Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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01 Sep 22. Paper charts scrapped for Royal Navy after 225 years.
The CEO of the UK Hydrographic Office told Forces News the charts will become digital to reflect mariners’ needs.
After more than 200 years, the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is phasing out its paper charts.
At the time the UKHO was set up, the Royal Navy was losing more ships to navigational problems than enemy action – with the office providing paper charts for situational awareness.
UKHO CEO Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Sparkes told Forces News mariners “need to know where they are, not where they were – which is what a paper chart tells you”.
“None of us have paper charts in our cars anymore, none of us have a road atlas, so what we’re reflecting is what our users need.
“And our users need that precision navigation provided by digital products.”
The UKHO is constantly putting out information for mariners and its Chief Data Officer says the digital charts will be updated digitally with any changes in information.
Wing Commander (Ret’d) Dave Tomaney said this information can then be downloaded by those who need it and it is “automatically created on the chart that they already have on their bridge”.
He added the goal is to reduce the amount of time between when something happens and the point a mariner is able to know about it.
“We want to move that from weeks and days to hours and minutes.”
(Source: forces.net)
01 Sep 22. Nidec Signs Joint Venture Agreement with Norwegian Semi-Solid Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturer FREYR Battery.
The joint venture agreement includes development, manufacturing and sale of integrated, low carbon ESS solutions to industrial and utility grade customers, contributing to the promotion of renewable energy and the realization of a decarbonized society.
On the 30th of August in Kyoto (Japan) Nidec Corporation (“Nidec”), the world’s largest small precision motor manufacturer in the automotive, the industrial, and the appliance sectors, signed a joint venture agreement with FREYR Battery Norway AS (“FREYR”), a Norwegian company with innovative semi-solid lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology in terms of quality and manufacturing process, exclusively using clean renewable hydroelectric power locally available.
The joint venture company’s shareholders will be Nidec 66.7% and FREYR 33.3%, while the headquarters will be based in Oslo, Norway.
Nidec’s Battery Energy Storage Solutions (“BESS”) provide services to the grid that enable accelerated adoption of renewable power generation which contributes to the realization of a carbon-zero society. FREYR will manufacture eco-friendly semi-solid lithium-ion batteries using 100% renewable energy through a dedicated Power Purchase Agreement with Statkraft (Europe’s largest renewable energy producer) based on 100% hydroelectric power. The partnership with FREYR will ensure a stable procurement of competitive and clean semi-solid lithium-ion batteries for Nidec’s BESS solutions. This will help to reduce CO2 emissions significantly throughout the entire process from the battery manufacturing process to the use of our BESS solution by customers..
As a result of the joint venture, Nidec will develop, manufacture and sell highly competitive and low CO2 Battery modules and Battery pack solutions for industrial and utility grade battery energy storage systems applications.
As part of the agreement, FREYR will supply 38 GWh of cells to the joint venture company from 2025 to 2030 with an option to upsize the volumes to 50 GWh in the period and potential additional volumes beyond 2030.
The objective of the alliance is to jointly create a global leading provider of utility scale battery energy storage products drawing on FREYR’s innovative, low-carbon battery technology and Nidec’s leading position in utility scale energy storage systems.
“Through this strategic alliance, we will provide innovative storage battery and power management technologies to the world, thereby contributing to the promotion of renewable energy and the realization of a decarbonized society. Moreover, by concluding this joint venture agreement, Nidec will strengthen strategic partnership with FREYR and aim to further expand the BESS solution business in the future.” – said Laurent Demortier, President Nidec, Energy & Infrastructure Division.
The BESS market, which offers more effective usage of renewable energy sources, is becoming increasingly important in the efforts toward realizing a decarbonized society. Nidec is one of the leading technology solution providers in the global BESS market with 1.3 GW of BESS installed at 121 energy storage projects in 21 countries globally including Europe, South America, and Africa. In March 2022, Nidec got an order of 129.8 MW BESS in Scotland, UK. Nidec expects strong growth for its BESS business and plans to increase its presence in EMEA and expand into North America and China.
