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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
01 Oct 24. Royal Navy explores nuclear propulsion for surface warships.
This latest call for information, if it is currently feasible, marks a significant transition in powering surface vessels. The UK government is now looking to explore the possibility of using Generation 4 nuclear technologies to power surface ships in the fleet, accroding to a Request
The UK Royal Navy is beginning to explore the possibility of powering surface ships – auxiliary vessels and combatants – with Generation 4 nuclear technologies, according to a request for information (RFI) last month.
It is worth noting that this effort only serves to inform the service about the viability of this next-generation energy solution for the surface fleet, it does not reflect any procurement activity at this stage.
Nuclear energy has been used to power Britain’s fast-attack (SSN) and ballistic missile (SSBN) submarines since 1960; the capability ensures that boats are submerged for as long as necessary.
While nuclear power is necessary for submerging submarines at the operational level, the power source is not typically used for surface ships for various reasons. It is mainly due to the overwhelming cost of designing a specialised reactor as well as concerns about safety and subsequent restrictions on port access.
Nevertheless, this latest call for information, if it is currently feasible, marks a potentially significant transition in powering UK surface vessels.
Four generations of nuclear power
The nuclear power industry has been developing and improving reactor technology for more than five decades according to the World Nuclear Association. Several generations of reactors are commonly distinguished.
- Generation 1 reactors were developed in 1950-60s, and the last one shut down in the UK in 2015.
- Generation 2 reactors are typified by the present US and French fleets and most in operation elsewhere.
- So-called Generation 3 (and 3+) are advanced reactors, though the distinction from Gen 2 is arbitrary. The first ones are in operation in Japan and others are under construction in several countries.
- Gen 4 technologies are theoretical designs at present, though the Association notes their development will start to emerge this decade.
Existing nuclear-powered surface ships
Nuclear-powered surface ships are not a new concept. There are certain applications where the concept is worth the expense.
Nuclear propulsion has proven technically and economically essential in the Russian Arctic where operating conditions are beyond the capability of conventional icebreakers. The icebreaker Lenin was the world’s first nuclear-powered surface vessel (20,000 dwt), commissioned in 1959. It remained in service for 30 years to 1989, and was retired due to the hull being worn thin from ice abrasion.
The US Navy had built 219 nuclear-powered vessels to mid-2010. All US aircraft carriers and submarines are nuclear-powered. Meanwhile, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth-class carriers are powered by two 36 MW gas turbines driving electric motors.
Royal Navy plans for Gen 4
Firstly, the Royal Navy aim to align their requirements with the existing capabilities provided by industry.
As part of the RFI process, the service identifies two solutions available on the market today, namely micro modular reactors and larger Gen 4 reactors. Though, it acknowledges that “substantial questions remain over the integration of both… onto surface platforms.”
Secondly, the Royal Navy will map out opportunities for a system-of-systems approach to deliver Gen 4 nuclear power, while exploring ways to spirally develop the capability with the potential of making systems modular by design.
While the concept is under consideration, the cost of this endeavour will remain a lingering problem for the government. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), due to be published in the first half of 2025, is expected to trim down excessive programmes pursued under the previous Conservative government.
Yet, the UK Ministry of Defence may still determine that nuclear-powered warships may prove to be an essential part of Britain’s defence policy, especially considering the nation’s commitment to strengthening its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mark Cancian, senior fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained that in a prospective conflict over Taiwan, the US and its allies will be facing “contested logistics,” which is something the US has not had to deal with since 1945.
“You’re going to have to escort ships across the oceans. And that’s going to take a lot of ships,” Cancian said.
To that end, coalition navies will benefit from the unlimited range at which their warships and auxiliary vessels may travel in such a vast maritime space, if nuclear-powered.
Industrial development
Britain already has an advantage in its reliance on Rolls-Royce to provide a sovereign nuclear naval power capability. Currently, the supplier powers the Royal Navy’s Vanguard, Astute and future Dreadnought submarines.
The Vanguard and Astute classes use the second generation Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR). Current generations of PWR would enable submarines to circumnavigate the world approximately 20 times while the latest development of PWR would enable circumnavigation 40 times without refuelling.
The coming Dreadnought-class SSBNs will use the future PWR3 reactor, a next-generation propulsion capability that may be used to provide power for the future SSN-AUKUS submarines to be developed for the UK and Australia.
