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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
13 Jun 24. Wazoku has been working with NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) to support the accelerator’s day-today operations. DIANA’s mission is to locate and accelerate dual-use innovation across the Alliance. It provides technology developers with the resources, networks and expertise to address critical defence and security challenges – in turn, creating a more peaceful and resilient future. In January, 44 companies began DIANA’s first accelerator ‘bootcamp’. The 44 were chosen from over 1,300 applicants to develop their technologies and tackle specific challenges on energy resilience, undersea sensing and surveillance, and secure information sharing. Companies that made it into the accelerator programme received a grant of 100,000 euros; those selected for a second 6-month phase will receive up to an additional 300,000 euros.
Wazoku provided a platform to host and manage DIANA’s engagement with its stakeholders, allowing for feedback collection and the launch of a ‘call for mentors and experts’.
“We have a proven track record working with defence organisations, with our access rights and security functionality particularly suited to such customers,” said Simon Hill, CEO of Wazoku. “A central platform enables a more collaborative environment and makes the entire process easier to manage and monitor progress.”
Wazoku works with enterprises including NASA, Enel, MoD and many more to help them innovate at scale. It offers four key products: Wazoku Crowd, the world’s most powerful and successful open innovation community; Wazoku Portal, which allows users to manage all their global innovation partners centrally; Wazoku Scout, which offers instant connection with start-ups or the chance to search deeper to find the required technologies, partners or expertise; and Wazoku Platform.The Wazoku Platform is a flexible and intuitive tool that NATO DIANA has used to collaborate with stakeholders to submit and record feedback, post updates, develop and evaluate them.
EUROPE
11 Jun 24. EU Commission gives go-ahead for Extended MCM programme.
Supported the European Defence Fund, Naval Group Belgium will lead a consortium of 21 companies to deliver a sovereign European MCM system.
Aconsortium of 21 European companies led by Naval Group Belgium have been given the green light to pursue a sovereign European mine countermeasure (MCM) solution. Building on results from the two-year-long Mine Risk Clearance for Europe (MIRICLE) programme, which launched in December 2021 and concluded at the end of 2023, the Extended MCM (E-MCM) project has been approved by the EU Commission in the frame of a 2023 call of the European Defence Fund. E-MCM will begin in Q4 2024 and take place over the next three years.
What is E-MCM?
The renewed programme aims to design, prototype and demonstrate an MCM system-of-systems network.
Within this web of systems, a European naval force will deploy uncrewed and autonomous toolboxes, platforms and decision-support tools – all powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Naval Group suggests that E-MCM aims at “closing development gaps” for capabilities within a new generation toolbox – or what Naval Group has dubbed “toolbox 2.0” – which delivers faster, safer and more resilient MCM operations.
In 2021, GlobalData defence analysis asserted that this area “is undergoing a major transition from traditional mine-hunting to an uncrewed and autonomous future.
“Uncrewed vehicles offer an optimum solution to this threat. They provide strategic and operational advantages to navies and security forces by reducing the maintenance and operating costs and human risk significantly, as well as by extending the reach of information, surveillance, and reconnaissance collection.”
European ambitions are fixed on autonomous MCM within a wider network of systems coordinating operations together. This unqiue concept for an MCM ecosystem is an ambitious project that fits the bill for future maritime MCM.
Belgian and Dutch MCMVs
MIRICLE, and now E-MCM, will be pursued in conjunction with the development of new vessels (MCMVs).
These are next-generation minehunters being offered by Belgium Naval & Robotics to enhance the MCM capabilities of both the Belgian Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy. The new MCMVs will replace the Tripartite-class minehunters operated by both countries for the past 30 years. The second of 12 MCMVs was launched by Naval Group in late October 2023.
The MCMVs are suitable for a range of missions, including identification and destruction of naval mines, anti-piracy, anti-terrorism, maritime traffic interception as well as territorial waters surveillance.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
USA
13 Jun 24. Cuashub.com said today that USAF Special Operations Command Seeks RFQ for DroneBuster. The United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has issued a Request for Quote (RFQ) for the FlexForce DroneBuster. The RFQ explicitly requests two DroneBusters and contains a document explaining the brand name justification, which includes the non-kinetic mitigation system on a list redacted in the document and other technical specifications. For additional information, please visit DroneBuster(C-sUAS) on sam.gov.
