Sponsored By Oxley Developments
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15 Sep 22. Fairbanks Morse Defense Advances Maritime Technology by Launching Technology Center of Excellence. Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), is redefining the technological limits of national security with the establishment of its Technology Center of Excellence, an initiative designed to consolidate the company’s extensive technology resources under a single platform to maximize its capabilities.
“Most of the companies acquired by FMD in recent years have technology development in their roadmap, but they’re spread out among the individual businesses,” said FMD CEO George Whittier. “By consolidating these initiatives within a specific center of excellence, we can fully leverage our wealth of expertise to benefit our customers in a way that will improve reliability, enhance performance and reduce their lifecycle costs.”
FMD’s technology portfolio focuses on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Defenses, SMART Engineering Solutions, Uncrewed Mission Management and FM OnBoard. While the company’s short-term focus is on technology solutions that support autonomy, electrification, and augmented reality, it plans to round out its technology portfolio, through organic growth and future acquisitions, with AI and uncrewed systems solutions.
The new division will be led by Keith Haasl, vice president and general manager of Fairbanks Morse Technology. Haasl, a U.S. Army veteran, joined Fairbanks Morse Defense in 1994 and has established a reputation as a solutions-focused advisor to the defense contractor’s top naval customers, as well as domestic and international commercial customers.
“We’re in constant conversations with our customers, and all the trends point to a future in which their missions are completed autonomously and with reduced human interaction,” Haasl said. “Our Technology Center of Excellence positions us to provide our customers with advanced AI, augmented reality, autonomy, electrification and unmanned solutions to ensure mission readiness well into the future.”
(Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
15 Sep 22. Manned/Unmanned Teaming Made Safer With Naval Aviation’s New Avoidance Tech. A first-of-its-kind detect and avoidance system called Guardian successfully proved it will make defense aviation’s manned/unmanned teaming safer during its first flight test at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) headquarters, July 28.
“Guardian is a technology that will safely enable manned/unmanned teaming,” said Kris Melton, NAWCAD’s Guardian project lead. “We’re starting at DOD test ranges, but every squadron or ship could integrate this system seamlessly for a safer air wing at sea or ashore.”
Guardian tracks manned and unmanned systems across an airspace within a 200 nautical mile radius. The system improves airspace safety using ground-based sensors to communicate with air vehicle operators in ground control stations to provide visual cues for navigation and traffic avoidance maneuvers like turn, ascend, or descend in instances where collisions are imminent – all on a computer screen, similar to GPS in a car.
“Our single priority is getting Guardian ready for the future of Naval and Marine Corps unmanned aviation,” said Melton. “We’re training our test pilots and fine-tuning the tech during this demo to prepare for the new carrier based unmanned air system, MQ-25’s, arrival to Pax but Stingray is just the beginning.”
During the test, air vehicle operators from Unmanned Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (UX) 24 flew two RQ-21 Blackjacks toward each other while Guardian operators monitored screens that displayed the systems’ approach as part of the test plan. Guardian alerted its operator of an imminent collision once the two systems came within 400 feet of each other and made avoidance maneuver suggestions helping operators successfully avoid the simulated collision.
“The first flight showed Guardian delivers on its promise improving airspace situational awareness and safety,” said Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dulude, the Blackjack air vehicle operator supporting Guardian’s first flight. “Looking ahead, we’ll put Guardian through complex tests to confirm it will reliably handle congestion in the busiest airspaces as we work toward FAA certification which could significantly reduce Stingray’s developmental test time and costs.”
NAWCAD engineers prototyped Guardian in response to mandates set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limiting unmanned systems from operating in airspaces alongside manned aircraft. The restrictions make flight operations increasingly difficult to schedule as unmanned aviation becomes a larger part the Navy’s portfolio. For example, only a single unmanned vehicle can operate over NAWCAD’s airspace, the Atlantic Test Ranges, at any given time making flight operations a challenge to manage across Pax River’s six squadrons testing every aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Guardian is the only ground based detect and avoidance system developed to meet the FAA’s performance standards for unmanned systems. The test team expects Naval Air Systems Command certification by end of fiscal year 2023.
Guardian was initially developed for defense test ranges in partnership with the Army’s Redstone Test Center, and has early interest from the Air Force. The system is funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Test Resource Management Center and the MQ-25 Stingray’s program at this time. The test team is targeting technology adoption by the MQ-8 Fire Scout, MQ-4C Triton, and Small Tactual UAS programs for the future.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division is the Navy’s largest warfare center, employing more than 17,000 military, civilian and contract personnel. It operates test ranges, laboratories and aircraft in support of test, evaluation, research, development and sustainment of everything flown by the Navy and Marine Corps. Based in Patuxent River, Maryland, the command also has major sites in St. Inigoes, Maryland, Lakehurst, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida. (Source: ASD Network)
15 Sep 22. Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) and X-energy announced today that they have signed a preferred strategic supplier agreement to advance the design and deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced Small Modular Reactor (SMR).
Under the terms of the agreement, Curtiss-Wright has been selected as a preferred supplier to develop and provide three of the most critical systems for the Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS), including:
- The Helium Circulator System, which transfers heat generated in the reactor core to a steam generator, where steam is produced to generate electricity or provide process heat for industrial applications;
- The Fuel Handling System, which performs continuous defueling and refueling of the reactor; loading fresh, recirculating used, and discharging spent fuel as required; and
- The Reactivity Control and Safe Shutdown System, which controls the outlet temperature of the reactor and provides a redundant shut down mechanism when required.
Curtiss-Wright estimates that its content for these three systems will be in excess of $100m in revenue per four-unit (320 MW) plant. This effort will leverage the Company’s broad and long-standing expertise in nuclear power generation technologies to develop components and systems to support the new advanced reactor market. In addition, and subsequent to its selection in the competitive bid process, Curtiss-Wright committed to a minority equity stake in X-energy, supporting the company in its deployment of market-leading small modular nuclear reactor technology.
“Curtiss-Wright continues to build on its heritage as one of the leading global suppliers of nuclear reactor technologies, and we are very pleased to announce this long-term strategic agreement with the X-energy team as they continue to advance their next-generation reactor design,” said Lynn M. Bamford, Chair and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. “Curtiss-Wright intends to play a critical role in helping to de-carbonize the existing energy infrastructure through the creation of clean, reliable, and affordable energy, while delivering innovative safety-critical solutions to its customers. Furthermore, we are pleased to see the continued strong Bipartisan support for the advancement of nuclear technology.”
“X-energy is building a resilient supply chain to ensure the successful deployment of our reactors at scale with the most capable, qualified, and experienced partners in nuclear energy,” said J. Clay Sell, X-energy Chief Executive Officer. “Curtiss-Wright has long been a leader in helping to bring innovative products and solutions to the marketplace, and we are proud to partner with them as a preferred strategic supplier to deliver advanced nuclear energy around the world. Our teams will closely work together to apply the best technology available to this new generation of carbon-free energy.”
