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05 Mar 20. CSIS Launches New Technology and Intelligence Task Force. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce the launch of the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force. This new task force will explore the implications and applications of emerging technologies for the U.S. intelligence community. It is co-chaired by Stephanie O’Sullivan, former Principal Deputy Director for National Intelligence, and Avril Haines, former Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The task force will generate an action plan for key public and private sector stakeholders to guide the ways in which advanced technology should be used to produce strategic intelligence for U.S. policymakers. Using its unparalleled convening power, CSIS will bring together a broad range of experts to engage the task force on problems and solutions to ensure U.S. technology will better enable and empower U.S. intelligence.
“Maintaining a competitive edge in strategic intelligence over increasingly sophisticated state rivals will be a critical component of ensuring and advancing U.S. national security interests in the coming decades,” said Dr. John Hamre, CSIS President and CEO and Langone Chair in American Leadership. “The work of this task force will be vital in helping to outline policy options for dealing with tech challenges impacting national security.”
The CSIS task force will explore the implications of rapid advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and big data analytics for U.S. intelligence and how the community must adapt to maintain the intelligence advantage.
Ms. O’Sullivan and Ms. Haines are joined on the task force by fellow thought leaders, former senior officials, and leading voices from the intelligence, law enforcement, policy, and tech communities. The CSIS task force members are:
- Michael Allen, Managing Director of Beacon Global Strategies LLC, and former Majority Staff Director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- Kari A. Bingen, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security
- Robert Cardillo, President, The Cardillo Group; former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- John P. Carlin, Partner, Morrison & Foerster; former Assistant Attorney General for National Security
- Rick Ledgett, Senior Advisor at Hakluyt Cyber; former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency
- Marcel Lettre, former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
- Jason Matheny, Founding Director of Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology; former Assistant Director of National Intelligence and Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity
- John McLaughlin, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; former Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- Jami Miscik, CEO of Kissinger Associates, Inc.; former Deputy Director for Intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency
- Stephen Slick, Director of The University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project; former CIA Clandestine Service Officer and National Security Council Senior Director for Intelligence Programs and Reform
- Gen. Joseph L. Votel, USA (Ret.), President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security; former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command
- Dr. Amy Zegart, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies and Davies Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
“This task force brings unparalleled talent to the challenge of advancing intelligence solutions that take advantage of breathtaking advances in technology in a manner that aligns with American values and the rule of law,” said Dr. Kathleen Hicks, CSIS Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director of the International Security Program. “We are delighted to convene this distinguished and diverse group and excited about the work they will lead.”
Dr. Hicks will serve as senior adviser to the task force. Brian Katz, Fellow in the International Security Program, will serve as the task force’s research director.
The task force brings together world-leading experts from the intelligence, technology, national security, and research communities with a passion for advancing the U.S. intelligence mission through technological change.
Initial sponsors for the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force include Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, Rebellion Defense, Redhorse Corporation, and Thomson Reuters Special Services. Additional sponsors may be added.
05 Mar 20. Japan commissions first Soryu-class submarine equipped with lithium-ion batteries. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned its first Soryu-class diesel-electric attack submarine (SSK) equipped with lithium-ion batteries in a ceremony held on 5 March in Hyogo Prefecture in west-central Japan.
Named JS Oryu (with pennant number SS 511), the 84-m-long boat was inducted into the JMSDF’s Submarine Flotilla 1, based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, shortly after being handed over by shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) at its facility in Kobe, a JMSDF spokesperson told Jane’s that same day. Oryu is the 11th submarine of the class and the sixth to be built by MHI, with the other five having been built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI). Oryu was laid down in March 2015 and launched in October 2018. The total cost of acquiring the submarine amounted to about JPY66bn (USD615m), the spokesperson said.
The launch comes after GS Yuasa, a Kyoto-based developer and manufacturer of battery systems, had announced in February 2017 that Japan would become the first country in the world to equip SSKs with lithium-ion batteries in place of lead-acid batteries.
