Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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03 Feb 22. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions, a leading developer and supplier of advanced communications solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) engineered to succeed, has introduced a new 26 port version of its popular PacStar® 446 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch module, the industry’s most compact solution for deploying high density network access at the tactical edge powered by Cisco IOS-XE. The 26-Port PacStar 446, the newest addition to the PacStar Networking Systems family of tactical, battlefield, early entry, and emergency communications solutions, combines 24 GbE user ports and 2 SFP+ 10 GbE ports. Designed to support a wide range of edge-based applications, including C5ISR, cybersecurity, sensor, IoT, computing, and data storage, the 26-Port PacStar 446 is as well suited for small teams as it is for 100+ user systems. Based on Cisco Embedded Services Switch (ESS) 3300, the module integrates seamlessly into PacStar IQ-Core Software, leverages existing user training, and provides the latest security features. It also provides up to 60W of aggregate 802.3at Power over Ethernet (PoE+). These advanced features help to simplify the deployment of GbE network access for critical voice, data, and video connectivity in a compact, rugged form-factor. The module can be used either as a standalone switch or in snap-together configurations with other PacStar 400-Series modules, including switches, servers, and gateways. A wide range of packaging and transport solutions options are available.
“Today’s warfighters at the tactical edge of the battlefield increasingly depend on reliable and flexible high speed networks,” said Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division. “To meet the growing need for Ethernet network connectivity in the field, our new 26-Port PacStar 446 switch module offers high-density Gigabit speed network access for voice, data, and video connectivity in a compact, rugged form-factor. Our newest PacStar switch module, which deploys Cisco ESS 3300 embedded switch technology in a rugged, deployable form factor, highlights our leadership position in battlefield network technology and showcases our strong ongoing partnership with Cisco.”
The PacStar product line from Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is included in the Cisco STI Partner program. PacStar, a previous recipient of Cisco IOT Partner of the Year, was acquired by Curtiss-Wright in 2020. For more information on the 26-Port PacStar 446, visit our website.
03 Feb 22. US Army Materiel Command looks to advanced manufacturing to improve readiness. Army Materiel Command is planning to implement advanced manufacturing techniques from the depots to the battlespace to help produce parts where needed. But the effort will take careful coordination with the Army’s other modernization strides.
“The way I see it is that we’ll be doing advanced manufacturing not only in our depots, arsenals and ammunition plants, but also forward in the battlespace based on equipment that we have,” Gen. Edward M. Daly Commanding General, Army Materiel Command, told reporters Feb. 1 during a Defense Writers Group event hosted by George Washington University’s Project for Media and National Security.
The general noted that those manufacturing systems, such as three-dimensional printers or CNC lathe machining tools, would be “coupled with a digital thread” that allows computer-aided drawings to be pulled alongside the specifications needed to start building.
“That data repository – that data thread, the digital thread – is there now,” Daly said, and progress will continue on increasing the number of parts that have [computer assisted design] drawings that can be 3D printed and also on the data repository needed so users can access information from the depot to the tactical edge.
“We’re making progress on the number of parts that we have drawings for that we know we can 3D print,” Daly said, “we’re making progress on the digital thread; it’s in place now so that the data repository, no matter where you are, whether you’re at the tactical edge or in a depot, you can see all the required files that you need to 3D print a part.”
The commanding general also said Army Materiel Command was “making progress on where we position the equipment, from the tactical units all the way to the depots and investing appropriately.”
Advanced manufacturing and three-dimensional printing have gained popularity in the federal government in recent years. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, national laboratories looked to 3D printing to alleviate stress and delays in the medical supply chain.
The Defense Department has also experimented with using advanced manufacturing, but a Government Accountability Office report found the systems were vulnerable to hacking due to inconsistent security measures needed “to prevent unauthorized changes and ensure the integrity of the design data.”
But for Army Materiel Command, the implementation of 3D printing in the battlespace could take several years along with the coordination and alignment with other strategic modernization efforts, Daly said.