Likewise, the company is already well-placed to deliver such a capability to the Royal Navy surface fleet having already produced nuclear reactors for use beyond the submarine sector. In December 2023, the company unveiled a nuclear Space Micro-Reactor Concept Model as part of a UK Space Agency programme.
All space missions depend on a power source and, as a self-contained and power-dense solution, a Micro-Reactor can provide power for the habitation and exploration of a planetary surface, or power and propulsion for spacecraft.
Continuous power and efficient propulsion can also provide satellites with more flexible movement to protect and defend key orbits. Rolls-Royce plan to have a reactor ready to send to the Moon by the early 2030s.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
01 Oct 24. DASA initiative to accelerate innovative UK defence solutions. The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has announced the launch of a new Early Market Engagement (EME) pilot initiative for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the theme of Uncrewed Systems.
This pilot aims to collaboratively curate problems alongside industry and academia to determine whether a full competition in this area is required. The initial pilot will concentrate on two critical sub-systems of Uncrewed Systems:
- Position, Navigation and Timing in Highly Contested Environments
- Low-cost, Fast Engines
Why is Early Market Engagement needed?
The MoD Innovation Directorate and Defence Suppliers Forum (DSF) are collaborating with industry to improve Defence’s capacity to turn innovative solutions into needed capabilities. The EME pilot will collect insights from industry experts to better understand specific problem areas. This proactive strategy aims to challenge problems and identify potential solutions that could rapidly deliver capability for defence. The DASA Early Market Engagement initiative forms part of the MoD’s overall intent to improve its engagement with industry and market early on their capability challenges.
For prospective suppliers, participating in the EME workshops will provide an opportunity to understand, engage with and contribute to the MoD’s problem challenge areas. Although this does not guarantee that a competition will take place afterwards, this advance notice enables suppliers to consider the potential development of new or enhanced existing offerings.
Who can attend?
The EME workshops welcome participants from both industry and academia. Workshop attendance is limited to one person per company and the attendee must have a good understanding of the problem space and the relevant technology that their company has. The workshops will function as open forums, and participants must be prepared to engage in discussions. Please note that these workshops will be conducted at OFFICIAL classification.
You can find further details about the pilot and full details of the problem statements in the Early Market Engagement document.
Workshop dates and registration:
The EME workshops will take place in three locations over six dates as shown below, to apply to attend a workshop visit the Eventbrite page. Applications close at 12:00 midday on 31st October 2024 (GMT).
Bristol:
Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT) – 19th November 2024
Low-cost, Fast Engines – 20 November 2024
London:
Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT) – 26th November 2024
Low-cost, Fast Engines – 27 November 2024
Newcastle:
Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT) – 12th November 2024
Low-cost, Fast Engines – 13 November 2024
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-market-engagement-pilot-uncrewed-systems (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
30 Sept 24. Looking at how well defence contractors follow the rules for reporting under the non-competitive regulatory system. The Compliance Bulletin examines how well defence contractors followed the reporting regulations for non-competitive (also known as single source) defence contracts. Defence contractors must report information about their single-source defence contracts to the MOD and the Single Source Regulations Office (the SSRO). This is performed using the SSRO’s Defence Contract Analysis and Reporting System (DefCARS). As an important part of the regulatory framework, these submissions provide the MOD with information throughout the contract duration that can be used to support purchasing decisions and management of those contracts so that they obtain the best value for money whilst paying fair and reasonable prices. In its written compliance and review methodology, the SSRO explains how it will keep an eye on how well contractors who are required to report are following the regulations. The Compliance Bulletin presents compliance statistics relating to reports expected between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024. Data is also presented against historical compliance records going back to May 2018.
The bulletin shows that while the majority of expected submissions are made by contractors, there is still room for improvement with regard to the data quality of initial submissions. The MOD must also make sure that the information it receives is considered and utilised appropriately, by ensuring that more submissions are accessed and reviewed in DefCARS.
The SSRO’s Head of Compliance, Reporting and IT, Akhlaq Shah, said: “The SSRO won’t only monitor compliance and report on it; but will continue to assist both contractors and the MOD in fulfilling their commitments whenever possible. We will keep investing resources to help ensure an understanding of what is needed; how industry can best offer it; and how the MOD can use the data consistently and continuously.”
