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www.oxleygroup.com
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28 Jan 15. Systematic launch SITAWARE HEADQUARTERS C4I. Complex operational environments require decisions to be made quickly and accurately. They also require the exchange of vital information within the coalition and joint battle net. With so much information to be processed, it’s vital that operational headquarters staff have the most advanced command and control tools available to filter out irrelevant information and get a full appreciation of the battlespace.
SitaWare Headquarters is a powerful and scalable C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, & Intelligence) system that offers an accessible, easy-to-use yet comprehensive toolset that can significantly increase operational flexibility and reduce deployment time while providing extensive interoperability capabilities. SitaWare Headquarters is accessed directly from a standard browser, which gives you instant C4I access from any computer within the network. With no client installation needed, a typical deployment can be carried out in just hours rather than weeks or months. Thanks to its modern, intuitive user interface only minimal training is required making SitaWare Headquarters is a highly cost effective solution to deploy and maintain. Moreover, the intuitive interface enables users to make full and effective use of the system’s rich C4I capabilities supporting mission critical decision making in high tempo situations.
29 Jan 15. New malware can bring down drones mid-Flight. Maldrone bills itself as the “first backdoor for drones.” Developed by security researcher Rahul Sasi, this malware tricks a drone’s autonomous decision-making unit into handing over control to a hacker. Once the drone has been infected, that hacker can do anything from flying the drone to the destination of their choice to making the drone just drop out of the sky. Sasi demonstrated Maldrone’s ability in a demo and outlined the specifics of the malware on a hacker forum. This isn’t the first time someone’s developed malware for UAVs—it really isn’t—but it is unique for a few reasons. First of all, as Sasi himself points out, past malware targets the drone’s API, whereas Maldrone goes straight for the brain—the autonomous decision-making unit. And unlike past hacks that were specific to a particular make and model of drone, Maldrone is designed to work with any drone software. The demo shows the malware taking over a Parrot AR drone, but Sasi says he’s also implementing the malware on a DJI Phantom. (Source: UAS VISION/Gizmodo)
28 Jan 15. The Pentagon said on Wednesday its fiscal 2016 budget proposal will fund early technology development and prototyping of a “next-generation X-plane” that would eventually succeed the F-35 fighter jet being developed and built by Lockheed Martin Corp. Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s chief arms buyer, said the funding would be part of a new “aerospace innovation initiative” aimed at ensuring that the U.S. military continued to dominate the skies despite development of so-called fifth-generation stealth fighters by China and others. He told the House Armed Services Committee the initiative would be headed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, with help from the Air Force and the Navy. Speaking with reporters during a break in the hearing, Kendall declined to give details on the amount of funding involved in the new initiative since the Pentagon’s budget will not be delivered to Congress until Monday. Lockheed, Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp have urged the department to start funding a new major aircraft development program given the dearth of new programs in recent years. Kendall said the new project was meant to ensure continued work for industry design teams as development of the F-35 neared an end. He told reporters the project would also include work on development of a nex