Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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11 Oct 18. Preparing the next-generation Tiger attack helicopter. The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of the French, German and Spanish Armament agencies DGA, BAAINBw and DGAM, has awarded a de-risking study to a European consortium comprising Airbus Helicopters, Thales and MDBA for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Tiger attack helicopter to the Mk 3 standard.
France, Germany and Spain will prepare together the development of new features and identify the innovations needed to improve the Tiger’s survivability and keep it fully operational beyond 2040. The MLU will provide the armed forces with a Tiger fleet that is fully prepared to face new and emerging threats through. For Thales, it is an opportunity to propose the latest-generation interactive cockpit and upgraded TopOwl helmet-mounted sight and display.
“This contract is another step forward for Europe’s defence community and the consolidation of our industry. It is a further endorsement of our technological excellence, our technical expertise in Tiger systems, and the benefits of constructive cooperation within the European industry, and with Airbus Helicopters in particular.” – Christian Bardot, Thales Vice President, Helicopter Avionics activities.
178 Tiger attack helicopters have been delivered France, Germany, Spain and Australia.
09 Oct 18. The US Army finally knows what it needs to help GPS-denied troops. The Army is nearing the finalization of its first set of requirements for a vehicle-based assured position, navigation and timing solution. The six- to seven-page capabilities requirements document is waiting signature from Army leadership, Willie Nelson, director of the assured-PNT cross-functional team, said Oct. 9 at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Nelson described this feat as a somewhat watershed moment for the Army because the service has been trying for years to compete a requirements document. Previously, the approach was trying to come up with a systems-of-systems approach for the entire Army that ended up being too big and too expensive. Now, the approach is to break off smaller chunks to be more manageable. This includes a mounted requirement, which is completed and awaiting signature, a dismounted requirement, which is also nearly complete, as well as others. The program managers are now using rapid equipping contracting vehicles to get after solutions in this space immediately. Nelson also said the plan for engaging industry is to ask for specific solutions within each of the position, navigation and timing sectors as opposed to only something that addresses all the above.
“I break it down because I think everybody has an area within that. Maybe you’ve got a specialty area where you’ve got a unique or innovative capability that can help in one of these areas, we’re all ears,” he said.
The Army is planning an industry day in Austin, Texas, for February or March where it plans to provide industry with technical and program or record roadmaps in the the mounted, dismounted and aerial spheres of assured-PNT realm. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
11 Oct 18. Funding boost for South Australian AI business. South Australian technology business Fivecast is set to receive a share of the Commonwealth’s $3.5m Accelerating Commercialisation grants to support the development of key AI technologies. Fivecast has been offered a $433,214 Accelerating Commercialisation (AC) grant to assist in the development of key AI technology. AC provides access to expert guidance and grants to help businesses commercialise their novel products, processes and services. The AC program offers commercialisation guidance, AC grants and portfolio services to successful applicants.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews announced the grants to help businesses from across the nation, including Fivecast, saying, “The grants will help businesses accelerate the development of high quality projects, which had strong local and export market potential, and are an example of ideas that keep Australian businesses competitive and promote economic growth.”
These grants are part of the Australian government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme and make an important contribution to supporting business innovation.
AC grant applications can be lodged at any time. The grants consist of matched funding of up to $1m to cover eligible commercialisation costs and help companies take their products to market.
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said, “The support to Fivecast will encourage other local businesses to develop innovative ideas.”
The Entrepreneurs’ Programme is the Australian government’s flagship initiative for business competitiveness and productivity. It forms part of the government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda.
The program offers support to businesses through four elements:
- Accelerating commercialisation: Helps small and medium businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers to commercialise novel products, services and processes;
- Management: Experienced business advisers and facilitators review business operations, including business direction, strategy, growth opportunities and supply chain. They provide a report with strategies for business improvement and work with you to make them happen;
- Incubator support: Assists new and existing incubators to improve the prospects of Australian start-ups achieving commercial success in international markets, through helping them to develop their business capabilities; and
- Innovation connections: Experienced innovation facilitators work with businesses to identify knowledge gaps that are preventing business growth. The outcome is an innovation facilitation report.
