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11 Feb 25. Additive Manufacturing Brings Money-Saving Innovations to Life at NUWC Keyport. Additive manufacturing has been a game-changer in helping to create parts and equipment for DOD’s industrial base. A naval facility in Washington state has become a leader in implementing additive manufacturing and repair technologies using various processes and materials to quickly create much-needed parts for submarines and ships.
One of the many industrial buildings at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, in Washington, is the Manufacturing, Automation, Repair and Integration Networking Area Center, a large development center housing various additive manufacturing systems.
“Imagine one of our partners coming in here and wanting to modify their vehicle with a mission-optimized propeller or mast,” said Bryce Weber, the technology manager of the Rapid Prototyping and Fabrication Technology Division. “We can use our industrial additive manufacturing technologies in a sandbox environment to make those modifications, iterate and field them.”
Various Navy components, supply organizations and collaborative research and development partners have requested the shop make items ranging from testing devices and training aides to designs that aid production work at naval shipyards and depots for torpedo, UUV and submarine programs. If a ship needs a quick repair — an emergency piece of equipment or an obsolete part, for example — the division’s engineers have the tools and talent to develop a solution and produce the necessary parts, helping to return that ship to service faster.
Some of the MARINA Center’s AM technologies use polymer-based materials to produce components that meet the demanding application requirements of underwater ranges, naval industrial areas and tactical systems. Less critical tools and hardware that are used onboard ships and submarines can be printed using various thermoplastic materials.
Powder bed fusion 3D printers that can print polymers and metals use a heat source to fuse powders into solid objects, layer by layer. The center’s metal laser PDF system primarily prints stainless steel and nickel-based alloys to field metal parts. Weber said it’s ensuring these parts are compatible with welding and non-destructive testing associated with submarines and ships.
There’s also a polymer-based powder bed fusion printer that uses a chemical reaction instead of lasers.
“It’s a liquid agent that’s jetted down onto the top of the powder surface,” Weber said. “Then, infrared light provides the energy, and it cures and builds the polymer chains down into the part. It’s very fast, and we can make parts quickly.”
Once the machine has finished building, engineers move the pieces to a post-processing station, where they pull the parts from the loose powder, similar to a fossil dig. The leftover power can then be used again.
“That’s the nice thing about this technology. You can mix customer parts and orders or parts of wildly different geometries together in the same job and build them together,” Weber said.
So, how do they know what they’ve printed will hold up and be safe? Division technicians work alongside engineering and design agents, system owners and technical authority teams to evaluate the parts based on their material specifications and performance requirements.
“A lot of times, people get very excited about something like 3D printing and want to just use what they have access to rather than the best option,” Weber said. “Our talented team has diverse manufacturing experience and is really good at providing the best-fit solution that meets applied engineering requirements, whether it be a technology like additive manufacturing or even a conventional one, or a merger of the two.”
The team is also leveraging its long-standing expertise in advanced repair technologies, such as laser cladding, which is used for surface restoration repairs on metal parts, and laser ablation, which removes coatings and corrosion from part surfaces.
“In this case, we’re even using laser ablation as a new technique to strip the polyurethane off a torpedo component,” Weber said.
Easier Access for the Forward-Deployed
The MARINA facility doesn’t mass-produce items; it’s more of a relief valve to produce maintenance hardware to get assets back to the fleet or maintainer faster.
Moving forward, the center could develop successful AM designs and upload the digital specifications to a repository. Forward-deployed naval vessels and bases that have additive manufacturing maintenance tools can then download the technical data package to make emergency parts. Various programs, such as Naval Sea System Command’s AFLOAT additive manufacturing program, are working to more widely deploy 3D printing equipment onto surface ships or to shore-based facilities to create what Weber described as a “shop in a box.”
Since 2002, Keyport has produced tens of thousands of additive-manufacturing parts for a wide range of applications. The division works closely with the Naval Systems Engineering and Logistics Directorate’s Technology Office on specifications for any parts it makes.
Weber’s team also develops robotics solutions that can repair submarine equipment and parts at the point of need. This allows submarine crews and maintenance personnel to do repairs themselves, cutting weeks off critical path maintenance.