Take a look at the Compliance Bulletin for more information on contractors are doing in timeliness and quality of their reporting. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
30 Sept 24. UK calls for new long-range effector under ‘Project Brakestop.’ The forthcoming industrial competition will provide the UK with a one-way effector to be launched from a mobile ground-based platform.
The photograph shows Wing Commander Dave Robertson, right, and Squadron Leader Andy Myers prior to their departure on a Tornado GR4 night mission over Iraq armed with the RAF’s stand-off precision-guided missile, Storm Shadow. While this is a long-range air-launched missile, the UK Ministry of Defence has now issued specifications for another future long-range capability for ground-based mobile platforms. Credit: Crown copyright/Corporal Craig Fryer RAF Combat Camera via MBDA.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a notice to industry on 25 September 2024 outlining specifications for a new long-range weapon system.
Known as Project Brakestop, the forthcoming industrial competition will provide the British Armed Forces with a one-way effector to be launched from a mobile ground-based platform.
The target cost per unit must be no higher than £400,000, excluding VAT and the launcher system. Subject to potential future contract, manufacturing shall be scalable to meet operational requirements at a minimum of 20 units per month, with the ability to scale up.
MoD requirements
The new effector is anticipated to reach a range greater than 500km. This exceeds the Anglo-French air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile, which travels up to 250km; the American-made Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile, at 240km; and the local air defence CAMM missile, at 25km—all of which feature in the British arsenal.
The MoD request that the weapon be resilient in harsh physical environments, day and night. The effector must have a low multispectral signature, be resilient in a complex electromagnetic environment, including within a GNSS-denied and degraded environment, and be resistant against targeted electronic warfare attacks and spoofing.
Furthermore, the weapon will weigh between 200 and 300kg (class payload mark 82 for reference) and travel 600km per hour.
The concept can operate at any trajectory (ballistic or low-level cruise) and could use a missile, a drone, or another technology to deliver the effect, day or night, following a pre-programmed route.
If low level cruise, it must be able to navigate in a GNSS denied environment and have some form of end stage guidance as required, to an accuracy of CEP (0.5) of 30 metres.
Sovereignty is key
Learning from Ukraine, the British government emphasised that the design of its new effector must be free from external government trade and usage restrictions.
In the past month, Ukraine has repeatedly called on the US to approve the use of long-range weapons against targets inside Russia. It is important to eliminate such targets – acting as airbases and launching sites – as they enable invading Russian forces to wage a destructive campaign against Ukraine’s civil and military infrastructure.
Just yesterday (29 September), a Russian salvo “hit ordinary residential buildings, ordinary city facilities,” confirmed Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
American components power the weapon systems in Ukrainian hands, so their unrestricted use hinges on US approval. Nevertheless, this has not stopped other Western backers, such as Britain, France, and Italy, from offering their approval for the use of their long-range weapons inside Russia.
In response to this ongoing debate, the Ukrainian industry is said to have developed an indigenous long-range weapon system that meets several of the British requirements for Project Brakestop, including a range of up to 600km.
This domestically produced missile-drone hybrid is known as the ‘Palianytsia’. In early September, Lithuania announced that it would invest €10m in Ukraine’s long-range weapon.
(Source: army-technology.com)
25 Sept 24. Future opportunity 712835450 – Project Brakestop
- Ministry of Defence
F16: Prior information notice for contracts in the field of defence and security
Notice reference: 2024/S 000-030651
Published 25 September 2024, 4:11pm
Contents
one. Contracting authority/entityI. Contracting authority/entityPress escape key to exit
two. Object of the contractII. Object of the contract
six. Complementary informationVI. Complementary information
Download
- PDF version
Report concerns about this procurement
Section one: Contracting authority/entitySection I: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s)I.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence
MOD Abbey Wood South, 1261, Spruce 2B
Bristol
BS34 8JH
For the attention of
DE&S
Email(s)
Country
United Kingdom
Further information
Further information can be obtained from the above mentioned contact point(s)
Section two: ObjectSection II: Object
two.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority/entity:II.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority/entity:
712835450 – Project Brakestop
two.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performanceII.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 3: Defence services, military defence services and civil defence services
NUTS code
- UK – United Kingdom
two.4) Short description of nature and scope of works or nature and quantity or value of supplies or servicesII.4) Short description of nature and scope of works or nature and quantity or value of supplies or services
This Prior Information Notice serves to inform industry about the upcoming competition for Project Brakestop. Please see the single statement of user need (SSUN) below and further details around the project including an industry day.