FREYR is currently building its first Gigafactory in Norway, which is planned to start production from 2024 and reach a nameplate capacity of 29 GWh. FREYR is targeting more than 200 GWh installed annual production by 2030. FREYR’s semi-solid lithium-ion battery offers unique safety features compared to conventional lithium-ion battery, and is highly durable, attracting attention from various companies as next-generation batteries. The government of Norway has positioned FREYR as an essential company for its national battery strategy.
Nidec has set the medium-term strategic goal, Vision 2025, and targets carbon neutrality by 2040. In particular, Nidec will contribute to decarbonization by using its products and reduce CO2 emissions from business activities. This agreement will contribute to both. Nidec will continue to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society through proactive investment in environmental measures.
01 Sep 22. LDRA Advances ‘Shift Left’ Strategy with Amazon Web Services Integration. Integration enables aviation and defense entities to build software on the cloud-hosted development platform using security best practices from the start
LDRA, the leader in standards compliance, automated software verification, software code analysis, and test tools, today announced integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help small- and medium-sized organizations more efficiently deploy security into the earliest stages of software development.
AWS is a cloud-hosted development and deployment solution that offers more than 200 fully featured services from global data centers. Ms of customers, including startups, large enterprises and leading government agencies, develop with AWS to lower cost, become more agile and innovate faster. The LDRA tool suite adds testing to the AWS cloud pipeline to more efficiently assess an operation, a file or groups of operations/files while also helping focus. The integration of LDRA tools to AWS’ existing testing tools improves software robustness, enhances security and delivers faster time to market.
“With advanced cloud-development platforms like AWS, even the smallest organization can build software that is high quality, safe and secure without the need for expensive servers and infrastructure,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “Couple AWS with an analysis and testing tool like our tool suite, and they can easily test and analyze the software for any security holes so they can be fixed long before they get to market.”
Startups, Enterprises, Government Agencies Benefit from Cloud-based DevSecOps
This LDRA/AWS integration, a model for integration in public and private clouds, brings development, security and operations together to improve efficiencies and automation from the start. Using the LDRA tool suite with AWS lets them execute security tests more efficiently across one or many tasks in parallel. This is especially critical for organizations where security is critical, including a large US-hosted defense contractor who recently moved to AWS for Defense.
“As we see customers transition their traditional infrastructure to AWS and AWS for Defense, LDRA’s ability to interoperated in a cloud environment has become increasingly important,” Hennell added. “Our tool suite can run in traditional AWS, AWS GovCloud and AWS GovCloud with ITAR restrictions, helping customers meet their security needs regardless of which version of the AWS they’ve deployed.”
LDRA tool suite supports multiple on-premises, cloud-hosted deployment options
In addition to AWS, the LDRA tool suite supports other on-premises and cloud-hosted deployment options such as Wind River Studio and Azure DevOps platforms to support environment hardening and simplifying achieving security at scale. Deployment options include hardened “Zero Trust” environments that rely on always available “known good” containers, eliminating systemic vulnerabilities.
Additional information about how LDRA helps software development teams build safety into their critical applications is available at https://www.ldra.com.
31 Aug 22. Mercury introduces rugged data storage system that enables faster access and exploitation of big data at the edge with reduced sustainment costs. Data center-class all-flash network-attached storage system for mission-critical AI and machine learning applications.
Mercury Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a leader in trusted, secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, today announced the new Rugged Data Storage (RDS) system. The data center-class, all-flash network-attached storage (NAS) system is ruggedized for mission-critical aerospace, defense, and commercial edge applications and is designed for low-latency, scalability, and security. Developed in collaboration with VAST Data Federal, RDS changes the paradigm for enterprise storage with a universal, single-tier flash cloud for all types of data that eliminates bottlenecks and complex storage tiering traditionally done with hard disk drives and other media.
The proliferation of sensors like radar and image capture have resulted in an explosion of data that is difficult to store, access, or analyze in real-time on conventional hard disk or flash drives. RDS’s universal data storage approach enables fast, secure access to big data and AI and machine learning-powered exploitation at the edge, so users can make critical decisions quickly.