“We are filling a niche of designing, integrating, deploying and supporting custom repair systems that don’t have strong profit models for industry but have major readiness implications for the fleet,” Weber said, explaining that most industries are interested in mass manufacturing items. “This work is saving a huge amount of time and funding.”
Teamwork: Helping Innovate From Within
The MARINA center also houses the Keyport Innovation Center, a collaborative space where anyone at NUWC Keyport or with DOD credentials can learn new additive manufacturing skills and create prototypes using commercial, off-the-shelf technology. The KIC is the place to go for anyone looking to quickly turn a concept into reality.
“We’re trying to break down the silos between departments because a lot of departments are doing similar things, but nobody talks to each other,” said Warren Penny, a computer engineer who helps run the KIC, which was set up about two years ago and runs on Naval Innovative Science and Engineering funding.
Keyport’s engineers can test out designs using several resources, helping to reduce costs and increase the speed of prototyping for direct-funded work. The KIC’s popularity has led to many repeat customers.
“We do 3D scanning, 3D modeling and 3D printing,” said Army Sgt. Justin Jones, who works at the KIC as part of the Personnel Force Innovation initiative. “Basically, you can go through the full steps of reverse engineering a component and remanufacturing.”
Penny explained how DOD benefits from the process using circuit board obsolescence as an example.
“The Navy and other armed forces have a really big problem with obsolescence. A lot of our stuff is really old,” he said. “Unfortunately, the companies that have produced our circuit boards either don’t make them anymore or have gone out of business, so we can’t buy more parts.”
However, they can use a new Scan CAD system to take high-resolution images of the layers of those circuit boards and pair them with other data to build a file to reverse engineer the board. Penny said it saves both money and time.
“It’s the same board — we’re just learning how to build it,” he said. Soldering equipment for designing and prototyping circuit boards is available, too, he added.
The KIC also has modeling and simulation computers, as well as training classes for engineering software tools such as MATLAB, Solid Edge, SolidWorks and Ansys. One example of their use came when engineers had concerns about area earthquake activity. Using those computers, Keyport’s Test and Evaluation Department collaborated with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to model seismic anomaly activity to determine what kind of damage a large earthquake would do to their assets, Penny said.
The KIC’s 3D printing area includes seven fused deposition modeling printers, which Penny described as “like a glorified hot glue gun.”
“It takes rolls of plastic … and we feed it a code, and it’ll just run layer by layer. It’ll draw it out with the plastic, the first layer, and then it’ll build it up,” he explained. There’s also a stereolithography, or SLA, printer that uses UV-cured liquid resin, which makes much thinner layer lines and creates parts with extremely high detail.
Penny said workers from the Undersea Systems and Sustainment Engineering Department, known as Code 40, came in looking for a way to repair tow-behind cables. Usually, when the cables decayed or broke, replacements cost between $15,000 and $20,000 each. The KIC helped them develop a 3D-printed plastic mold to repair them instead.
“They were able to patch together the wiring and then put it in the mold and inject an epoxy resin into it. That goes through a curing process, and it worked out perfectly. It costs them maybe $2,500 $5,000,” Penny said. “Their costs savings is astronomical. That’s one of the things that we like to showcase — that we’re helping the Navy save money.”
The KIC also has a 60-watt fiber Fusion Galvo laser engraver for metal that can cut through steel. Jones said it’s used for nameplate labeling, colorizing and embedding data via barcodes and QR codes onto equipment, such as torpedo shells. A similar Gantry laser can cut and engrave various other materials in a larger build space.
Penny explained one success story in which someone from Code 40 used the Epilog Fusion M2Co2 Gantry laser to cut gaskets that originally had to be cut by hand with scissors — a long process with a 60-70% success rate.
” worked with one of their engineers and brought them in here, and they digitized the template and were able to cut them out in about five to 10 seconds, with 100% accuracy every time,” Penny said.
Since then, that department has purchased its own laser engraver for future use.
