Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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29 Nov 23. UK Scientists, Engineers and Innovators Collaborate to Accelerate FCAS Air Power Capability. The UK’s foremost combat air companies and the Ministry of Defence have conducted research with scientists at the cutting-edge of machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science and computing to support the development of software for a next-generation fighter jet.
Tempest will be part of the UK’s future combat air system (FCAS), and is designed to be a supersonic stealth fighter equipped with pioneering technologies, including state-of-the-art integrated sensing and protection capabilities. These capabilities will be delivered, in part, by millions of lines of code on the aircraft, with many more lines of code also present in ground-based systems. This means the software on Tempest needs to be more robust and resilient than that on its potential adversaries.
The collaboration provided valuable insights into software requirements, design, delivery, operation, speed of upgrades and maintenance for both the fighter jet and the training systems pilots and maintainers will use to operate and support the aircraft.
Outsmart Insight, a deep tech intelligence company, and Oxford Creativity, a group delivering a systematic approach to innovation and creative problem solving, conducted targeted research with scientists, engineers and academia. The research addressed the most challenging problems facing software development over the expected multi-decade life of the programme: flexible ways of managing computing resources; the role of trusted artificial intelligence; software re-use; and increasing software dependability.
Air Commodore Martin Lowe, FCAS Programme Director for the MOD, said:
“Software is key for Tempest because the future operational environment demands adaptability, including frequent software updates. But software is also a big delivery risk. Recent history shows the dangers that arise when software is done badly, and the advantages of doing software well. The advantages are so significant that, in terms of operational capability, the people delivering the software are as important as the people maintaining the aircraft or the pilots flying them.”
“It is great to see the enthusiasm and optimism that Outsmart Insight and Oxford Creativity brought to this study. It gives us increased confidence that we can grasp the opportunities offered by software-based advances on the programme. This project has also shown the value of collaborating on research with key organisations and individuals, across academia and industry.”
Based on the findings, the Team Tempest partners have commissioned targeted follow-on research with UK academia, which aims to support the development of more robust software, which can be hosted in a more resilient way. This work supports the programme’s vision for a modern, efficient, assured and continually improving software delivery ecosystem.
Tempest is targeted to be in service by 2035. The programme will deliver significant economic benefit to the UK, helping to sustain and develop critical skills and ensure that technical and industrial expertise from hundreds of organisations right across the UK remains at the forefront of advanced combat air systems for generations to come. (Source: ASD Network)
30 Nov 23. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division today introduced today introduced the newest member of its deployable data storage product family, a new variant of the High-Speed Recorder 10 GbE (HSR10) high-performance, high-capacity network attached storage (NAS) device that features the industry’s first NVMe in-line hardware full disk encryptor. The HSR10’s NVMe in-line hardware encryptor delivers higher throughput compared to SATA architecture alternatives, while providing a path to National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Components List approval. Even better, because the HSR10’s hardware encryption technology is NVMe-based, the unit provides near line-rate data throughput, which is significantly faster than SATA-based alternatives. Currently offered with up to 32 TB of removable data storage, the HSR10 also provides customers with greater storage capacity roadmaps that benefit from advances in commercial NVMe memory technology. The HSR10 is ideal for storing and protecting critical data-at-rest (DAR) on deployed air, sea and ground platforms.
“With the introduction of the new HSR10 network attached storage device, Curtiss-Wright continues its commitment to lead the industry in delivering rugged secure storage solutions for deployed data-at-rest,” said Brian Perry, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division. “The development of the NVMe in-line encryptor, the industry’s first, enables system integrators to take full advantage of the HSR10’s dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, eliminating data bottlenecks on sensor-rich platforms while supporting two-layers of encryption to protect up to 32 Terabytes of critical data.”
Modern military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms generate large amounts of highly sensitive data that must be captured and securely stored without impacting performance. System designers must ensure that data capture systems can handle large amounts of data without interruption. The HSR10 provides two layers of full-disk encryption (FDE) in a single device, both of which are CSfC Certifiable and fully operational in a single unit, which reduces program risk, schedule and cost.
NVMe Drive Technology and Encryption
The HSR10 uses the latest solid-state drive technology while providing two layers of FDE. The NVMe protocol can deliver transmission/storage performance improvement of nearly 50% over SATA-based solutions. NVMe-based memory reduces latency and increases bandwidth by eliminating storage interface bottlenecks.