In 2020, X-energy’s reactor technology was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to receive initial funding as part of a $3.2 bn program to develop and build advanced small modular nuclear reactors that can be operational by the end of the decade. X-energy plans to build one of North America’s first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactors with Energy Northwest in Washington state.
X-energy’s Xe-100 is a Generation IV, High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor built on decades of research, development, and operating experience. Each reactor is engineered to operate as a single 80 megawatts (MW) electric unit and is optimized as a four-unit plant delivering 320 MW electric output. The reactor can provide clean, reliable, and safe baseload power to an electricity system or support various industrial applications with 200 MW thermal output per unit of high-pressure, high-temperature steam. The Xe100 reactor is powered by TRISO fuel, called “the most robust nuclear fuel on earth” by the U.S. Department of Energy because it can withstand very high temperatures in the reactor and cannot melt. Click here to see how the Xe-100 reactor works.
For more information about Curtiss-Wright’s nuclear reactor technologies supporting advanced nuclear reactors, please visit the Company’s Nuclear division at www.cwnuclear.com and EMS division at www.cw-ems.com.
About X-energy
X-energy is a nuclear energy innovation company focused on the development of next-generation, zero-carbon nuclear energy. Based in Rockville, Maryland, X-energy designs and deploys advanced nuclear reactors and manufactures its proprietary TRISO-X fuel to improve the delivery of safe, affordable energy to people around the world. For more information, visit https://x-energy.comor connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) is a global integrated business that provides highly engineered products, solutions and services mainly to Aerospace & Defense markets, as well as critical technologies in demanding Commercial Power, Process and Industrial markets. We leverage a workforce of 8,000 highly skilled employees who develop, design and build what we believe are the best engineered solutions to the markets we serve. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing innovative solutions through trusted customer relationships. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.
15 Sep 22. South African defence IP on offer at AAD 2022 exhibition. The Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition is always chock full of physical exhibits, but not as clearly evident is the vast amount of intellectual property (IP) that is also available to countries around the world.
The South African defence industry’s IP is one of its greatest assets, but is something that is not being leveraged as much as it could be. Local defence companies often do not have the funding or the partnerships to complete the development of new equipment, leaving it dormant. Examples include Denel Land Systems’ G7 105 mm howitzer or Saab Grintek Defence’s LEDS 150 active protection system.
Armscor, the Department of Defence (DoD), the Aerospace & Defence Masterplan, National Defence Industry Council (NDIC) and other stakeholders have repeatedly singled out the leveraging of intellectual property as a way of generating revenue for South Africa and injecting much-needed cash into the industry. At its last session, the NDIC tasked Armscor to develop a comprehensive strategy that would detail the process for exploiting the IP assets of the Department of Defence. Once designed, discussed with key stakeholders and approved by the DoD, the process will be published for cognisance and action by the defence industry, which will be able to submit expressions of interest by the end of this financial year.
The industry has over the years generated a huge amount of intellectual property through Armscor on behalf of the Department of Defence and the industry could benefit immensely from exploiting that. AAD 2022 is an ideal opportunity for foreign countries and companies to view this IP first hand and explore options of taking it forward.
There is huge potential in South Africa’s defence IP: a study done by Armscor in 2016 claimed that the then portfolio of IP was worth more than R400 bn if industrialised. This could create at least 10 000 direct jobs and 40 000 indirect jobs. This value will have increased as more IP has been added to Armscor’s portfolio over the last six years.
The Aerospace and Defence Masterplan has called for an immediate review of the South African intellectual property portfolio, and a reconsideration of some elements of the Intellectual Property Act to promote commercialisation and industrialisation. It notes that there is significant defence intellectual property that is unused and there is very real and valuable international demand for the technologies linked to this intellectual property.
These technologies include air-to-air missile technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, and anti-material weapons but there are other, equally valuable technologies which, if the State partners effectively with the private sector, can be swiftly deployed to unlock value for South Africa.
Much of South Africa’s untapped defence IP lies with Denel, which although in August the company settled outstanding staff wages, it remains in a precarious situation. Amongst the products Denel owns the IP of include the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile, A-Darter short range air-to-air missile, Mokopa anti-tank missile, Ingwe anti-tank missile, and Marlin prototype air-to-air and surface-to-air missile.
Denel has developed several unmanned aerial vehicles (Seeker 200, Seeker 400, and Bateleur) as well as the Badger infantry combat vehicle, G6 self-propelled artillery system, and RG series of armoured vehicles. Various small arms and mortars have been produced, including the R4/5 assault rifle, SS-77 series of machineguns, NTW-20 anti-materiel rifle, and Inkunzi/Inkunzi Strike anti-material grenade launcher. Denel is also the OEM of the Oryx and Rooivalk helicopters.
Aside from Denel, Armscor holds significant amounts of intellectual property and has developed an IP Strategy that seeks to ensure that DoD IP is identified, protected and exploited to the benefit of the DoD and the country at large.
Denel is producing little at present, and is spending almost nothing on research and development – much of its value lies dormant in its IP, but companies need to act fast before its IP ages too much. Companies like Al Tariq, Edge and SAMI in the Middle East have already made extensive use of Denel and South African IP to design guided munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles, amongst others, while South African expertise has been used by IMUT in Egypt to manufacture armoured vehicles, and Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) has set up munitions factories in countries around the world. South African companies like EWI2 have assisted entities like China’s Norinco develop armoured vehicles.
The Africa Aerospace and Defence 2022 exhibition, which runs from 21 to 25 September at Air Force Base Waterkloof, is a chance for the industry to come together and show off its wares – both tangible and intangible.
defenceWeb has been appointed to produce the Show Daily Magazine for AAD 2022. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
15 Sep 22. AeroVironment Introduces Puma VNS, a Visual-Based Navigation System That Enables GPS-Denied Navigation Across GPS-Contested Environments.
- System determines precise location of the aircraft during flight without relying on GPS
- Will enable increasingly advanced navigational capabilities, features and functionality through future software and hardware updates
- Available as an add-on option for new Puma 2 AE and Puma 3 AE system orders and as a retrofit kit for fielded systems
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today introduced Puma™ VNS, a visual-based navigation system for Puma 2 AE and Puma 3 AE small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) that will enable GPS-denied navigation across increasingly GPS-contested environments.
The system will provide operators with continually advanced navigation capabilities, features and functionality through anticipated software and hardware updates. The system will also enable the integration of future autonomy capabilities.
“Puma VNS gives operators an unprecedented advantage in the battlefield,” said Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for SUAS. “Operators now can execute missions with more confidence in GPS-contested environment with the system’s new navigational capabilities.”
The next-generation navigation system features a suite of down-looking sensors that gather imagery data and track features on the ground, as well as an embedded compute module to process and determine the precise location of an aircraft while it is in flight. Designed with the operator in mind, the system automatically transitions to and from GPS-denied navigation mode without any input from the operator.