“What we do here reduces so much costs,” Jones said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
12 Feb 25. Indian Navy Selects NewSpace for Unmanned Wingman. In what is easily the most significant deal between the Indian military and a local startup company, the Indian Navy has selected Bengaluru-based startup NewSpace Research & Technologies (NRT) to develop its Naval Collaborative Combat Air Vehicle (N-CCAV), an unmanned aircraft that will operate collaboratively with the navy’s MiG-29K and future Rafale-M fighter aircraft. The N-CCAV is to be based on NRT’s Abhimanyu collaborative combat aircraft/loyal wingman concept. The contract includes a minimum purchase quantity (MPQ) for a specified number of systems that the Indian Navy has committed to procuring once the platform is ready. Development of the Abhimanyu lightweight jet-powered N-CCAV has begun at NRT. Livefist can confirm that NRT was chosen by the Indian Navy under the Indian MoD’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), a scheme launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 aimed at harnessing leading edge private sector R&D to deliver focused advanced technologies to the Indian military. NRT was chosen from a group of Indian private sector contenders. The Abhimanyu, a low-RCS (radar cross section) design, is expected to be a smaller and lighter platform compared to HAL’s Warrior, with a mandate to deliver manned-unmanned teaming missions with the Indian Navy’s combat aircraft. The two separate CCA developments will consolidate in the future, with Warrior for the IAF and Abhimanyu for the Indian Navy. It must be said, however, that while the Abhimanyu has the Indian Navy’s backing in the form of the contract that will be announced on Feb 10, the IAF is yet to throw its full weight behind HAL’s CATS Warrior. The Indian military’s selection of these uncrewed platforms is comparable to the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program that envisions a similar drone wingman. In April 2024, the USAF chose General Atomics and Anduril Industries to present their contending platforms for a final selection to be made by 2026. The NRT Abhimanyu is being designed with modular architecture, making it adaptable for multiple roles, including surveillance, electronic warfare, and strike missions. Documents reviewed by Livefist suggest that NRT is developing the N-CCAV to be both cost-effective and expendable, with an emphasis on rapid production. This approach would enable the Indian Navy—and potentially other operators—to deploy the system in large numbers, complementing both current and future fighter fleets. Project literature also highlights that these interconnected platforms can function as sensors, effectors, and command-and-control nodes, facilitating agile decision-making within a flexible, scalable operational framework. This structure is intended to seamlessly integrate emerging platforms, technologies, and operational concepts in the future.
“Unmanned wingmen and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) are not intended to replace manned fighter jets but to serve as strategic force multipliers. These systems can help the Indian Air Force and Navy address squadron shortages, modernize operations cost-effectively, and strengthen defenses against peer adversaries like China.” said an officer familiar with the agreement, emphasising that prioritising indigenous programs such as Warrior and Abhimanyu would drive AI innovation, enhance air combat capabilities, and enable India to close its capability gap while establishing itself as a leader in autonomous military technology.
A half-scale replica of the Abhimanyu N-CCAV was on display at Aero India 2025, where the Indian Navy and NewSpace are expected to announce the deal. (Source: UAS VISION/Livefist)
11 Feb 25. Aero India 2025: AMCA design undergoes further tweak due to additional testing. India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will undergo yet another critical design review (CDR), after enhanced stress/load testing determined that the design required additional tweaks, according to a project official. Speaking to Janes during Aero India 2025, held from 10 to 14 February, the project official – a member of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) – specified that initial stress/load tests were conducted with 90% of the projected load, as per the agency’s methodology. However, the official added that the agency management has since issued instructions to ensure that the airframe and structure of the planned aircraft is capable of supporting 100% of the required loads. Janes understands that the stress/load testing is being conducted using the finite element method (FEM), a numerical technique used to solve complex differential equations in engineering and science by dividing a problem domain into smaller, simpler finite elements. As the AMCA is due to incorporate additional design changes to accommodate the latest findings, a CDR is required to freeze the design of the aircraft, the official said. ADA plans to complete the review in April 2025, the official added. Metal-cutting activities will be conducted later in 2025, Janes understands. Programme officials had intended to start metal-cutting activities in 2024, following the Indian government’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval of the project in March 2024. The CCS approval allowed funding of up to INR150trn (USD1.7bn) to be disbursed to the programme. (Source: Janes)
10 Feb 25. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has introduced AMORPHOUS™, its new software that features a single user interface to operate thousands of autonomous assets simultaneously. Designed with an open architecture, this software enables the United States and allied militaries to control a mix of uncrewed platforms, payloads and systems, even if another manufacturer produces them. AMORPHOUS, which stands for Autonomous Multi-domain Operations Resiliency Platform for Heterogeneous Unmanned Swarms, includes an intuitive and distributed command-and-control interface to give operators the flexibility to conduct a wider array of intricate military missions. This collaborative autonomy at scale will provide warfighters with a decisive overmatch capability.