SSUN:
“The User requires a cost-effective, long range (>500km) One Way Effector (OWE) Heavy, capable of being safely ground launched from a mobile platform in a high threat tactical environment, navigating to and accurately striking a user-programmed target.
It shall be: operable in harsh physical environments, day and night, of low multispectral signature, resilient in a complex Electromagnetic environment (EME), including within a GNSS denied & degraded environment, and resistant against targeted EW attack and spoofing.
Subject to potential future contract, manufacturing shall be scalable to meet operational requirements at a minimum of 20 units per month, with the ability to further increase.”
Overview:
UK MOD requires the ability to deliver an 200kg – 300kg class payload (Mk 82 for reference) over a target range of 600km at a speed of around 600km/h. This must be capable of being safely ground launched from a mobile platform in a high threat tactical environment, with reduced probability of detection / high survivability with minimal take-off distance. It should be mobile via vehicle, fitted to or towed by.
This can be done via any trajectory (ballistic or low-level cruise) and could use a missile, a drone, or another technology to deliver the effect, at day or night, following a pre-programmed route. If low level cruise, it must be able to navigate in a GNSS denied environment and have some form of end stage guidance as required, to an accuracy of CEP (0.5) of 30m.
The target cost per delivery platform must be no higher than £400,000 Ex VAT and excludes the launcher system and any GFX as listed below. This requirement is for technologies that can be packaged and demonstrated rapidly, including firing in a test range. The design should be free from external government trade and usage restrictions. The design must have the ability to be spirally developed, to improve performance characteristics.
Whilst a complete solution is being sought, if you are offering part of the solution, we encourage you to participate in the industry day and to explicitly state which part of the problem you are answering within the categories of:
- Propulsion system, e.g. engine,
- Airframe,
- Navigation and targeting,
- Ability to scale,
- Launcher system.
The project will be prioritising scalability over exquisite solutions.
The following will likely be government furnished (GFX):
- Payload
- Fuses
- Testing ranges/facilities
- Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) support for scaling
- DSTL advice
Procurement Approach and timelines:
FCI will down select from submitted proposals using the proven 3-2-1 procurement model and invite a number of companies to a face-to-face presentation where a further down selection will be made to a small number of companies (2-5) and, subject to contract, will provide up to £5m of funding for the rapid development of those proposals. Those companies will be required to rapidly demonstrate their systems.
The aim is to deliver this product at pace, which means there is an aggressive timeline of a demonstration firing in Q2 2025 and, subject to contract, potential serial production from Q3 2025, producing a minimum around 20 platforms per month.
Industry day information:
The Authority will be holding a Project Brakestop industry day on Tuesday 8th October 2024 in London UK.
Please use the following link for further detail and to submit a request form to attend the industry day:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7WB3vlNZS0iuldChbfoJ5XUTJJOnMC1Guv5Ej0GV_QpUOE9GWDdSMTFOT1hLVFJEQUhYMERTQVRENyQlQCN0PWcu
Please note that responses must be submitted by 15:00 (GMT+1) 2nd October 2024
Due to capacity limitations, this industry day is limited to 2 personnel from each company. In the event of the location’s capacity being exceeded, the Authority will reduce down to 1 person from each company.
two.5) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)II.5) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
- 73410000 – Military research and technology
Additional CPV code(s)
- 35613100 – Unmanned combat aerial vehicles
- 35623100 – Air/ground/sea launched cruise missiles
two.7) Additional informationII.7) Additional information
Industry day information:
The Authority will be holding a Project Brakestop industry day on Tuesday 8th October 2024 in London UK.
Please use the following link for further detail and to submit a request form to attend the industry day:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7WB3vlNZS0iuldChbfoJ5XUTJJOnMC1Guv5Ej0GV_QpUOE9GWDdSMTFOT1hLVFJEQUhYMERTQVRENyQlQCN0PWcu
Please note that responses must be submitted by 15:00 (GMT+1) 2nd October 2024
Due to capacity limitations, this industry day is limited to 2 personnel from each company. In the event of the location’s capacity being exceeded, the Authority will reduce down to 1 personnel from each company.