15 Sep 22. Rheinmetall and Helsing – partners for the next generation of armed forces. Rheinmetall, a longstanding, tried-and-tested partner of digitized armed forces around the world, and Helsing, the leading European provider of software and AI for defence systems, have announced a strategic partnership to transform land defence capabilities.
Through the joint development of software-based defence systems and retrofitting of existing platforms, this partnership will provide the armed forces with advanced and future-proof capabilities, enabling them to meet current and future challenges.
The unprovoked attack on Ukraine has forced Europe into a new era of land-based warfare. With the return of peer-to-peer conflicts and the emergence of novel, digital capabilities on the battlefield Europe must modernise its armies at speed. One of the key lessons of the Russo-Ukrainian War is that digitization and AI-supported mission systems can give armies a meaningful edge on the battlefield. They are destined to play a key role in defensive operations.
The Rheinmetall/Helsing partnership combines world-leading, battle-tested components, platforms, systems and software with modern, military-grade AI capabilities in order to deter and, if necessary, successfully take on an adversary. By investing in technology development upfront and delivering new products at speed, this partnership will provide the armed forces with fast access to the latest technological innovations.
“Rheinmetall has been supplying advanced networked products, systems, software and technologies in the defence and security realm for many decades, for which we are very grateful. Our partnership with Helsing will further augment our capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence, enabling us to equip our products with the latest technologies faster than ever. This lets us modernize legacy platforms and systems, providing our customers with new, world-leading capabilities”, states Christoph Müller, CEO of Rheinmetall Electronic Solutions.
Dr Gundbert Scherf, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Helsing adds: “Helsing is a new type of defence company, focused purely on software and AI, funding our own product development. We are therefore delighted to partner with Rheinmetall and combine our advanced AI capabilities with their world-leading land platforms. Recent geopolitical events have shown that democracies need to be able to protect and deter. But democracies also need to out-innovate and out-pace autocratic regimes. We believe this partnership has the potential to do that, equipping land forces for the future at pace.”
About Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH
Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH supplies the world’s armed forces, government agencies and civilian customers with mission equipment and learning and training solutions. The company, which belongs to Rheinmetall AG’s Electronic Solutions division, has been in the business for decades.
Working in close cooperation with customers, Rheinmetall Electronics develops high-end products and integrates advanced system solutions.
Its Integrated Electronic Solutions portfolio encompasses reconnaissance, fire control, soldier systems and command and control technology as well as training, learning and development applications for individuals, groups and entire customer organizations. Security solutions and specific IT and cyber systems round out the company’s portfolio.
Customers in over forty countries place their trust in technology from Rheinmetall Electronics. Eager to be close to its customers, the company maintains a significant international presence, with multiple subsidiaries around the world as well as an extensive supplier network.
About Helsing
Helsing is a European software and artificial intelligence company working in defence and national security, providing world-leading technology with presence in Germany, UK and France. Helsing believes that software – and artificial intelligence (AI) in particular – will be the key capability to keep liberal democracies from harm. Helsing’s AI powered mission modules and real-time software platform process data from multiple sensors on the edge and provide an integrated view of the operational environment, to deliver faster and more accurate decision-making at the tactical, operational, and strategic level. Helsing’s AI is built to be traceable and explainable from the outset.
13 Sep 22. A New Visual Navigation System from UAV Navigation.
UAV Navigation releases its new Visual Navigation System (VNS) aimed at manufacturers and end users of NATO Category I and II UAS.
The compact and lightweight device, which is provided as an optional peripheral to the main Flight Control System (FCS), enables the safe and efficient navigation of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in GNSS-denied environments. The VNS combines “visual odometry” techniques and “pattern identification” with the rest of the sensors onboard the aircraft to ensure that the absolute position, orientation and relative movement of the aircraft over the ground is calculated with astonishing accuracy.
The planning and execution of UAV missions in environments in which the GNSS signal is either unavailable or unreliable is becoming more and more critical. For some missions, the datalink to the Ground Control Station (GCS) may be subject to interference, or indeed the operation dictates that the flight must be performed without a datalink from the outset. Under these circumstances, UAS traditionally rely on an inertial navigation system (INS) to complete the mission. However, all such inertial systems accumulate navigational drift due to sensor noise, propagation models and the difficulty in characterizing external forces. This positional error limits any such UAS operation as an accurate position cannot be guaranteed.
The new VNS, combined with the VECTOR range of flight control systems, effectively addresses this problem by using data which is independent of the GNSS constellation and which is more accurate than INS. The system identifies patterns in the terrain below in order to assist in canceling out any accumulated error, thereby allowing the UAS to operate for long periods of time without losing positional precision. In addition, thanks to its reduced size and weight, it can be installed in Category I and II UAS, enabling them to take advantage of this navigation technique without penalizing autonomy or payload capacity.
The new VNS, which has been developed entirely by the Spanish company UAV Navigation, part of the Oesía Group, has produced outstanding results during flight testing, both on fixed-wing platforms, typically with higher airspeeds and greater service ceiling and also rotary wing platforms, where high vibrations and hover maneuvers are typically a problem. The new VNS has proved its ability to provide accurate navigational information for flights where there may be an intermittent loss of GNSS signal and also when a flight must be executed from the outset without GNSS data.
UAV Navigation and Grupo Oesía, national leaders in safe and reliable multi-mission systems for unmanned vehicles, are shaking up the UAS sector, investing in innovative systems that combine cutting-edge technology with decades of experience to provide outstanding navigation systems capable of operating in hostile environments. (Source: UAS VISION)
13 Sep 22. Lynx Teams with LDRA to Validate Conformance with Newest FACE Technical Standard. LDRA today announced its selection as the FACE (Future Airborne Capability Environment) Verification Authority (VA) for Lynx Software Technologies, a developer of open architecture software solutions for mission-critical embedded systems. By working with LDRA Certification Services (LCS), Lynx will earn independent validation and verification (IVV) of its software designed to conform with the latest FACETM Technical Standard, edition 3.1. This IVV is a critical step in FACE Conformance, ultimately ensuring joint customers in aerospace and defense reduce risks, lower costs and speed time-to-field for their airborne platforms.
“With major defense programs looking at deploying new capabilities for future airborne platforms, the FACE approach sets the standard for modular, open approaches to software development designed to improve affordability and time-to-field,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “As a leading FACE Verification Authority, LCS is backed by over 45 years of IVV experience, and we’re pleased to support Lynx in reducing risks and streamlining the delivery of their FACE Units of Conformance (UoC) for Lynx customers.”
With the government mandate for new procurements to comply with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), FACE is the leading standard for developing MOSA compliant software. Defined by the Open Group FACE Consortium, FACE technical and business practices establish a standardized common operating environment to support portable capabilities across avionics systems. Software vendors that demonstrate compliance to the FACE standard are better able to meet the industry’s need for software reuse, effective interoperability, and rapid upgrades while maintaining affordability and controlled lifecycle costs.
