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17 Mar 22. DOD announces additional funding for science and tech research. Support for Research Trainees aims to offset disruption to PhD students’ scientific research initiatives caused by the pandemic. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced $3.6 million in funding to be awarded to 34 career researchers to pursue studies across a variety of scientific disciplines.
Eligible researchers for the Supplemental Support for Research Trainees funding are in the early stages of their careers. 54 applicants were evaluated by Defense agencies like the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research.
The grants will focus on scientific and technological research to accelerate the development of a scientific workforce.
“DoD basic research funding serves to train and develop the next generation of creative and far-thinking U.S. researchers,” said Bindu Nair, director of the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “The pandemic has severely disrupted career paths, and we are proud to make these funds available to trainees as they prepare to launch their research careers in support of national security needs.” The funding will go toward 25 doctorate programs and nine postdoctoral fellows at U.S. schools for one year. The initiative, which will add funds to existing DOD grant programs, is largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as officials say it has disrupted the typical research-talent pipeline. (Source: Defense Systems)
17 Mar 22. DOD announces additional funding for science and tech research. Support for Research Trainees aims to offset disruption to PhD students’ scientific research initiatives caused by the pandemic. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced $3.6 million in funding to be awarded to 34 career researchers to pursue studies across a variety of scientific disciplines.
Eligible researchers for the Supplemental Support for Research Trainees funding are in the early stages of their careers. 54 applicants were evaluated by Defense agencies like the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research.
The grants will focus on scientific and technological research to accelerate the development of a scientific workforce.
“DoD basic research funding serves to train and develop the next generation of creative and far-thinking U.S. researchers,” said Bindu Nair, director of the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “The pandemic has severely disrupted career paths, and we are proud to make these funds available to trainees as they prepare to launch their research careers in support of national security needs.” The funding will go toward 25 doctorate programs and nine postdoctoral fellows at U.S. schools for one year. The initiative, which will add funds to existing DOD grant programs, is largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as officials say it has disrupted the typical research-talent pipeline. (Source: Defense Systems)
17 Mar 22. Elbit Systems of Australia finalises IT and security upgrades, ready to facilitate ‘disruptive’ technology transfer. Elbit Systems of Australia (ELSA) has announced that the company has finalised a range of security, governance and IT upgrades, making the business “a full-fledged Australian sovereign subsidiary”.
Elbit Systems of Australia, the Australian subsidiary of global defence prime Elbit Systems, has confirmed the completion of wide ranging security, governance and IT upgrades that included the creation of an Australian-based secure software factory for the safe development of Australian-only protected software.
Major General (Ret’d) Paul McLachlan AO, CSC explained that the upgrades, which have been in progress since 2020, have been implemented to make ELSA “a more Australian subsidiary”.
“Our leading-edge technology – used by AUKUS, NATO, QUAD and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – is game changing, and we want Australian defence, homeland security and emergency services to reap the benefits of it,” McLachlan said.
“ELA’s transfomation strategy was also in response to a gradual, but significant shift in the Commonwealth of Australia’s policy regarding the involvement of non-Five Eyes companies working across defence industry, and further exacerbated by the recent AUKUS alliance.”
Among the “disruptive” technologies provided by the company is the E6 Battle Management System (BMS), which McLachlan described as “a weaon in and of itself”.
“[The BMS] has the capacity to fuse information from all levels of sensors across the land air maritime and space domains. It can identify and allocate targets. It can task traditional units or autonomous platforms,” he explained.
Throughout the IT and security upgrades, ELSA engaged leading IT provider Accenture as the company’s primary strategic partner to enhance its “Australian only” capabilities.
“Accenture Australia partnered with ELSA in 2020 to support the design, development and implementation of IT infrastructure to augment our existing capacity to produce secure and trusted sovereign products, aligning global baseline production methods with the requirements of our Australian customers,” McLachlan said.
“The transformation of our Australian business across governance, physical, cyber and personnel – including the recent appointment of Australian Dr Karen Stanton as chair of ELSA’s board of directors and our new board security committee and appointments, meet and exceed the requirements for a high level of Defence Industry Security Program.” (Source: Defence Connect)
16 Mar 22. USAF conduct first airman flight of military-worthy electric aircraft.
The ALIA aircraft is expected to have a range of around 250 nautical miles.
The US Air Force (USAF) has conducted the first airman flight of an electric aircraft with military airworthiness.
The milestone was achieved when USAF pilots Hank Griffiths and Jonathan Appleby flew BETA Technologies’ electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft called ALIA.
The maiden flight was conducted at BETA’s hangar and testing facility in Plattsburgh, New York.
According to a USAF statement, service engineers and BETA team have been working since 2020 on the AFWERX Agility Prime programme to achieve election aviation capability.
The collaboration is working under a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract.