At the time the company said the batteries, which store considerably more energy than the lead-acid batteries, would be mounted on the final two Soryu-class boats for the JMSDF: SS 511 (Oryu), and SS 512 (Toryu). According to Jane’s Fighting Ships, the Soryu class has a beam of 9.1m, a hull draught of 8.4m, and a displacement of 2,947 tonnes when surfaced and 4,100 tonnes when submerged. The previous boats of the class have been fitted with two Kawasaki 12V 25/25 diesel generators and four Kawasaki Kockums V4-275R Stirling air-independent propulsion (AIP) engines, and use lead-acid batteries for energy storage. Each of the platforms has a top speed of 20kt when submerged and of 12kt when surfaced. (Source: Jane’s)
27 Feb 20. Cubic Signs Agreement with US Special Operations for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance R&D. Cubic Mission Solutions and U.S. Special Operations Command to jointly create key technologies for cost-effective and high-performance ISR services
Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that its Cubic Mission Solutions business division signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L) to work on research and development (R&D) for cutting-edge airborne payload technologies for use within the Department of Defense. The effort will primarily be performed by ISR Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cubic Corporation.
“We are pleased to join forces with SOF AT&L to support its mission in developing advanced and innovative technologies in support of global special operations,” said Jerry Madigan, president of ISR Systems, Cubic Mission Solutions. “The CRADA agreement offers a great framework for Cubic’s autonomous systems team to collaborate and to share information.”
Cubic delivers a low risk, robust Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ISR platform with a highly expeditionary footprint to satisfy and enhance any ISR mission. Cubic’s ISR-ONE offers a unique blend of high capability and performance, delivered within a Group III UAS platform. (Source: ASD Network)
04 Mar 20. DoD Stands Up New Biotech Manufacturing Center: Griffin. This “key new initiative,” Griffin stressed, could lead to DoD being able to such breakthroughs as creating its own fuel. DoD is opening a new manufacturing innovation center dedicated to biotechnology to figure out how to replicate “nature’s manufacturing plant” on an industrial scale, Pentagon research and engineering head Mike Griffin says.
This is “a key new initiative,” Griffin stressed.
The idea, he said at the annual McAleese conference, is “to learn how to do in an industrial way what nature has done for us in so many areas of things that we harvest and mine and use … now that we are beginning to learn how to manipulate genomes.”
Such technology could lead to DoD creating its own fuel using synthetic biology methods, for example. This would be a leap beyond ongoing efforts by DARPA that Sydney has widely reported, designed to protect soldiers against an enemy’s biotech weapons.
“This is a nascent technical area in the world, and especially in the United States,” Griffin told the audience here. “We want the national security community to be out in front on this.”
The new center will be the ninth so-called ManTech center, designed to help overcome the so-called ‘valley of death’ between research and commercialization by reducing risks.
It will be the second ManTech center with a biotech focus: The first, BioFabUSA in New Hampshire, opened in 2016 to develop next-generation manufacturing techniques for repairing and replacing cells and tissues, which for example could lead to the ability to make new skin for wounded soldiers.
Griffin elaborated on several other key areas for his two-year old office. DARPA is investing $459m in the 2021 budget for AI Next, a “campaign” aimed at automating critical DoD business processes; improving the reliability of Artificial Intelligence systems; and enhancing the security of AI and machine learning tech.
Griffin said his office is also “working with the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) under the CIO to bring about what we’re calling AI Now: what can we do with AI that can get into the field and bring value to the national security community today, and the next day.”
On 5G newtorks, he said that his deputy Lisa Porter is in charge of efforts to “figure out how we can use 5G to press our military advantage” and to protect US military networks. DoD launched that effort in 2019, with a $53m reprogramming, he said. Congress added $200m in the 2020 appropriations act, he added, and DoD is asking for $484m in the 2021 budget.