For system designers that require NSA-approved encryption, the HSR10 will be submitted for National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) and Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) certification to achieve CSfC Components List approval.
The HSR10 product sheet is available for download here https://www.curtisswrightds.com/products/storage-recorders/network-attached-storage/hsr10?utm_campaign=PR-DS-HSR10-113023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua
For additional information about Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions products, please visit www.curtisswrightds.com, LinkedIn, and X @CurtissWrightDS.
30 Nov 23. IFS Cloud November Release reinforces AI capabilities across automation and optimisation with IFS.ai. IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, today announced the general availability of the second of its twice-yearly IFS Cloud releases for 2023. The release is centred on capabilities that will help customers to increase productivity across their business and leverage digital technology to build agility and operational excellence.
The content of this November release is a continuation of the IFS goal to help customers in its core industries to build their composable, intelligent autonomous enterprise.
From this release onward, the capabilities of the company’s recently launched AI architecture, IFS.ai, will be directly woven into all IFS products and industry specific capabilities. This makes AI widely available across customers’ organisations, enabling them to simulate, optimise, and automate industry-specific business processes and increase productivity of their people, assets, and services across their entire business operations.
Enterprises are building business resilience to be able to respond quickly, effectively, and in a sustainable way to changing macro-economic conditions. Achieving this for the longer term requires them to build agility and adaptability to mitigate risks, creating a bigger dependency on technology innovation. Those companies who have already invested in digitalisation will be able to leverage AI faster and manage their operational performance, as well as increase productivity.
To this end, the November IFS Cloud release continues to focus on three strategic business themes:
- Optimise People, Assets, and Services
- Connect Global Operations
- Achieve ESG Goals Profitably
Optimising People, Assets, and Services:
IFS Cloud uses AI, ML, IoT, and automation to streamline processes related to people, assets, and services and improve data quality and compliance.
- Maximise capacity utilisation by combining cross business insights and intelligent automation. (Manufacturing Scheduling & Optimisation, ERP)
- Improve yield and throughput, reduce costs, and enhance production quality. (Intelligent Automation in Manufacturing ERP)
- Boost order fulfilment, enhance productivity and improve customer service levels. (Supply Chain, ERP)
- Avoid maintenance procedure delays and minimise IT administration. (Aviation Maintenance)
- Maximise crew efficiency and reduce costs with higher first-time-fix rates. (Planning & Forecasting in Service Management)
Connect Global Operations:
IFS Cloud breaks down data and other operational silos, aligning and connecting people to identify risks and opportunities. The latest enhancements continue to target unwanted complexity, reduce downtime, and positively impact customer services. Advanced management capabilities include:
- Combine critical business data and transaction updates to optimise offshore maintenance operations between shore and offshore assets. (EAM)
- Experience efficient and reliable service delivery with process automation along the entire financial value chain. (Service Management)
- Reduce costs and complexity and experience fast, efficient document signing with electronic signatures through Adobe integration. (Asset Management)
Achieve ESG Goals Profitably:
As customers and consumers become more demanding of a company’s ESG stance, a clear strategy and ability to deliver results will create long-term value. IFS Cloud is designed to help manage and achieve ESG goals, profitably and transparently. The latest update allows industries to leverage data to measure progress against commitments, demonstrate accountability, reuse components, reduce production costs and increase revenue.
- Quickly access ESG-focused insights across energy consumption, materials used and DEI for more informed decision-making. (Lobbies in IFS Cloud)
- Easily and accurately track progress against Scope 1 and 2 sustainability goals. (IFS Cloud Emissions Tracker)
- Reuse components for re-manufacturing and reduce production costs. (Supply Chain, ERP)
Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS, said: “Accelerating digital transformation remains a top priority for our customers as they continue to depend on technology to build predictability in performance and resilience in their business. With this latest release of IFS Cloud, we have stayed true to our product vision to enable customers to adopt our innovation out of the box.” Pedersen added: “This includes our commitment to providing a product that stays evergreen. Delivering a composable option that provides a clear path to always being up to date with the latest digital and AI innovation is central to that.” He concluded: “IFS.ai capabilities already exist in IFS Cloud, and we are continuing investment into this area. Our aim with AI is to make organisational-wide impact for all our customers across all their users.”