“Autonomy is a force multiplier, which is why we have designed AMORPHOUS as a multi-domain, multi-mission capability that rapidly integrates a variety of uncrewed systems across the battlespace,” said Jon Rambeau, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. “This project also highlights L3Harris’ partnerships with venture-backed and non-traditional companies to mature emerging defense capabilities more quickly and affordably.”
L3Harris is currently developing prototypes using the AMORPHOUS architecture on contracts for the U.S. Army and the Defense Innovation Unit. AMORPHOUS has demonstrated its flexibility and interoperability by controlling multiple separate assets across multiple vehicle types operating in different domains during government-managed tests. AMORPHOUS supports decentralized decision-making, which enables individual uncrewed assets to perform their own tasks autonomously and make real-time tactical decisions inside the network. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
11 Feb 25. Boom Supersonic Announces Boomless Cruise. XB-1 test plane demonstrated supersonic flight with no audible sonic boom. Boomless Cruise enables flights up to 50% faster over land and 2X faster over water on Overture supersonic airliner. Boom Supersonic, the company building the world’s fastest airliner, Overture, today announced Boomless Cruise for its supersonic airliner, enabling supersonic travel over land without an audible sonic boom. During its historic first supersonic flight on January 28, 2025, Boom’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, broke the sound barrier three times without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground, demonstrating that quiet supersonic travel is possible. Boomless Cruise is based on well-established physics known as Mach cutoff, in which a sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground. This effect is achieved by breaking the sound barrier at a high enough altitude, with exact speeds varying based on atmospheric conditions.
“XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times during its first supersonic flight—without an audible boom,” said Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “This confirms what we’ve long believed: supersonic travel can be affordable, sustainable, and friendly to those onboard and on the ground. With this success, we’re bringing Boomless Cruise to Overture, unlocking faster travel on even more routes.”
Specialized microphone arrays placed in strategic locations under the flight path confirmed that sonic booms did not reach the ground as XB-1 flew at a top speed of Mach 1.12. The data collected during XB-1’s multiple supersonic runs allowed Boom to validate sonic boom models and improve the algorithms that predict operating in Mach cutoff.
This data shows that supersonic flight without the disturbance of a sonic boom is possible—opening the door to supersonic travel over land onboard Boom’s supersonic airliner, Overture.
Boomless Cruise enables Overture to fly at speeds up to Mach 1.3 without an audible boom, reducing U.S. coast-to-coast flight times by up to 90 minutes. International routes with overland segments can also benefit from increased speeds.
In order to operate within today’s regulations, Boom planned to operate Overture at Mach 0.94 over land—approximately 20% faster than today’s subsonic jets—only breaking the sound barrier over water, where it would speed up to Mach 1.7, or twice as fast. The data collected from XB-1’s supersonic flight establishes the possibility of Overture traveling up to 50% faster than today’s jets over land without an audible boom.
Boomless Cruise on Overture is enabled by Symphony, its purpose-built propulsion system. Unlike other commercial engines, Symphony’s enhanced transonic thrust enables Overture to break the sound barrier well above 30,000ft—high enough for Mach cutoff physics to work. Boomless Cruise is also enabled by Overture’s advanced autopilot, which automatically selects the highest quiet speed under real-time conditions.
Boom expects to produce thrust during fully-operational engine core tests for Symphony by the end of 2025. Engine core testing will analyze performance of the compressor, combustor, and turbine section. Data gathered will further refine engineering and expedite production of a fully certified engine.
Overture has an order book of 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines, representing the first five years of production. In 2024, Boom completed construction on the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, which will scale to produce 66 Overture aircraft per year. Optimized for speed, safety, and sustainability, Overture and its bespoke propulsion system, Symphony, are designed to run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). (Source: ASD Network)
10 Feb 25. IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in the quantum computing and networking industry, and General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics, announced a partnership to bring the power of quantum computing to government and defense sectors.