The ALIA aircraft has been in development for three years and it underwent key technical advancements in the last two years of the partnership.
It was conceived as a cargo carrier but now the fully electric aircraft can accommodate up to five passengers plus a pilot.
ALIA is expected to have a range of around 250 nautical miles and a top speed of up to 150k. It can also be recharged in under an hour.
Besides developing the aircraft, BETA is also installing charging infrastructure across the country to enable electric transportation.
Commenting on the first flight, AFWERX airworthiness and test lead and chief of engineering Hank Griffiths said: “Today’s air force qualitative evaluation flight is the first of many that we will be doing with BETA Technologies and our other Agility Prime vendors.
“In addition to accelerating these company’s path to FAA type certification by providing access to USAF engineering expertise and test infrastructure, we are also evaluating these prototypes for opportunities to utilise them for unique military missions.
“We need government pilots to accomplish those evaluations and this is the first step in developing the training and experimentation plans to do so.”
He added that the test flights will help in future use case determinations and certification of eVTOL aircraft for defence and commercial applications. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
14 Mar 22. Curtiss-Wright Debuts First Raspberry Pi Powered Ultra-Small Form Factor Rugged Mission Computer for Defense and Aerospace Applications. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions, a leading supplier of modular open systems approach (MOSA) solutions engineered to succeed, today introduced the Parvus® DuraCOR® Pi, the embedded industry’s first Raspberry Pi (RPi) powered mission computer for defense and aerospace applications. The ultra-small form factor (USFF) DuraCOR Pi, fully ruggedized to deliver optimal performance in harsh operating environments, is the first mission computer to deliver 100% compatibility with the vast Pi Developer Ecosystem in a fully MIL-STD rugged sealed housing. Based on the industrial Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4), the DuraCOR Pi provides defense and aerospace system designers with a stackable unit that offers 100% compatibility with all software developed by the RPi environment’s 7 million-plus user base. Small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, the DuraCOR Pi mission computer, engineered by Curtiss-Wright to succeed in the harshest environments, weighs only 0.50 lbs. and measures 1.20 x 2.49 x 3.34” (30.5 x 63.2 x 84.8 mm).
Stackable and Scalable System Solutions
Parvus products can be stacked to extend functionality and performance via their Expandable Ring system design. This enables system designers to configure the exact mix of DuraCOR Pi mission computers and HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) modules required for their specific application. The USFF DuraCOR Pi can also be combined in a stack with the similarly miniaturized Parvus DuraNET® 20-11 network switch, which provides true carrier-grade Ethernet software Level-2+ management features including support for IEEE-1588v2 Precision Timing Protocol (PTP).
What’s more, DuraCOR Pi supports I/O expansion via a standard RPi 40-pin HAT connector. The DuraCOR Pi unit can be easily extended with one or more HAT modules via a flexible expansion “ring” system that allows additional module rings to be stacked on top of the unit housing. To support common I/O options and HAT application development, GPIO and serial I/O and signals from the 40-pin HAT connector are also accessible via a MIL-STD-38999 connector on the unit’s front-panel.
“Curtiss-Wright, an industry leader in delivering rugged ultra-small form factor high-performance compute and network systems for battlefield edge computing, has redefined ultra-small MOSA computing with the introduction of the industry’s first fully Mil-rugged Raspberry Pi based mission computer,” said Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions. “Our new DuraCOR Pi delivers 100% compatibility with RPi software and the HAT expansion ecosystem, in a fully rugged and sealed design our customers expect from the Parvus product line. By providing system designers with immediate access to the vast open-source RPi ecosystem, this pocket-sized mission computer will drive entirely new application and system design possibilities.”
Tiny, but Fully Rugged
For many platforms, the size, weight and power requirements of rugged mission systems, not to mention cost (SWaP-C), can be paramount design barriers. With the DuraCOR Pi, Curtiss-Wright introduces a whole new class of affordable, ultra-small open standards-based processing for use on the most SWaP-C constrained aerospace and defense platforms, from UUVs to UGVs to UAVs. The DuraCOR Pi is ideal for bringing compute and connectivity capabilities to the edge of the battlefield for deployment where larger, heavier alternatives are unacceptable. With its widely familiar RPi development environment, the DuraCOR Pi simplifies the integration of mission computing capabilities into manned and unmanned platforms that must operate in the harshest environmental and noisiest electrical conditions.
Long established as an innovative supplier of rugged small form factor mission computer and network products, Curtiss-Wright has applied its industry leading MOSA system design and packaging expertise to enable the deployment of ultra-small, cost effective RPi compute solutions at the tactical edge of the battlefield. Featuring the full MIL-STD ruggedization that customers expect from Curtiss-Wright’s Parvus family of ultra-small solutions, the DuraCOR Pi meets the demanding requirements for extremely low SWaP-C in deployed applications, such as edge computers, IoT gateways, and wearable systems.
