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25 May 23. US Navy submarines to trial Australian rapid manufacturing.
Melbourne additive manufacturing company SPEE3D has been given the green light by the US Navy to use its metal cold spray technology for use in critical submarine systems.
It’s a first for cold spray additive manufacturing technology and investigation of its capability as a manufacturing method for SUBSAFE-compliant applications, according to a public statement made on May 24.
US Navy has selected SPEE3D’s metal cold spray additive manufacturing technology to develop materials as a part of a Naval Sea Systems Command project related to Expeditionary Maintenance and Sustainment that achieved Submarine Safety Program quality standards.
SPEE3D co-founder and chief technology officer Steven Camilleri said the company, the applied research laboratory of Pennsylvania State University, and the US Navy will work collaboratively to develop an entirely new method to rapidly manufacture existing parts for use in critical submarine systems.
“We are honoured to be chosen and trusted by the US Navy to participate in this groundbreaking project,” he said.
“We have worked successfully with the US Navy in the past and understand the unique challenges they face with the need for manufacturing capabilities that are fast, reliable and easily deployable.”
Submarine parts could be manufactured in hours instead of months if the new manufacturing process meets the rigorous engineering, quality, and safety requirements of the US Navy, according to Camilleri.
Manufacturing of materials, assembly, and testing for the US submarine fleet is tightly controlled with the SUBSAFE quality assurance program designed to ensure the safety of personnel and vessels. (Source: Defence Connect)
25 May 23. IFS Cloud May 2023 release to advance business resilience efforts through optimisation and connectivity capabilities.
- New functionalities across ERP, EAM, FSM, MRO, and Service Management include industry-specific enhancements to accelerate digitalisation across business operations end-to-end
- Click here for hi-res image
IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, today announced the general availability of the first of its twice-yearly IFS Cloud releases. The update will support customers as they enhance business agility, build resilience, and mitigate risk in a world of constant change.
Every IFS Cloud release strengthens the IFS vision to deliver capabilities for an intelligent autonomous enterprise. With a focus on automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), IFS Cloud optimises people, assets, and services to drive value and empower transformation.
Across all industries, organisations are trying to alleviate the effects of rising inflation, disrupted supply chains, climate change, and environmental regulations by investing in digitalisation to improve productivity, agility, and drive excellence.
IFS’s approach enables customers to leverage automation and business intelligence to better understand key challenges across their operations, work more efficiently, and increase productivity.
These continued investments translate into each of the company’s core industries, as the latest release of IFS Cloud offers the tools designed to help businesses:
- Optimise People, Assets, and Services
- Connect Global Operations
- Achieve ESG goals profitably
Using the latest release of IFS Cloud, organisations are empowered to deliver faster time-to-value and respond effectively to changing conditions while ensuring long-term sustainability.
Optimising People, Assets and Services:
IFS Cloud uses AI, ML, and automation to optimise growth by streamlining processes related to people, assets, and services. Improvements include better data quality, automation, and compliance:
- Optimise operations: Increase production planning and capacity utilisation with new scheduling scenario functionality in Manufacturing Scheduling & Optimisation (MSO) (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Align asset maintenance to daily operations: Support business decisions, anticipate and prepare for maintenance needs with “What-if-scenarios” (WISE) (Aviation Maintenance)
- Foster collaboration and user engagement: Personalise and improve employee productivity with bookmarked navigation (IFS Cloud User Experience)
Connect Global Operations:
IFS Cloud simplifies operations, improves customer service, reduces downtime, and ensures compliance by integrating isolated operations, offering advanced management capabilities:
- Drive efficiency with enhanced logistic management: Streamline assets between sites, and reduce administration effort for logistic teams and maintenance planners (Enterprise Asset Management and Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Reduce process complexity: Provide autonomy for technicians with scheduling exception handling, match skill levels to service requests to deliver faster and more accurate services (Service Management)
- Improve productivity and performance: Deploy faster with improved data migration manager; Ensure system uptime and efficiency through ready-to-use dashboards (IFS Cloud Platform)
Achieve ESG Goals Profitably:
IFS Cloud is a modern tool for managing ESG goals. The latest update offers improved capabilities for measuring Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and achieving their objectives profitably:
- Effective measurement of data and reporting of ESG performance: Adopt sustainable and circular manufacturing operations with the Eco footprint capability supporting regulatory reporting (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Increase asset resilience: Gain rapid insights into the comparative health of critical assets to enable data driven-driven investment decisions (Enterprise Asset Management)
- Reduce emissions and travel downtime: Advanced remote assistance to reduce downtime and eliminate travel to site (Service Management)
IFS Pioneer customers like Cimcorp, Morgan Motors, and Suzuki Garphyttan have shown that developing business resiliency is not just a proactive measure but also a chance for innovation, differentiation, and growth for the future.
Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS, said: “Since launching IFS Cloud, we have continuously improved our product in response to customer’s needs. Through each release, we have emphasised the importance of digital capabilities and connectivity in boosting productivity, business agility, and achieving operational excellence. It is that focus and consistency that allows our customers to deliver exceptional Moments of Service™.”
He continued, “Over the last few years many organisations have battled disruption; in this latest release to IFS Cloud, we have not deviated from our strategic priorities and ensured that our technology equips companies to build a composable enterprise. Our expertise lies in empowering organisations with the latest technology because we are clear on the ongoing value it delivers when embedded into their business.”
To find out more about the latest IFS Cloud release, visit: https://www.ifs.com/assets/cloud/whats-new-in-ifs-cloud-23r1
25 May 23. Taiwan says software problems delaying new F-16 deliveries.
Software problems are delaying the delivery to Taiwan of 66 advanced new F-16V fighter jets from the United States but the island still expects the full order to arrive by 2026, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday.
The United States in 2019 approved an $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the island’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, the largest in Asia, to strengthen its defences in the face of a stepped up threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own.
Chiu earlier this month said the 66 F-16Vs had been delayed due to supply chain disruptions, but on Thursday further explained the problem was linked to flight control software issues and they were working to address this with the United States.
“In principle by 2026 the 66 aircraft will all arrive, there is absolutely no problem with this,” he told reporters at parliament.
In a statement late on Wednesday his ministry said the software development process had been delayed, and that Lockheed Martin had already this year rolled out two prototype F-16Vs, one of which was from a separate order from Bahrain.
Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chiu said they were concerned about the delay but that communication with the United States on the issue was “smooth”.
Taiwan has been converting 141 F-16A/B jets into the F-16V type and has in addition ordered 66 new F-16Vs, which have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its J-20 stealth fighter.
Taiwan has since last year complained of delays to U.S. weapons deliveries, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers turn supplies to Ukraine as it battles invading Russian forces, and the issue has concerned U.S. lawmakers.
Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a visit to Taipei last month that he was doing everything possible to speed up arms deliveries. (Source: Reuters)
17 May 23. Pentagon tests joint warfighting technology during TREX exercise. The Pentagon’s chief technology office kicked off a weeklong experimentation campaign to demonstrate technologies that can be quickly fielded to military users.
The event, dubbed Technology Experimentation 2023 or TREX, runs from May 16 to 24 at Camp Atterbury in Indiana. Hosted in partnership with the Indiana National Guard, it will support the Pentagon’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, which funds promising prototypes that can meet near-term needs.
“A key attribute of RDER is the focus on a campaign of experimentation that enables the collection of a body of evidence to accelerate technology transition to the field,” Thomas Browning, deputy chief technology officer for mission capabilities, said in a May 17 press release. “TREX is integral to the success of this enduring campaign of experiments.”
Joint warfighting is a key part of the Pentagon’s science and technology strategy, released this month, and RDER is one of its primary means of achieving that. The department created the experimentation fund in 2021 to address high-need capability gaps shared across the military services. Since then, it has crafted plans demonstration sprints focused in three areas: long-range fires contested logistics and base defense.
The program requested $687 million for RDER in its fiscal 2024 budget, nearly double the $358 million it asked for last year. Congress appropriated $272 million for the program in FY23 and $34 million the previous year for the effort.