IonQ and GDIT are partnering to combine GDIT’s deep technical and government agency mission expertise with IonQ’s pioneering quantum technology. Together, the companies will co-develop and market advanced quantum processing and networking applications to address high-impact use cases, including quantum AI extensions, resource optimization, and anomaly detection. This collaboration aims to deliver transformative capabilities for federal, and state governments, meeting critical challenges with cutting-edge solutions.
“Quantum computing represents a transformative opportunity for our government clients to solve previously impossible challenges,” said Ben Gianni, senior vice president and chief technology office at GDIT. “This expanded partnership will enable us to harness the next generation of computational power to deliver innovative solutions that address critical mission needs.”
“By partnering with GDIT, we will accelerate quantum computing adoption in the government, continuing IonQ’s consistent market growth,” said Rima Alameddine, IonQ’s Chief Revenue Officer. “This collaboration marks a significant step in delivering quantum solutions that address critical challenges faced by government agencies. It allows us to leverage our combined capabilities to introduce quantum computing to government and defense sectors, supporting high-priority projects. We are excited to work closely with and learn from the experts at GDIT.”
Earlier this year, IonQ and GDIT partnered with a major intelligence agency to advance its quantum readiness. The two companies leveraged quantum and AI technologies to enhance the agency’s data analysis and mission capabilities. Today’s news builds on IonQ’s ongoing work in the federal sector, advancing its efforts to integrate quantum networks into future operations. Most recently, IonQ announced a new $54.5 m contract with existing customer U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), which marked the largest 2024 quantum contract award in the U.S. IonQ also won a $5.7 m contract for a first-of-its-kind, multi-node, blind quantum computing system initiative for the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
07 Feb 25. DARPA continues quest to validate quantum computing utility. After a yearlong technical review, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said Thursday it will advance designs from Microsoft and California-based PsiQuantum to the next phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. Through the program, DARPA wants to understand whether it’s possible to develop a utility-scale quantum computing system — which means that its computational value is greater than its cost — by 2033. To do this, the agency is not only investing in companies’ research, but it’s also helping to verify and validate their plans and share the results of their work with the broader U.S. government. Known as QBI, the effort builds on previous work under the agency’s Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing, or US2QC. Both Microsoft and PsiQuantum have moved through a rigorous slate of technical analysis conducted by a team of more than 50 industry, government and scientific experts. The next, and final, phase of the effort will focus on full-system performance to validate whether their concepts can be built and operated as expected.
“Now, we’re ready to evaluate their final utility-scale system designs, conduct government testing of components and hardware, and assess system-level performance capabilities of major prototypes,” Joe Alpeter, DARPA’s QBI program manager, said in a statement.
Quantum computers can process data at much faster rates than a standard computer. For the military, more processing power means faster automation, improved target recognition and more precise, lethal weapons. It also raises concerns around cybersecurity, as an adversary could use quantum computers to decrypt classified information or disrupt communication networks. Pentagon must act now on quantum computing or be eclipsed by rivals Through US2QC and the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, DARPA hopes to better understand the possibilities of quantum computing. Microsoft and PsiQuantum are taking different approaches to their designs, but the agency noted that the two companies are not in competition. Rather, DARPA wants to fund as many viable projects as it can and plans to choose more companies to participate in QBI this spring. PsiQuantum, which was founded in 2015 with the goal of building and deploying “the first useful quantum computers,” will break ground on two quantum data centers in Australia and Chicago in the coming months.
“We must keep our foot on the accelerator and commit all attention and resources towards the path to scaling and unlocking this technology and its real-world impact across the United States’ most critical industries,” PsiQuantum’s CEO Jeremy O’Brien said in a statement this week. (Source: Defense News)
07 Feb 25. AURA Network Systems Awarded FAA Contract to Enhance UAS Integration in National Airspace. The Northern Plains UAS Test Site will support AURA Network Systems’ recently announced contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. AURA, a supplier of secure and reliable communications solutions for the aviation industry, received a FAA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract to demonstrate and validate technologies in support of the safe integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System (NAS).