With its built-in wired Ethernet interface and support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the DuraCOR Pi is designed to speed and eases network connectivity for mission computing. With MIL-STD-38999 connectors, a MIL-grade power supply, and a sealed IP67 chassis, DuraCOR Pi delivers high reliability in a military grade design. The unit meets stringent MIL-STD / DO-160 environmental standards (MIL-STD-704F, MIL-STD-1275D, MIL-STD-461F, and RTCA/DO-160 for civil and military use). The DuraCOR Pi has no moving parts, supports extended temperature operation (-40 to +85C), and is resistant to high shock/vibration, humidity, altitude, and dust/water ingress.
Software Support
Because it is 100% compatible with the Pi Development Ecosystem, DuraCOR Pi is able to run all software developed for the RPi operating environment, such as Pi operating systems (NSA STIGd Raspian Linux, VxWorks, Windows IoT Core, etc.), Pi toolsets, and programming frameworks (i.e., Python, Java, C, and C++).
The Raspberry Pi and HAT Module Ecosystem
In the ten years since it was first introduced, over 40 million of the credit-card sized RPi modules have been sold around the globe, creating the single largest user community for any open architecture. The RPi ecosystem provides system designers with immediate access to vast amounts of pre-existing open-source code and a multitude of HAT expansion modules, enabling system designers to jumpstart their application development and speed deployment.
To download the DuraCOR Pi product sheet, please click here. Forinformation about availability of development boards to support your program needs, please contact us at , visit our website at www.curtisswrightds.com, or contact your local Curtiss-Wright sales representative.
For additional information about Curtiss-Wright MOSA technologies, please visit www.curtisswrightds.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter @CurtissWrightDS.
A Leader in Open Standards
Curtiss-Wright is an active contributor to the definition and advancement of the open standards included in CMOSS and those being defined in The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture™ (SOSA). Curtiss-Wright has been a leading participant in the development of the CMOSS and SOSA standards since the inception of both initiatives and is a key participant in several SOSA™ Consortium working groups (including holding a chair position in the SOSA Consortium). In addition, the company has been a leading contributor to the VITA Standards Organization (VSO) that oversees the definition of the OpenVPX, PMC, XMC, and FMC form-factor standards that provide the foundation of both CMOSS and SOSA technical standards. This makes Curtiss-Wright ideally positioned to work with customers to help guide the development and success of their CMOSS- and SOSA-aligned applications.
16 Mar 22. RAF’s first synthetic fuel drone flight. First successful drone flight for RAF using alternative to fossil fuel, Project Vermeer marks international collaboration between UK and US. Under Project Vermeer, the Royal Air Force has enhanced their ground-breaking work in using sustainable aviation fuel by successfully flying a four-meter drone with synthetic fuel. Synthetic kerosene is entirely fossil fuel-free, made by mixing raw materials with high sugar levels, such as food waste, with bacteria to create an oil substance that is then converted into aviation fuel using chemicals and heat. As the process does not require large-scale infrastructure, synthetic kerosene can be made anywhere, making it an attractive option for military deployments around the world. The breakthrough signifies the RAF’s commitment to creating a more sustainable future as it can be used across all platforms from remotely piloted air systems to fighter jets, with a significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional fossil-based fuels.
Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said: “This is an exciting moment for the RAF and British industry as they continue to develop pioneering solutions to help address climate change. These new approaches will maintain our world-class fighting forces whilst reducing our carbon footprint.”
Air Vice Marshal Lincoln Taylor said: “The RAF needs to ensure that we are at the forefront of technology to safeguard our own resilience and operational capability, whilst minimising our damage to the environment. Fuel scarcity and cost will only ever increase in its impact on our operations and synthetic fuels for our aircraft are one potential solution to this situation as we look to secure the objectives of the next generation RAF of tomorrow.”
Working with British company C3 Biotechnologies Ltd and the US Navy, the initial trial created 15 litres of fuel in laboratory conditions. Following successful engine testing, the fixed-wing drone completed a 20-minute test flight in Wiltshire, providing valuable data that indicates the fuel performs consistently to a high standard.
Chief of US Naval Research Rear Adm Lorin C. Selby said: “It is exciting and game-changing to work with our allies in the UK to develop a more efficient synthetic aviation fuel.
“The U.S. Navy is committed to finding innovative solutions to operational challenges, and the ability to manufacture this fuel without large infrastructure requirements would be ground-breaking for deployed forces.”
The RAF and partners are continuing with the next phase of the project, with work underway to refine the process and develop deployable manufacturing facilities. This is the second big win for the RAF as they secured a Guinness World Record four months ago with a successful flight on synthetic fuel. Project Vermeer began in summer 2021 and demonstrates the RAF’s commitment to investing in emerging technology, as highlighted in the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
14 Mar 22. Government announces plans for largest ever R&D budget.
The £39.8bn R&D budget for 2022-2025 will help deliver the government’s Innovation Strategy and drive forward ambitions as a science superpower.