(Source: https://cuashub.com/)
07 Jun 24. NIST seeks innovators for UAS wireless data challenge. The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking innovators for its First Responder Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Wireless Data Gatherer Challenge, also known as UAS 6.0.
As a first responder, the need to investigate accidents, as well as prepare for and adapt during a rescue, requires collecting various types of data about the potentially dangerous environment. In radio-complex outdoor environments, where communications infrastructure may be non-existent, UAS’ ability to collect information, via visual inspection and radio communication, from devices in the field, could be imperative to gaining situational awareness and deploying critical resources.
NIST is looking for applicable expertise across and beyond the UAS ecosystem who can contribute invaluable knowledge and ingenuity in artificial intelligence (AI), radio communications and mapping, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, and more.
Interested parties are invited to complete a research paper on relevant component technologies by July 26. A panel of SMEs and judges will review all eligible papers from which judges will select winners to receive prize awards. Prizes for this stage include cash prizes and those selected are encouraged to enter the second stage where capabilities will be measured with a view to progressing to scenario testing.
NIST says the challenge results will support the public safety community and its partners to improve real-time situational awareness and save lives while operating in potentially dangerous radio-complex outdoor environments without fixed communications infrastructure or satellite communications. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
07 Jun 24. US Army debates path to buy long-range precision munitions.
The U.S. Army has spent roughly five years assessing what a helicopter-fired, long-range precision munition would look like. But during that time other options have emerged that could achieve greater commonality with weapons that can be launched from a greater number of platforms, according to the service’s lead for force development.
“Frankly, I have a lot of questions in this space, as the G-8, that I’ve asked for,” Lt. Gen. Karl Gingrich told Defense News in a recent interview.
The Army has procured an interim system for its Long-Range Precision Munition program, or LRPM — Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Spike non-line-of-site missile. The service is fielding it on a portion of its AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
The service was expected to choose an industry team to provide a new LRPM in fiscal 2023 following a shoot-off that included the Spike weapon in the fall of 2022, but that decision was delayed.
The Spike “has inherent qualities to it: range, great; sensor, maybe not what we need in the long term,” Gingrich said.
“Is that the solution to proliferate across all Apaches? I’m not sold yet. I need to do some more work,” he added. “LRPM actually is looking an awful lot like a Launched Effects-Medium Range.” Launched effects are expected to deliver capabilities such as targeting, reconnaissance, surveillance, network extension and lethality in a complex environment.
Gingrich said he is considering commonality as a factor. There is a possibility, he noted, that LPRM “just gets pushed into Launched Effects-Medium Range and then now, potentially, we could have a common capability at that range in that form factor that could be air-delivered or ground-delivered from a platform.”
One attribute under consideration, according to Gingrich, is the missile’s speed. A loitering munition is slower. “Do you still need that direct attack that comes in at a higher rate of speed?” he asked. “I don’t know.”
Indeed, the Army still needs something that can achieve extended ranges when considering current battlefields, Gingrich said. “We still have Hellfire [missiles]. We still have [the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile] JAGM, but we’ve never been able to really get the range that we need out of JAGM, which is a great system,” he noted.
The Army is prioritizing the development and acquisition of launched effects that are capable of flying at different ranges and deploying from a variety of air and ground vehicles, particularly with the cancellation of the service’ crewed Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, which made available funding to pursue those programs.
Gingrich is preparing for a session with the Army Requirements Oversight Council to solidify requirements for launched effects. That meeting is scheduled for June 28.
A year ago, the strategy for launched effects was murky. The Army was considering several size classes for launched effects and was prototyping the first version of a small capability. This version was meant to help the service decide how to procure and employ these systems on the battlefield.
There is a great deal of interest from industry. The service held an event in February for launched effects with a large turnout from businesses. The service also plans to experiment with a heavy focus on launched effects at its aviation experimentation event, known as Edge, this fall.