This first TREX experimentation campaign will assess the utility and performance of six technology prototypes in a “disaster scenario” that requires military forces to establish communications. The prototypes – which include signal devices and cyber, protection, surveillance, counterintelligence and reconnaissance capabilities – are expected to operate within the scenario “to protect their operators and ensure a successful evacuation of non-combatants,” the Pentagon said in the release.
Companies large and small are also showcasing military technology at TREX that aligns with RDER focus areas. More than 30 companies and government organizations are participating in the event.
Along with the experimentation and technology exposition aspects of TREX, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is participating in the exercises to train for an upcoming deployment. (Source: Defense News)
24 May 23. DoD Announces $10m Defense Production Act Title III Agreement With Six Sigma to Strengthen the Domestic Microelectronics Industrial Base.
As part of the nation’s effort to sustain the microelectronics manufacturing capability necessary for national and economic security, and in support of Executive Order 14017, America’s Supply Chains, the Department of Defense recently entered a $10m agreement with Six Sigma utilizing Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III authorities.
Six Sigma will increase the capacity of both its copper solder column manufacturing and column attach processes to enable the production of high-reliability Column Grid Array components (such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays and Application Specific Integrated Circuits) for military and aerospace applications. The project will run 51-months and be performed at its facility in Milpitas, California.
“This investment ensures critical DoD military and space programs operating in extreme thermal and vibration environments are available to meet the needs of American strategic interests,” said Dr. Taylor-Kale, ASD (IBP). “It exemplifies the Department’s commitment to ensuring the resilience and integrity of our nation’s critical supply chains.”
About the Department of Defense’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
Industrial Base Policy is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)) for developing Department of Defense policies for the maintenance of the United States defense industrial base (DIB), executing small business programs and policy, and conduction geo-economic analysis and assessments. The office also provides the USD(A&S) with recommendations on budget matters related to the DIB, anticipates and closes gaps in manufacturing capabilities for defense systems, and assesses impacts related to mergers, acquisition, and divestitures. IBP monitors and assesses the impact of foreign investments in the United States and executes authorities under sections 2501 and 2505 U.S.C. Title 10. (Source: US DoD)
22 May 23. DoD Announces Second Set of Projects to Receive Funding From the Pilot Program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).
The Department of Defense announced today the second set of projects to receive funding via the pilot program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).
The purpose of the APFIT pilot program is to expeditiously transition technologies from development into production, and to accelerate the fielding of those technologies to the warfighter. In FY22 $100M was appropriated for APFIT, resulting in ten DoD programs each receiving $10M to expedite their production and fielding. APFIT funding is helping to deliver war-winning capability 1-2 years earlier than scheduled, while contributing to the health of the US Industrial base through investments in small business and/or nontraditional defense developed capabilities. Congress appropriated $150 million for APFIT in FY23.
“I am thrilled to see the increased support from Congress for the APFIT program,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “This flexible funding is helping to transform the way the Department quickly pivots to procure and field warfighting capability, across the military services and defense agencies.
“This pilot program is a critical tool to help us bridge the ‘valley of death’ and transition capabilities to the warfighter quicker than previously planned. The companies being funded will fill crucial capability gaps. Without APFIT funding, these capabilities could take years longer to field.”
The National Defense Authorization Act of FY22 established APFIT as a competitive, merit-based program for innovative and mature technologies and products that can meet warfighter demands but currently lack the necessary funding to field. Individual funding awards are limited to $10M-$50m for each defense program. Eleven DoD program offices will receive FY23 APFIT funding. These program offices will in turn use that funding to procure innovative technologies from small businesses or nontraditional defense contractor vendors, as listed below.
- Commercial Satellite Communications Terminals, U.S. Marine Corps, $15.0m, Bascom Hunter Technologies, Louisiana
o Establishes a fully automated production line and initial procurement of transportable satellite terminals to provide assured Naval capability to leverage the latest Low Earth Orbit and Mid Earth Orbit satellite communication constellations.