RDS utilizes commercial flash technology coupled with unique software algorithms from VAST Data to extend write endurance to 10+ years, as well as reduce disk space requirements via innovative data reduction and compression capabilities that lower total cost of ownership for Mercury customers. Optimized for size, weight, and power-constrained rugged environments such as aircraft, ships, ground radar stations, and industrial applications, Mercury’s RDS system improves performance, ease of serviceability, and data protection at the edge.
“Our new Rugged Data Storage system is purpose-built for mission-critical, extended operational environments,” said Dusty Kramer, Vice President, Mercury Edge. “This is the first ruggedized solution that puts scalable, multi-petabyte, all-flash data storage next to the data source for edge-based, real-time applications like advanced threat detection and sensor fusion, demonstrating our commitment to putting cutting-edge innovation in the hands of our customers.”
“We’re excited to extend our revolutionary Universal Storage software to Mercury’s innovative RDS system to allow military and aerospace users access to all their data at any time for real-time, mission-critical decisions,” said Randy Hayes, Vice President, Public Sector of VAST Data Federal. “These all-flash, network-attached storage solutions are a testament to our deep collaboration with Mercury and commitment to placing software at the heart of modern data infrastructure.”
Multi-Petabyte All-Flash Network-Attached Storage at the Edge
- Universal, single-tier flash cloud for all types of data with high-speed NVMe performance to eliminate bottlenecks and complex storage tiering
- DPU network acceleration, storage class memory, affordable hyperscale flash technology and VAST DATA software algorithms for fast access to big data, AI and ML insights over high-speed Ethernet
- More short-depth storage boxes (D-BOX), compute boxes (C-BOX) and/or network switch boxes can infinitely scale performance or storage capacity
- MIL-STD-810 ruggedization and integrated FIPS 140-2 security
Mercury envisions, creates and delivers innovative technology solutions purpose-built or off-the-shelf to meet their customers’ most pressing high-tech needs. For additional information or purchase inquiries, visit the Rugged Data Storage system product page, or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951 or .
30 Aug 22. Cubic Announces New Secure Data-at-Rest (SDAR) Server Solution. The innovative solution uses Cubic’s M3-SE-VSVR5-P server module and MEMKOR self-encrypting drives to deliver SDAR capabilities to the tactical edge. Cubic Mission and Performance Solution (CMPS), in collaboration with MEMKOR, have tested and validated the M3-SE-VSVR5-P hardware by demonstrating Secure Data-at-Rest (SDAR) using MEMKOR Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs).
“It has always been a challenge to achieve SDAR with the possibility of being disconnected from the enterprise network and centralized Key Management Server (KMS),” said Anthony Verna, senior vice president and general manager of Cubic Edge Compute & Networking Business Unit. “Now that SDAR is a new Department of Defense requirement, we are pleased with the Cubic partnership with MEMKOR, and our M3-SE-VSVR5-P product ensures the data is fully secured and encrypted. Cubic is the only Edge Compute and Networking manufacturer in the industry with a proven ability to achieve SDAR with a hyper-converged virtual infrastructure while being disconnected from the enterprise network.”
SDAR capabilities are often dependent on centralized KMSs to access secure data stored on field-deployed servers. Accessing the centralized KMS to decrypt data in the field requires additional communications equipment that increases deployment weight and the radio frequency footprint of the mission, which in turn adds to the risk of detection by the enemy.
In a first-to-market product, the M3-SE-VSVR5-P, combined with MEMKOR self-encrypting drives (SEDs), removes the need to communicate with the centralized KMS because keys are safely secured within the server. Data stored on the M3-SE-VSVR5-P is protected from unauthorized access or modification that result from theft, loss, or repurposing of drives.
The M3-SE-VSVR5-P high-powered computer platform, with 16 physical cores and up to 128 GB of RAM, is designed to support multiple virtual machines in a single small form factor module. An integrated enterprise-grade Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)controller servicing 10 bays of solid-state disc (SSD) drives means the M3-SE-VSVR5-P is compatible with commercially available hypervisors and hyper-converged solutions such as VMware ESXi and vSAN applications, as well as Redhat Linux. The platform known to provide unsurpassed virtual environment capabilities in a cost-effective modular solution will now deliver proven and secure data-at-rest capabilities.
