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22 Mar 24. Singapore navy’s future MRCVs goes full-electric. The latest revelation for the highly secretive MRCV programme – which has been short on details since the programme was first announced in July 2018 – was provided by GE Vernova, which announced on 18 March that its Power Conversion business has been awarded a contract by Singapore shipbuilder ST Engineering Marine to supply its Ship’s Electric Grid equipment.
Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) earlier announced that the MRCVs will function as mother ships that would host a range of unmanned air, surface, and subsurface vehicles. The MRCVs will be delivered progressively to the RSN from 2028 onwards by ST Engineering Marine, which is responsible for the detailed design and build of the six vessels.
Neither the contract value nor detailed specifications of the new vessels have been disclosed to date.
According to GE Vernova, the six MRCVs will be the first IFEP-powered vessels for the RSN and will replace its fleet of conventional mechanical drive Victory-class missile corvettes, which have been in service since 1989.
The company added that delivery of the electric propulsion systems for the new ships is planned over the next 10 years, noting that its Ship’s Electric Grid system will deliver the electrical power required by the MRCVs’ propulsion as well as its operational and mission systems such as radar and communications via a more energy-efficient and cost-effective method as it offers the ability to share electric power to any load on the ship’s power network.
Delivery of the systems will be supported by the Power Conversion Asia team based in Singapore, who will provide oversight on project engineering, project management, commissioning and sea trials.
GE Vernova explained that its Ship’s Electric Grid comprises the full suite of generators, medium-voltage switchboards, transformers, propulsion variable frequency drives (VFDs), electric propulsion motors, thruster motors, soft starters, a shore power connection, power management system (PMS), and the propulsion control system (PCS).
“Power Conversion is pleased to equip the RSN’s new MRCVs with electric power,” said Andy Cooper, General Manager at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion UK business.
“Like so many other navies around the world, the RSN is adopting an electric ship configuration as an enabler for increased levels of power and energy-efficiency,” noted Cooper.
“Being equipped with an electric grid allows a ship the ability to share every bit of available power throughout the vessel, strengthening its energy surety and even helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.
It was earlier revealed that the Singaporean Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Swedish defence prime Saab signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop and design the new vessels, by “harnessing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to realise the MRCV’s concept as a highly digital ship”.
According to DSTA, the MoU will also enable its scholars and engineers to embed with Saab via work attachment and internships. The move is aimed at enhancing the country’s technical capabilities particularly in the areas of ship composite structure repair and radar overhaul.
(Source: AMR)
21 Mar 24. Cuashub.com said today that Partnership Aims to Enhance UAS Ops and Airspace Surveillance. Ondas Holdings Inc., a provider of private industrial wireless networks along with commercial drone and automated data solutions, revealed today that its wholly owned subsidiary, American Robotics Inc., has forged a strategic alliance with Senhive BV, based in Belgium, a prominent provider of innovative airspace security solutions. This collaboration marks a noteworthy achievement for both entities, augmenting their range of products and services while propelling the progress of safe and autonomous Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations within the defense, government, and commercial domains.
The partnership between American Robotics and Senhive facilitates integrated autonomous drone operations by incorporating state-of-the-art Detect and Avoid (DAA), airspace safety, surveillance, and Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) solutions. Senhive’s renowned and utilized worldwide products have been selected to provide airspace security and safety in major harbors like the Port of Antwerp in Europe and in diverse locations ranging from Antarctica to significant global events hosting ms of people.
This collaboration took center stage recently when American Robotics conducted a demonstration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Aeronautics (MassDOT) hosted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA). During this demonstration, the combined team flawlessly executed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone missions under an FAA-approved waiver. They completed challenging and extensive data collection tasks for maritime and infrastructure inspection, perimeter security, emergency management, and more, utilizing American Robotics’ Optimus sUAS and the Senhive suite of products. The demonstration vividly showcased the effectiveness of both companies’ technologies in real-world scenarios, underscoring their shared dedication to innovation and safety.