- Common Air-Launched Munitions Radio, U.S. Air Force, $10.0m, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc., Alabama
o Initial low rate procurement of software defined munitions radios and Technical Data Package to support integration of weapons data links in future USAF weapons.
- Integrated Air Defense Cameras, Defense Innovation Unit, $16.77m, Teleidoscope, California
o Procurement of initial upgraded electro optical/infrared cameras with enhanced capabilities to improve airspace awareness.
- Minuteman III Code Wheel Replacement, Defense Logistics Agency, $10.0m, BC Engineering Products, New Jersey
o Procurement of new code wheels for replacement of units in the Minuteman III Missile that are ~40 years beyond planned service life using advanced manufacturing techniques and processes to retain form, fit, and function.
- Mixed Reality Pilot Training Devices, U.S. Marine Corps, $10.0m, Bowhead Professional & Technical Solutions, LLC, Virginia
o Procurement of affordable, smaller, mixed-reality T-45C flight training simulators to augment legacy full-size flight simulators.
- Modern Commercial Weather Satellites, U.S. Space Force, $10.3m, Tomorrow.io, Massachusetts
o Procurement and launch of two affordable commercial weather sensing satellites to augment the existing commercially-owned, managed, and sustained weather constellation to support weather data-as-a-service use by the military.
- Multi-Platform Anti-Jam Global Positioning System Antennas, U.S. Army, $19.97m, Mayflower Communications, Inc., Massachusetts
o Accelerated procurement of sufficient quantities to achieve optimum price break of anti-jam antennas for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
- Network Enhancements for Contested Environments, U.S. Navy, $10.0m, Adaptive Dynamics Inc, California and Caliola Engineering, Colorado
o Procurement and integration of software into existing joint tactical radio systems that leverage modified software techniques for enhancing communications in contested environments.
- Tactical Passive Radar for Counter Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), U.S. Army, $10.0m, Hidden Level, Inc., New York
o Procurement of platform agnostic, day/night, modular passive radar capability for small UAS detection and tracking.
- Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Range Extension using Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications, U.S. Navy, $10.0m, Maritime Applied Physics Corp., Maryland
o Initial low rate procurement of USVs and supporting communication systems to enable beyond-line-of-site operations.
- Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Capable Fixed-Wing Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Small UAS, U.S. Special Operations Command, $20.0m, Quantum-Systems Inc., California
o Accelerated procurement of Fixed-Wing Small UAS with integrated VTOL capabilities.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre (Source: US DoD)
24 May 23. Australian Defence Force researches hazardous environments.
Australia opens research centre to enhance how its operates in hazardous environments; its innovation in this field does not just rely on industry. A new research centre has opened that will support the Australian Defence Force (ADF) operate in hazardous environments. The Centre for Advance Defence Research and Enterprise (CADRE), based at the University of Melbourne, opened on 19 May 2023. Bringing together academic and industry organisations, the CADRE will develop new concepts and technologies to protect military personnel.
Chief Defence Scientist, Professor Tanya Monro, said CADRE would mobilise the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.
“CADRE is bringing together some of the best and brightest minds in academia and industry so we can protect our warfighters in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat environments,” Monro stated.
The Commonwealth signed an agreement with the University of Melbourne. The institution will lead in a close partnership with the University of Adelaide, Queensland University of Technology and the University of New South Wales.
Another eight academic institutions and 34 industry partners from multiple sectors will support the CADRE. The government will allocate A$4.25m ($2.8m) to the enterprise over the next five years.
Strategic allies with strategic differences
The enterprise draws on a mix of different parts – from academia, industry and government – to come up with innovative solutions to the problem of operating in dangerous environments.
Lately, the United States has exclusively relied on the private sector to maintain a competitive military advantage; especially now as the Biden administration pursues China with no real strategic objective.
Growing tensions have led the US intelligence community to assert in a Senate Select Committee in March that the private sector is the be all and end all of military advancement.
The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, went so far as to say that the technologies supplied by the private sector have become “the main determinant of our future as an intelligence service.”
It is surprising that Australia,which is closer to the fray in the Indo-Pacific, does not emulate its key strategic ally. The CADRE deviates from US reliance by plugging in several sources of innovation that are centralised by the government.