To learn more, read our blog post entitled “Meeting DoD Secure Data-at-Rest Requirements at the Tactical Edge,” available here -https://www.mc2.cubic.com/blog/sdar (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
24 Aug 22. ASTRO America to Manage $95 M OTA from U.S. Army to Develop Additive and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies. ASTRO Brings AM Expert to Rock Island Arsenal to Manage OTA, Associated Projects, and Resulting Growth in the Quad Cities Region. Will Soon Announce Schedule of Workshops, Industry Days, and Funding Opportunities Available Through OTA. The Applied Science & Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO America) announced it will manage a $95 m Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to develop additive and advanced manufacturing technologies for the U.S. Army. ASTRO will carry out this work over a period of five years, to begin immediately, under the direction of the United States Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) on behalf of the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC).
Under the OTA, ASTRO will leverage the world’s largest 3D Printer located at the Rock Island Arsenal and the subsection tool AM machine located at Detroit Arsenal. ASTRO will utilize those machines to build prototype models based on material and process application and exploration, capability modeling, development, and implementation of Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Advanced Manufacturing (AdvM) specific to the development of large-scale components.
“ASTRO is honored to support the U.S. Army in its efforts to modernize manufacturing processes,” said Neal Orringer, CEO of ASTRO America. “We are especially pleased to do this work at Rock Island Arsenal, the Army’s own Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing, where we already have deep connections through our Jointless Hull Program.”
The company is pleased to announce hiring Ricardo Rodriguez as Principal Project Engineer to manage the OTA, associated projects, and resulting growth in the Quad Cities region. Rodriguez is an AM expert with extensive experience, coming to Rock Island from Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire, where he worked as a Principal Research Engineer.
Previously, Rodriguez worked as a guest researcher at the Army Research Lab for 3D Systems as part of the Open Campus initiative for 3D Systems Corporation; a contract research engineer focusing on early term R&D projects utilizing additive manufacturing systems for aerospace and defense applications for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory; and a research assistant for The University of Texas at El Paso.
“I like to think this is just the first of many new hires that we are going to see in the Quad Cities region as a result of this OTA,” Orringer said. “We see this as an opportunity to bring new investment to Rock Island – creating very skilled, high-tech jobs. All while helping the Army achieve its stated goal of modernizing its manufacturing processes.”
As ASTRO carries out this work, it will be focused on, not just the building of the world’s largest 3D metal printer, but also developing design case uses for the machine. To begin that process, ASTRO will soon announce a schedule of workshops, industry days, and funding opportunities available through the OTA.
“This OTA means ASTRO is open for business,” said Orringer. “Anyone and everyone, outside of GVSC, involved with advanced manufacturing might want to consider using this OTA to continue their research and development quickly and efficiently.”
About ASTRO America
The Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO America) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-partisan Research Institute and Think Tank. It was established in 2018 to advance the public interest through manufacturing technology and policy. Led by manufacturing professionals with broad public and private sector experience, ASTRO America supports collaborations by government agencies and companies to address supply chain challenges in highly regulated industries, including aerospace and defense.
Find out more: https://www.astroa.org/
30 Aug 22. GTR announces the establishment of a £1m cutting edge paint and finishing facility. Global Technologies Racing Ltd has announced the establishment of a brand new, state-of-the-art paint and finishing facility. Bespoke designed and built at a cost of over £1m, the new facility fully meets the exacting needs of the GTR group of companies and their global customers. The site is located in Littlehampton, UK, a few miles away from the group’s Fontwell head offices. GTR is very proud of the fact that within a few months of opening, the GTR paint and finishing facility has already achieved formal approval to supply “production line ready” components to two of the world’s leading supercar manufacturers. This enables GTR to not only design and build the exquisite composite components demanded by the supercar OEM’s, but they can now deliver directly to the client for immediate installation onto the production cars. Previously, the components would have been sent to other specialists for painting and finishing – a process that added unwanted time and cost for the customer. At the heart of the new paint and finishing facility is a Nova Verta downdraft oven booth which is extremely high specification and is broadly recognised as the very best in global paint booth technology. Capable of reaching temperatures of up to 90 degrees Celsius, the system is integrated with a bespoke calibrated data logging function to ensure that surface temperatures are recorded accurately. The booth is also fitted with programmable blowers for the drying of water-based paints. Alongside the booth sits a specialist preparation area which has full extraction sanding equipment, as well as an air-drying booth for the application of primers and UV paints alike.