The medium-range launched effects prototype is the result of contributions from five companies that teamed up. The Army plans to wrap up evaluation of the prototypes in September and will then weigh a number of options, from rapid fielding to low-rate initial production to more prototyping.
The service also released a request for proposals in March for a short-range launched effect. A prototyping process for that effort will begin in early FY25. A long-range version is considered more of a corps-level asset, and prototyping will begin to develop the capability at the tail end of FY25. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
10 Jun 24. US Mexico City embassy issues tender for a C-UAS system. The American Embassy in Mexico has issued a tender for a counter-UAS system.
According to a document posted on the www.sam.gov site:
“The U.S. Government intends to award a contract/purchase order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable offer at the lowest price. We intend to award a contract/purchase order based on initial quotations, without holding discussions, although we may hold discussions with companies in the competitive range if there is a need to do so. Quotations are due by June 20,2024 no later than 16:00 hours (Mexico City Time). No quotations will be accepted after this time. Proposals must be in English and incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
Your quotation must be submitted electronically to For more information: https://sam.gov/opp/b1225cf2ff094594a15a04f8810095d5/view
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
REST OF THE WORLD
12 Jun 24. Indian Army issues tender to procure VSHORADS. The VSHORADS – pictured above from a DRDO test in March 2023 – is a tripod-launched missile system designed to strike moving aerial targets such as UAVs, helicopters, and fighter aircraft. (DRDO)
The Indian Army issued a request for information (RFI) to procure an unknown number of very short-range air-defence systems (VSHORADSs) on 11 June.
According to the RFI, the VSHORADS must comprise grip stock/tripod launchers, sight systems to intercept targets both in day and night, and missiles.
The VSHORADS should have the capability to engage the fighter and transport aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the RFI said.
The Indian Army seeks to procure VSHORADS in two configurations – a manportable version and a vehicle-mounted version.
According to the Indian Army, the system is envisaged to be deployed across all terrain in the country such as high-altitude areas, plains/riverine, desert, coastal areas, and maritime.
The VSHORADS missiles must feature infrared (IR) or imaging IR (IIR) seeker systems with cooled or uncooled medium-wave camera modules.
India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of VSHORADS for the Indian Army in January 2023.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been developing VSHORADS for the Indian Army since 2020. (Source: Janes)
12 Jun 24. Brazilian Air Force in negotiations with US for used F-16s.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is negotiating with the US government for the potential purchase of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, a ranking Brazilian officer told Janes in early June. Although negotiations are at an early stage, the FAB intends to decide quickly, potentially before the end of 2024, the officer said.
In 2014 the FAB ordered 36 Gripens for USD5.4bn, and was widely expected to purchase a second batch of 36 to equip the 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea (1º GDA) at Anápolis, which operated Mirage 2000s until 2013, then replace the two groups equipped with F-5EM Tiger IIs, followed by the two groups equipped with AMXs. Although the service was expected to purchase a second batch of Saab Gripen E/Fs, insufficient funding has led the FAB to search for cheaper options to replace its old fighter aircraft, the officer told Janes.
Even as 1º GDA integrates and tests Brazil’s first Gripens, the FAB has yet to decide which will be the second unit to receive the remainder of the order; they will likely equip a group that today operates F-5s. The AMX fleet is due to be retired by the end of 2025, and without sufficient Gripens on order to replace them, the FAB is looking at less expensive options. (Source: Janes)
10 Jun 24. Сall for Proposals Under The UK’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF) 2024-2025. The British Embassy Kyiv invites proposals from non-profit organisations for project work under the UK’s Integrated Security Fund (IFS) for the period from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.
As part of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) programming, the UK government will provide up to £500,000 to support female veterans and other vulnerable veteran groups including LGBT in Ukraine.
Building on previous work undertaken by the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) 2023 to 2027, the UK is seeking to complement implementation of the Ukraine National Action Plan on WPS 2020-2025 focusing on the following goals:
- Contribute to development of national and regional policies for veterans making it inclusive for men and women, focusing on effective reintegration of female and other vulnerable veterans into their communities, as well as servicewomen transition from military to civilian life, ensuring their safety and security.