Contrary to Burns’ depiction of the US military-industrial complex, Australia determines the direction of its technological advancement to some extent.
Australia hedges its bets
CADRE Director, Professor Jia-Yee Lee, said that members would collaborate based on their individual strengths and create cross-functional teams to achieve targeted outcomes.
“We will join together key elements of the innovation life cycle, from laboratory experiments, to prototypes, to productisation and finally translating to defence end-user capability,” Lee stated.
Australia’s Defence Strategic Review (2023) suggests this holistic approach to accelerate technologies.
“Relevant programmes need to accelerate technology research and innovation relating to capability. They must also enable appropriate signalling of demand to research and industry sectors.
“[This will] provide clear methods of communication and linkages to national research bodies (including the university sector and various innovation bodies).”
By “signalling demand”, the ADF takes a hands-on approach in determining the field in development. The result of this strategy is that Australia places greater clarity on its objectives. Meanwhile, the US jumps from one field to another – from hypersonics to quantum computing – pumping cash injections. All without a course of action other than maintaining its military advantage over China. (Source: army-technology.com)
24 May 23. Kleos Enters into Wide Reaching Partnership with General Atomics. Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1) a space-powered defence and intelligence technology company, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with General Atomics Commonwealth Computer Research, Inc (GA-CCRI), a renowned global technology and defense company. This collaboration marks a significant milestone that will deliver benefits to Kleos and General Atomics customers and stakeholders globally.
As part of this partnership, Kleos will integrate GA-CCRI’s proven OPTIX platform into the launch of two new cutting-edge, geospatial intelligence industry disruptive products.
The first product, LOCATE X, will empower users with unprecedented RF geospatial situational awareness. Leveraging advanced technologies powered by OPTIX, LOCATE X will enable customers to gain valuable insights into RF activity like never before.
The second product, LOCATE OPTIX, will serve as a powerful visualization tool, allowing users to interrogate Kleos’ data and intelligence products. With LOCATE OPTIX, customers will have the ability to create historical views, overlay contextual layers, and extract deeper insights from the wealth of data provided by Kleos.
General Atomics will leverage its OPTIX platform and RF expertise to develop intelligence outputs tailored to the specific needs of Kleos’ customers. This collaborative approach will result in the creation of derived products that provide actionable intelligence to a wide range of industries.
Furthermore, General Atomics will become a Channel Partner and value-added reseller for Kleos’ data and intelligence products. General Atomics maintains a carefully curated catalogue of data to provide global ISR and situational awareness. Adding Kleos data to the OPTIX catalog will enable further expansion of modalities of data and will enable a richer situational awareness picture. Customers worldwide will benefit from the unrivalled geospatial intelligence provided by the partnership.
Kleos’ Co-Founder and Head of Partnerships, Product and Sales; Andrew Bowyer said; “We are thrilled to enter into this strategic partnership with General Atomics. Their extensive experience in technology and defense, combined with their commitment to delivering excellence, aligns perfectly with Kleos’ vision. Through this collaboration, we aim to push the boundaries of geospatial intelligence, providing our customers with unparalleled situational awareness and actionable insights.”
General Atomics’ VP of Commercial and International Programs, Joel Morgan expressed their enthusiasm, stating, “Partnering with Kleos is a significant step forward for General Atomics as we continue to expand our portfolio of innovative solutions. By integrating Kleos’ data and intelligence products into our offerings, we enhance our ability to provide comprehensive and customized intelligence outputs to our customers. This partnership underscores our commitment to delivering excellence and advancing the field of geospatial intelligence.”
The partnership between Kleos and General Atomics signifies a pivotal moment in the geospatial intelligence industry. By combining their respective strengths, both companies will accelerate the development and adoption of cutting-edge solutions, benefiting customers across multiple sectors. This collaboration sets the stage for a new era of geospatial intelligence, where unprecedented situational awareness and actionable insights drive informed decision-making.