The facility boasts a stand-alone polishing area with technical polishing equipment and high levels of specialist lighting. With regards to process, substantial emphasis has been put into the testing and inspection of hardness, thickness, adhesion and gloss levels with testing equipment that can be deployed on an individual basis or used in a batch process for volume production quality, test and validation purposes. The facility is fully certified to ISO 9000 standards as required by GTR’s prestigious high-end clients in motorsport, performance automotive, aerospace, defence, marine, medical and others. The site also incorporates the very latest features to minimise the environmental impact of paint and finishing operations. Sitting alongside this new facility, GTR’s established high-precision composite manufacturing capability is second to none. Selected to manufacture critical components by companies ranging from the world’s most high technology race car teams to critical medical equipment manufacturers, the skills, quality and attention to detail embedded into GTR’s processes are more than a match for precision sectors such as aerospace and defence. With over 250 highly skilled staff on-site, GTR’s production facilities include ten in-house autoclaves ranging in sizes up to 3m in diameter and 5.5m in length. This allows GTR to handle both micro components and larger vehicle sized assemblies alike. Simon Kingdon-Butcher, Co-founder, Owner and Director at GTR said: “the establishment of our new paint and finishing facility has been a significant investment for GTR, but we recognised that our customers demanded faster turnaround, the very best quality and increased efficiencies. Being able to meet the high standards required to deliver fully finished components directly to our clients’ production lines is a big step for us”. He added: “two of our premier supercar customers have already approved GTR as fully-finished production part supplier and having this new facility is opening up opportunities for some exciting one-off projects too – more news on that front to follow”.
30 Aug 22. DRS Delivers Advanced Electric Propulsion Equipment for Lead Columbia-Class Submarine. Leonardo DRS, Inc. (“DRS”) announced today that it has successfully completed factory acceptance testing and shipment of the first production unit of the main propulsion motor for the U.S. Navy’s new COLUMBIA Class submarine. The motor was recently shipped to General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) for integration into the lead ship of the class.
DRS was chosen by EB and the U.S. Navy to design and manufacture the major Columbia Electric Drive Propulsion system components including the main propulsion electric motor. All prototype components of this system successfully completed full power endurance and other testing at the Navy’s land-based test facility in 2020, where operational testing continues. In addition to the main propulsion motor, other lead ship components are being manufactured and are also preparing to ship to Electric Boat.
The Columbia class program goal is to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the U.S. Navy’s current force of Ohio class SSBNs. The Navy has identified the Columbia class program as its top priority program. The Columbia class submarines will be larger than the current class in terms of submerged displacement and will become the largest submarine ever built by the United States.
The DRS Naval Power Systems business was awarded contracts for the electric propulsion system components which included design, test, qualification, and production of the full-scale components for both a land-based test facility and first two ships of the class. Over the past several years, the Navy has completed successful land-based tests of DRS’ electric propulsion components. With significant testing completed, the program is transitioning to production with DRS presently manufacturing the components for the first two ships of the Columbia Class.
“We are proud to play a key role in developing and providing this capability for the U.S. Navy on this critical national defense asset,” said Jon Miller, senior vice president and general manager of the DRS Naval Power business. “Our long history of providing innovative technology to the U.S. Navy and continuing this work for Electric Boat ensures our sailors will be defending this country with the most advanced submarine in the world,” Miller said.
Several businesses in the DRS Naval Power business contributed to this effort including. its facilities in Fitchburg, Massachusetts Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Danbury, Connecticut.