As part of the collaboration, American Robotics and Senhive will integrate airspace safety technologies into American Robotics’ product portfolio and will offer customers a multitude of standalone solutions. This integration will empower customers with enhanced capabilities, including real-time monitoring, streamlined operations, advanced DAA and C-UAS functionalities, Remote ID monitoring, and revolutionizing UAS operations in complex environments.
https://cuashub.com/content/partnership-aims-to-enhance-uas-ops-and-airspace-surveillance/?_hsmi=299134175&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9a8DhY8KXkXvvc7aO1O_RkwCk4WasC8hvcw5GvdrGv8qe4UO5Db0bQRjbXR05M_2LjqyEdTeKFlqOw8MheBIgmbNtFLE9ocvyz61CvxcS0Chi-wDk#utm_campaign=C-UAS%20Hub%20General&utm_medium=email&utm_content=299134175&utm_source=hs_email (Source: https://cuashub.com/)
21 Mar 24. Cuashub.com said today that TerraDrone Continues Investment into Global UTM Development. Terra Drone Corporation, a prominent Japanese-based drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology provider, has announced an investment in Aloft Technologies. Aloft is renowned for its focus on Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM) development and its leading position in drone fleet and airspace management within the United States market.
This investment establishes Terra Drone as the primary shareholder in Aloft, integrating Aloft as an affiliated company within Terra Drone’s network. Moreover, Yuki Ueno, Terra Drone’s executive officer overseeing domestic and international UTM operations, has been appointed to Aloft’s board of directors.
This collaboration signifies Terra Drone’s official expansion into the US market, recognized as the world’s largest sector for drones and AAM systems. Alongside Aloft and Unifly, a UTM provider based in Belgium Terra Drone acquired in July 2023, Terra Drone is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing the global UTM ecosystem.
Toru Tokushige, Founder and CEO of Terra Drone, says, “We see a future where drones and AAMs become a part of our daily lives. The implementation and seamless operation of a UTM system are essential to make this dream a reality. We have been focusing on UTM technology since the dawn of drones, with our earliest investment in Unifly dating back to 2016. Now, as drones and AAMs move into a new phase of development, UTM has become a priority for aviation authorities around the world. By investing in Aloft and becoming its largest shareholder, we intend to further evolve UTM on a global level. We also plan to expand aggressively in the U.S., considered to be the largest market for drones and AAMs.”
“The integration of UTM systems is pivotal for the expansion, scalability, and sustainability of global drone operations,” stated Jon Hegranes, Founder and CEO of Aloft. Our collaboration with Terra Drone positions us at the forefront of this evolution, offering us the unique opportunity to harmonize operational standards and leverage technology to enhance the efficiency and reach of drone flights on an international scale.
Compared to Japan, the United States has approximately 2.4 times more registered drones and a staggering 62 times more registered manned aircraft. Many U.S. enterprises actively develop and produce drones and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) systems. In July 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled an implementation strategy titled “Innovate 2028,” outlining the necessary measures for safely facilitating advanced air mobility operations in the foreseeable future.
Aloft was founded in 2015. With investments from commercial aircraft and space equipment manufacturer Boeing’s Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) and Travelers Insurance, one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., Aloft is a leading supplier of Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) certified UAS services, powering over 84% of all airspace authorizations as of October in 2022. Last year, it announced that it had surpassed 1 m Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) requests.
Aloft also provides a cloud-based drone fleet management system that enables centralized aircraft and pilot information management. The solution supports complete drone operations, efficiently managing workflows from pre-flight to post-flight, and achieving automation and compliance. Other key features of the solution include aircraft and asset management, real-time live video sharing, and two-way voice communication. Every major industry has adopted the Aloft platform for mission-critical drone operations management, including energy, utilities, oil and gas, media, construction, insurance, and public safety. Moreover, Aloft is SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified for security.
https://cuashub.com/content/terradrone-continues-investment-into-global-utm-development/?_hsmi=299134175&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_eNz0VRjJ8FooSq69qt3ezslvc09K_XIATcyIhDsllCzV8Fcv-7lUdEzeFbP9GVThUwvzlNOEd7QPNxjkCIdCg9aqDWFbpE8Y610Yp4kJLvqaHDI4#utm_campaign=C-UAS%20Hub%20General&utm_medium=email&utm_content=299134175&utm_source=hs_email (Source: https://cuashub.com/)
21 Mar 24. Mercury Mission Systems International SA (www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers mission-critical processing power to the edge, today announced that it will advance the manufacturing of defense technologies in Switzerland in collaboration with Lockheed Martin. This project is a direct result of the offset program between Lockheed Martin and the Swiss government as part of Switzerland’s purchase of the F-35 Lightning II.