“You have to juxtapose that capability with a myriad of other capabilities,” he said, which includes advanced manufacturing, unmanned, ground and aerial resupply systems, water distribution in the battlespace, and reduction of tactical fuel in combat systems – all of which are being worked on.
And while it may take several years, Daly believes the command is on the right path.
“I think we’re on a very, very good trajectory. I firmly believe that it’s these capabilities, that…in the depots will allow increased velocity and in production and manufacturing and resetting and overhauling of equipment. And at the tactical level, it’ll increase readiness,” Daly said. (Source: Defense Systems)
03 Feb 22. BAE Systems Achieves Key Production Milestones for the F-35 Fighter. BAE Systems recently delivered its 3,000th vehicle management computer (VMC) and 1,000th active inceptor system (AIS) to Lockheed Martin for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, achieving two major production milestones on the platform. The VMC and AIS are flight critical systems that provide each F-35 jet with the ability to operate safely and reliably in demanding environments, with decreased pilot workload and enhanced mission effectiveness.
“At BAE Systems, we are dedicated to supporting our warfighters with the most advanced systems and technologies,” said Ehtisham Siddiqui, vice president and general manager of Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems. “These two milestones underscore our partnership with Lockheed Martin to consistently deliver proven flight-critical and mission-critical systems on time for the F-35 aircraft.”
The VMC unit provides advanced hardware and computing for the F-35’s digital fly-by-wire flight control system and utility systems (fuel, electrical, and hydraulic system controls), which maximize system integration to improve mission efficiency and safety. BAE Systems has successfully reached full-rate production – increasing deliveries from 10 shipsets per month to 25 shipsets per month to achieve program requirements. BAE Systems has also reached full-rate production at a level of 19 shipsets per month for its active inceptors, which are used by the pilot to direct and maneuver the aircraft. The AIS consists of the inceptor control unit, active side stick controller, and active quadrant throttle assembly. The high-integrity inceptors provide pilots with tactical feedback through active technology for increased situational awareness, safety, and mission survivability. The company continues to invest in equipment, testing, and infrastructure upgrades for best-in-class manufacturing efficiency and aftermarket support. These improvements contributed to a 100 percent quality rating in both VMC and AIS production for 2020 from Lockheed Martin. Work for the VMC and AIS occurs at BAE Systems facilities in Endicott, N.Y. and Rochester, U.K., respectively. BAE Systems is a major global partner to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 program. The company also provides the electronic warfare system for the platform, delivering a cumulative total of 830 systems to-date out of its Nashua, N.H. facility. In addition to providing mission-critical electronic warfare systems, the company also manufactures the aft fuselage for each jet at its facilities in Lancashire, U.K. and Adelaide, Australia, and provides sustainability, technical support, and training to keep the global fleet of F-35s mission-ready. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
03 Feb 22. Department of Defense Technology Vision for an Era of Competition. The Department of Defense announced today a new technology vision established by Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu. This technology vision, anchored by the USD(R&E)’s three strategic pillars of mission focus, foundation building and succeeding through teamwork, will be used to develop a National Defense Science and Technology strategy based on an updated National Defense Strategy.
“To maintain the United States military’s technological advantage, the Department will champion research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation,” said Shyu. “The demands of the present era call for new operational concepts, increasingly joint operations, and quickly fielding emerging science and technology opportunities.”
In addition to building a strong ecosystem to deliver future technologies to the military, the memo lists three groups of fourteen technology areas that are critical to the department. The Memorandum with the full list of Critical Technology Areas can be found on www.cto.mil.
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)
03 Feb 22. FlyNex and Drone Harmony Combine Technology to Digitize Infrastructure with Drones. Swiss software company Drone Harmony specializes in automation software for data acquisition with drones. Together with FlyNex, a Germany-based drone management platform, both companies now joined forces to provide a fully integrated drone workflow solution to conduct data retrieval processes with drones.