Section six: Complementary informationSection VI: Complementary information
six.2) Additional informationVI.2) Additional information
Conditions regarding this PIN:
1) This PIN is not a call for competition and is not published to reduce time limits for the receipt of tenders;
2) The Authority reserves the right not to commence any procurement or award any contract in respect of this opportunity;
3) The information contained in this PIN may be subject to change due to the impact of governance, assurance, regulatory changes and/or the pre-market engagement outcomes. Insofar as is permitted by law, the Authority shall not be liable for any losses incurred by any party as a result of reliance on the information contained/linked herein;
4) Failure to register an interest in connection with this PIN shall not prevent an organisation from participating in any formal call for competition.
six.3) Information on general regulatory frameworkVI.3) Information on general regulatory framework
Relevant governmental Internet sites where information can be obtained
Tax legislation
DE&S
MOD Abbey Wood South, 1261, Spruce 2B
Bristol
BS34 8JH
Email(s)
Country
United Kingdom
the Ministry of Defence will be hosting an Industry Day to support Project Brakestop on 8 October 2024 in London. This event presents an excellent opportunity to engage with key stakeholders and gain further insights into this important initiative.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
EUROPE
30 Sept 24. Dutch submarine buy from France to spark $1.1bn in offsets. The Netherlands secured spending of about €1bn ($1.1bn) on Dutch companies as part of its multibillion-euro purchase of four attack submarines from France’s Naval Group, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said.
Dutch State Secretary of Defence Gijs Tuinman and Naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet signed the contract for four submarines at the Royal Netherlands Navy home port of Den Helder on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.
That follows a memorandum of understanding between the Dutch and French governments on knowledge sharing and user rights, and an industrial cooperation deal that foresees around €1 bn in spending with Dutch companies as well as continued involvement of Dutch research institutes. Naval Group is 62% held by the French government, with French defense firm Thales owning 35% of the shipbuilder.
The Netherlands in March disclosed a budget of €5.65bn to replace its aging Walrus-class submarines, including a delta to operate the future vessels over their 30-year lifespan as well as a project-risk reserve. Naval Group is set to deliver the first two of the four submarines by 2034, with the new vessel a conventionally-powered variant of its Barracuda class.
“We are going for state-of-the-art submarines that serve the Dutch security interests and those of NATO and Europe to the maximum,” Tuinman said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He said the new submarines will allow the Netherlands “to show our teeth and if necessary, bite hard.”
Dutch involvement in the new submarines will include hydraulic systems, air-conditioning systems, acoustic cladding, detection devices, sonar, composite structures and water-making equipment, according to Tuinman. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs didn’t immediately respond to phone calls and text messages regarding the details of the offset agreement.
The submarines are a strategic capacity and will be equipped for intelligence gathering, as well as cruise missiles, the state secretary said. Tuinman said the Netherlands is investing in its underwater capacity because “credible deterrence” is the best defense, and war is prevented by preparing for the possibility of conflict.
The Netherlands plans to equip the new subs with Tomahawk cruise missiles for a land-strike capacity, something the current Walrus class lacks, in addition to torpedoes.
The deal is a “major step” for the naval cooperation between France and the Netherlands, French Ambassador to the Netherlands François Alabrune said in a post on X.
The Netherlands had requested proposals in November 2022 from Naval Group, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Sweden’s Saab Kockums in cooperation with Dutch shipbuilder Damen.
France operates a nuclear-powered version of the Barracuda class, and in 2020 the country estimated the cost of the program to build and operate six submarines in the class at €10.4bn, up from €8.6bn in 2010. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
USA
02 Oct 24. Pentagon taps commercial vendors for low-cost, throwaway drones. Pentagon officials want to build America’s arsenal of cheap, disposable drones, staple weapons of the war in Ukraine, pinging commercial vendors for systems with mass-production potential.
The Defense Innovation Unit released a solicitation this week for one-way, uncrewed aerial systems that can fly at ranges of 50 to 300 kilometers in low-bandwidth, GPS-denied environments.
“Recent conflicts have highlighted the asymmetric impact low-cost, one-way unmanned aerial systems have on the modern battlefield,” DIU said in the notice. “The Department of Defense must be able to employ low-cost precision effects at extended ranges.”
DIU plans to hold a live flyoff demonstration as soon as December to evaluate the proposed systems.