“To date, 335 grants worth more than $166m have been provided to Australian businesses to commercialise their ground breaking technologies,” Minister Andrews said.
The AC grant program provides projects up to 50 per cent of the expenditure to a maximum of:
- $250,000 for commercialisation offices and eligible partner entities; and
- $1m for all other applicants.
Fivecast was formed through a collaboration between Australia’s national security agencies and various research organisations.
More information on the recipients is available at www.business.gov.au/ac-funding-offers. AC grant applications can be lodged at www.business.gov.au/ep. For more information on the Entrepreneurs’ Programme, visit www.business.gov.au/assistance/entrepreneurs-programme. (Source: Defence Connect)
09 Oct 18. CTSi & Blue Wolf Develop New “ELK” Covert Lighting System to Provide Warfighters Visibility in Low Observable Environments.
New Expeditionary Lighting Kit offers critical supplemental lighting to meet the needs of warfighters on the frontlines and ensure mission success. CTSi and partner Blue Wolf recently completed Department of Defense (DoD) environmental testing of a newly developed covert lighting system for use in airborne, land and maritime missions. Designated the Expeditionary Lighting Kit or ELK, the system was created to provide a tactical lighting mission kit compatible with NVIS systems that can be installed on an “as needed” basis.
“There are far too many critical mission operations that cannot be performed in contested battlefield environments due to the limitations of visibility currently available in the cargo compartment and ramp area of military aircraft,” said Tom Sanders, CTSi Managing Director. “The lighting solution we’ve created through a strategic partnership with Blue Wolf provides warfighters with independently controlled tri-mode lighting for sensitive missions.”
Unlike current static lighting systems that are designed to a specific airframe, ELK is a portable, universal, lightweight system built for easy implementation with no airframe upgrade required. The platform has a modular design allowing it to be scaled to fit any airframe envelope and can be modified for use in cargo and ramp areas of maritime vessels and ground vehicles.
“The covertness of this lighting system, along with its universal, zero impact of installation capabilities makes ELK an essential part of any mission requiring close operation to enemy forces,” said Ty Plowman, President of Blue Wolf. “With the successful DoD environmental testing, we are confident this ruggedized military lighting system will be a welcome addition across multiple platforms and uses for our servicemen and women on the front lines in any given situation.”
ELK provides up to four zones of independently controlled White, NVG-Compatible or IR lighting to ensure military operations remain concealed from enemy line of sight during transport.
To learn more about the Expeditionary Covert Lighting System, please contact .
CTSi
CTSi is a small business specializing in integrated solutions to challenging technical problems. With 2017 sales over $30M and a solid SBIR track record, CTSi is positioned for rapid growth to meet emerging demand within the U.S. DoD for new technologies. See more about CTSi at www.goctsi.com.
Blue Wolf
Blue Wolf is a leader in the design and manufacturing of Night Vision Compatible LED lighting solutions (NVG/NVIS) and products supporting military, border patrol and law-enforcement agencies, worldwide. With subject matter expertise, we build the highest quality, ruggedized NVIS and IR lights for OEM line-fit as well as fleet retrofit and upgrades to the latest NVG/NVIS standards or general lighting needs. We design night vision goggle friendly lighting across most aircraft, watercraft and ground vehicles platforms. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
09 Oct 18. University of Adelaide and Lockheed partner on machine learning hub. Lockheed Martin and the University of Adelaide have teamed up to develop a centre of excellence for machine learning as part of a new collaboration agreement. Leading aerospace, technology and innovation company Lockheed Martin Australia has become the first Foundation Partner with the University of Adelaide’s new Australian Institute for Machine Learning. The strategic partnership will deliver world-leading machine learning research for national security, the space industry, business, and the broader community.
Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that enables computers and machines to learn how to do complex tasks without being programmed by humans. This technology is driving what is known as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’.