24 May 23. UK Human Machine Teaming programme reopens to new suppliers. The UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Human Machine Teaming (HMT) programme reopened to new suppliers on 22 May. Initially announced in May 2022, the three-year GBP300m (USD372.4m) HMT project seeks to collate lessons from the British Army’s experimentation activity in Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and enable rapid iterations across the full spectrum of potential capabilities. An MoD spokesperson informed Janes that the framework aims to reopen every six months to allow new vendors to join and be privy to future competitions expected to run in the next six to 12 months. HMT will be delivered through a multisupplier framework agreement, with multiple competitions completed across different ‘Lots’. These ‘Lots’ are segregated into four different components – hardware, such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), and payloads and consumables; software, ranging from external, internal, platform, reliability, and maintenance analysis; professional and technical services. (Source: Janes)
23 May 23. FAdeA delivers a new Pampa, presents Pucará cockpit modernisation. Fábrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) delivered the ninth IA-63 Pampa III to the Argentine Air Force, and showcased a new modernised cabin for the IA-58 Pucará Fénix on 18 May.
The same day, Argentine Minister of Defense Jorge Taiana signed a contract with FAdeA for five structural wing assemblies (shipset) to install new Pratt & Whitney PT-6 engines on five Pucarás, and signed a separate contract for developing a vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft system for the Argentine Army.
The Pampa is the first new aircraft to be delivered within FAdeA’s current contract that covers six new planes and modernising another three. According to the Argentine Air Force, the new aircraft will be assigned to the VI Air Brigade in Tandil, which has five new Pampa IIIs and another modernised from the Pampa II standard.
The IA-58 Pucará Fénix cabin modernisation is part of FadeA’s Pucará contract and includes Garmin navigation and communication systems, an air-conditioning system, and other new parts, according to the company.
(Source: Janes)
22 May 23. AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstration. The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has conducted a demonstration of its high-power microwave counter-drone weapon, the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR, as it engaged a swarm of multiple targets at the Chestnut Test Site, Kirtland Air Force Base.
“The THOR team flew numerous drones at the THOR system to simulate a real-world swarm attack,” said Adrian Lucero, THOR program manager at AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate. “THOR has never been tested against these types of drones before, but this did not stop the system from dropping the targets out of the sky with its non-kinetic, speed-of-light High-Power Microwave, or HPM pulses,” he said.
“THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling the swarm with its wide beam, high peak powers and fast-moving gimbal to track and disable the targets.”
As the dangers from drone swarms evolve, leaders from across the US Department of Defense are working closely to ensure they are exploring different technologies such as directed energy to support the needs of the warfighter in the future against such threats.
“THOR was extremely efficient with a near continuous firing of the system during the swarm engagement,” said Capt. Tylar Hanson, THOR deputy program manager. “It is an early demonstrator, and we are confident we can take this same technology and make it more effective to protect our personnel around the world.”
While AFRL celebrates the success of the demonstration, leaders at Kirtland are recognizing the hard work of their team who have decades of research in high-power electromagnetic technologies.
“We couldn’t have come this far without the perseverance and professionalism of the entire THOR team,” said Ken Miller, AFRL’s high power electromagnetics division chief. “Our scientists, Airmen and contractors worked early mornings and late nights to make this swarm demo…a great success. AFRL is committed to developing such advanced technologies to defend our service members on the front lines.” (Source: Rumour Control)
22 May 23. Defence opens Centre for Advanced Defence Research and Enterprise. Defence has opened a new Centre for Advance Defence Research and Enterprise – OCE (CADRE-OCE) at the University of Melbourne. It is dedicated to solving Operating in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Environments (OCE) problems and will receive $4.25m in funding over the next five years.
The new CADRE-OCE will work in close collaboration with the OCE Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Shot, which has been established by DSTG to tackle the OCE challenges that Australian warfighters are facing now and into the future.
Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro said CADRE-OCE would mobilise the national science, technology and innovation ecosystem around challenges of scale.
“CADRE-OCE is bringing together some of the best and brightest minds in academia and industry so we can protect our warfighters in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threat environments,” she said. “Not only are we investing in new ideas, but we are building the STEM talent pipeline and deepening sovereign skills by investing in our future researchers and innovators.”