Proven ability and flexibility for FACE conformance
LDRA offers customers the flexibility in choosing LCS as a dedicated partner for IVV and the LDRA FACE Conformance Packages from the LDRA tool suite for UoC development and test. LCS VA services offer both dedicated independent validation and verification services under the mandate of the FACE Consortium Steering Committee as well as quality assurance consulting services. The FACE conformance packages enable customers to automate test execution and reporting of evidence, processes, and traceability to the FACE Technical Standard and the FACE Conformance Verification Matrix (CVM). While the VA services are independent of the tool suite, having both industry expertise and the automation of the tool suite offers the most cost, risk, and schedule benefit to LDRA customers.
“In addition to providing an open standard that reduces vendor lock-in, one of the strengths of FACE is the robustness of the certification process via third parties,” said Ian Ferguson, VP of Sales and Marketing, Lynx. “Utilizing LDRA Certification Services and the LDRA FACE Conformance Packages reduces risk and development time in the early release of a software offering conformant with v3.1 of the standard.”
Availability of products and services
LCS FACE VA services and the LDRA FACE Conformance Package are available now. Visit the LDRA FACE page for more information about the LDRA FACE tool suite and services, or www.opengroup.org/face for more information about the FACE Technical Standard. Contact for more information or download a free 30-day trial of the LDRA tool suite.
About Lynx Software Technologies
Lynx Software Technologies is the premier Mission Critical Edge company that enables safe, secure and high-performance environments for global customers in aerospace and automotive, enterprise and industrial markets. Since 1988, companies have trusted Lynx’s real-time operating system, virtualization and system certification experience, which uniquely enables mixed criticality systems to be harnessed and deliver deterministic real-time performance and intelligent decision-making. Together with a growing set of technology partners, Lynx is realizing a new class of Mission Critical Edge systems that keep people and valuable data protected, at every moment. For more information, visit www.lynx.com.
About LDRA
For more than 40 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and elimination, and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA has headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
13 Sep 22. Empower AI Launches AI Solution Set to Supercharge Digital Transformation Initiatives. Empower AI (formerly NCI Information Systems), a leading provider of artificial intelligence and other technologies to U.S. government agencies, today announced that it has launched a set of new AI solutions that will provide federal technology leaders with the power to swiftly transform existing programs into future-ready systems.
The AI solution set, called Empower AI Develops, leverages natural language processing, machine learning, and hyperautomation capabilities to rapidly analyze and define the current state of an agency’s IT systems, including existing or future computer code. It then provides precise guidance on the best path forward to accelerate accurate and secure development with AI in an immersive experience that augments and enhances human developers. As a result, Empower AI Develops accelerates rapid modernization while minimizing disruption and risk for federal agencies.
“One of the biggest concerns we hear from our federal customers is the volume of code, the lack of documentation, and the potential vulnerabilities in their IT systems,” said Paul Dillahay, president and CEO of Empower AI. “Every agency has a challenge, to some degree, with legacy code built by many generations of developers and methodologies. Over time, security methods that were used in that code become vulnerable or provide other risks, which can lead to poor performance or even larger concerns.”
To address this challenge and others facing federal IT leaders, Dillahay said Empower AI technologists wanted to create a solution that enabled federal leaders to quickly understand the complete picture of their assets and vulnerabilities in their own environment, and then use AI to help them analyze and develop new code in a fraction of the time and cost it would take human developers, while decreasing the risk introduced by traditional modernization efforts.
“This set of solutions will help federal technology leaders accelerate their modernization initiatives by shortening software development cycles to minimize disruption and risk,” Dillahay said.
The Empower AI Develops product suite includes:
- Code Analyzer: Uses natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and a set of proprietary algorithms to perform a comprehensive analysis and report on any existing code.
- Code Programmer: Reviews and ingests any existing codebase using DevSecOps methodology. Once the codebase has been evaluated and documented, the AI Code Programmer tools generate refactored, object-oriented code and/or entirely new code from natural language function descriptions.
- Infrastructure Developer: Creates code with seamless integration into the continuous integration / continuous development pipeline, allowing for connections into help desk applications, as well as DevSecOps components and other CI/CD pipeline software while integrating approved static and variable security tools.
Dillahay noted that additional solutions in the Empower AI Develops product suite are being tested now that will help federal leaders on other legacy code challenges, including code refactoring and story programming. All elements of the new product will help federal IT leaders elevate their mission-critical programs using proven AI technologies at scale.
“In addition to helping agencies modernize their code and documentation quickly, these solutions will also help agencies realize gains from investments they’ve made in the cloud or other security enhancements,” Dillahay said. “We’re really looking forward to helping them advance their missions and performance in a cost-effective way.”
For more information about Empower AI Develops, or to request a demonstration of how it works, visit www.empower.ai/develops.
About Empower AI
Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, VA, Empower AI leverages three decades of mission experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Their proven Empower AI Platform provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, and how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information visit www.empower.ai. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
14 Sep 22. Panasonic today introduced the TOUGHBOOK N1 Tactical, a variant of its rugged Android handheld device, designed for use by the military or public safety officers such as the police. These tactical teams and special operators require the most reliable devices for mission planning, situational awareness (SA) and mission execution. The TOUGHBOOK N1 Tactical, is a next generation device specifically designed for these environments leveraging SA applications such as ATAK.
Ready for operation in the most testing environments, the TOUGHBOOK N1 Tactical is a fully rugged handheld with IP68 rating against dust and water, built to MIL-STD-810G standards to handle extreme temperatures and vibration and meets NIAP[1] common criteria. The 4.7” anti- reflective daylight readable 550 cd/m² display features rain sensing and glove touch modes to assure that the screen can be clearly read and manipulated in any conditions.
8 programmable quick start buttons make launching and switching between applications quick and easy. The device can operate for up to 12 hours with user warm swap functionality. It runs the Android 11 operating system with long-term security updates and can be used with Panasonic COMPASS, Panasonic’s powerful Android deployment, support and control tools. The device is equipped to support all the applications a mobile team needs with Qualcomm Octa Core processor with a 4GB of RAM memory and 64GB of Flash storage.
“We are really pleased to launch this next generation fully rugged tactical device for our Defence and Public Safety customers. Offering long-term supply and support, with a rich ecosystem of accessories, we believe we are the perfect partner for our customers who can’t afford for devices to fail in operation,” said Peter Thomas, Vertical Strategy Manager, Public Sector Europe at Panasonic Mobile Solutions Business.
12 Sep 22. US Trails China in Key Tech Areas, New Report Warns. Imagine a future in which the most skilled U.S. tech workers can’t find jobs, authoritarian regimes exert more power than democratic governments, freedom of expression is replaced by open censorship, and no one believes the U.S. military can deter conflict. All this could happen if China surpasses the United States in key technology areas, according to a new report from the Special Competitive Studies Project, led by former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work and Google co-founder Eric Schmidt.