29 Nov 23. LDRA, the leader in standards compliance, automated software verification, software code analysis, and test tools, today announced integration with GitLab to help developers continuously detect and remediate security issues as early as possible in the software development lifecycle. Combining LDRA’s static analysis, code coverage, and unit testing capabilities with GitLab’s AI-powered DevSecOps platform helps small- and medium-sized organizations “shift left” to secure coding practices to improve application security and time to market.
GitLab integration allows embedded software teams to identify security issues found by the LDRA tool suite without having to leave their familiar cloud-native automation pipeline. As part of a robust DevSecOps program, LDRA’s analysis and testing capabilities continually assess operations and files on every code change, helping teams to centralize the reporting and management of security issues.
“The security landscape for aviation and defence applications changes every day, fuelled by unprecedented complexity and connectivity in today’s mission-critical systems,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “LDRA’s integration with GitLab offers a faster way to detect and remediate vulnerabilities across the entire code base by kicking off automated static analysis, code coverage, and unit testing without developers having to worry about it.”
Security is Built in, Not Bolted On
The integration between LDRA and GitLab brings development, security and operations together to improve efficiencies and effectiveness from the start. Using the LDRA tool suite with a containerized build model within a GitLab pipeline, development teams ensure the analysis and testing of code security is fast, consistent and repeatable. This also allows the execution of tasks in parallel, greatly accelerating vulnerability remediation and reducing time to market.
“Rapid and incremental software integration only works when you have rapid and comprehensive testing built into the development pipeline,” Hennell added. “The LDRA/GitLab integration optimizes DevSecOps practices right from the first code push and helps plug security holes throughout the product lifecycle.”
LDRA Tool Suite Supports Multiple On-premises, Cloud-native Deployment Options
In addition to GitLab, the LDRA tool suite supports other on-premises and cloud-native deployment options such as Wind River Studio, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure DevOps. These integrations meet developers where they code to support environment hardening and simplifying the achievement of security at scale.
Additional information about how LDRA helps software development teams build safety into their critical applications is available at https://ldra.com/.
29 Nov 23. Exploitation of vulnerability in software vendor heightens supply chain security risks to firms. As of 29 November, threat actors are actively exploiting a critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-49103) in software from the technology vendor ownCloud. OwnCloud is an open-source file synchronisation and sharing software to manage and share data through a platform. The vulnerability was initially disclosed by the company in a security bulletin which addressed three vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches. Threat actors have publicly exploited one of those vulnerabilities since 25 November; it allows them to remotely execute code that reveals information on the server, including administrative and mail server credentials and license keys. As of 29 November, there are over 11,000 exposed devices, with the largest number of vulnerable instances located in France, Germany, Russia and the US. Businesses using ownCloud’s software face a heightened risk of exploitation as the vulnerability is easy to leverage for threat actors. However, the company has released mitigations to address the vulnerability, which will likely help counter exploitation. (Source: Sibylline)
28 Nov 23. US Army developing intel analysis, combat weather apps. The US Army is developing a new slate of advanced software designed to improve collection, dissemination, and exploitation of battlefield intelligence at the tactical level, according to a service solicitation. The software development effort, known as the ‘Intel Apps’ programme, is being spearheaded by Project Manager, Intelligence Systems & Analytics (IS&A) under the army’s Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) directorate. The programme, as designed, will “provide leap ahead [intelligence] tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination [of] advanced software capability” for army units, according to the 20 November request for proposals (RFP). Intel Apps, once mature, “will displace and replace” the service’s current intelligence systems and analytics software embedded in the army’s Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE), programme officials said in the RFP. (Source: Janes)
29 Nov 23. DOD Enters Agreement to Expand Domestic Graphite Supply Chain. The Department of Defense announced today a $3.2m agreement with South Star Battery Metals Corporation (South Star) to support domestic production of Coated, Spheronized, Purified Graphite (CSPG) at their BamaStar Graphite Project (BGP) in Coosa County, Alabama.
“This is another example of the critical importance of the Defense Production Act investment authorities,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, ASD(IBP). “As one of our first awards to a Canadian company in the battery materials sector, this award exemplifies our combined commitment to strengthening our battery material supply chains and global approach to industrial base resilience.”
The agreement with South Star, entered into under Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III authorities and utilizing funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act, will enable the company to perform a bankable feasibility study. The study will cover the entire process from mining to final production of CSPG, exploring both economic and environmental, social, and governance criteria. Upon successful completion of the bankable feasibility study, South Star plans to construct a downstream battery-grade processing facility in the southeast United States that would take concentrates from the BamaStar mine site and transform it into CSPG. This will be used as feedstock for domestic lithium-ion battery anode production, contributing to a more complete U.S.-based graphite anode supply chain.