Small, one-way attack drones have featured heavily in recent conflicts — from Ukraine to the Middle East. Since last fall, the Iran-backed Houthi militia group has targeted commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, using aerial vehicles, uncrewed surface vessels and cruise missiles. Last week, the group launched what the Pentagon termed a “complex attack” on U.S. ships in the region.
On Monday, Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the Pentagon would focus the next round of its Replicator effort — a process for quickly fielding high-need technology at scale — on countering drone threats like these. But the department also recognizes the impact these systems can have and wants to stock up on its own supply.
“Reliable, affordable, and adaptable long-range UAS platforms that allow for employment at scale will maximize operational flexibility for the joint force,” DIU said.
A DIU spokesperson told Defense News that while the drones the department wants could perform attack missions, it’s also interested in systems that can fly electronic warfare, ISR and communications relay payloads.
According to the solicitation, the vehicles should also be hard to detect and track, have several pathways for two-way communications and be equipped with mission planning software. Critically, the department wants modular systems that can integrate new hardware or software in a matter of hours.
“Proprietary interfaces, message formatting or hardware that require vendor-specific licensing are not permitted,” DIU said.
The notice doesn’t detail how many systems the department might buy and it doesn’t set a cost target. The spokesperson said that omission was intentional because DIU’s selections won’t be based on the cost of a particular drone, but on the cost of the effect the platform achieves.
“The best way to think of what we’re targeting is a cost per effect,” the spokesperson said. “If we launch one $1M platform or ten $100k platforms and generate the same effect, then the cost per effect is the same and that’s what we want to focus on.” (Source: Defense News)
01 Oct 24. US Army seeks new industry input for Next Generation Command and Control initiative.
The PEO C3T released the RFI after the office held an industry day to provide more information on NGC2 to interested vendors.
WASHINGTON — The Army took the next step its pursuit of tech for its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) initiative by reaching out for industry’s ideas Monday.
In a request for information (RFI) posted online, the Army’s program executive office for command, control, communications-tactical (PEO C3T) announced it is seeking input on “experimentation, pilots and, prototyping” in establishing NGC2.
Monday’s RFI is the first one related to C2NG to come out of PEO C3T and came after the office held an industry day to provide more information to interested vendors on Sept. 16. The document was released “in accordance with the Army Futures Command (AFC) Characteristics of Need (CoN) requirement,” related to that office’s own interest in next-gen C2, which came out May 21, according to the RFI.
PEO C3T’s RFI includes questions about how industry would “design and manage a common services architecture for warfighting applications” while allowing for a “plug-and-plan” architecture, and how industry would use a common data layer to leverage capabilities to “meet war fighting needs.” Furthermore, it asks how industry sees the role of the Army’s Unified Data Reference Architecture — a broader service framework — in creating and managing NGC2.
The requirement will also include “maximizing vendor access to capabilities and users” all while aiming to bolster the relationship between industry and government.
Additionally, all services and products that are chosen to be part of NGC2 will be “heavily dependent” upon progressive software analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to assist feedback in performance, the RFI states.
NGC2, sometimes called C2 Next, is the service’s plan to create an integrated C2 structure focusing on data centricity “at every echelon,” which will be a “system of systems,” per the RFI. It’s designed to combine intelligence, C2 and fires all in one system so commanders can have information more readily available — a key driving idea behind the Pentagon’s wide Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort.
The service will test out the NGC2 principle in March of 2025 at the Project Convergence capstone five event, Col Michael Kaloostian, the AFC’s networks and security director for NCC2, told Breaking Defense in August.
“We are in the S&T [science and technology] phase, and we’re still doing [research and development] on this project,” Kaloostian told Breaking Defense during an Aug. 22 interview.
“We’re going to learn [with] each step. … It’s always gonna be iterative, because technology is always going to improve,” he later added.
The RFI released Monday is currently open for comment and will close on Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
27 Sept 24. US Space Force looking for commercial, manoeuvrable geostationary satellites. The US Space Force (USSF) intends to contract manoeuvrable satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) from commercial companies, Colonel Rich Kniseley, senior materiel leader of the service’s Commercial Space Office, told reporters on 16 September at the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA’s) Air, Space & Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The Commercial Space Office contracts commercial companies to provide services for the US Department of Defense (DoD), many of which duplicate DoD capabilities to ensure greater reliability should its own satellites be disabled in conflict. Rather than purchase, launch, and operate satellites, the Commercial Space Office instead purchases services from already-launched satellites.