- Raise awareness about existing challenges female and other vulnerable veteran groups face and campaign, advocate and lobby for policies, legislative change and programmes that will best address their rights and needs at national and regional levels; supporting key national stakeholders to implement it.
- Foster partnership and communication within and between female veterans’ organisations and other veterans’ organisations to share best practices, resources and support mechanisms to advocate and address veterans’ rights and needs. (i.e. establishment of regional and national platforms that are able to interface in a structured manner with regional authorities and national level stakeholders).
Only non-profit organisations are invited to bid. This call for bids is open for International Organisations (IOs), International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and local civil society organisations (CSOs), that can also apply in consortium of few CSOs. Successful projects should have sustainable outcomes and should clearly identify the change that will be brought about. They may also build on projects by other organisations, complementing their efforts. All bids should make clear how they complement existing activities supported by other donors and international partners, and how work in the regions, if suggested, complements national level activity.
The minimum indicative funding for projects is £300,000 and maximum £500,000. This may be in addition to co-funding and self-funding contributions; indeed, co-funding will be considered a merit. Our funding is for the UK financial years 2024-25 only, and projects must be implemented and all payments made by 31 August 2025. Where appropriate, bidders are encouraged to describe how their project could be further scaled-up if additional funding became available.
All project management, project administration, and overhead costs should be detailed and combined are not expected to exceed 15% of total budget. Budgeting overheads as a flat percentage is not supported, and any such costs should be fully detailed in the budget. We are unable to fund academic courses or English language courses; the purchase of IT and other equipment over £500 per item will require prior approval of the Embassy, but such procurement should not constitute a significant part of the overall project budget.
The British Embassy Kyiv will carry out due diligence of potential grantee/s, including seeking references, as part of the selection process.
Bidding is competitive and only selected project/s will receive funding. The Embassy reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant(s) of the grounds of such acceptance or rejection. Due to the volume of bids expected we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.
Bidding process
Bidders should fill in a standard ISF Project Proposal Form and include a breakdown of project costs in the Activity Based Budget (ABB) (see linked files below). Please save these files as MS Word Document and MS Excel Spreadsheet respectively. We will not consider proposals submitted in other formats. Budgets must be Activity Based Budgets (ABB), all costs should be indicative, in GBP (not Ukrainian Hryvnia).
Successful bids must demonstrate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Category D or E (please see description of all GESI Categories in Annex), i.e. have a clear gender GESI objective explicit in the project documentation and an explanation of a positive impact of the project on advancing gender equality and social inclusion. For more details, please see linked GESI Guidance below.
All projects or activities must align with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and assess climate and environmental impact and risks, taking steps to ensure that no environmental harm is done and, where relevant, support adaptation.
Successful implementers should be able to receive project funding in GBP(£) and open a GBP bank account for the project.
Proposals should be sent to the British Embassy Kyiv at by 5pm (Kyiv time) on 26 June 2024. Please indicate the name of the bidder in the subject line. We aim to evaluate proposals by mid-July. Successful shortlisted bidders will be informed by the end of July 2024.
Evaluation criteria
Proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:
- fit to programme objectives – the extent to which the proposal addresses the issues
- quality of project – how well defined and relevant the outcome is and how outputs will deliver this change; ability to leverage bigger funding would be an advantage
- value for money – the value of the expected project outcomes, the level of funding requested and institutional contribution
- previous experience – evidence of the project team’s understanding the issue and of its regional activities, ability to manage and deliver a successful project, through work done to date in the area or in related fields
- gender-sensitive approach and alignment with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- as indicated above; the proposals will be assessed by a mixed gender panel. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
07 Jun 24. Australia fast-tracks its hunt for replacement frigates. Australia has approached several foreign shipbuilders in an urgent quest to procure general-purpose frigates under Project Sea 3000, the Defence Department told Defense News.
The government sent requests for information to German, Japanese, South Korean and Spanish shipbuilders on May 24, the department said. However, a spokesperson for the department declined to provide further details “while the evaluation is underway, due to [the] commercial, procurement and probity process.”