The University of Adelaide’s new Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) – which builds on decades of expertise in artificial intelligence and computer vision – will be based in the South Australian government’s new innovation precinct at Lot Fourteen (the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site).
Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive, Vince Di Pietro said, “Lockheed Martin Australia strives to be the partner of choice as an industry leader in defence and technology. Our partnership with the University of Adelaide to develop world-leading machine learning technologies for Australia is a most worthwhile investment in our future and sovereign defence capabilities.”
As Foundation Partner, researchers from Lockheed Martin’s STELaRLab (Science Technology Engineering Leadership and Research Laboratory) in Melbourne will partner with AIML researchers in Adelaide in support of honours, doctoral and post-doctoral R&D programs.
The team will work with University of Adelaide researchers and students at AIML on leading-edge technology, advancing the capabilities needed to meet complex and dynamic challenges in the areas of national security – including next-generation machine reasoning for automated information processing and decision support – and advanced algorithm development for air, sea, land, cyber and space systems.
The University of Adelaide’s vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen said, “Our new partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia is a perfect example of how the university can bring together outstanding research expertise, unique facilities, students, and an international reputation to attract global industry to Adelaide.”
“We’re excited that the university, in partnership with industry and government, will play a key role in the new Lot Fourteen site, helping to drive innovation and underpinning the transformation of the South Australian economy. From this will flow new ideas and the industries of the future, producing a thriving innovation ecosystem in the heart of our vibrant city,” Professor Rathjen explained further.
Dr Keoki Jackson, Lockheed Martin’s chief technology officer, explained Lockheed Martin Australia’s interest in developing domestic, world leading capabilities, saying, “Lockheed Martin invests in partnerships with Australia’s research and defence industry communities to develop discriminating technologies, provide export opportunities through our global supply chains, and create innovation, Australian skilled jobs, and sustainable business growth.
Meanwhile, Professor Anton van den Hengel, director of the University’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning said, “Artificial intelligence is expected to transform the global economy within the next decade. Our aim is to strengthen Adelaide’s position as a global destination for high-tech research and development, and ensure that South Australia is well prepared to reap the significant benefits this technology offers.”
“Our partnership with Lockheed Martin demonstrates a deep level of engagement between the university and industries that are critical to South Australia’s future. This is particularly evident in national security, but will be felt more broadly, with technological advancements finding application in other industrial sectors. Such innovation is expected to be catalysed by the federal government’s once-in-a-lifetime investment in defence and related industries here in South Australia,” said deputy vice-chancellor (research), Professor Mike Brooks.
Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 800 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors.
The University of Adelaide is a world-class research and teaching institution, centred on discovering new knowledge, pursuing innovation and preparing the educated leaders of tomorrow. Australia’s third oldest university, the University of Adelaide is proudly ranked in the top one per cent of universities in the world. (Source: Defence Connect)
08 Oct 18. General Micro Systems Showcased Army’s Multi-Function Video Display Mine Clearing Software and Computer Systems at AUSA. System shows path to autonomous vehicle control with ability to add deep learning, artificial intelligence and “super computer-like” functionality. General Micro Systems (GMS) is a rugged C4ISR mobile systems and servers company. In 2017, GMS won an $88m contract to exclusively provide powerful rugged server and display systems to run the U.S. Army’s multi-function video display (MVD) mine clearing software and computer system within Type II medium mine protection vehicles (MMPV).
GMS demonstrated the MVD system, which can control all the sensors, weapons and radios aboard the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Systems (MRAP) vehicles for locating and defeating mines, IEDs and other combatant hazards and can be used for autonomous driving in darkness, brownout or denied environments. The MVD includes:
- Video-over-IP capability, coupled with multi-spectral sensors, making it a baseline operator platform from which future autonomous Army vehicles—like Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) and other “wingman” platforms—can be “driven” and controlled.
- Extreme real-time precision so operators can drive the vehicle using only the inside displays without inducing motion sickness.