“We are honoured to be selected by the FAA for this crucial project,” said Kevin Steen, Chief Executive Officer of AURA. “Our innovative communications solutions, built on our licensed spectrum, are designed to ensure the highest levels of safety, security, and reliability for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. This project will allow us to further demonstrate our capabilities, particularly in providing a voice relay that enables a remote pilot of an uncrewed aircraft to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC) as if onboard the aircraft, a critical factor for safe and effective airspace integration.”
Steen explained that the project includes qualitative and quantitative measurements of voice quality, intelligibility, and end-to-end latency, showcasing AURA’s unique ability to meet the voice latency requirements of RTCA. The air transportation industry’s independent Standards Development Organization works with the FAA to develop comprehensive, industry-vetted recommendations for technical performance standards and the operating environment for those standards. Command-and-Control Communications Service Providers (C2CSPs) like AURA must meet extremely low-latency metrics to ensure air traffic controllers can communicate clearly with remote pilots on the ground, minimizing the risk of communication delays or overlaps.
“Our network is specifically designed to provide C2 and voice services, leveraging aviation-dedicated frequencies to ultimately enable UAS to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS),” noted Steen. “Our integrated solution of both the data pipe and the voice relay offers a significant advantage in meeting RTCA’s stringent voice latency requirements. This award represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to support the entire aviation ecosystem while enhancing airspace management.”
The NPUASTS will work closely with AURA as the UAS will be using the Test Site’s Nationwide Certificate of Authorization to demonstrate the company’s voice capabilities within the project. AURA’s mission includes qualitative and quantitative measurements of voice quality, intelligibility, and end-to-end latency, showcasing AURA’s unique ability to meet the voice latency requirements of RTCA DO-377B. Flights are planned in Mayville, ND, approximately 40 miles south of Grand Forks Air Force Base.
“Our partnership with AURA is a vital step in advancing UAS technologies,” said Trevor Woods, Executive Director of NPUASTS. “Its innovative communications solutions are pivotal for the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace. We look forward to collaborating on this important project to enhance airspace operations and ensure safer skies.”
AURA will provide a voice relay that enables a remote pilot of an unmanned aircraft to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC) as if onboard the aircraft, a critical factor for safe and effective airspace integration. Its network is designed to provide command-and-control and voice services, leveraging aviation-dedicated frequencies to enable beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) UAS flight. The NPUASTS supports UAS flight testing, including BVLOS flights, and offers access to facilities and assets throughout North Dakota.
“Our work with NPUASTS offers unparalleled opportunities to test and refine our communications solutions in a controlled yet expansive FAA-designated test environment,” said Kevin Steen, Chief Executive Officer of AURA. “We are eager to demonstrate how our technology can support the broader commercialization and safe operation of UAS across the nation.” (Source: UAS VISION/ Aura; Northern Plains UAS Test Site)
06 Feb 25. Google drops AI ban on weapons. The updated principles no longer include language about avoiding technologies that might cause harm. Google owner Alphabet has revised its policy on the use of AI technology in the developing military hardware and surveillance systems. This change marks a significant departure from the company’s previous stance, which prohibited the application of AI in such contexts. The updated principles no longer include language about avoiding technologies that might cause harm. Google AI division head Demis Hassabis stated that the company’s policies are evolving to meet the demands of a changing global landscape, with a renewed focus on national security.
Hassabis and technology and society senior vice-president James Manyika wrote in a blog post: “There’s a global competition taking place for AI leadership within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights. And we believe that companies, governments, and organisations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.”
The initial AI principles were established by Google in 2018 in response to internal protests over its involvement in Project Maven, a US Department of Defense initiative that explored AI’s potential to improve the precision of drone strikes. The controversy led to employee resignations and widespread petitioning within the company, prompting Google to withdraw from the project. In response to the backlash, Google decided not to renew its contract with the Pentagon. The revised guidelines emphasise the importance of human oversight, adherence to international laws and human rights, and thorough testing of AI to prevent unintended negative consequences.
The blog post further stated: “As we move forward, we believe that the improvements we’ve made over the last year to our governance and other processes, our new Frontier Safety Framework, and our AI Principles position us well for the next phase of AI transformation.
“The opportunity of AI to assist and improve the lives of people around the world is what ultimately drives us in this work, and we will continue to pursue our bold, responsible, and collaborative approach to AI.”