Under two initial engineering development agreements, Mercury will begin manufacturing several embedded computing technologies at its production facility in Geneva. These projects will be enabled by the transfer of two of armasuisses’s key security-relevant technologies–software-defined radio technologies and cryptology–to Swiss industry. Mercury expects to receive further expansion opportunities over time to bring the manufacture of additional capabilities to Switzerland.
“We are thrilled to work with Lockheed Martin to bring the manufacture of cutting-edge defense technologies to Switzerland,” said Paul Tanner, VP and GM of Mercury International. “These agreements will expand the Mercury Processing Platform and allow us to bring new, advanced capabilities to the European market.”
With high-tech facilities and workforces in Switzerland, as well as Spain and the United Kingdom, the Mercury Processing Platform enables capabilities that support the critical missions and industrial development of U.S. allies through offset and other agreements.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to partner with Mercury as they expand the capability of their facility in Switzerland,” said Karl Sapienza, director of F-35 Customer Programs at Lockheed Martin. “We look forward to continuing to build on our partnership with Swiss industry to drive collaboration and advance opportunity through the F-35 offset program.”
21 Mar 24. Thales and Skyguide signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to progress on open architectures for ATM (Air Traffic Management) systems, leveraging the Thales OpenSky platform.
- This collaboration will enable Thales and Skyguide to showcase innovation focused on open architecture as an enabler for flexible solutions that support the integration of best-of-breed 3rd party applications and components.
- The Thales OpenSky platform is a unique offering that modernizes the ATM system architecture while ensuring that safety and security are not compromised.
Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, and Skyguide, the leading Swiss ANSP (Air Navigation Service Provider), both in Europe and globally, are partnering to enable the transformation to open architectures based on the Thales OpenSky platform and to evaluate the use of components from TopSky – ATC One in Switzerland.
Collaboration between ANSPs and OEMs but also between OEMs will become increasingly important within the ATM industry as it embarks on a journey of transformation in ATM system architecture, from traditional on-premises solutions toward solutions that provide the benefits of modern hybrid-cloud based technologies with increased scalability, flexibility, interoperability and ease of integration of 3rd party systems, components and applications.
The Thales OpenSky platform is an enabler to this transformation, which aims at reducing the cost of integrating 3rd party components, applications, and systems, and allow them to run on a single platform while not jeopardizing safety or security.
OpenSky is a platform that is based on Kubernetes technology, leveraging a global investment by the Thales Group into a state-of-the-art digital platform. The Kubernetes Analytics and Services sTack (KAST) is a digital platform utilized across the Thales Group in the context of mission critical systems for various technology areas. The Thales OpenSky platform extends this investment to ensure that the KAST platform meets the safety, security and operational requirements that are expected in the ATM domain. The platform is based on an open-source solution that has become increasingly popular across a broad range of industries as a means of both modernizing architectures and migrating traditional on-premise systems toward the cloud. This migration provides many benefits for ANSPs including ease of maintenance, increased scalability, improved performance, reduced total cost of ownership and less complexity when integrating 3rd party applications and systems. The migration of safety and mission critical systems to these new technologies presents a challenge to ANSPs however, the Thales OpenSky platform provides the necessary safety and security features as well as the capabilities that ensure such a platform is adapted for the operational ATM environment.
The ATM industry can benefit from a technology that has already transformed many other domains, providing the opportunity for improved compatibility between products, systems, applications and components as demonstrated by the agreement that SAAB and Thales have signed recently in the context of Singapore Airshow. While the journey towards edge-cloud and open architectures in the ATM industry delivers many benefits to ANSPs, the Thales OpenSky platform aims at ensuring that these capabilities are obtained while system safety and security are not compromised.