The DRS Naval Power business unit is a trusted provider of innovative naval power and control technology delivering high-quality, customer-focused products and support solutions for the U.S. Navy.
30 Aug 22. USAF flight-tests new open systems enclave on F-22 fighter aircraft. This is the first time that an open-source container orchestration software has been used on a fighter aircraft.
A US Air Force’s (USAF) team has built and flight-tested a new open systems enclave (OSE) with existing hardware on the F-22 Raptor aircraft.
The team includes members from Air Combat Command (ACC) Federal Laboratory, software developers from the 309th Software Engineering Group and test pilots from Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).
Historically, the fifth-generation fighter jets are unavailable to third-party software integration and to solve this issue the team worked together to build this systems enclave.
The latest event marked the first time third-party software was used in flight on an F-22 Raptor aircraft.
It is also the first time that open-source container orchestration software has been used in flight on any fighter aircraft.
The OSE, which comprises a government-owned software architecture, was flight-tested on 24 August.
This test validated OSE’s abilities to rapidly integrate new technologies from the first line of code to flight within 60 days.
F-22 test pilot and project co-lead major Allen Black said: “This breakthrough fundamentally changes how we can deliver combat capability to the warfighter.
“We’ve proven the ability to rapidly evaluate and integrate next-generation technologies developed by experts in government, industry, and academia at a lower cost with software portability across defence platforms.”
Following this test, the team now seeks formal directions from the F-22 requirements’ chief for the establishment of OSE on the F-22. The F-22 Program Office is an early adopter of OSE.
The team is also assessing and integrating several warfighter combat capabilities as cross-platform solutions. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
29 Aug 22. DoD Launches Innovative Manufacturing Pilot Program. The Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Policy Office has launched a pioneering manufacturing pilot program, through the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program, with the Austin Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) in Austin, Texas. The first-of-its-kind pilot program will focus on advanced manufacturing technology for commercial and military applications that can be rapidly scaled to production. The methodology can then be replicated in other critical technology areas.
The DPA Title III Program engaged with ACMI on this project to explore innovative approaches to leverage private capital. The emphasis of the pilot is on a new model to rapidly scale emerging technologies and to contribute to a more robust and resilient industrial base. DPA Title III funding will allow DoD to address critical industrial base shortfalls, while maximizing the use of private capital for future national security needs.
“Our support enables the United States to more effectively harness innovation in manufacturing, enhance supply chain resiliency, and develop a more robust industrial base that is well prepared to meet the needs of American strategic interests while developing a future workforce for advanced chemical manufacturing,” said Dr. William LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. “This pilot program is a first step in finding new and creative solutions to innovate within the American manufacturing sector.”
“We are proud to have been selected to help advance the Department of Defense’s industrial priorities at this critical point in our nation’s history,” said John Burer, founder of ACMI. “Leveraging private capital and market forces will allow us to deliver an efficient and sustainable solution for these areas.”
The pilot program will run for 24 months and will focus on the manufacturing of inert chemicals for energetic applications used by the military in munitions and also by the commercial sector in agriculture products. Military and commercial needs often overlap and only differ slightly in the final product. The originating chemicals and materials are identical. Focusing the effort early in the supply chain allows for both groups to receive new products that are identical to their legacy material.
After the pilot is complete, additional funds from the DoD’s DPA Title III Program will be used to scale the program into other sectors important to national security, like microelectronics and clean energy.
ACMI anticipates a 10-to-1 ratio of private-to-public funding for the pilot, with full-scale operations estimated to exceed a ratio of 25-to-1, allowing for the maximum return on investment to the U.S. taxpayer. Based on the results of the pilot, the DPA Title III Program will evaluate future opportunities to expand this approach to other geographical locations and across other sectors of strategic national security interest.
About the Department of Defense’s DPA Title III Program:
The DPA Title III Program for the Department of Defense is dedicated to ensuring the timely availability of essential domestic industrial resources to support national defense and homeland security requirements now and in the future. The program works in partnership with the uniformed services, other government agencies, and industry to identify areas where critical industrial capacity is lagging or non-existent. Once a need is identified, the program engages with U.S. and Canadian companies to mitigate these risks using grants, purchase commitments, loans, or loan guarantees. By executing its mission, the DPA Title III Program reduces the nation’s reliance on foreign supply chains, ensures the integrity of materials supplied to the American warfighter, and helps create a resilient, robust, and secure defense industrial base.