A GlobalData survey, the Thematic Intelligence: Tech Sentiment Polls Q4 2023, revealed that businesses consider AI to be a disruptive technology, with 78% of respondents anticipating disruption and 54% already feeling its impact.
The change has been described as “incredibly concerning” by Human Rights Watch as cited by BBC.
Human Rights Watch senior AI researcher Anna Bacciarelli was quoted as saying: “For a global industry leader to abandon red lines it set for itself signals a concerning shift, at a time when we need responsible leadership in AI more than ever.” (Source: army-technology.com)
07 Feb 25. Elma Electronic has enhanced its line of SOSA aligned backplanes to include a 7-slot 3U OpenVPX model that further supports the DOD’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) mandate.
Complete with six VITA 65 slots and one VITA 62 PSU slot, the new backplane helps facilitate the development of a common architecture across critical C5ISR and EW systems. Specific application functions include mission, weapons or navigation control, surveillance, as well as threat detection and processes or environmental monitoring.
For CMOSS and RF applications, the new backplane features three payload slots and PNT support across all slots. All control and data plane links are designed for 25 Gbps data rates for high-speed signaling on all data paths and support dual domain Ethernet up to 100GBASE-KR4.
The full featured backplane offers cutting edge VITA 67.3 interconnect technology, with VITA 66 and VITA 67 connector modules installed in the backplane apertures upon request.
Support for a number of critical features including a radial slot card for precision timing and synchronization, VITA 48.2 2-Level Maintenance (2LM) and VITA 62 PSU isolation fins for high altitude applications are available on this 6+1 backplane.
08 Feb 25. China’s Researchers Reportedly Discover New Way to Detect Even the Stealthiest Submarines. Chinese researchers have reportedly made significant progress in developing a new submarine detection system, which could reduce the effectiveness of stealth technology in modern naval warfare. The technology does not rely on traditional sonar but instead captures low-frequency electromagnetic (EM) waves generated by a submarine’s propellers.
Scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University reportedly tested this system in the South China Sea, where they claim it successfully detected signals that would otherwise go unnoticed using conventional methods.
Unlike sound waves, which weaken quickly in seawater, EM waves penetrate the seabed and travel farther, allowing for detection over greater distances. The detection device, described as being similar in size to a pickup truck, reportedly identified faint signals from submerged vessels during deep-sea trials. If fully developed, the method could hypothetically challenge the stealth capabilities of advanced submarines, including those used by the United States and its allies, according to the South China Morning Post.
In addition to electromagnetic tracking, Chinese scientists have allegedly explored another approach that focuses on magnetic wake signatures, disturbances left behind as a submarine moves through the ocean.
Research conducted at Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xian analyzed how submarines create subtle interactions with Earth’s magnetic field. Their findings suggest that even the most advanced submarines generate detectable magnetic disturbances, making it possible to identify their presence despite efforts to remain hidden.
By studying the Kelvin wake, a distinctive wave pattern produced by submarines as they cut through the water, researchers determined that several factors influence the strength of a vessel’s magnetic signature. A slight increase in speed can amplify the magnetic intensity tenfold, while reducing the submarine’s depth by just a few meters can double the signal’s strength.
One of the primary concerns raised by this research is the potential impact on the U.S. Seawolf-class submarines, which are considered among the most advanced in stealth technology. These submarines were designed to operate undetected by using anechoic tiles to absorb sonar waves and shock-absorbing floating raft systems to minimize onboard noise. Additionally, their deep-diving capabilities, reaching depths of approximately 600 meters, make them more difficult to track using conventional methods.
However, the latest Chinese research suggests that these submarines may no longer be as invisible as previously believed. If magnetic wake tracking and EM wave detection are successfully integrated into operational systems, Seawolf-class submarines could be at greater risk of detection in contested waters such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Previous attempts to track submarines using electromagnetic signals had a limited range of just over 1.5 miles. However, Chinese researchers claim that recent technological advancements could extend this detection range beyond 31 miles. Chinese Scientists proposed deploying a network of high-precision sensors across a wide area to track subtle submarine signals. These sensors would need to be synchronized with extreme precision—within a bnth of a second—to ensure accurate data collection. (Source: https://www.sofx.com/)
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https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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