“Thales is excited to embark on this technology transformation for open architecture and platform modernization together with Skyguide, the leading ANSP in Switzerland. Thales is committed to ensure that ANSPs globally can benefit from the latest technologies and the benefits they bring while not compromising on safety and security for their ATM systems.” Christian Rivierre, VP Airspace Mobility Solutions, Thales
“Skyguide is looking forward to going one step further into our strategic journey towards an open and modular service-oriented architecture by leveraging Thales’ secure and safe open platform for the integration of the next generation Skyguide systems. Klaus Meier, Chief Technology Officer, Skyguide.
19 Mar 24. DARPA drone-autonomy rapidly delivers to EW contested areas.
DARPA have delivered on a promise to develop plug-in autonomy for off-the-shelf drones, within months of the concept arising..
The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has moved from concept to contract in 70 days, on a project to provide a plug-in autonomy adaptor for off-the-shelf drones to operate in areas contested by Electronic Warfare (EW).
GlobalData spoke to Dr. Lael Rudd, manager of DARPA’s Rapid Experimental Missionized Autonomy (REMA) programme at the end of the first three-month “spiral challenge”, to understand how the development was carried forward so quickly, and whether REMA is writing a procurement recipe for accelerated development that matches the success of private sector big tech companies. “The experiment has different pieces here, and one of the experiments is actually moving at this pace.”
The case for drone autonomy in EW contested environments
Electronic countermeasures against drones are becoming increasingly prevalent, with jamming technology deployed to disrupt communication between operators and drones, causing aborted missions and crashes.
Speaking during a recent Center for Security and International Studies panel discussion, the Chief of the British Army’s General Staff, General Patrick Sanders, stated that Russian successes in using its EW capabilities to counter Ukrainian drones was “during one period, recently” at around 80%, with the losses attributed to the current state of the battlefield’s “extraordinarily contested electromagnetic spectrum” and Russia’s “effective use” of its EW capabilities.
REMA’s approach to evading contest within electromagnetic broadcast frequencies used to control drones is to quit the field; when EW capabilities are employed to disrupt the link between an operator and a drone that has been adjusted with a REMA adapter, the link will drop and the drone will carry on its mission autonomously.
“What the autonomy can do is, if for instance that drone is jammed, and you don’t have communications anymore, and you don’t have GPS, it will still go around and find targets of interest,” said Rudd, speaking of a mission type where an operator might instruct a drone for reconnaissance purposes. “And that would be done through the autonomy and target recognition, and then it could fly back to the operator and then they could use that information for the targets of interest.”
The only limitation Rudd sees to the duration the drone could operate under autonomous function would be the capability of the battery power of the drone.
Autonomous utility in the kill chain
For decades, DARPA has worked on the frameworks for the ethical, legal and societal implications of whatever it is building to remain human centric, and those are fundamental from the initiation of any project. DARPA is not involved in the development of weapon systems, and the agency will not make a system that has a munition, but Rudd makes a distinction between the model of development for the adapter under DARPA, and how it may be used in the future.
“If there is – when we transition – some sort of . . . service that wants to use the autonomy, they’ll have that autonomy,” said Rudd, who went on to describe REMA programme solicitation details for the range of missions the that the adapter is intended to enable through autonomy.
“Continuing with reconnaissance, navigation to waypoints, point-to-point flying through urban terrain, broadcasting objects of interest, . . . this can be integrated into the kill chain, but that’s up to the services and the transition for the specific missions that they want to do.”
Defence procurement for drone autonomy at faster-than-Big-Tech speeds
While autonomy in defence technology has seen a range of specific applications introduced recently, the revolutionary innovation coming from REMA is the provision of a single adapter that can be used on any number of different models of drones, allowing a single drone-autonomy adapter to be used in a range of contexts.