Col Kniseley’s office administers the proliferated low-Earth orbit (pLEO) contract, which awards commercial providers for services in LEO, including communications, radar target detection, among other roles. GEO service purchases are to be structured along the same lines, Col Kniseley said.
“We’ll build the contract similarly, where we’re going to be doing more mission areas than just commercial satcom [satellite communications]. It’ll be open to other mission areas, such as a potential PNT [position, navigation, and timing] solution [or] weather solution,” Col Kniseley said.
He said he hopes to select awardees for the first GEO services in 2025.
“We’ve already released the RFI [request for information], so we have a sense of what’s out there in industry and where industry is going,” Col Kniseley said.
USSF have already entered into a deal with California-based microsatellite maker Astranis to upgrade their latest commercial GEO microsatellite system, dubbed the Omega, to transmit across military bandwidths. USSF’s Space Systems Command (SSC) inked the USD13.2 m contract in September. (Source: Janes)
REST OF THE WORLD
03 Oct 24. Indonesia prepares to upgrade C-130s. PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Indonesian-aircraft Industries: PTDI) has announced that it will modernise nine Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft in co-operation with the air force.
According to PTDI, it signed a co-operation agreement on 2 October with the TNI-AU’s Material Maintenance Command to upgrade the aircraft. The company said the upgrade will use resources from its Center Wing Box Replacement (CWBR) and Avionic Upgrade Program (AUP) projects to modernise the aircraft. PTDI did not specify the financial value of the project.
Work on the aircraft will be conducted at the PTDI Aircraft Services (ACS) hangar in co-operation with the TNI-AU’s Maintenance Depot (Depohar) 10 at the Husein Sastranegara Airport at Bandung in West Java, PTDI said in a press statement.
Depohar 10 will begin inducting C-130s selected for the programme in October 2024, the company said, adding that the aircraft will be subsequently moved to the ACS hangar in November.
“Replacement of the centre wing boxes will take approximately five months while the upgrade of the avionics is estimated to take six months,” PTDI said.
The company added that it will manufacture composite components to repair the C-130s.
TNI-AU Air Marshal Oki Yanuar said the collaboration between PTDI and Depohar 10 will help to reduce Indonesia’s reliance on international companies for sustainment of air force aircraft.
According to AM Oki, 60% of the maintenance on TNI-AU aircraft (from combat aircraft to training platform) is conducted overseas.
(Source: Janes)
30 Sept 24. Australian Army seeks light vehicles for its littoral ambitions. As Australia’s military adjusts to recommendations contained in last year’s Strategic Defence Review, there is a demand for lighter vehicles better suited operations in coastal areas.
First out of the gate in what could be a shopping spree for such rides was manufacturer Polaris, announcing earlier in September that the company had won a contract for DAGOR light vehicles.
The A$22 m (US$14.6 m) deal entails “several variants in support of joint missions worldwide,” with an undisclosed quantity to be delivered within two years, Polaris said in a statement.
These DAGOR variants cover tactical transport, expeditionary reconnaissance and cargo missions. Australian Army special forces are the likely recipient of these diesel-powered vehicles.
Michael Cannell, a sales and operations manager at Polaris Australia, told Defense News of increased regional interest in all-terrain vehicles in the past two years.
Cannell said: “We’re proud to provide this capability for Australian personnel. The DAGOR all-terrain vehicle will allow teams to move faster, carry more and significantly reduce combat fatigue by navigating complex terrain otherwise covered on foot.”
At Land Forces 2024 in Melbourne, held Sept. 11-13, Polaris also exhibited an MRZR-A vehicle, a bare-bones, ultra-light ride that comes in variants with seats for two or four occupants, according to the company’s website.
Brigadier Doug Pashley, commander of the Australian Army’s Darwin-based 1st Brigade, told Defense News about the formation’s metamorphosis from a mechanized, heavy brigade. “As part of our transition to a littoral brigade, we’re experimenting with a lot of mobility options,” he said.
That includes Supacat HMT Extenda vehicles ordinarily utilized by special forces, since “they’re probably a bit more regionally relevant than some of the heavier stuff that we’ve had in the past year,” Pashley said.