Both companies are already leading solution providers in Europe’s growing commercial drone market. Drone Harmony focuses on the three-dimensional data collecting process with a sophisticated toolset for automated missions. FlyNex, on the other hand, is integrating the complete workflow of planning drone operations, integrating devices, teams, and projects, and connecting third-party solutions for the analysis of data. By that, FlyNex and Drone Harmony allow an integrated 3D mission planning in a scalable cloud-based drone management platform.
Strong focus on large number of assets
Construction, energy, telecommunications, and real estate companies with generally more than 1,000 assets depend on highly automated and repeatable processes to retrieve data accurately. The most prominent use cases are inspection of facilities and buildings, documentation, or surveying jobs. For most companies in this area, the cut of “time to data” means the required time span to collect and analyze data from a particular asset, and, as a result, reduced costs of 50% and more are the main drivers for deploying drones.
“In today’s trending digitalization efforts companies face the challenge to scale up their drone-based inspection workflows across thousands of infrastructure assets. The FlyNex platform brings everything needed for this scale-up into one place, thereby offering an integrated and comprehensive workflow for enterprises. We are therefore thrilled that FlyNex chose Drone Harmony for automating the data acquisition needs of their platform.”
states Martin Fuchsberger, CEO and Co-Founder of Drone Harmony. “We are very enthusiastic to provide these technological possibilities that soon. For the first time, companies are able to digitize the complete workflow of planning, performing, and evaluating aerial data with drones. Drone Harmony closes the gap of repeatable and automated data collection on the FlyNex Platform. This brings us closer to realizing our mission of empowering corporations to use high-end data generation technologies such as drones for scalable data-driven operations.” explains Andreas Dunsch, CEO and Co-Founder of FlyNex.
Two well-known players in the market
FlyNex, based in Leipzig, Hamburg, and San Francisco, is a software solution for commercial drone projects. Via its cloud platform, FlyNex covers the entire commercial application range for data acquisition by unmanned aerial systems. FlyNex’s solution allows companies and organizations to digitally obtain data with drones from assets, facilities, and buildings. The full integration of drones and AI helps companies collect data and automatically analyze it.
Drone Harmony is a Swiss company active globally. Since its establishment in 2016, Drone Harmony customers successfully automated over 350,000 commercial drone flights in a large variety of application domains all over the world. The engine inspects telecommunication towers, electric grids, infrastructure networks (railways, roads, pipelines, etc.), bridges but also offers unique terrain-aware surveys, not available anywhere else in the current market. (Source: UAS VISION)
02 Feb 22. New US strategy will harness emerging tech to beat adversaries. The Pentagon’s research and engineering chief is crafting a new strategy for investment in 14 critical technology areas, writing in a new memo that “creative application” of emerging concepts is key to maintaining an edge over adversaries.
The Feb. 1 memo, first reported by Inside Defense, does not lay out a timeline for when the strategy will be complete, but notes the work will be informed by the 2022 National Defense Strategy and structured around three pillars: Mission focus, foundation building and succeeding through teamwork.
“Successful competition requires imagining our military capability as an ever-evolving collective, not a static inventory of weapons in development or sustainment,” Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu wrote in the memo, obtained by C4ISRNET. “In many cases, effective competition benefits from sidestepping symmetric arms races and instead comes from the creative application of new concepts with emerging science and technology.”
The technologies identified in the memo ranges from “seed areas” — like quantum science, biotechnology, advanced materials and future-generation wireless technology — to commercially available capabilities such as artificial intelligence, space, microelectronics, integrated networks, renewable energy, human-machine interfaces and advanced computing and software.
The memo also highlights technology needs that are specific to the Defense Department, including hypersonic weapons, directed energy, cyber and integrated sensing.
“By focusing efforts and investments into these 14 critical technology areas, the department will accelerate transitioning key capabilities to the military services and combatant commands,” Shyu writes. “As the department’s strategy evolves and technologies change, the department will update its critical technology priorities.”