“There’s really no reason why the government, especially from a technical point of view, can’t work at the speed of other commercial companies that are out there. Like, for instance, SpaceX,” said Rudd. “They’ve worked very, very rapidly. You go fast, you fail, you keep pushing, and so forth. The way I viewed this programme from the start is: ‘There’s no reason why we can’t do this.’”
Following a spiral challenge development process, the 18-month REMA programme has been moving forward in spates of development, experimenting with a flurry of new drone models at each turn. The adapter being used is “backwards compatible” said Rudd, so that with every new spiral of development the adapter picks up capabilities with a range of new drones, but remains functional with all drones that have been considered in the past.
‘Rapid prototyping’ doesn’t describe REMA
The 18 month programme has a number of individual spirals, consisting of perhaps three months of development, with each spiral being marked by the production of a transitionable final product.
This process contrasts with the Agile software development ‘sprints’ that are popular with big tech companies in the private sector, said Rudd, because sprints are often associated with the incremental introduction of new capabilities.
REMA’s process surpasses that by producing full products at each step, and then providing feedback to the performing companies from a government team to determine what is the next best capability to pursue.
Contract delivery for the drone-autonomy adapter was awarded to Anduril and RTX, while delivery of mission specific autonomy software will come from Leidos, Northrop Grumman, and SoarTech. “All of those are working as a unified team for a unified product, which I think is really unique because we’re able to push those together.”
“That allows us also to make sure that we have a single product, and also as we work on each of these spirals, the drone-autonomy adapter is going to be backwards compatible with all of the previous spirals.”
One of the products of the experiment with REMA has been to show how five commercial companies can be brought together to get a singular product, and to show the Department of Defence that this can be done at speed, said Rudd.
Within the 18-month programme, REMA has the support for as long as it is successful, but like commercial ventures its support can be cut at any time if it does not deliver on its promises. Happily, Rudd reported that REMA has been a success at the end of its first spiral, and when it has encountered problems, he says – borrowing an adage from commercial tech companies – it has “failed quickly, and shown that it can fail often,” before finding its solutions. (Source: naval-technology.com)
20 Mar 24. Canada joins Nato’s DIANA defence innovation accelerator network. Canada has joined Nato’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, as part of an alliance wide expansion nearly doubling the programme’s size.
Canada’s Ministry of National Defence announced the integration of two Canadian accelerators and 13 test centres into Nato’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) on 15 March.
DIANA aims to spearhead the development of dual-use technologies to address some of the most pressing challenges in security and defence. With the latest announcement, these successful innovators, along with future participants, will gain access to an expanded network of accelerators and test centres.
The coordination of the initiative runs between regional offices in London, UK, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The North American branch, expected to open its doors by Summer 2024, is to initiated with an investment of $26.6m from over six years.
DIANA saw a significant expansion of its network across the allied nations on 14 March, introducing 11 new accelerators — two of which are Canadian — and 92 test sites, with 13 located in Canada.
This expansion brings the total to 23 accelerators and 182 test sites across 28 Allied nations, marking a substantial increase in the program’s capacity to support innovators and entrepreneurs working at the forefront of defence technology.
DIANA operates on a challenge-based model, targeting specific problem areas such as energy resilience, undersea sensing and surveillance, and secure information sharing.
In its inaugural year, the programme attracted over 1300 applicants, from which 44 companies were selected to join a rigorous six-month ‘bootcamp’. This programme, conducted in partnership with DIANA-affiliated accelerators, is designed to refine and advance these solutions to meet the complex needs of modern defence.
Canadian innovators have shown a keen interest and capacity in contributing to DIANA’s mission, according to the Canadian Ministry of National Defence, demonstrated by the high volume of submissions in the programme’s first competitive challenge.
With 211 submissions, Canada ranked just behind the United States, highlighting an advanced ecosystem of innovation with the potential to impact global security positively.
Among the selected companies, seven Canadian firms are now tackling challenges directly related to energy resilience, secure information sharing, and sensing and surveillance. (Source: army-technology.com)
19 Mar 24. DoD Announces Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Awards.
The Department of Defense awarded $17.6m to 27 collaborative academic teams under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR). DEPSCoR is a capacity-building program designed to strengthen the basic research infrastructure at institutions of higher education in underutilized states and territories.