The 189-page report, released on Monday, looks at current and future technology competition between the United States and China—from microelectronics supply to tech talent retention to the effects of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence on tomorrow’s national security.
“In our judgment, China leads the United States in 5G, commercial drones, offensive hypersonic weapons, and lithium-battery production,” the report said, while the U.S. is ahead in biotech, quantum computing, cloud computing, commercial space technologies, and has a small lead in artificial intelligence.
Work said Monday’s report is an effort to help retain U.S. leads and reduce Chinese advantages gained during the decades-long war in Afghanistan.
“We didn’t really respond as we normally have done in the past,” Work told reporters during a Defense Writers Group event. “This is a real technical competition. It is absolutely critical to the future of our country as well as democracies worldwide, and we must win it. And this starts to give recommendations on how we organize ourselves for the competition and how do we win it.”
The report is a continuation of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which published several reports and hundreds of recommendations, including how the Defense Department should buy software and organize itself to take advantage of advances in AI.
“The solution to the problems that China has is more investment in areas that are competitive with us,” Schmidt told reporters.
He said that despite its internal problems, the country will spend more to develop AI, quantum, software, semiconductors, biosecurity, biosafety, and synthetic biology.
The report lays out dozens of recommendations for policy-makers and leaders in the military and private sector about how the United States retains (or finds) the edge in various areas.
Some of the top recommendations include:
- Develop a “national process for horizon scanning for emerging technologies and rivals’ strategies that draws on a range of experts.” Create strategic plans to reach milestones in specific technology areas.
- Launch an effort, possibly with government funds, to move new technologies like 5G and AI from the lab to market more quickly.
- Bolster tech-regulatory bodies to oversee new products, services, and uses involving artificial intelligence and ensure that they work in the public interest. “Existing regulatory bodies have the sector expertise that allows for tailoring rules, ensuring AI governance complements existing nonAI governance, and assessing impacts,” the report said.
- Develop a technology alliance among democratic allies to coordinate policies, investments, etc.
The report also features a number of recommendations specific to the U.S. military, such as
- Fully embrace distributed, network-based operations to give more power to smaller, more nimble units that can act across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace (or multi-domain.) “Develop and experiment with smaller…highly-connected, and organically resilient, multi-domain units that practice network-based decision-making and effects, not just hierarchy-based decision-making.”
- Undermine adversaries’ ability to censor networks and media. This would be especially important if China invades Taiwan. “By helping ordinary Chinese citizens during times of war thwart automatic censors and by placing the burden on regime human censors, the United States can help expand the public discourse beyond the regime’s control.”
- Plan for what you can’t plan for, because new asymmetric tools are changing the battlefield faster than military doctrine and old-fashioned planning can keep up. “The current method of war planning runs the risk of producing a situation in which the U.S. military could run out of munitions or assets before reaching the end of conflict. Second, the resource straight-jacketing embedded in the current planning methods limits the development of innovative concepts and reduces the ability of Combatant Commanders to influence the development of new capabilities.”
- Develop war plans that attack biases and weaknesses in adversarial AI by manipulating data, among other techniques. “In the near term, the focus of U.S. counter-autonomy efforts could include identifying means and generating access to take over adversaries’ AI-enabled systems to extend our sensing deep inside their territory and within its decision-making.”
Drone warfare
The report notes that drones have been crucial to Ukraine’s effort to fight off Russian invaders, a harbinger of wars to follow.
“Drones will be as important in the first battle of the next war as artillery is today,” Work said. “So we are seeing, already, how drones are going to be more central to operations for the United States and our allies and see that happening in real time and Ukraine.”
Such weapons will be “ubiquitous throughout the battlefield,” the former deputy defense secretary said, which will make outlining specific use cases, tactics and procedures that avoid unintended engagements against civilians, among other scenarios, so important.
“Guarantee these things are going to be everywhere. They already, you know, dominate the battlefield,” Work said.
Indeed, Schmidt, who recently traveled to Ukraine, said the local tech industry was helping the beleaguered country put drones and autonomy to work.
“There’s a whole focus around getting an army of drones and they seem to be very good at using drones in their war tactics. And the programmers and so forth, have been very good at hacking the drones and using them,” he said. “And I can just report that based on my small amount of data that the Ukrainian tech industry really did make a contribution to the fight.” (Source: Defense Systems)
09 Sep 22. DOD Must Put Software at the Core of Its Operations, Report Says. The CIA’s chief technology officer and the former head of the Air Force’s Project Maven want to yank the Pentagon out of the industrial age into the digital age.
The Department of Defense must adopt new approaches to software design and architecture to help the U.S. military maintain an operational advantage over global adversaries, according to a new report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday.
The report, “Software-Defined Warfare,” says that the architecture needed to develop and maintain the most advanced warfighting systems “lies in software.”
“One of the greatest challenges the DOD and other U.S. federal agencies face is that they were built from the ground up as industrial-age, hardware-centric organizations,” the report says. “Making the transition to digital age, software-centric, more risk-tolerant organizations is exceedingly difficult. But it is also the only path to future success.”
The paper says that this type of software-defined warfare, where software is at the core of DOD’s operating model, will allow today’s military hardware and weapons to better handle “all of the complexity of decisionmaking, targeting and resourcing.”
The report outlines a series of core concepts that DOD should adopt as it works to design and support weapons and accompanying hardware, including moving from vertically-scaled architecture to a horizontally-scaled model that can distribute computing workloads across smaller systems. The report says DOD should acquire or design “a massive number of cheap, disposable and easy-to-manufacture endpoint systems that it can concentrate, distribute and scale up or down as the need arises,” but that it would require almost no maintenance and could be easily remedied if a system breaks down.
The report also suggested eliminating software architectures that have single points of failure; virtualizing systems by wrapping them in “a set of callable application programming interfaces;” adopting a just-in-time software deployment model; and building autonomy into endpoint systems.
During a CSIS event on Wednesday discussing the report’s release, the paper’s authors—Central Intelligence Agency Chief Technology Officer Nand Mulchandani and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Shanahan—said that DOD’s ability to adopt and optimize updated software and technologies, including artificial intelligence models, will help the U.S. maintain a competitive footing with other countries that are modernizing their warfighting systems.
Shanahan, who was the inaugural director of DOD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and oversaw Project Maven—the Pentagon’s AI program used to analyze drone footage to identify potential targets—said his time at JAIC demonstrated the limitations of simply adding on AI-enabled machine learning models to outdated systems.
“They were bolt-on solutions to legacy platforms and they would work, but not work nearly as well as they could work if they were designed from the beginning into these weapons systems,” Shanahan said. “So all of the principles that are laid out in the paper are designed to do things much faster, much cheaper and are able to be agile.”