A key to future 5G networks and communications will be spectrum sharing, Griffin stressed. “There is no green field spectrum left,” he said, so DoD will have to figure out how to share spectrum to keep up with both its own demand and deal with pressure from commercial industry for it to give up spectrum. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
03 Mar 20. Honeywell Achieves Breakthrough That Will Enable The World’s Most Powerful Quantum Computer. Company also announces strategic investments in two leading quantum computing software providers and a strategic collaboration with JPMorgan Chase for financial applications. Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing that accelerates the capability of quantum computers and will enable the company to release the world’s most powerful quantum computer within the next three months.
The company also announced it has made strategic investments in two leading quantum computing software providers and will work together to develop quantum computing algorithms with JPMorgan Chase. Together, these announcements demonstrate significant technological and commercial progress for quantum computing and change the dynamics in the quantum computing industry.
Within the next three months, Honeywell will bring to market the world’s most powerful quantum computer in terms of quantum volume, a measure of quantum capability that goes beyond the number of qubits. Quantum volume measures computational ability, indicating the relative complexity of a problem that can be solved by a quantum computer. When released, Honeywell’s quantum computer will have a quantum volume of at least 64, twice that of the next alternative in the industry.
In a scientific paper that will be posted to the online repository arXiv later today and is available now on Honeywell’s website, Honeywell has demonstrated its quantum charge coupled device (QCCD) architecture, a major technical breakthrough in accelerating quantum capability. The company also announced it is on a trajectory to increase its computer’s quantum volume by an order of magnitude each year for the next five years.
This breakthrough in quantum volume results from Honeywell’s solution having the highest-quality, fully-connected qubits with the lowest error rates.
“Building quantum computers capable of solving deeper, more complex problems is not just a simple matter of increasing the number of qubits,” said Paul Smith-Goodson, analyst-in-residence for quantum computing, Moor Insights & Strategy. “Quantum volume is a powerful tool that should be adopted as an interim benchmarking tool by other gate-based quantum computer companies.”
Honeywell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Darius Adamczyk said companies should start now to determine their strategy to leverage or mitigate the many business changes that are likely to result from new quantum computing technology.
“Quantum computing will enable us to tackle complex scientific and business challenges, driving step-change improvements in computational power, operating costs and speed,” Adamczyk said. “Materials companies will explore new molecular structures. Transportation companies will optimize logistics. Financial institutions will need faster and more precise software applications. Pharmaceutical companies will accelerate the discovery of new drugs. Honeywell is striving to influence how quantum computing evolves and to create opportunities for our customers to benefit from this powerful new technology.”
To accelerate the development of quantum computing and explore practical applications for its customers, Honeywell Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Honeywell, has made investments in two leading quantum software and algorithm providers Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) and Zapata Computing. Both Zapata and CQC complement Honeywell’s own quantum computing capabilities by bringing a wealth of cross-vertical market algorithm and software expertise. CQC has strong expertise in quantum software, specifically a quantum development platform and enterprise applications in the areas of chemistry, machine learning and augmented cybersecurity. Zapata creates enterprise-grade, quantum-enabled software for a variety of industries and use cases, allowing users to build quantum workflows and execute them freely across a range of quantum and classical devices.
Honeywell also announced that it will collaborate with JPMorgan Chase, a global financial services firm, to develop quantum algorithms using Honeywell’s computer.
“Honeywell’s unique quantum computer, along with the ecosystem Honeywell has developed around it, will enable us to get closer to tackling major and growing business challenges in the financial services industry,” said Dr. Marco Pistoia, managing director and research lead for Future Lab for Applied Research & Engineering (FLARE), JPMorgan Chase.
Honeywell first announced its quantum computing capabilities in late 2018, although the company had been working on the technical foundations for its quantum computer for a decade prior to that. In late 2019, Honeywell announced a partnership with Microsoft to provide cloud access to Honeywell’s quantum computer through Microsoft Azure Quantum services.
Honeywell’s quantum computer uses trapped-ion technology, which leverages numerous, individual, charged atoms (ions) to hold quantum information. Honeywell’s system applies electromagnetic fields to hold (trap) each ion so it can be manipulated and encoded using laser pulses.