“The Department of Defense’s science and technology mission relies on an ecosystem of creative and insightful researchers in every state,” said Dr. Bindu Nair, director of DoD’s Basic Research Office. “DEPSCoR aims to increase the number of academics pursing research in DoD-relevant areas, while enhancing the science and engineering capacity of their institutions into the long term.
“It is crucial that we build a Department of Defense research infrastructure that strategically uses the research capabilities found across the country.”
Today’s awards follow two Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 competitions – the DEPSCoR Research Collaboration competition and the DEPSCoR Capacity Building competition.
The DEPSCoR Research Collaboration competition is open to tenured and tenure-track faculty members with appointments in the 37 states and territories eligible to compete for DEPSCoR funds. This competition helps introduce potential researchers to DoD’s unique research needs and its supporting research ecosystem. Each collaborative team pairs a principal investigator new to the DoD research enterprise with a mentor who has previously worked with the department.
DoD received more than 80 white papers for the FY 2023 Research Collaboration competition, from which subject matter experts in the Military Services selected the final 25 collaborative teams. Principal investigators from universities in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin will lead these teams. Each team will receive up to $600,000 over a three-year period of performance to pursue science and engineering research relevant to DoD.
The DEPSCoR Capacity Building competition supports the strategic objectives of institutes of higher education (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR-eligible states and territories, enhancing their competitiveness as research and development centers.
DoD received over 15 white papers for the FY 2023 Capacity Building competition, from which DoD subject matter experts selected the two finalists. The executive offices at Louisiana Tech University and University of Tulsa will lead the selected teams. Each team will receive up to $1.5m over a two-year period of performance to pursue capacity-building activities that will help them achieve basic research excellence in areas relevant to DoD.
Click here for the list of winning Research Collaboration teams:
https://media.defense.gov/2024/Mar/19/2003415937/-1/-1/1/FY23_DEPSCOR_AWARDEES.PDF
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the U.S. military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre. (Source: U.S. DoD)
20 Mar 24. Thales HALES Offers New ATN Product With An Upgrade Of Topsky.
- TopSky – ATC works together with key stakeholders, including air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and industry experts, to develop an upgraded system that ensures safe and seamless operations amidst growing air traffic flows.
- The development of the TopSky – ATC upgrade lies in an innovative governance structure that fosters collaboration, shared decision-making, and ownership among all parties involved.
- skeyes, the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in Belgium, shall join the initiative.
Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, announces the launch of the TopSky – ATC upgrade, that further addresses the challenges of an unpredictable world of air traffic management (ATM). With the aim of creating a more efficient and collaborative approach, Thales will also bring together the product users in an alliance of users through the Alliance One, that ensures safe and seamless operations amidst growing air traffic flows.
The development of the TopSky – ATC upgrade release lies in a different governance structure that fosters collaboration, shared decision-making, and ownership among all parties involved. By aligning the priorities and needs of its customer ANSPs and their own customers, Thales’ approach facilitates the development of an upgraded product that evolves regularly to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry.
TopSky – ATC provides numerous benefits to ANSPs and air traffic controllers (ATCs). Through its flexible subscription service, TopSky – ATC allows customers to shape updates according to their specific needs and financial constraints, while enabling ANSPs to collaborate with Thales for both initial development and ongoing technological advancements, ensuring financial efficiency.
By collectively defining critical needs, the new release empowers ANSPs to concentrate efforts on enhancing interoperability and efficiency, thereby accommodating higher air traffic levels and subsequently increasing revenue. The system’s common foundation facilitates efficient adaptation to emerging regulations, bolstering cyber security measures and streamlining individual system updates to ensure regulatory compliance and safety.
At the decision-making level, the roadmap for TopSky – ATC’s development, along with future evolutions, is shaped facilitating open, transparent, unrestricted, and complimentary knowledge exchange. with stakeholders through Alliance One, a user alliance. Within Alliance One, ANSPs and Thales jointly discuss industry CONOPS and critical needs,. Technological innovations are then driven by Thales’ Skylab Network, implemented globally to pool resources and foster collaboration between ANSPs and Thales.