Mulchandani added that, in order for DOD to modernize its software architecture, the agency also needs to move away from the idea of acquisition and procurement as the solution to updating warfighting systems.
“What we need to do is actually get back to the roots of what the DOD used to do in the old days, which is have experts in the fields where we’re going to build or buy something and have those experts on the buy side who actually understand how to actually buy, deploy or build any of this stuff, instead of actually outsourcing all of this intelligence out to the vendors,” Mulchandani said. (Source: Defense Systems)
13 Sep 22. 5,000 Drone Patents Granted Last Year – a 39% Increase. Patents granted for drones worldwide have increased by 39% to 4,876 in the past year*, shows new research by leading intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire. The figure is up from 3,511 in the previous year and up three-fold from just 446 patents five years ago.
Mathys & Squire says the global drone market is dominated by China. Of the patents granted in 2021, 3,262 (67%) belong to Chinese companies and research institutions. The US trails in second place, with 751 drone-related patents granted in 2021 – 15% of the global total.
Drone technology is being employed across a growing list of sectors, including agriculture, construction, energy, news reporting and delivery of emergency medicine and supplies.
The commercial drone market is predicted to be worth $47bn by 2029**, while estimates suggest the military market could be worth $98bn by the end of the current decade***. While some of the expected applications in the commercial drone market (such as home delivery services, including fast-food!) have yet to fully materialise, new commercial uses for drones are constantly being developed.
Manufacturers are competing to corner as much of this rapidly growing market as they can by registering patents to protect their often considerable R&D investments.
Andrew White, Partner at Mathys & Squire says:
“Drones are increasingly becoming part of everyday life, yet the strong growth in new patents suggests their full potential is still to be realised.”
“Drones are set to play a major role in the global economy in the 21st century. IP in this area is extremely valuable and therefore likely to be hotly contested in the coming years. Companies are spending considerable sums on drone research and will want that investment to be protected with patents.”
Patents related to drone technology granted last year include:
- A fire extinguishing drone for communication wires and other hard to reach infrastructure
- An unmanned aerial vehicle-based virtual reality touring and sightseeing system
- A drone-based system for measuring atmospheric pollution
- A drone-based system for monitoring buildings for cracks and structural weaknesses
- A drone-based system for pollinating strawberries
- An amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle for measuring water quality
- An aerial mask-dispensing machine for use during pandemics
- A drone-based system to detect oil pollution in water
- A drone-based system for monitoring the safety of oil and gas pipelines
- A real-time landslide prediction and early warning system using drones
- An early warning system for forest fires
- A drone-based system for filtering factory exhaust gases
- An unmanned aerial vehicle capable of drilling blasting holes in rock walls (Source: UAS VISION/The Manufacturer)
12 Sep 22. Marshall Futureworx signs Memorandum of Understanding with sees.ai and ISS Aerospace to create new drone technologies. Marshall Futureworx, sees.ai, and ISS Aerospace are excited to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will see the three companies collaborate to create new autonomous robotic drone technologies for sectors such as offshore renewable energy, defence and security, and nuclear decommissioning.
Marshall Futureworx is the venture building arm of the Marshall Group and has expertise in delivering support services in challenging and highly regulated environments enabled by complex systems, building on Marshall’s 100+ year heritage in the aerospace sector.
Drone technology provider sees.ai is a pioneer in state-of-the-art autonomous navigation and command & control software for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, providing aerial intelligence and enabling economies of scale for the use of drones in industrial applications.
ISS Aerospace is an industry-leading Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) provider specialising in cutting-edge design, manufacture and operations for a wide range of international customers in various sectors such as energy, defence, security, utilities and surveillance.
In combination, all three UK-based companies are confident they can bring world-leading drone services to emerging and challenging sectors.
Marshall Futureworx is leading the development of a permanently deployed BVLOS autonomous drone solution, which integrates the combined expertise, technologies, and capabilities of Marshall, sees.ai, and ISS Aerospace. The system has a number of potential use cases across industries and environments with the potential to offer significant operational and safety benefits to customers.
Chris Walton, Founder and Managing Director of Futureworx, said: “Marshall has an excellent track record of getting complex systems into the air safely. We are excited to work with sees.ai and ISS Aerospace, who are also leaders in their fields, to unlock the tremendous potential of enabling autonomy at long-range and delivering new and innovative services to defence, security, and industrial customers.”
Kieren Paterson, Co-Founder and Head of Futureworx, added: “We are tremendously excited by the potential of this team and the technology we are developing together. All three companies bring something unique and compelling to the table and together we have the potential to offer game changing solutions and capability for existing and new customers across a variety of different sectors.”
Commenting on the MoU announcement, John McKenna, CEO of sees.ai, said: “Our software coupled with Marshall and ISS Aerospace’s hardware has the potential to open a range of new use-cases and markets across industry and defence & security. Our goal is to unlock the substantial financial, operational, environmental and safety benefits of BVLOS drone operations – and this formidable partnership will accelerate progress towards this goal. We can’t wait to get started.”
Ryan Kempley of ISS Aerospace, added: “We feel privileged to be part of such a ground-breaking programme and look forward to working with Marshall and sees.ai. Bringing together such a pool of knowledge and expertise will allow for some truly ground-breaking capabilities to be realised. Having deployed and operated our UAS in a number of challenging environments around the world, we believe the drone technologies being fielded by this collaboration will have wide ranging benefits to the industry as a whole.”
About Marshall Futureworx
Coupled with the power of the Marshall Group brand, Marshall Futureworx is a standalone team of highly creative engineering talent established to leverage Marshall’s unique engineering skills, experience, and reputation to identify and develop a new generation of products and services that address existing and future challenges. Acting as the venture building arm of the Marshall Group, the Futureworx team has identified a number of emerging trends in the industrial support, defence and security arenas, and is developing new technologies and service offerings to meet those upcoming demands.
About sees.ai
sees.ai’s software enables single pilots to remotely operate and co-ordinate multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) undertaking complex close-quarter missions in challenging environments. Using the same sensors as an autonomous car (LiDAR, camera, IMU) sees.ai’s software enables the UAVs to operate with a high degree of autonomy and without continuous operator control. This unlocks missions such as close-quarter inspection of industrial and infrastructure assets, and missions in environments with denied or degraded GNSS and/or comms. By no longer requiring a skilled pilot to travel to the mission site, sees.ai’s solution dramatically increases the scalability of drone operations whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety.
Inspired by the team’s backgrounds in Formula 1, sees.ai uses advanced telemetry, diagnostics, analytics and simulation tools to make it possible to safely deliver this capability at national scale. The company was an early participant in the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Regulatory Sandbox and currently holds the most advanced BVLOS permission ever given by the CAA.