A government review unveiled in February, titled “Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet,” recommended 11 general-purpose frigates replace eight existing Anzac-class frigates. To speed up the process, the first three would undergo construction overseas and the remainder in Western Australia.
The review pinpointed Germany’s MEKO A-200, Japan’s version 30FFM, South Korea’s FFX from the second and third batches, and Spain’s Alfa 3000 as contenders. It cites the two FFX batches as a single platform type, though it’s unclear why.
The shipbuilders were reportedly given four weeks to respond to the initial request, plus another three weeks to explain how follow-on frigates can be built in Australia.
Selection is expected to occur next year, with commissioning of the first overseas-built ship to take place in 2030. The fourth through sixth vessels, build in Australia, are to have an identical baseline. No decision has been made on the design of the seventh through eleventh frigates.
The Royal Australian Navy’s surface combatant fleet will feature a total of nine hulls in 2026, underscoring the looming capability gap before new frigates start arriving.
Shipbuilders approached by Defense News declined to go into detail regarding Australia’s procurement effort. For example, German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems confirmed it “participated in the tender” but added that “we’ll not comment on further details of the ongoing process.”
Ongoing construction of six Ulsan-class FFX-III vessels for the South Korean Navy is split between Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK Oceanplant and Hanwha Ocean. The construction of eight Daegu-class FFX-II ships concluded last year. A Hyundai Heavy Industries spokesperson confirmed it received the request for information.
“HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has great competitiveness with its rich experience in warship building, such as [research and development] and first ship of the latest Ulsan-class frigate,” the spokesperson said. “This will be an opportunity for HHI to show how they approach warship orders that fit the situation of each country.”
In reference to frigate designs, Rear Adm. Stephen Hughes, Australia’s head of naval capabilities, told the Combined Naval Event conference in the U.K. on May 23 that the country is using existing designs in order to quicken the introduction of the vessels into the fleet.
However, Australian frigates identical to the aforementioned parent ships — the exemplars have been built for Egypt, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea — raises potential difficulties because some of their weapons, sensors and systems were chosen by the original customers and could be unfamiliar to the Royal Australian Navy. Notably, Saab’s 9LB combat management system, which the Australian service uses across its fleet, isn’t incorporated into those ships. Likewise, the Australian-made CEA Technologies radars are also excluded.
“Whatever we choose, whatever standard we go with, we’re going to adopt that. We’re going to have discipline around that capability,” Hughes said, describing the acquisition process as “an opportunity, not a risk.”
“The risk is we don’t choose wisely and we don’t understand the designs.”
(Source: Defense News)
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Since 1946, Industrial Electronic Engineers, IEE, has specialized in the design, test, support and fielding of display products for use in demanding military and aerospace applications throughout the world. IEE has developed an extensive product portfolio that today includes enhanced flat panel displays, smart displays and handheld devices.
From rapid prototyping of custom designs to full-scale production runs, IEE, produces displays with advanced features like low-latency video processing, high-bright and NVIS backlighting, and lightweight rugged enclosures. Their SWaP-C products employ the latest lightweight composite materials; low power, high performance integrated ARM processors; standard Ethernet and USB communication, in a low cost, highly producible design.
In-house California facilities include optical bonding, clean rooms for display assembly, a dark room for optical measurements and environmental chambers for pre-compliance and customer acceptance testing. On-site manufacturing includes PCB assembly and flow soldering. IEE has manufactured handheld, in-vehicle, airborne and naval LCD displays for all military branches as well as leading aerospace firms both domestically and internationally.
IEE is ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified.
IEE’s Advantage:
- Direct control of critical process steps that reduce cost, decrease production lead times and improves life-cycle management
- Unique advantage to serve to both smaller quantity, highly custom displays needs as well as high volume production outputs
- Expert in delivering the best value in form and fit replacement by modifying existing COTS products to meet legacy requirements
- Leading the next generation avionics efficiencies by leveraging open architectures and common software standards
- Field-proven, pre-engineered displays minimize lead-time and non-recurring engineering costs.
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