Several clients have already expressed intention in joining this new governance model in 2024, the very first one is skeyes, Belgium’ ANSP.
“In an ongoing evolution of our system, we have strategically chosen to embark on an upgrade of our TopSky – ATC system to adopt the next-generation ATM standard. skeyes also welcomes the implementation of Alliance One, which unites the essential requirements and provides shared solutions to all involved ANSPs, transforming TopSky into a more evolutionary and standardised system. This will improve cost efficiency and will facilitate the alignment with EU standards and civilian-military integration. By becoming a part of it, skeyes secures access to a consistently high-performing system for the foreseeable future.” Johan Decuyper, CEO, skeyes
“Thales is committed to supporting ANSPs in designing an open, safe and secure solution that will enable them to cope more flexibly with predictable and unpredictable fluctuations in traffic flows. This enables all stakeholders to work together more proactively to build better skies together. And we’re very proud to have already brought major ANSPs on board with us on this journey. So stay tuned to learn more.” Christian Rivierre, VP Airspace Mobility Solutions, Thales.
18 Mar 24. Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers mission-critical processing power to the edge, today announced the early access program for its RFS1140 direct RF System-in-Package (SiP).
Electronic warfare, communications, test and measurement, and radar applications at the edge are becoming more sophisticated, requiring secure, direct digitization of RF signals with high sampling rates and low latency. The RFS1140 is the first multi-chip module to combine the processing power of the AMD Versal® AI Core series adaptive SoC along with Jariet Technologies high-speed data converters and Micron LPDDR4 NOR flash memory. By integrating the latest commercial processing chips into a SWaP-optimized, rugged package, Mercury’s SiP offers maximum performance for next-generation applications.
The early access program for the RFS1140 includes product documentation and support as well as priority delivery for evaluation hardware as it becomes available this year.
“The RFS1140 builds on more than six years of direct RF technology from the Mercury Processing Platform, which enables rapid design cycles for high-reliability microelectronics that move digital signal processing closer to the edge,” said Tom Smelker, VP and GM of Mercury’s Microsystems business unit. “With the ability to detect, digitize, and analyze signals in nanoseconds, our new multi-chip module brings AI-enabled decision-making to electronic warfare and spectrum processing applications and allows customers to create derivatives and custom solutions to meet the unique size, weight, power, and cost aspects of their programs.”
“AMD has collaborated with Mercury and Jariet to expand its Versal adaptive SoC portfolio to enable ultra-wide band direct RF front end processing,” said Minal Sawant, senior director, Aerospace and Defense Vertical Market at AMD. “The Versal AI Core series adaptive SoC coupled with discrete data converters in a single package enables direct RF signal processing capacity with massive DSP and AI compute in a small form factor. This SWaP-optimized SiP—designed, packaged, and manufactured in North America—will deliver leadership performance-per-watt for signal processing in communications, EW, and radar applications.”
A trusted, edge-ready direct RF chip-scale solution that reduces back-end processing
- AMD Versal AI Core series adaptive SoC with AI Engines to run powerful algorithms
- High-speed (64 GSPs) Jariet Electra-MA data converters with up to 36 GHz analog bandwidth
- 4 GB Micron LPDDR4
- 4 Gb Micron NOR flash
- Qualified to MIL standards with operating temperatures of -40°C to +85°C
- Designed, manufactured, and tested in DMEA-accredited facilities to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities
18 Mar 24. Raytheon Australia opens Centre for Collaboration in Queensland. Raytheon Australia has opened its advanced Centre for Collaboration in southeast Queensland, enabling opportunities for greater collaboration between the defence industry and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, opened the centre, which marks a significant investment by Raytheon Australia in its national infrastructure plan for a network of purpose-built, secure facilities around the country.
The Centre for Collaboration is a four-level, 7,800-square-metre facility that features software integration laboratories, technical workshops, training rooms, integration spaces, and adaptable office accommodation. The facility will be a base for Brisbane-based employees, including an expanding graduate cohort, as well as for uniformed and Defence personnel.