About ISS Aerospace
ISS Aerospace is a UK-based company that designs and manufactures cutting-edge, multimodal, Uncrewed Aerial Systems for a wide range of international clients. Our systems are designed to collect meaningful information or to work as autonomous or semi-autonomous systems under challenging conditions. Onboard computing and AI hardware allow for data to be processed in real time, reducing data bandwidth requirements, and delivering actionable intelligence. We take pride in working closely with our clients to provide an end-to-end service from specification to operational service. We offer both the Sensus 4 and Sensus 8 as “off the shelf” systems in industrial and defence formats.
09 Sep 22. Lockheed Martin, AT&T Demonstrate 5G High Speed Transfer of Black Hawk Data to 5G.MIL® Pilot Network. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and AT&T* securely and rapidly transferred UH-60M Black Hawk health and usage data through an AT&T 5G private cellular network and Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL® multi-site pilot network in a test conducted Aug. 4 at Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut. The test demonstrated that wireless 5G technologies on the flight line can support accelerated maintenance operations and improved aircraft readiness to support our service members. It also proved highly secure interoperability between the AT&T millimeter wave 5G private cellular network and the 5G.MIL pilot network.
“These 5G capabilities deployed at scale are expected to enable high-speed, secure-data transfer on virtually any flight line, providing another example of how we’re advancing our 21st Century Security vision by improving customer readiness and operations,” said Dan Rice, vice president of 5G.MIL Programs at Lockheed Martin. “In collaboration with commercial 5G leaders, an interoperable 5G.MIL multi-site, multi-vendor network is another step closer to reality.”
The AT&T 5G millimeter wave private cellular network wirelessly transferred data to the 5G.MIL network through ground support equipment from the Black Hawk’s Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS). The data was then routed to local Sikorsky networks for processing and distribution through the secure Lockheed Martin 5G.MIL pilot network to the Waterton, Colorado, 5G test range site.
Currently, it takes Black Hawk crews about 30 minutes to remove the IVHMS data cartridge from the helicopter, transport it to an operations center and extract the data for analysis. Lockheed Martin used AT&T 5G private cellular technologies to reduce the time required to less than 5 minutes including cartridge removal, demonstrating the potential benefits in time and cost for military and commercial helicopter operations.
The IVHMS provides monitoring and diagnostic capabilities to ensure a more reliable aircraft. It monitors, captures and evaluates detailed aircraft-generated data as a result of flight maneuvers. It also captures aircraft limit exceedances on airframe and dynamic components and monitors temperature and vibration of key components on the aircraft. It does this through hundreds of on-board sensors that report the status of the aircraft by monitoring the airframe, engines, and other dynamic components. Operators assess these thousands of data points to ensure the aircraft is safe, reliable and ready to fly.
“Timely and secure transfer and analysis of mission and operations data are critical to military readiness and effectiveness,” said Lance Spencer, client executive vice president, Defense, AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet. “This is one of many areas of commercial 5G innovation we are exploring to support defense, commercial aviation, and related fields where our 5G-related services can modernize legacy processes and help deliver truly transformational benefits.”
Lockheed Martin and AT&T also are working with other leading companies in networking and defense to modernize and transform communications capabilities for defense purposes. Future demonstrations are expected to further enhance 5G wireless technology communications solutions for flight lines, aiming to continually shorten aircraft turnaround times to reduce costs and improve military operational readiness. These capabilities deployed at scale can support high-speed, secure-data transfer on both commercial and military flight lines.
AT&T’s 5G and private cellular Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) capabilities are deployed together by multiple industrial customers in factories nationwide where they enable ultra-fast, highly secure wireless processing and information transfer. (Source: PR Newswire)
12 Sep 22. British Army Carries Out successful Swarming Drone Capability. A breakthrough in technology and innovation for the British Army took place on Salisbury Plain recently, where a demonstration of multiple Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) took place. Funded by Army Headquarters, the nano-Unmanned Aerial Systems (nUAS) project completed a live multiple drone demonstration also known as swarming drones, pushing technological boundaries.
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Dawe, Commanding Officer, Infantry Trials and Development Unit (ITDU) explains:
“We are working in collaboration with the Future Capabilities Group (FCG), part of the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) construct. The stand-out feature of this event is that you are seeing a military operator control more than one drone at the same time from one single unit. This is adding scale and adding complexity with each drone able to carry out a separate task.”
He added: “This is a real amplifier, adding capacity, force protection, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The intent going forward is to add a precision strike capability; this will not only assist in our targeting but also in our strike capability, therefore making us more lethal at range which will protect our very valuable forces and people.”
The event was also ground-breaking in terms of the regulatory environment too, as it was the first time the Military Aviation Authority has issued a categorisation of this type for a swarm to be operated by one operator, a huge achievement for the Army and hopefully paving the way for systems like this to come into service.
Two different UAS systems were used; the first was the Atlas, where one operator controls four drones on a tablet via individual manual mission taskings. The second system was the Elbit, where one operator tasks six drones, creating autonomous missions. This means the operator can task up to six drones in a fleet on the same mission or various other missions to complete different tasks.
The focus was on two showcase ideas; the first consisted of multiple drones providing a 24-hour perimeter defensive posture, with surveillance provided by multiple UAS in and around a specific location.
The second scenario worked on artificial intelligence communicating with the system to plan UAS missions, so that they can provide overwatch and inform the user of any points of interest and following where necessary.
Dominic Ferrett, Lead UAS Engineer (DE&S) (FCG): “This is a significant achievement for the FCG and the Army. We have now proved the concept that one person can fly six drones thus creating a reduction in operator burden. In the future we want one operator to control six, twelve, thirty, forty or more drones as part of a more integrated swarm. As we move further with future Army projects we look to human-machine teaming, which will start to bring in ground elements as well as air elements as a combined system.”
These demonstrations gave the UAS community the opportunity to share working knowledge and experiences. It will help to continue the work to develop UK Defence’s UAS capabilities across the Tri-Service.
Flight Lieutenant David Morrison, Surveillance Target and Acquisition (STA) ITDU: “Drones are at the forefront of technology right now and this is a real stepping stone in terms of capability. We’ve seen military operators flying these systems, not the manufacturers, and everything you see has been put together by the military operators and all flown by ourselves. This is the first steps to get soldiers using this kit and equipment.”
Lance Corporal Kai Webb, ITDU, STA operates the swarms: “I never knew that drones were a thing in the Army before I came here. Using this controller and multiple drones provides me with great visibility in the area around me. This type of technology will be a massive help when rolled out to units in the future, assisting with reconnaissance and the security of specific areas and bases too.”
“To me personally, I like the fact that you don’t have to walk up a massive hill to see what is happening on the other side. You can just send in the drone to get eyes on which offers less risk to the soldier on the ground.” (Source: UAS VISION)
12 Sep 22. Asio Technologies unveils the NavGuard NOCTA Mini: a mini-size jam-proof navigation solution for drones. Lighter than ever and with low power consumption, it is a fully integrated day and night optical navigation module for jam-proof and spoof-proof operations.