Honeywell’s trapped-ion qubits can be uniformly generated with errors more well understood compared with alternative qubit technologies that do not directly use atoms. These high-performance operations require deep experience across multiple disciplines, including atomic physics, optics, cryogenics, lasers, magnetics, ultra-high vacuum, and precision control systems. Honeywell has a decades-long legacy of expertise in these technologies.
Today, Honeywell has a cross-disciplinary team of more than 100 scientists, engineers, and software developers dedicated to advancing quantum volume and addressing real enterprise problems across industries. (Source: PR Newswire)
02 Mar 20. Erickson Debuts Composite Main Rotor Blades. After many years of manufacturing metal blades, Erickson has invested in the future of the S-64 rotorcraft by designing, certifying, and building composite main rotor blades that will bring many dramatic benefits. Erickson began the process of designing the new blades in 2008, working closely with the FAA and various industry partners. In 2013 Erickson collaborated with Helicopter Transport Services (HTS), so the blades could be utilized on CH-54 rotorcraft as well. To maintain close control of blade manufacture, Erickson built a composite manufacturing facility from scratch in 2015. After thousands of hours of design, testing, and analysis by Erickson’s engineers and partners, the new composite main rotor blades are now approved by the FAA for the S-64E with an initial life that will increase as fatigue testing continues. Certification for the CH-54A is expected to follow quickly in the coming weeks, and certification for the S-64F and CH-54B is expected this summer.
“The CMRB program shows our commitment to innovation and next-generation programs for the modernization of the S-64 Air Crane® helicopter and legacy fleet. As an OEM provider and air operator, Erickson continues to push the envelope to find new and reliable solutions to keep our customers flying longer, safer, and always for the best price.”– Doug Kitani, CEO. (Source: PR Newswire)
03 Mar 20. New supercomputer cluster for WA-based Murchison Widefield Array. The Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Perth has chosen US computer company Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to deliver a new $2mcomputer cluster to process data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope in Western Australia.
MWA is one of the precursor arrays to the Australian end of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s largest radio telescope.
This is an international project funded by 13 nations and consisting of thousands of antennas across the world, with central cores of operation in South Africa and Australia.
By combining signals from the large number of small antennas, SKA is in effect a single giant radio telescope capable of extremely high sensitivity and angular resolution, giving it the ability to determine where a signal originates.
Computer processing of the vast amounts of data will be performed around the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, a joint venture of CSIRO and Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia.
The new 78-node computer cluster will provide a system for astronomers to process in excess of 30 petabytes of MWA telescope data using Pawsey infrastructure.
This will provide users with enhanced capabilities to power AI, computational work, machine learning workflows and data analytics.
The MWA and another SKA precursor telescope, ASKAP, are operated by the CSIRO. Until now data processing has been performed on Galaxy, the Pawsey supercomputing system for radio astronomy.
However, the data processing requirements have been growing as MWA has grown. To meet growing demand, the new MWA computer cluster has been procured ahead of the main supercomputing system as part of a $70m program funded by the Australian government.
Pawsey executive director Mark Stickells said the upgrade would allow the centre to deliver a service tailored to the Australian scientific landscape, keeping pace with advances in supercomputing technology.
“The new MWA cluster at Pawsey will feature 156 of the latest generation of Intel CPUs and 78 cutting-edge GPUs [with] more high-bandwidth memory, internal high-speed storage and more memory per node,” he said.
MWA director Professor Melanie Johnston-Hollitt said the procurement process was was an outstanding example of collaboration between Pawsey and MWA.
“As a researcher, I am excited that this new infrastructure will give us the chance to accelerate our workflows, leading to faster scientific discoveries and for providing the opportunity to continue to use the MWA as a scientific, technical and operational testbed for the future Square Kilometre Array,” she said.