- The ability to embed (future) deep learning, artificial intelligence and “super computer-like” functionality directly in the vehicles and platforms. This will shorten the OODA loop (sensor-to-decision/action) and bring revolutionary processing to the tactical battlefield.
- EO, IR and LIDAR (future) sensors; ultra-low latency video-to-IP conversion, mobile battlefield server, rugged smart displays, and modular, Army-developed VICTORY-conformant software.
09 Oct 18. General Micro Systems Launches Apex, the Highest Performance Upgradeable Secure Server under ITAR Control. Intel® dual Xeon® 2U server, with 1 TB of RAM, 96 TB SSD storage, quad GPGPU, APU, and utilizing industry-proven OpenVPX open architecture with lowest TCO.
General Micro Systems, Inc. (GMS) today launched Apex, the “Forever Server” system that is compact, secure, exceptionally powerful, rugged and modular. Designed for harsh use but able to evolve and upgrade as system needs change over many years, Apex is so densely packed that it can reduce an entire rack’s worth of functionality into a single product—also saving size, weight, power (SWaP) and total cost of ownership (TCO).
“Too often, ‘bargain priced,’ commercial-quality and foreign-sourced servers are chosen for use in deployed or secure military environments like those in shipboard, airborne and vehicle applications,” said Ben Sharfi, CEO and chief architect, GMS. “These single purpose servers, however, can put lives at risk with questionable ruggedness and dubious security, and end up costing significantly more in the long run when requirements change, and they quickly become obsolete and in need of replacement within 12-18 months.”
For these rugged environments, GMS designed Apex from the metal up to be not only ruggedly mil-ready, but to save money by consolidating many separate system boxes and functions into one server; and by making it easily upgradeable through modular subsystems that evolve as program, platform and technology needs change.
The “Forever Server”: Apex
Based upon the GMS S2U server, Apex is a standard width 19-inch “total rack” compact dual Intel® Xeon® server system that replaces up to 17U worth of equivalent equipment in only 2U of shelf space. Using a “system of systems,” Apex contains six super-dense hot swappable modules that can each be upgraded and evolved over time—providing years of life evolution to DoD platforms and systems.
“Apex is unlike any other server, and the key uniqueness is two-fold,” Sharfi added. “First, every subsystem is modular and uses the military standard OpenVPX architecture, which is trusted in deployed military systems. No other server uses this dependable modular interconnect.” Translation: Apex is rugged, reliable, and designed for harsh duty.
All six of Apex’s subsystems can be swapped out as technology evolves—or different modules can be swapped in as long lifecycle DoD program needs change. This means that Apex can be upgraded for many years as new technology evolves, merely swapping out the subsystem modules while maintaining the same in-system footprint, interfaces, and software configuration. This technology refresh—or pre-planned product improvement (P3I)—is a huge benefit in long lifecycle government and military programs, and it saves money compared to commercial servers. In contrast, commercial servers are usually obsolete within 12-18 months and are discarded in favor of new hardware; and, there’s no guarantee that interfaces and software remain consistent.
FlexVPX™ Multi-dimensional Backplane Fabric: Mobile Supercomputer
“The second unique feature of Apex is our FlexVPX™ multi-dimensional fabric backplane that runs natively at PCIe Gen 3 directly to every subsystem,” said Sharfi. “No other server on the market can connect so many in-chassis subsystems directly at full-rate PCIe Gen 3.” FlexVPX™ is also upgradeable up to more than 20 Gbps, giving Apex’s customers a “future-proof” server.
While the technology is unique, another benefit is that with such a high-performance in-chassis architecture, Apex combines many rackmount systems into the single Apex chassis—up to 17U worth of separate chassis from other suppliers. This saves money because one Apex server replaces several other systems like a GPGPU co-processor box, an APU, a PCIe expansion chassis, secure removable storage, and more.
FlexVPX™ also extends outside of Apex to an expansion chassis for Nvidia® GPGPU or Xilinx® FPGA co-processor engines for deep learning, data mining, augmented reality, or blockchain or hash algorithm engines. This accessory turns one 2U Apex into a mobile supercomputer—bringing unheard of performance onto the battlefield in a very small footprint.