Asio Technologies, a leading developer and manufacturer of geospatial position systems and tactical defense solutions, is honored to launch and unveil the NavGuard NOCTA Mini, a mini-size jam-proof aerial optical positioning system for drones and UASs.
NavGuard is a real-time optical navigation system that enables seamless and accurate autonomous GNSS-free navigation for tactical UAS platforms in areas where the GNSS signal is spoofed, jammed, or simply unavailable. Using cutting-edge machine vision technology, AI, advanced optics, and sensor fusion, NavGuard can be installed on different unmanned aerial platforms to enable safe and sustainable 24/7 drone missions under complete GNSS blackout.
NavGuard’s new mini version, NOCTA Mini, is ideal for installation on drones and small UASs. Lighter than ever and with low power consumption, it is a fully integrated day and night optical navigation module for jam-proof and spoof-proof operations.
NOCTA Mini enables drones to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) from take-off to landing, and as it is based on machine vision, the system is drift free. It is a self-contained system incorporating a computing module, GIS Infrastructure, and day and night cameras.
Designed for a wide variety of applications, from defense, homeland security, and infrastructure security, it is an optimal solution for tactical drone missions where payload capacity and flight time are limited and continuous operation under all conditions is critical.
“NOCTA Mini attracts a lot of attention from the drone OEMs and the end-users thanks to the low energy consumption, compact, lightweight, and low power consumption design,” said David Harel, Asio Technologies CEO. “Based on our fielded and operational NavGuard solution, the world’s first optical navigation system for tactical UASs, with day and night capabilities, NOCTA Mini ensures operational freedom for drones and small UASs.”
11 Sep 22. Imperial College to shut joint research ventures with Chinese defence firms. Two Chinese-sponsored aerospace research centres to close after warnings of ‘sleepwalking’ into aiding Chinese military.
will shut down two major research centres sponsored by Chinese aerospace and defence companies amid a crackdown on academic collaborations with China, the Guardian has learned.
The Avic Centre for Structural Design and Manufacturing is a long-running partnership with China’s leading civilian and military aviation supplier, which has provided more than £6m to research cutting-edge aerospace materials. The second centre is run jointly with Biam, a subsidiary of another state-owned aerospace and defence company, which has contributed £4.5m for projects on high-performance batteries, jet engine components and impact-resistant aircraft windshields. The centres’ stated goals are to advance civilian aerospace technologies, but critics have repeatedly warned that the research could also advance China’s military ambitions.
Now Imperial has confirmed the two centres will be shut by the end of the year after the rejection of two licence applications to the government’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), which oversees the sharing of sensitive research with international partners. The closures follow a warning in July by the heads of MI5 and the FBI of the espionage threat posed by China to UK universities, and highlight the government’s hardening attitude on the issue.
“You can say with a high degree of confidence that this decision has been taken because the government is of the view that continuing licensing would enable the military development in China, which is viewed as a threat to security,” said Sam Armstrong, director of communications at the Henry Jackson Society thinktank. “The government has made it clear to universities that there is an overall shift in the weather such that these collaborations are no longer possible.”
When the centres were launched in 2012, the Conservative government was enthusiastic about such partnerships, and some universities – notably Imperial College and Manchester – accepted substantial funds from state-owned companies that supply the Chinese military with fighter jets, surveillance software and missiles. In 2015, the then chancellor, George Osborne, accompanied the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on a tour of Manchester’s graphene institute during a state visit.
But as relations between China and the west have deteriorated, with concerns over human rights in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang region, behind the scenes there has been a crackdown on academic partnerships involving “dual-use” technologies that have benign civilian uses, but also potential military applications.
In addition to the two centres due to shut at Imperial, another five collaborations have been quietly terminated in the past three years – all but one of those in the UK highlighted as “high risk” in a 2019 analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). This includes facilities at Imperial and Manchester sponsored by the Chinese missile manufacturer Calt, whose parent company is reported to have supplied drones deployed in the Xinjiang region. The government’s Export Control Unit has rejected three licence applications from Imperial and five from Manchester linked to China collaborations since 2018.
“The fact these two [latest Imperial] facilities have been closed down is not enormously surprising,” Armstrong said. “It’s difficult to see how you can partner with Avic without furthering the aims of the Chinese military.”
Charles Parton, a China expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the UK had been “sleepwalking” into partnerships that posed a threat to national interests. “Finally we’ve woken up and are now beginning to get an idea of what’s going on,” he said. “The distinction is narrowing between what is a civilian and military use. We really shouldn’t be helping a hostile power. (Source: Google/The Guradian)
09 Sep 22. Raytheon unit wins $583m contract for US Army navigation. Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon, won a contract worth as much as $583m to produce the latest version of a technology that provides soldiers critical situational awareness and context on the battlefield.
The U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors announced the Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing Systems award on Sept. 8, describing it as “recently” made.
MAPS GEN II ensures troops understand where they are and where they are headed, even in environments where GPS signal is jammed and other systems are being harassed. The technology will be mounted into a variety of armored platforms, including Abrams tanks, Paladin artillery and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as lighter options, such as Strykers and Humvees.
The second iteration is a step up from its predecessor, GEN I, which has been deployed in Europe. The Army outfitted Strykers belonging to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany with MAPS GEN I in 2019, C4ISRNET previously reported.
“MAPS ensures access to modernized military GPS and fuses additional sources of PNT to include timing and alternate navigation technologies,” Lt. Col. Andrew Johnston, a product manager at PEO IEW&S, said in a statement Thursday. “Assured PNT is a critical enabling capability to multi-domain operations and Army 2030, setting conditions for soldiers to fight and win.”
Following decades of counterterrorism operations in the Middle East, facing forces with less-advanced equipment, the Department of Defense is now preparing for a potential large-scale conflict with China and Russia.
Fights with either world power would likely involve electronic interference and other digital belligerence.
“Now we’re starting to enter theaters and operations where GPS signals can be denied, degraded, interfered with, right? Because of that, we needed to come up with a solution to get around the issue. MAPS helps answer that problem,” Maj. Matthew Szarzynski, an assistant project manager at PEO IEW&S, said Aug. 30 during a media roundtable at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. “We’re still getting that GPS signal, that positioning, navigation, timing solution. But now it’s more protected. It’s protected from any kind of jamming. It’s protected from any kind of spoofing. So soldiers in the field, with this on their platform, know exactly where they’re at.”
The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity arrangement with Collins Aerospace is expected to run for five years. IDIQ contracts provide for a number of products or services over the course of a predetermined timeframe. They are frequently used by the federal government and are thought to streamline the procurement process.
The award this week follows a previous 2020 deal in which Collins Aerospace was tasked with MAPS maturation and preliminary integration, clearing a path for low-rate initial production. The value was not disclosed at the time. (Source: Defense News)
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