As Shyu’s office shapes its S&T strategy, it will aim to balance demand for “mission-aligned” technology — or the needs of today — with the imperative to invest in the emerging sciences. The team will work closely with combatant commands, the military services, industry and academia to make sure its strategy is responsive to current threats and challenges.
The memo also stresses the importance of transitioning technology from “invention to successful fielding.”
“This era of strategic competition demands collective cooperation,” Shyu writes. “Effective competition requires agility — in initiating new technology development, rapid experimentation in relevant mission environments and transition to the users.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
31 Jan 22. US Army selects four companies for lightweight power solutions. The Army wants lightweight power solutions that can sustain dismounted soldiers for days at a time. US Army Futures Command announced today that it has selected four companies to participate in a cohort exploring lightweight power and energy solutions that soldiers can carry on foot, with minimal burden, for days.
Under the eight-week Soldier Power Transfer cohort, AFC’s Army Applications Lab (AAL) chose Epirus, Resonant Link, Spark Thermionics and Xerion Advanced Battery to develop innovative power solutions for the service.
As part of the Soldier Power Cohort, companies are developing “innovative power generation and power conversion, high-density energy storage, and intelligent management and distribution technologies that can support self-sufficiency, reduce burdens, and lessen dependence on resupply,” according to the service press release.
According to an AAL factsheet on the cohort, which began Jan. 24, soldiers in expeditionary environments are increasingly carrying more electronic gear that requires power — upping the amount of weight they carry.
“We need to find a smart way to lighten that load for Soldiers who work in expeditionary environments for days at a time,” said Col. Jay Wisham, director of AAL, in the Monday press release. “While the commercial market for these technologies is relatively niche, both the Army and industry are facing similar challenges in how to maintain power for devices when away from the grid. This Cohort offers a way to join forces and move the field forward while keeping our Soldiers safe and effective in the harshest environments.”
As part of the cohort, the companies are receiving $100,000 to develop conceptual designs to solve an existing Army problem. Participating Army offices included the Network Cross-Functional Team, the Soldier Lethality-CFT and the C5ISR Center. The Army Applications Lab is essentially the AFC’s innovation unit, seeking to connect the command to innovative, nontraditional contractors to solve Army problems.
Epirus, a startup company that develops directed energy systems and is working with General Dynamics to add counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities to Strykers, has a technology platform that brings high power density and efficiency, according to the AAL release.
The release states that Resonant Link has a wireless charge capability that could apply to the services’ tactical recharge needs. Spark Thermionics, the Army said, is trying to build “lightweight and fuel-flexible” electricity generation through thermionic energy conversion. Xerion Advanced Battery will offer the service its expertise in building high energy, fast charging lithium ion batteries that can power portable electronics, power tools and UASs.
After the Army-specific concepts designed by the companies are complete, “some” companies will be offered $250,000 for follow-on proof of technology and demonstration activities, according to the fact sheet. Design presentations are scheduled for March 17. (Source: glstrade.com/Breaking Defense.com)
01 Feb 22. Northrop Grumman to Develop Prototype Artificial Intelligence Assistant. Prototype to enhance pilot awareness and decision-making abilities. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Perceptually-enabled Task Guidance (PTG) program to develop a prototype artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The prototype will be embedded in an augmented reality (AR) headset to help rotary pilots perform expected and unexpected tasks.
Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the University of Central Florida (UCF), will develop an Operator and Context Adaptive Reasoning Intuitive Assistant (OCARINA) that will support UH-60 Blackhawk pilots, who fly with both visual and instrumented flight, which varies with weather, time of day and other environmental factors.
“The goal of this prototype is to broaden a pilot’s skillset,” said Erin Cherry, senior autonomy program manager, Northrop Grumman. “It will help teach new tasks, aide in the recognition and reduction of errors, improve task completion time, and most importantly, help to prevent catastrophic events.”