Bringing together academic and industry organisations, the CADRE-OCE will develop and demonstrate new concepts and technologies to protect military personnel, first responders and civilians and enable them to operate safely in hazardous environments.
Under the Defence Science Partnership Deed, the Commonwealth has signed a CADRE-OCE partnership agreement with the University of Melbourne who will lead the Centre in close partnership with the University of Adelaide, Queensland University of Technology and the University of New South Wales.
A further eight academic institutions and 34 industry partners from multiple sectors will support CADRE-OCE.
The Centre’s Director, Professor Jia-Yee Lee, said that members would collaborate based on their individual strengths and create cross-functional teams to achieve targeted outcomes.
“We will join together key elements of the innovation life cycle, from laboratory experiments, to prototypes, to productisation and finally translating to Defence end-user capability,” he said. (Source: Rumour Control)
22 May 23. Nvidia chips away at Intel, AMD turf in supercomputers. Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) on Monday said it has worked with the U.K.’s University of Bristol to build a new supercomputer using a new Nvidia chip that would compete with Intel Corp (INTC.O) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O).
Nvidia is the world’s top maker of graphics processing units (GPUs), which are in high demand because they can be used to speed up artificial intelligence work. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for example, was created with thousands of Nvidia GPUs.
But Nvidia’s GPU chips are typically paired with what is called a central processing unit (CPU), a market that has been dominated by Intel and AMD for decades. This year, Nvidia has started shipping its own competing CPU chip called Grace, which is based on technology from SoftBank Group Corp-owned (9984.T) Arm Ltd.
At a supercomputing conference in Germany on Monday, Nvidia said it has worked with British researchers and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (HPE.N) to build a computer called Isambard 3, which is based entirely on its Grace CPU chips and has none of Nvidia’s GPUs. The University of Bristol system will be used for climate science and drug discovery research, among other things.
“What’s exciting is the whole thing is operating on 270 kilowatts of power. That’s actually six times more performance and energy efficiency than the university’s previous system, Isambard 2,” Ian Buck, general manager and vice president of accelerated computing at Nvidia, said during a press briefing. (Source: Reuters)
19 May 23. Pentagon seeks approval to fund NATO defense technology accelerator. The Pentagon is seeking authority to contribute to NATO’s defense technology accelerator, which the organization created last year to support cooperation among allied nations on emerging technologies like hypersonics, artificial intelligence, space and quantum.
The request — part of a package of legislative proposals sent to Congress in late April and posted online May 16 — seeks permission to participate in the Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, known as DIANA.
“Allowing the U.S. Department of Defense to participate in the NATO DIANA initiative would support implementation of some important elements of the NATO agenda,” DoD said in its proposal. “Absent new statutory authority enacted as a result of this critical legislative proposal, the United States will not be able to participate in DIANA or other vital, successor, jointly-funded NATO research and development programs.”
The department wants to allot $12.5 million to DIANA in fiscal 2024 and another $35 million between FY25 and FY28, according to the proposal.
The effort is jointly funded, which means NATO doesn’t draw from the common fund that allies are required to contribute toward. Instead, member nations choose whether to pay into DIANA.
The Pentagon in February appointed Jeffrey Singleton, U.S. principal member and head of the delegation to the NATO Science and Technology Board, as the U.S. representative to DIANA’s board of directors.
Defense News reported in March that DIANA will launch its first competition series this fall, set to take place in five cities: Tallinn, Estonia; Turin, Italy; Copenhagen, Denmark; Boston; and Seattle.
During the events, companies will use emerging technology to solve real-world defense challenges. NATO plans to invite participants to apply for the competition this summer.
DIANA’s 2023 technology priorities include energy resilience, sensing, surveillance and secure information sharing. Along with boosting NATO partnerships on technology development, DIANA is also creating a grant program to support startups with projects focused on defense or NATO-related efforts.
The program has more than 100 affiliated test centers across nearly every country that partners with NATO. That includes 28 “deep-tech” accelerators, two of which are located in North America. (Source: Defense News)
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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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