To date in calendar year 2023, the DPAI Program has made 23 awards totaling $717.5m. DPAI is overseen by the ASD(IBP)’s Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Program (MCEIP), in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience. For more information on MCEIP, please visit: https://www.businessdefense.gov/ibr/mceip/index.html.
About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD (IBP)
The OASD IBP works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the warfighter, now and in the future. (Source: U.S. DoD)
27 Nov 23. BAE, Red Hat, and The Weather Company unveil transformative collaboration to redefine military simulation environments
- BAE Systems is revolutionizing military simulation environments through a new collaboration with Red Hat and The Weather Company.
This strategic collaboration more seamlessly incorporates weather data into BAE Systems’ various synthetic training environments, including modeling and simulation. Built on Red Hat’s OpenShift and leveraging The Weather Company’s success in integrating critical weather data within Department of Defense (DoD) frameworks, this adds a new level of realism to simulations.
BAE Systems and Red Hat will showcase live demonstrations of these solutions at I/ITSEC 2023 in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 27 to 30. The companies will also exhibit next-generation constructive simulation environments, digital twins of the Earth for simulation, and the most advanced synthetic training environments. Attendees will see how this collaboration harnesses real-time and forecasted weather into common terrain models and use cases for the military, including air defense, infantry, communications, and special operations.
“We are thrilled about our efforts to develop digital twins of the Earth with real-world data like weather, which is a critical element for achieving an advantage in simulated military operations,” said Peder Jungck, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Intelligence Solutions. “With the Red Hat OpenShift collaboration, our wargaming platforms are able to more swiftly scale and adjust to customer requirements.”
The migration of BAE Systems Kubernetes, an open-source platform facilitating the automation of manual processes, to Red Hat OpenShift enables the delivery of capabilities at the pace customers demand and allows for a smooth transition into government cloud.
“We are excited to collaborate with BAE Systems and The Weather Company on this innovative initiative for advancing military decision-making capabilities in the field,” said Jim Keenan, vice president, DoD sales, North America Public Sector for Red Hat. “When it comes to achieving a real-time decision advantage in theater, having the agility to scale these capabilities more quickly and seamlessly between cloud environments with enhanced security features is a top priority. With Red Hat OpenShift, BAE Systems is able to help their DoD customers achieve these goals and realize the next generation of military decision-making.”
“In defense analysis, planning and simulation, weather can influence an aircraft’s performance, the tempo of ground operations and the viability of critical infrastructure,” said Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company. “To help effectively address these challenges as weather events become more intense, it’s critical now more than ever to incorporate reliable, globally scaled, real-time and predictive weather data and insights into defense planning and simulation environments.”
Red Hat is currently a strategic member in BAE Systems’ Mission Advantage™, a partner program used to accelerate technologies to solve the customer’s evolving mission needs. (Source: ASD Network)
27 Nov 23. Airbus has successfully tested a new simplified human machine interface (HMI) along with advanced autonomous features through a project code-named Vertex. These technologies, developed by Airbus UpNext, are controlled by a touchscreen tablet and aim to simplify mission preparation and management, reduce helicopter pilot workload, and further increase safety.
The Airbus Helicopters’ FlightLab flew fully automated from lift-off, taxi, takeoff, cruise, approach and then landing during a one hour test flight by following a predefined route. During this flight, the pilot monitored the system which is able to detect unforeseen obstacles and automatically recalculate a safe flight path. Whenever necessary the pilot can easily override the controls through the tablet and resume the mission afterwards. (Source: Janes)
The flight test period ran from the 27th of October through to the 22nd of November at the Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Marignane, France.
“This successful demonstration of a fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing is a great step towards the reduced pilot workload and simplified HMI that the Airbus Urban Air Mobility team intends to implement on CityAirbus NextGen. It could also have immediate applications for helicopters in low level flights close to obstacles thanks to the information provided by the lidars* on board,” said Michael Augello, CEO of Airbus UpNext.
Airbus Helicopters will continue to mature the different technologies that comprise Vertex: vision based sensors and algorithms for situational awareness and obstacle detection; fly-by-wire for enhanced auto-pilot; and an advanced human-machine-interface – in the form of a touchscreen and head worn display for inflight monitoring and control.
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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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