HPE was chosen for its ability to meet MWA technical requirements and leverage resources around the world to provide the highest level of lifetime support, to provide the highest level of support for the lifetime of the system. Commissioning of the new MWA cluster system is expected to be finalised by second quarter. (Source: Space Connect)
02 Mar 20. General Micro Systems (GMS) Announces “Apex” Dual Intel Xeon® OpenVPX Server Developed in Alignment with SOSA™ Technical Standard. GMS’ second-generation Xeon OpenVPX-based “Apex” server is designed for SOSA alignment in modular open system architectures (MOSA), jointly mandated by Secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
General Micro Systems (GMS) announces the world’s only dual Xeon, OpenVPX modular 19” rack mount server developed in alignment with the emerging Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard. The company’s second-generation Intel® Xeon E5 v4 dual CPU OpenVPX server, “Apex”, marries GMS’ high-performance, 100 percent LRU-replaceable modularity with OpenVPX profiles intended to conform with the SOSA Technical Standard release expected in late 2020.
The secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy have mandated modular architectures for future defense systems, specifically citing implementation of standards like SOSA as vital to the DoD’s future success. For certain systems, SOSA allows the DoD to control its own destiny through technology refresh and interoperable, multi-vendor products.
GMS’s first-gen Apex followed on the heels of the company’s groundbreaking S2U “King Cobra” server introduced in 2017. The 22-inch deep short rack Apex “Forever Server” broke more ground by assuring all subsystems are modular, field replaceable, and based on VITA 65 OpenVPX interconnects. In this new second-generation Apex, all relevant LRU-replaceable modules follow SOSA-inspired OpenVPX profiles for one of two Compute Intensive (Payload) profiles, or the Data/Control (Switch) profile. The Apex OpenVPX modules already include SOSA required in-system data and control plane interfaces.
“We have been saying for years that ‘OpenVPX’ wasn’t ‘open’ at all because vendors’ cards would not interoperate like early VME cards did,” said Ben Sharfi, CEO and chief architect at GMS. “OpenVPX is essentially useless as an ‘interoperable’ standard. However, SOSA limits OpenVPX to only a couple of profiles for each 6U card type—allowing OpenVPX to live up to the former hype,” continues Sharfi. “It is because of SOSA’s rigid constraint to select profiles that GMS is modifying the Apex server to SOSA adherence—making Apex the only SOSA-aligned rackmount server in the world.”
Apex is Still the “Forever Server” – Now Aligned with SOSA
From inception, the modularity of Apex was intended for LRU sparing, field upgrades, and technology refresh. Aligning Apex OpenVPX modules with SOSA is a straightforward task—proving the original value proposition of GMS’s modular server design. Apex is intended to be upgraded “forever”, as technology improves while long-life military programs still require backwards compatibility.
Apex is built using a GMS VPX450 dual Xeon E5 OpenVPX SBC as the motherboard, with all subsystems interconnected internally via GMS FlexVPX™ fabric backplanes. Other Apex subsystems include: 3U OpenVPX triple “smart” N+1 power supplies; twin modular and removable RAID SSD “NAS” modules totaling 12 drives; removable 4-slot 500W full-length PCI cage; and the OpenVPX “XPANSE™” PCIe switch module that connects the server to off-board coprocessors or other fabric-connected servers.
CPU, Bus Fabric, Power
Apex uses two of Intel’s highest-performing Xeon E5 22 core server CPUs and adds 1 TB of DDR4 ECC-protected DRAM. 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, and a removable, “sanitizable” SSD for the operating system, which can be substituted for an XMC I/O module for a SOSA Payload profile.
Unique to Apex are 32 PCIe Gen 3 lanes routed externally 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). For avionics applications, 400 Hz AC power is available.
02 Mar 20. General Micro Systems (GMS) Introduces “Goliath”: Compact, Rugged Scalable Xeon® 168TB NAS Server with GPGPU Artificial Intelligence. Compact and rugged, “Goliath” 16-inch deep short rack server is the smallest available with dual CPUs, 22 drives, six PCIe Gen 3 slots, artificial intelligence, and dual-redundant PSUs.