Rotorcraft aircrews face numerous demands particularly when flying in close proximity to buildings, terrain, people and from the threat of adversary RADAR systems. Today, simple warning systems are the most common means for aiding a rotorcraft aircrew, such as auditory alerts to increase altitude. These warning systems are limiting and can induce unanticipated cognitive burdens on pilots. Studies have shown that inattentional blindness to such warnings can occur, often making them ineffective for the aircrew.
DARPA’s PTG program aims to develop AI technologies to help users perform complex mental and physical tasks. The goal is to provide users of PTG AI assistants with wearable sensors that allow the assistant to observe what the user perceives and know what the user knows. Using advanced information processing and an AR interface, the goal of the program is to have the AI assistant provide feedback and guidance through speech and aligned graphics at the right place and time to augment the aircrew.
Using powerful, proven algorithm development and implementation processes, Northrop Grumman develops and integrates leading-edge AI solutions into large, complex, end-to-end mission systems that are essential to our national security. Northrop Grumman’s artificial intelligence systems are developed using responsible AI principles. The company’s AI technologies are equitable, traceable, reliable, governable, auditable and protected against threats.
01 Feb 22. Institut Polytechnique de Paris, CNRS and Thales create HERACLES3 joint R&D unit for intense lasers. The Institut Polytechnique de Paris, the CNRS and Thales have signed a partnership agreement relating to the creation of a joint laboratory, HERACLES3, to conduct research and development in the field of intense lasers. Drawing on a rich history of collaboration, the laboratory will focus on improving intense laser technologies for industrial, medical and scientific applications.
The new joint R&D unit will develop cutting-edge technologies based on intense lasers with major potential applications in the industrial, medical and scientific fields. This partnership between Thales, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris) will help to consolidate a long history of constructive collaboration between the three players.
Power lasers are one of the key areas of focus for IP Paris, encompassing fundamental research into plasma, laboratory astrophysics and space exploration, as well as societal applications such as non-destructive testing for industry, medical imaging, and treatment of tumours. One of its priorities of the CNRS, a leader in the field of plasma physics, is to install and operate a world-class Extreme Light Infrastructure in France. Operating this infrastructure opens up new possibilities in the study of high-intensity laser-matter interactions, in particular for new particle source generation, particle and electron acceleration and dynamic quantum electronics.
The technologies and associated applications developed by IP Paris and CNRS laboratories dovetail neatly with Thales’s strategy in the lasers segment. As a global leader in scientific lasers, Thales focuses its laser activities on three sectors: space, science and industry. In the space sector, for example, Thales supplied the first two lasers to operate on the planet Mars (ChemCam on board the Curiosity rover, and SuperCam on board Perseverance). Thales’s expertise is also based on the dozens of lasers it has installed in the world’s most prestigious laboratories.
The partners’ shared interests have led to a number of earlier collaborations, such as the XCAN project conceived by Gérard Mourou (winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and Professor Emeritus at the Ecole Polytechnique), and some of the R&D for the Apollon research infrastructure installed at the LULI intense laser laboratory to operate some of the world’s most powerful lasers, and more recently the Laplace laser plasma acceleration project led by the LOA* applied optics laboratory.
HERACLES3 will sustain and reinforce current work into intense lasers as well as launching fresh initiatives to use laser technologies in new applications. Part of HERACLES3, activities may also be carried out at IP Paris’s CIEDS laboratory and the future interdisciplinary centre for biomedical engineering.
The HERACLES3 unit will have three areas of focus corresponding to the physical characteristics and technological challenges of developing of intense lasers:
- Area of focus 1 – Very high peak power (10 PW) using the Apollon infrastructure
- Area of focus 2 – High peak power (> 10 TW) and medium peak power (100 W) with high repetition frequencies, within the plasma acceleration laboratory at the LOA*
- Area of focus 3 – Very high average power (> 500 W) under the XCAN project
R&D work in these areas will make it possible to develop the innovative technological building bricks needed to increase laser source reliability and performance, particularly in terms of power, intensity and repeatability. Potential applications include electron acceleration with a new class of accelerators, very high-resolution medical imaging and non-destructive testing of thick-welded structural materials.
