air and packages thrown over prison walls and fences. The equipment is to be installed on a trial basis at six of the 43 Correctional Services Canada institutions — in Dorchester, N.B., Mission, B.C., and Collins Bay, Ont., and Cowansville and Donnacona in Quebec. The goal is to have detection equipment running in one institution by March 2020, and then in the remaining five sites by March 2022.”
For more information: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/corrections-canada-drones-drugs-prisons-1.5164531 (Source: https://www.unmannedairspace.info)
17 June 19. Indo-Israeli UAV JV Gets $180m Philippines Order. An Indian JV, Adani Elbit Advanced Systems may have landed its first export order being part of a $180m multi-UAV export deal between Israeli Elbit Systems and the Government of Philippines. Elbit is close to signing a $180m deal for supplying various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Philippines army, Globes newspaper reported. The UAVs involved include Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 for long-range missions; Skylark 1 and Skylark 3 tactical UAVS for use by field units for real time observation and intelligence gathering.
At least some of the UAVs to be supplied to the Philippines will be produced by Elbit Systems, Adani Defense and Aerospace joint venture which opened a factory in southern India for the production of components for Hermes series UAVs in December 2018. With the beginning of UAV production in India, Elbit Systems would use this UAV production line to supply its customers all over the world, the report said.
Adani Elbit Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Complex (UAV), was inaugurated on December 14 2018 in Hyderabad, southern India. The 50,000 sq. ft. facility would be the first UAV manufacturing facility in India and the first outside Israel to manufacture the Hermes 900 Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV. The factory shall start operations with the manufacturing of complete carbon composite aero-structures for Hermes 900, followed by Hermes 450, catering to the global markets and will be further ramped up for the assembly and integration of complete UAVs, an Adani statement had said. Source: (Source: UAS VISION/Defense World Net)
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American Panel Corporation
American Panel Corporation (APC) since 1998, specializes in display products installed in defence land systems, as well as military and commercial aerospace platforms, having delivered well over 100,000 displays worldwide. Military aviators worldwide operate their aircraft and perform their missions using APC displays, including F-22, F-18, F-16, F-15, Euro-fighter Typhoon, Mirage 2000, C-130, C-17, P-3, S-3, U-2, AH-64 Apache Helicopter, V-22 tilt-rotor, as well as numerous other military and commercial aviation aircraft including Boeing 717 – 787 aircraft and several Airbus aircraft. APC panels are found in nearly every tactical aircraft in the US and around the world.
APC manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Large Area Display (LAD) display (20 inch by 8 inch) with dual pixel fields, power and video interfaces to provide complete display redundancy. At DSEI 2017 we are exhibiting the LAD with a more advanced design, dual display on single substrate with redundant characteristics and a bespoke purpose 8 inch by 6 inch armoured vehicle display.
In order to fully meet the demanding environmental and optical requirements without sacrificing critical tradeoffs in performance, APC designs, develops and manufactures these highly specialized displays in multiple sizes and configurations, controlling all AMLCD optical panel, mechanical and electrical design aspects. APC provides both ITAR and non-ITAR displays across the globe to OEM Prime and tiered vetronics and avionics integrators.
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