Example Use Cases
Apex’s modularity not only enables P3I upgrades, it simplifies sparing. In shipboard applications, for example, dozens and dozens of new commercial servers are stowed aboard in advance of deployment to be used as spares. This is expensive, takes space, and adds weight and inconvenience. With Apex, the OpenVPX modules are more reliable compared to commercial servers. In addition, customers need only swap out Apex modules—not the entire server—in the event of failure. The cost and logistics savings are obvious.
Apex also contains 12 removable drives, plus six fixed drives (five SAM I/O or mSATA plus M.2 on XMC). With the removable drives, up to 96 TB (8 TB x 12) of encrypted storage can be used for data recording.
“Encryption is critical in both enterprise and defense applications, especially with the turmoil happening in the world today,” Sharfi said. “Apex’s drives can be encrypted and are available as FIPS-140-2, but the ability to remove and transport individual drives or the entire 8-drive Mass Storage or 4-drive system I/O modules is a game-changer for convenience and data security workflow.” Apex becomes the world’s most powerful and secure sensor/image data recorder.
Tech Details: Apex is a Future-Proof Modular System of Systems
Apex modules encompass three key areas: CPU and Bus Fabric; Networking and I/O; and Storage. The following list identifies how a 2U Apex server can replace up to 17U of other equipment:
CPU, Bus Fabric, Power
Apex uses two of Intel’s highest-performing Xeon® E5 22 core server CPUs, adds 1 TB of DDR4 ECC-protected DRAM, and the FlexVPX™ bus fabric routes 80 PCIe Gen 3 8 Gbps lanes between subsystem modules for a flow-through architecture. FlexVPX™ is capable of scaling to 20 Gbps as technology evolves, making Apex future-proof.
Supporting the CPU subsystem are six 40 Gbps fiber Ethernet ports, plus two 1 Gbps copper Ethernet ports—all operating at full bandwidth, plus a baseboard management controller for out-of-band management capabilities over IPMI, including SNMP. An HDMI port is used for console video, and there are six USB 3.0 ports, two USB-C ports with 45 W power delivery, and a removable and “sanitizable” SSD for the operating system, which can be substituted for an XMC I/O module. Unique to Apex are 32 lanes of PCIe Gen 3 to other expansion chassis such as those from One Stop Systems or other GPGPU deep learning systems. The fabric also connects multiple Apex servers together. Apex is powered by three N+1 redundant MIL-STD-704 AC or MIL-STD-1275 DC power supplies and contains an inboard auxiliary power unit (APU). 400 Hz AC power is available for avionics applications.
Networking and I/O
As mentioned, Apex contains up to six 40 Gb Ethernet ports and two 1 Gb Ethernet ports, in addition to 20 1 Gb Ethernet ports and a Cisco® hardware router. Add-in I/O cards include slots for four full-size x16 PCIe Gen 3 cards, XMC, and M.2. Five onboard PCIe-Mini I/O modules add either fixed mSATA storage or other I/O, such as MIL-STD-1553 or CANbus.
Storage
Two removable drive units form Apex’s main 96 TB of storage (with 12 TB SSDs). The 8-bay subsystem has eight individually removable hardware-encrypted RAID SSDs, plus four additional system I/O removable SSDs. Each of these subsystems is transportable to other Apex servers or to a docking station. Other storage includes up to five mSATA fixed storage modules plus an XMC-based removable M.2 for the operating system.