The brigade is also toying with lighter vehicles like the Polaris MRZR. “We’re really lucky we can draw lessons from other forces that have been leading the way in terms of developing littoral capabilities, both the U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Marines,” Pashley explained. “Both have procured some light mobility vehicles, so we’re keen to leverage lessons from them.”
Polaris is not the only company seeking to cash in on changing Australian and regional requirements. Also at Land Forces 2024, local company Bale Defence debuted its RTV6 rough terrain vehicle.
This six-wheeled RTV6 joins existing RTV2 and RTV4 4×4 vehicles in its range. Bale Defence delivered 19 two-seater RTVs to the Australian Army in 2014-15, and special forces later ordered dozens of upgraded RTV2s for US$6.2m in 2021.
Martyn Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Bale Defence, lauded the RTV6′s 1.5-ton payload capacity. Such vehicles are ideal for carrying remote-controlled weapon stations, surveillance systems and counter-drone systems, he said.
Supacat was also at Land Forces 2024, unveiling its Medium Utility Vehicle (MUV) based on a Toyota Hilux platform. Both 4×4 and 6×6 configurations are available, the MUV being the fruit of collaboration between Supacat’s British and Australian arms.
Matthew Grech, a sales executive at Supacat, told Defense News the MUV’s target clientele is special operations forces, but other applications include troop carriers, weapons carrier and utility tasks. (Source: Defense News)
25 Sept 24. Australian Army notes need for defence against FPV drones. The Australian Army has called on industry for battlefield innovations to boost the “endurance, lethality and survivability” of soldiers as new threats continue to emerge on the battlefield.
“First-person-view drones continue to wreak havoc on armour and personnel in the war in Ukraine, highlighting the need for counter-drone technologies,” the Army said in a statement. Counter-drone technologies from several companies were recently the focus at Army Innovation Day 2024, held during the Chief of Army Symposium in Melbourne.
At last year’s event, Platypus Research and Development took part, leading to funding to further develop its electromagnetic pulse (EMP) drone disruption technology. The device, which the company calls Bug Zapper, is a trailer-mounted array of printed circuit boards that directs a high-powered radio frequency field into a chosen area. This ‘fries’ the drone, preventing it from re-engaging after an attack. Despite the system’s high-power output, it can operate on small-power sources, such as a car battery. The technology can be scaled down or up, providing protection against drone swarms with a broad area of effect.
Another company that secured funding at last year’s innovation day, Codarra Advanced Systems, returned this year to showcase advancements in its passive drone detection and exploitation technology. Since last year’s event, the company’s product has grown from a directional system to an omni-directional one, offering a 360-degree view for drone detection and a significantly longer range. It is designed to give a soldier the exact location of the drone, its distance, and its path, as well as an indication as to the drone’s role. The system looks at a drone’s radio signal signature, allowing it to infer details about its activity and purpose. Codarra is currently working on strengthening the hardware to withstand tough environmental conditions and improve software to simplify maintenance and updates. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
27 Sept 24. ADAS 2024: Candidates line up for Philippines fighter contest. The field of participants in the Philippines’ Multirole Fighter (MRF) programme appears to have widened with interested original equipment manufacturers presenting their offerings at the Asian Defense and Security Exhibition (ADAS) 2024 in Manila.
Saab was the only company to display a full-size mock-up at the show, which ended on 27 September, presenting its Gripen E/F.
Also promoting offerings for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) programme was Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with its KF-21 ‘Boramae’, Leonardo with the Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin with the F-16, and Turkish Aerospace (TA) with its Hürkuş, Hürjet, and fifth-generation Kaan. Dassault Aviation, which is also understood to be participating in the programme with its Rafale, was not present at ADAS.
The PAF’s quest for an MRF has been long-running but in August the Department of National Defense (DND) reiterated its intention to purchase up to 40 aircraft in a programme worth up to about USD7 bn. The PAF is looking to augment its fleet of KAI FA-50PHs at a time of increasing tension with China.
Saab’s Gripen E/F mock-up was presented with a series of accessories and weapons including Diehl’s IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile (SRAAM), MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Diehl and Saab’s RBS15 Gungnir air-to-surface missile, and Mauser’s BK-27 cannon. The mock-up also displayed an external drop tank.
Speaking to Janes at ADAS 2024, a Saab spokesperson said the DND’s process to acquire a new MRF remained “ongoing”, confirming the company is ready to deliver “as soon as required”. (Source: Janes)
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