The new General Micro Systems (GMS) “Goliath” 1U and 2U short rack servers are compact and rugged—only 16-inches deep—and ideal for shipboard and sub-surface high-performance applications that are space-constrained. Using the latest Intel® Scalable Xeon® server and Nvidia® GPGPU AI co-processors, “Goliath” is a marvel of systems engineering, packing over 4U worth of server and AI functions in only 1U or 2U. This saves size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) for NAS, recorder, data mining and sensor fusion applications, or naval afloat system upgrades.
Where most full-featured servers are 19-, 22-, or 24-inches deep, Goliath servers are a mere 16-inches deep. The rugged servers can be placed in tight locations such as submarines, close to curving walls or doorways, in narrow-body anti-submarine warfare (AWS) aircraft, or tucked tightly to bulkheads in companionways on smaller ships and surface vessels. Despite their small size, the dual-socket, twin Scalable Xeon servers use Intel’s latest server processors: Gold/Platinum up to 24 cores (embedded SKUs) or 28 cores (server SKUs) with each CPU addressing up to 1 TB of ECC DDR4 memory. They also accommodate one or two Nvidia V100 200+ TFLOPS GPGPU AI co-processors.
Unique to Goliath servers are the five (in 2U) secure, removable storage cartridges designed for sensor data recording or network-attached storage (NAS) applications. Each cartridge holds four SAS/SATA/NVMe Gen 3 SSDs, for a total of 20 drives plus two internal M.2 fixed SSDs. A 2U Goliath has 22 SSDs and 168 TB of storage using 8 TB media (denser SSDs will dramatically increase Goliath’s total storage). Hardware and software RAID plus dual gigabit Ethernet or optional 10/40 GbE networks stream data to/from the array at full sensor speeds—making Goliath a decisive real-time sensor data processor and recorder.
“We’ve seen the competition, and don’t know why they waste so much space and weight,” said Ben Sharfi, CEO and chief architect at GMS. “There is no other Scalable Xeon server with so much storage, memory, AI processing, add-in I/O or raw performance, in such a small package with the latest of every conceivable server technology. If size or weight is the concern, Goliath is the only choice—and it’s the best choice.”
Using GMS’ proven RuggedDNA™ cooling, packaging, and ruggedization techniques carried forward from 30 years of deployed VME, VPX and small form-factor systems, Goliath servers are value-engineered for extended temperature, high shock and vibration, while still serving the lower price points expected for better-than-benign naval applications. The servers can operate over a wider -20 °C to +55 °C temperature range while offering the security and long-life expected for DoD applications.
Three Versions: Designed in America
Goliath is designed in America with the same design ethos as the company’s successful MIL-SPEC conduction-cooled TITAN 1U and 2U servers, or deployed conduction-cooled small form factor (SFF) chassis and systems. But in Goliath, TwoCool™ BMC-controlled fans mitigate heat reliably while keeping costs down. Optional features like zeroize via GMS SecureDNA™ or hardware secure erase via FIPS-140 or Opal 197 drives, allows for crypto data-at-rest on the removable SSD cartridges. A typical use case allows an encrypted 32 TB data cartridge to be moved physically between operator locations—such as between an airborne platform and a ground-based analyst station. Goliath-NAS holds five removable cartridges.
Goliath servers come in three versions:
- Goliath-X is a 16-inch 1U variant with a single removable 4-drive cartridge, dual CPUs, two PCIe Gen 3 slots, and one optional Nvidia GPGPU.
- Goliath-NAS is a 16-inch 2U variant designed for NAS systems with 22 total drives and five removable cartridges. There are up to six add-in slots, and two Nvidia GPGPU AI engines can be installed for “tip of the spear” battlefield edge processing.
- Goliath-AI is a 16-inch 2U variant that dedicates the add-in slots to dual GPGPUs and on-platform processing.
All Goliath variants have 2x 1GbE LAN ports, console video, eSATA for external drive arrays, optional hardware or software RAID, a BMC with dedicated Ethernet port and TPM, and optional 10/40 GbE (copper or fiber). A DVD/Blu-ray drive is optional, as are serial ports and audio I/O. Chassis use GMS’ “egg crate” RuggedDNA™ techniques for superior shock and vibration tolerance, and operating temperature is -20 °C to +55 °C. Single- or dual-redundant power supplies are standard, in 110VAC or 220VAC, plus select DC voltages.