08 Oct 18. General Micro Systems Brings Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from the Data Center onto the Battlefield with Industry’s First Rugged Deep Learning System. GMS X422 “Lightning” integrates dual Nvidia® V100 Tesla GPGPU data center accelerators into a fully sealed, conduction-cooled chassis to enable deep learning and artificial intelligence on the battlefield for at-the-sensor decision making. General Micro Systems (GMS) today introduced the industry’s first rugged, conduction-cooled, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) deep learning/artificial intelligence (AI) mobile system that offers real-time data analysis and decision making directly on the battlefield. The X422 “Lighting” integrates two of Nvidia’s powerful V100 Tesla data center accelerators into a fully sealed, conduction-cooled chassis, enabling it to withstand the harsh rigors of the battlefield. Designed as a dual co-processor companion to GMS Intel® Xeon® rugged air-cooled or conduction-cooled servers, X422 is the first product to bring the computational power of Nvidia’s best Tensor Core general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) to the battlefield’s tactical edge or right into a ground or air vehicle to speed data analysis and interpretation from hours to minutes.
Traditionally, sensors on military vehicles collect massive amounts of battlefield data and store it locally before transporting it for analysis and interpretation by highly sophisticated, remote deep learning systems. Transporting this raw data saturates networks and satellite communication uplinks, slowing them to a crawl and preventing access from other users. To work around the network, removable hard drives are often transported from the front lines, leaving the data subject to theft or loss during transport and introducing additional lag time.
“The X422 GPGPU system allows extraordinary quantities of data to be collected and processed right on the battlefield in real time, significantly shortening the decision loop for providing solutions and recommendations to warfighters,” said Ben Sharfi, chief architect and CEO, General Micro Systems. “Ultimately, the X422 enables live targets to be identified, flagged and even fired upon in record time. It represents a complete paradigm shift in electronic warfare, SIGINT and C4ISR.”
Two of the Most Advanced Data Center GPGPUs Ever Built
The X422, which is approximately 12×12 inches square and under 3 inches high, includes dual x16 PCIe Gen 3 slots for the GMS-ruggedized PCIe deep learning cards including Nvidia’s V100 Tesla (computation only)—what Nvidia calls the “most advanced data center GPU ever built,”—or Nvidia’s Titan V (computation with graphics outputs). Each card boasts 5120 CUDA processing cores, giving X422 over 10,200 GPGPU cores and in excess of 225 TFLOPS for deep learning. In addition to using Nvidia GPGPU co-processors, the X422 can accommodate other co-processors, different deep learning cards, and high-performance computers (HPC) based upon FPGAs from Xilinx or Altera, or ASICs up to a total of 250 W per slot (500 W total).
An industry first for deep learning and artificial intelligence, the X422 includes no fans or moving parts, promising wide temperature operation and massive data movement via an external PCI Express fabric in ground vehicles, tactical command posts, UAV/UAS, or other remote locations—right at the warfighter’s “tip of the spear.” GMS relies on the company’s patented RuggedCool™ thermal technology to adapt the GPGPUs for harsh battlefield conditions, extending their temperature operation while increasing environmental MTBF.
“No one besides GMS has done this before because we own the technology that makes it possible. The X422 not only keeps the V100s or other 250 W GPGPU cards cool on the battlefield, but our unique x16 PCIe Gen 3 FlexVPX™ fabric streams real-time data between the X422 and host processor/server at an astounding 32 GB/s all day long,” Sharfi said. “From sensor to deep learning co-processor to host: X422 accelerates the fastest and most complete data analysis and decision making possible.”
Technical Specifications on the X422
Another industry first brings I/O to X422 via GMS’s FlexVPX™ bus extension fabric. X422 interfaces with servers and modules from GMS and from One Stop Systems, using industry-standard iPass+ HD connectors offering x16 lanes in and x16 lanes out of PCI Express Gen 3
(8 GT/s) fabric for a total of 256 GT/s (about 32 GB/s) system throughput. X422 deep learning co-processor systems can be daisy-chained up to a theoretical limit of 16 chassis working together.
Unique to X422 are the pair of X422’s two PCIe deep learning cards that can operate independently or work together as a high-performance computer (HPC) using the user-programmable onboard, non-blocking low-latency PCIe switch fabric. For PCIe cards with outputs—such as the Titan V’s DisplayPorts—these are routed to separate A and B front panel connectors.