About the Austin Center for Manufacturing and Innovation:
ACMI is an ecosystem for innovation in the manufacturing sector based in Austin, Texas. The ACMI Group consists of capital, properties and center segments that collectively support a holistic and operationally-oriented approach to help early-stage hardware companies. ACMI’s model incorporates scaling space for manufacturing, growth equity capital, strategic guidance, contract manufacturing relationships and technical and operational advisors to professionalize and prepare companies to scale. (Source: US DoD)
30 Aug 22. New Australian research centre set to boost maritime R&D.
Defence is partnering with industry and academia to establish a world-leading research facility in maritime biofilms, with a focus on innovative biofouling control solutions.
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Biofilm Research and Innovation (BRIC) will be based at Flinders University in Adelaide and bring together five universities and eight industry partners including Defence, to combat the issue of biofouling on shipping vessels and other marine infrastructure.
The BRIC will receive $5 m over five years through the ARC’s Industrial Transformation Training Centres scheme, with industry and research partners contributing another $7.65 m.
According to senior Defence researcher and biofouling expert Dr Andrew Scardino, the total cost of biofouling is notoriously difficult to quantify however would easily exceed tens of ms of dollars for Defence per annum.
“Biofilms settle on immersed surfaces within minutes, rapidly degrading capability which can result in extreme economic and environmental consequences,” he said.
Biofilms (an assemblage of microorganisms that can grow on submerged surfaces) can cause significant problems for many industries, from compromising the efficiency of water treatment processes or damaging maritime platforms, to increasing the spread of marine pests, interfering with the functioning of sensors and autonomous vehicles, or creating additional drag and increasing full consumption and emissions for shipping vessels. Once biofilms are established, they are almost impossible to eradicate, leading to biofouling.
Identifying novel solutions to control biofouling will provide economic, environmental, and health benefits across a range of industries.
In addition to increasing knowledge and understanding of biofilms, and developing tools to better control them, BRIC will support Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates and postdoctoral researchers specialising in related fields.
Dr Scardino, who will take on the role of Deputy Director, Industry within the BRIC, says that the involvement of government, industry and academia in the centre will be key to its success, with each sector contributing specialist knowledge and expertise. (Source: Rumour Control)
26 Aug 22. US AFLCMC opens OC-ALC second REACT-II additive manufacturing lab. The REACT-II lab will host 3D metal printers procured under the USAF’s Pacer Edge programme. The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s (AFLCMC) Propulsion Directorate and Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC) have unveiled a new additive manufacturing facility.
Known as Reverse Engineering and Critical Tooling (REACT-II) laboratory, the facility will host two 3D metal printers acquired under the US Air Force’s (USAF) Pacer Edge programme.
The opening of OC-ALC’s second lab REACT-II was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
It was attended by industry partner General Electric and various key stakeholders of the Pacer Edge programme.
The two alloy metal 3D printers will demonstrate the USAF’s capability to additively manufacture metal aircraft and engine components.
However, the flight-related parts manufactured in the lab will require safety certification from the USAF’s Airworthiness Certification Authority.
The Pacer Edge programme primarily aims to enhance the USAF’s weapon system readiness by fulfilling the needs of manufacturing, supply, and repair.
This programme is a collaborative effort of government and industry partners to deliver a technology that can reduce the cost of sustainment and increase production speed. It has also supported the production of two engine-related airworthy metal 3D-printed parts for B-52 Stratofortress and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
More than a dozen parts are currently under different stages of development with the AFLCMC/LP and OC-ALC.
AFLCMC Propulsion Directorate director John Sneden said: “The directorate embraced additive manufacturing because of one big strategic reason that is to improve propulsion readiness for the warfighter.
“Additive manufacturing puts us in the driver’s seat so we can source those low volume hard to get parts at speed of need.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
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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