- Business Secretary confirms how the £39.8bn R&D budget for 2022-2025, the largest ever, will be allocated between partner organisations
- allocations will deliver on the government’s Innovation Strategy, including the ambition to increase total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027
- investments will enable the government to strengthen our world-leading R&D system and cement the UK’s position as a science superpower and innovation nation
The largest ever research and development budget, worth £39.8bn, has been allocated across the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s partner organisations, the government has confirmed today.
Driving forward the government’s ambitions as a science superpower, the Spending Review committed record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base over the next 3 years, with R&D spending set to increase by £5 bn to £20 bn per annum by 2024-2025 – a 33% increase in spending over the current parliament by 2024-2025.
The allocations will allow the government to deliver on the ambitions set out in the Innovation Strategy, with these investments supporting our commitment to ensure total R&D spending reaches 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
These investments will contribute to the new cross-government approach on research and development, helping to deliver strategic advantage in science and technology, work alongside industry to leverage private investment, and deliver prosperity, security and resilience this century.
In turn, the investment will support priorities that are key to the UK’s prosperity, from tackling climate change to levelling up opportunities across the country, enabling investment in new technologies from clean tech to AI, where the UK has a strong competitive advantage globally and industrial strength at home.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “For too long, R&D spending in the UK has trailed behind our neighbours – and in this country, science and business have existed in separate spheres. I am adamant that this must change. Now is the moment to unleash British science, technology and innovation to rise to the challenges of the 21st century. My department’s £39.8bn R&D budget – the largest ever R&D budget committed so far – will be deployed and specifically targeted to strengthen Britain’s comparative advantages, supporting the best ideas to become the best commercial innovations, and securing the UK’s position as a science superpower.”
This includes full funding for EU programmes, for which £6.8 bn has been allocated to support the UK’s association with Horizon Europe, Euratom Research & Training, and Fusion for Energy. If the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe, the funding allocated to Horizon association will go to UK government R&D programmes, including those to support new international partnerships.
A significant proportion of the budget has been allocated to UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), which will receive over £25 bn across the next 3 years, reaching over £8.8 bn in 2024-2025, its highest ever level and over £1 bn more than in 2021-2022. This will include an increase in funding for core Innovate UK programmes by 66% to £1.1 bn in 2024-2025, helping connect companies to the capital, skills and connections they need to innovate and grow.
The UK Space Agency’s budget will also grow to over £600m by 2024-2025, recognising the fact that our world-leading space sector adds nearly £16 bn to UK GDP while underpinning complementary parts of the economy including finance, logistics and agriculture. This is equivalent to a real terms increase of 14%.
These allocations follow the government’s recent commitments made in the Levelling Up White Paper to increase public investment in R&D outside the greater South East by at least a third over the Spending Review period, and for these regions to receive at least 55% of BEIS domestic R&D budget by 2024-2025.
The government’s ambitious R&D investment plans, combined with our generous R&D tax credits programme, will give businesses the confidence to invest in the field following the pandemic, with research finding that every £1 of public expenditure in R&D eventually leverages an average of £2 of additional private investment. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
11 Mar 22. RN Aircraft carrier to trial quantum technology on Arctic exercise. The world’s first atomic clock of its kind has been fitted to Britain’s biggest warship to help ensure pinpoint accuracy wherever she goes.
Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales received the state-of-the-art piece of quantum technology before sailing for Norway on Monday to take part in the largest military exercise in a generation in the Arctic.
The technology – about the size of a typical laptop – provides a highly-accurate time signal which will allow the ship’s complex combat systems to synchronise should the more traditional GPS signal fail.
Time signals are crucial for warships and having precise information helps the ship’s company stay safe while at sea on operations.
But relying on one system such as GPS can cause problems should it break or be unavailable so the introduction of the quantum technology gives a reliable back-up.
The Royal Navy worked closely alongside BP and Teledyne e2v, a Teledyne UK company, to adapt the quantum technology for use on HMS Prince of Wales.
Lieutenant Colonel Scott Wallace RM, of the Royal Navy Office of the Chief Technology Officer, said: “The Royal Navy, BP and Teledyne have shown that bringing customers, industry and experts together can accelerate sovereign technology for the benefit of the country.
“Putting leading-edge quantum equipment into the front line is a game changer for the UK.”
Accelerating the use of an atomic clock comes as the Royal Navy looks to become less reliant on GPS and is the first time this technology has been used on a surface ship.
Achieving a huge reduction in size, the system has the potential to be used by other ships in the Fleet as well as in day sacks carried by the Royal Marines Commando Force(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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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.
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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.
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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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