25 Feb 20. SOARIZON enters into strategic partnership with CG labs. UK drone platform provider SOARIZON by Thales has entered into a strategic partnership with CG Labs, a specialist in capture and processing of data. SOARIZON provides mapping capabilities, NOTAMS and airspace data for drone users. The cooperation aims to deliver data processing solutions. The partnership provides SOARIZON customers with pre-flight consultancy on optimum methodologies for data acquisition, as well as post-processing capability. Services available to SOARIZON customers include: Thermal Condition Reporting, LiDAR manipulation, 2D orthomosaics, 3D models, Digital Elevation, Surface and Terrain Models, hosted on an accessible platform.
SOARIZON says streamlining the end-to-end process of gathering data by unmanned air systems in this way can save businesses time and cost, whilst maintaining full oversight of all drone operations and ensuring that all output is fully secure, therefore, minimising exposure and risk in data quality control and assurance.
For more information visit:
www.soarizon.io/news (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
28 Feb 20. Crystal Group, a leading U.S. designer and manufacturer of rugged computing and networking solutions, announced today the launch of several technologies to be unveiled at AFCEA WEST 2020. The solutions are primed for demanding deployment environments and evolving defense operations facing multi-domain adversaries. (Source: PR Newswire)
Introducing the Crystal Group RCS7850-32Q rugged switch. This switch provides intelligent, scalable edge switch technology with robust functionality and MIL-SPEC environmental performance.
This year’s conference theme, “Are We Ready to Confront Great Power Competition?” serves as a catalyst for mission-critical collaboration and innovation. As WEST reliably demonstrates, industry partners are crucial to helping the Department of Defense act swiftly and decisively to protect national security and defend on land, at sea, in the air, in space and in cyberspace.
“Crystal Group’s rugged, multi-layer, CSfC-ready solutions enable secure, real-time data handling necessary for defeating threats in forward-deployed environments,” said Kate Helle, U.S. Navy program manager at Crystal Group. “WEST is the key platform for critical dialogue, collaboration and demonstration of the tools and capabilities that deliver the decisive advantage. We’re proud to be part of this forum again in 2020.”
At AFCEA WEST 2020, the company’s experts will be demonstrating the latest capabilities designed to help warfighters dominate the transforming threat landscape, including:
- RCS7850-32Q Rugged Switch (based on the Ruckus ICX 7850, CRN’s Networking Product of the Year) — Primed for Navy platforms and forward-deployed weapons systems applications, this MIL-SPEC switch offers best-in-class network speed with up to 32 ports of 100 gigabit bandwidth, switching and forwarding and routing capacities, as well as redundant, hot-swappable power supply and real-time, accurate, secure data processing and transmission.
- RSS116F 12GB DSU Rugged Secure Storage System — Used onboard the UK’s Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and other key military air assets, this system features multi-level security for military and industrial applications.
- RE1711 Rugged Embedded Computer — Optimized for space-constrained environments on submarines and surface ships, this 8″ deep 2U embedded computer is deployed on unmanned undersea vehicles scouting adversaries.
- New rugged servers — A variety of solutions that support U.S. Navy systems including electronic warfare, P-8, CANES, ADNS, GBS, CSRR, ARCI and current Technology Insertion (TI) configurations will highlight customization and innovation.
Crystal Group’s solutions, including debut technologies, will be displayed at booth #1635, giving visitors an up-close look at how the Iowa-based company provides Department of Defense customers with American-made products that enhance readiness, lethality and the military prowess required to dominate the evolving Great Power Competition.
With more than 10 billion hours of military operational service, Crystal Group’s products demonstrate proven reliability and high performance on more than 600 military programs, including over 15,000 rugged servers deployed to the Navy since 2008. Designed with punishing maritime environments and cyber protection in mind, Crystal Group anticipates and eliminates common risks and restrictions via custom compute systems fortified to withstand extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, sea spray and salt fog.
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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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