08 Oct 18. Esterline Corporation, a global leader in defense and aerospace technologies, unveiled its new HaWC controllers to the North American defense industry for the first time at AUSA in Washington, booth 1517. Esterline will be demonstrating its ability to support Army readiness with superior human machine interface technology – yesterday, today and tomorrow. Esterline Control & Communication Systems’ Mason, Palomar, Korry and Racal Acoustics product teams will be exhibiting at the show, showcasing their expertise in advanced human machine interface (HMI) with a diverse range of solutions.
For the first time in North America, Esterline Mason will showcase its new InSight HaWC™ and Mighty HaWC™ systems controllers. The HaWC suite of rugged game-style controllers provide impeccable, versatile performance for mission-critical applications in the civilian, law enforcement, military, industrial and commercial markets. Both the InSight HaWC and Mighty HaWC allow the operator to stand at a determined safe distance while maintaining maximum situational awareness, full autonomy and control, ensuring survivability and mission effectiveness.
Esterline Mason will also be displaying a selection of its aircraft control products such as the AH-64 collective grip, designed specifically for Boeing’s Apache, one of the most advanced attack helicopters ever.
“With these newly-evolved HaWCs, we are taking our experience and proven success and putting everything we know – literally into the customer’s hands,” said David Tessier, President of Esterline Mason. “Esterline’s heritage of being a renowned leader in technology, along with decades of human machine interface expertise and countless product mission hours, is proof positive that our controllers will be reliable, valuable tools for the Army”.
Showcased by Esterline Control and Communication Systems will be its market-leading Palomar Secure Communication Systems (SCS) console of integrated command, control and communications (C3) technology for secure, multi-level communications and information management. Also presented at AUSA will be Esterline’s Korry advanced overhead cockpit panel. An integrated solution with three Korry touchscreen displays and associated switching components, it is the first touchscreen overhead panel to be deployed on any aircraft and is easy-to-reconfigure with modular software architecture.
Racal Acoustics will complete Esterline’s showcase of capabilities for AUSA with its RA4000 Magna headset, RA7000 ELITE in-ear hearing protection system and the RA5001 Raptor Headband. The RA4000 Magna headset addresses current operator requirements with up-to-date solutions in electronics, materials and ergonomic. It provides comprehensive hearing protection for high-noise environments with an autonomous, battery-powered digital active noise reduction (ANR) system, crystal-clear, high-fidelity communications. The RA4000 Magna also includes modular, customizable and upgradeable features and accessories to match specific mission requirements and extend useful life.
The state-of-the-art RA7000 ELITE in-ear hearing protection system is a combination of hearing protection, advanced local situational awareness and secure communications. The brand will also bring its high-performance Raptor medium-noise headsets. Raptor offers premium hearing protection, communication intelligibility and situational awareness.
05 Oct 18. Thales Canada invests in Virtual Marine’s ship simulation system. Thales has invested in Canada-based Virtual Marine’s embedded ship simulation system as part of a new multi-phase research and development project.
With an investment of more than $315,000, the project will involve development of a ship simulator for use across a range of platforms and projects in both naval, coastguard and commercial applications.
Primarily it will support advanced platform testing and integration requirements for the Royal Canadian Navy programmes such as Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships and Joint Support Ships In-Service Support (AJISS).
Virtual Marine chief technical officer and executive vice-president Randy Billiard said: “The Ship Simulator Research project will result in a more innovative and technologically advanced ship simulator software product that will build on existing simulation technologies to enhance integration support and training options for prime defence integrators.
“It will be tested by users who understand the need to properly de-risk systems for safe and full operational integration. This project will further position Virtual Marine as a leading and innovative provider of marine simulation solutions.”
The research project will leverage Thales’s extensive software engineering expertise and capabilities in big data, connectivity, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to upgrade baseline technology.
The 12-month project will help provide the company with improved embedded navigation simulation capabilities support.
In August last year, Thales received a C$800m AJISS contract from the Government of Canada to provide in-service support, refit, repair, maintenance and training to the Canadian Navy’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and Joint Support Ships (JSS). (Source: naval-technology.com)
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Oxley Group Ltd
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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