Located in Cannon Hill, the new centre will serve as a central hub for electronic warfare, air traffic management, ground-based air defence, and integrated logistics, and will help facilitate collaboration with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Defence. It supplements the capabilities of the company’s Centre for Joint Integration in Adelaide, South Australia, the Centre for Engineering in Sydney, NSW, and the Customer Engagement Centre in Canberra, ACT.
Raytheon Australia’s Managing Director, Michael Ward, said there has never been a more critical time for industry collaboration. “With 25 years’ experience supporting Australia’s Defence ecosystem, we know how important it is for all parties to work together to support our national Defence,” he said.
“The Centre for Collaboration enables our highly skilled workforce to work side-by-side with the ADF and our local industry partners to deliver tailored, world-leading capability for those in uniform that suits their requirements and Australia’s unique conditions.”
“The Defence Industry Development Strategy identified the value of shared user hub facilities in helping defence industry businesses uplift their security and I am pleased Raytheon has taken the initiative to build this facility as a way of helping their industry partners to work in a secure environment,” said Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy.
“In today’s dynamic security landscape, industry collaboration is more critical than ever. This facility not only reflects Raytheon Australia’s commitment but also aligns with the broader national effort to ensure the ADF has access to cutting-edge capabilities tailored to our unique conditions,” he added.
With a focus on upskilling industry, the Centre for Collaboration will also actively support Raytheon Australia’s innovative Capability Plus program, which provides pathways for SMEs to develop and enhance their capability to work with Defence. The centre is also a practical investment in the growth of Australia’s industrial base, said Ward: “The Centre will also allow us to support and grow Defence industry employment in the long-term, through the offering of professional development and early career investment for our world-class team. (Source: https://www.ex2.com.au/news/)
18 Mar 24. Argonne Scientists Use Novel Technique to Create New Energy-Efficient Microelectronic Device. As the integrated circuits that power our electronic devices get more powerful, they are also getting smaller. This trend of microelectronics has only accelerated in recent years as scientists try to fit increasingly more semiconducting components on a chip.
Microelectronics face a key challenge because of their small size. To avoid overheating, microelectronics need to consume only a fraction of the electricity of conventional electronics while still operating at peak performance.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have achieved a breakthrough that could allow for a new kind of microelectronic material to do just that. In a new study published in Advanced Materials, the Argonne team proposed a new kind of “redox gating” technique that can control the movement of electrons in and out of a semiconducting material.
“Redox” refers to a chemical reaction that causes a transfer of electrons. Microelectronic devices typically rely on an electric “field effect” to control the flow of electrons to operate. In the experiment, the scientists designed a device that could regulate the flow of electrons from one end to another by applying a voltage — essentially, a kind of pressure that pushes electricity — across a material that acted as a kind of electron gate. When the voltage reached a certain threshold, roughly half of a volt, the material would begin to inject electrons through the gate from a source redox material into a channel material.
By using the voltage to modify the flow of electrons, the semiconducting device could act like a transistor, switching between more conducting and more insulating states.
“The new redox gating strategy allows us to modulate the electron flow by an enormous amount even at low voltages, offering much greater power efficiency,” said Argonne materials scientist Dillon Fong, an author of the study. “This also prevents damage to the system. We see that these materials can be cycled repeatedly with almost no degradation in performance.”
“Controlling the electronic properties of a material also has significant advantages for scientists seeking emergent properties beyond conventional devices,” said Argonne materials scientist Wei Chen, one of the study’s co-corresponding authors.
“The subvolt regime, which is where this material operates, is of enormous interest to researchers looking to make circuits that act similarly to the human brain, which also operates with great energy efficiency,” he said.
The redox gating phenomenon could also be useful for creating new quantum materials whose phases could be manipulated at low power, said Argonne physicist Hua Zhou, another co-corresponding author of the study. Moreover, the redox gating technique may extend across versatile functional semiconductors and low-dimensional quantum materials composed of sustainable elements. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
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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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