The laboratory will bring together dedicated teams from LOA and LULI*, researchers and research support staff from the CNRS and IP Paris, with loaned technical resources such as laser platforms and laboratory measuring tools. Thales’s contribution to the project will include making its experts available, financing doctoral theses under industrial research-based training (CIFRE) agreements, equipment loans, and the provision of a new laser for the Laplace project, which aims to become one of the world’s leading centres for laser-plasma acceleration.
The creation of HERACLES3 will consolidate the strong relationship between various laboratories that have already hosted large numbers of Thales engineers and a high-tech industry player at the leading edge of the technological innovation that will shape the systems and applications of tomorrow.
*LULI, Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses / Laboratory for the utilisation of intense lasers. LULI is a joint research unit between CNRS, École Polytechnique – Institut Polytechnique de Paris and Sorbonne Université
*LOA, Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée / Applied optics laboratory. LOA is a joint research unit between CNRS, École Polytechnique – Institut Polytechnique de Paris and ENSTA Paris – Institut Polytechnique de Paris)
*1 petawatt = 1015 watts
31 Jan 22. Sagetech Partners with NUAIR to Test Detect and Avoid Technology in New York’s 50-Mile Drone Corridor. Sagetech Avionics Inc., a U.S. aerospace technology company providing industry-leading situational awareness solutions for crewed and uncrewed aerial systems, and NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc.) a New York based nonprofit with a mission to safely integrate uncrewed aircraft systems into the national airspace, have partnered to test Detect and Avoid (DAA) solutions and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) transponders, both developed by Sagetech.
The testing to occur will be for various concepts of operations including package delivery, lateral infrastructure inspection, and other advanced operations where crewed and uncrewed aviation must safely share the same airspace.
“Sagetech is excited about our partnership with NUAIR, and the technology and platform partner ecosystem Ken and his leadership have developed,” said Sagetech chief growth officer, Mark Lanphear. “We expect to be able to demonstrate our situational awareness and onboard DAA capabilities with NUAIR and their current and future partners to support NUAIR’s efforts in demonstrating BVLOS capabilities in the corridor.”
Testing will take place in Syracuse, New York early this year. The partnership will also focus on the integration of various detect and avoid technologies and non-cooperative sensors, utilizing the robust LTE network at the New York UAS Test Site and within New York’s 50-mile UAS Corridor developed specifically for a wide variety of UAS operations.
“Detect and Avoid technology is a key aspect in enabling safe, commercial, beyond visual line of sight drone operations,” said NUAIR CEO Ken Stewart. “Safety is paramount, and we’re excited to help test and further develop the Sagetech DAA system to help advance the reality of routine commercial drone operations.”
Sagetech is leveraging its long-standing reputation in safe & reliable ADS-B transponders to bring the most advanced certifiable, onboard detect and avoid system to market in 2022. The Sagetech onboard DAA solution will include a full power, low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) solution made possible by their onboard ACAS DAA computer. (Source: UAS VISION)
24 Jan 22. General Dynamics Mission Systems–UK to deliver high assurance technology expertise to Team Tempest next-generation combat aircraft. General Dynamics Mission Systems–UK is collaborating with Team Tempest, the ground-breaking UK Ministry of Defence and industry collaboration, developing the UK’s Future Combat Air System project.
The Team Tempest partnership brings together state-of-the-art design, manufacturing and operating expertise in developing next-generation technologies to deliver the military, industrial and economic requirements of the UK Combat Air Strategy. General Dynamics Mission Systems–UK’s presence in support of Team Tempest reflects the company’s industry-leading specialism in safety critical technologies, providing strategic and secure solutions within avionics for nearly 60 years.
Led by the company’s team in Hastings, General Dynamics Mission Systems–UK will be investigating next generation high assurance technologies that will be required in the avionics mission system for Tempest. This is supported by investment in new technologies and design methodologies.
Announcing the formal agreement Sam Steggall, Capability Director, said, “We are proud to be delivering such safety critical technologies and expertise to the pioneering Team Tempest alliance. It builds on our global position of providing cutting edge avionic and tactical communication and information systems and delivering the absolute latest in secure avionics. It further demonstrates the talent, innovation and ambition held within our UK business.”
The investment in new technologies and innovation also reflects General Dynamics’ continued commitment to the UK communities in which it operates, developing new skills and career paths alongside economic growth and innovation.
The Future Combat Air System is planned to meet its initial operating capability in 2035. (Source: www.joint-forcescom)
28 Jan 22. Lilium arrives at ATLAS Flight Test Center in Spain and hires Chief Test Pilot.
- Experienced aircraft test pilot Andrew Strachan joins Lilium as Chief Test Pilot
- Lilium plans to continue its flight test campaign, from hover up to high speed, at the ATLAS Flight Test Center’s state-of-the-art facilities in Spain
Today, Lilium N.V. (“Lilium”) announced that one of its 5th generation technology demonstrators (“PHX2”) has arrived at the ATLAS Flight Test Center in Villacarrillo (Jaen), Spain where Lilium plans to continue its flight test campaign at higher speeds and over longer distances, thereby expanding the testing capabilities beyond Germany.
The campaign is bolstered by newly appointed Chief Test Pilot, Andrew Strachan, who brings with him over 30 years’ experience as an aircraft test pilot. Prior to joining Lilium, Strachan served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and then had a successful career as a test pilot and later Chief Test Pilot at Leonardo Helicopters. He brings an extraordinary amount of experience, having flown multiple types of aircraft throughout the full range of test flying activities.
Lilium analyzed multiple potential locations in Spain for key test conditions including land topology, weather, and facilities before confirming ATLAS, which provides optimal infrastructure and enables the aircraft to fly over a large, unpopulated area while transitioning fully into high-speed wing-borne flight. The modern facilities and support from CATEC (Center for Advanced Aerospace Technologies) has been instrumental in setting Lilium up for a successful flight test campaign.
Andy Strachan, Chief Test Pilot at Lilium, said: “I’m thrilled to join Lilium at such an exciting moment in the company’s growth. As someone who has been influenced by aviation since childhood, it’s inspiring to be part of a company driving the next phase of sustainable, aeronautical technology.”
Alastair McIntosh, Chief Technology Officer at Lilium, said: “We’re excited for this next high-speed testing phase to begin in Spain and to welcome new Chief Test Pilot Andy Strachan who is an incredible addition to the Lilium team.” (Source: PR Newswire)
27 Jan 22. Japan Defense Enhanced with Aegis and SPY-7 Software Demo. Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated the integration of the AN/SPY-7(v)1 radar into the Aegis Weapon System, executing the processing required to detect, track and discriminate ballistic missile threats, and successfully guide interceptors to those threats.
“The SPY-7 radar brings superior capability to sea or land-based platforms, utilizing proven production technology scaled from the Long Range Discrimination Radar, which recently achieved initial fielding in Clear, Alaska” said Joe DePietro, vice president and general manager of Naval Combat and Missile Defense Systems at Lockheed Martin. “As new threats emerge, SPY-7 integrated with Aegis will protect Japan and its citizens.”
Lockheed Martin is modifying its production test center facility located at its Moorestown, N.J. site to prepare for the live SPY-7 radar integration and test for Japan’s Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) program. Like other radar programs of this magnitude, this test facility will be used to validate end-item hardware and software performance prior to shipment to Japan, provide early lessons-learned to streamline equipment installation on the ASEV ship platform, and support maintenance and training efforts ahead of system deployment.
The successful demonstration of the complete ballistic missile defense fire control loop is a critical milestone in the development of the SPY-7 equipped Aegis Combat System. The demonstration was witnessed by both the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy Aegis Technical Representative. (Source: ASD Network)
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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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