EUROPE
07 Oct 05. Defence Industrial Strategy: Open Forum. Work is currently being undertaken by the MoD to produce a Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), as outlined by the Defence Procurement Minister during academic/industry presentations on 12, 15 and 21 Sep 05. Industry and the public are being invited to contribute to the developing DIS by registering comments on the MoD web site (at www.mod.uk/issues/industry/public_forum.htm). Comment: Lord Drayson anticipates that the DIS will be published “before Christmas” and he is “demanding gritty conclusions on shipbuilding and ship support; fixed wing aircraft (including UAVs); rotorcraft; guided weapons; general munitions; armoured fighting vehicles; and a number of other key areas”.
The DIS is intended to build upon the MoD’s Defence Industrial Policy which was published on 14 Oct 02 as Policy Paper No 5. In particular the DIS is expected to provide a more detailed account of the strategic industrial capabilities that are required to be retained within the UK. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 05/38, 07 Oct 05)
USA
04 Oct 05. General Dynamics C4I Systems showed BATTLESPACE its Command Post of the Future (CPOF), now deployed in Iraq, during AUSA. The Command Post of the Future has successfully been used by the 1st Cavalry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is currently deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division. The program will transition from DARPA to the Army in 2006.
Through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and its Command Post of the Future (CPoF) program, General Dynamics C4 Systems is using CoMotion®-based software to change battlefield communication and analysis. The Command Post of the Future solves one of the most complex problems for today’s military decision-maker, how to turn overwhelming amounts of data into information and knowledge that support time-critical warfighting and decision making. It provides situational awareness and collaborative tools to support decision making, planning, rehearsal and execution management. The goal is to fluidly transfer the perspectives of individual commanders among all participants on the battlefield. Our intuitive interface visually displays those perspectives, offering every participant a macro view based on micro views of the situation. Commanders are able to quickly extract meaning from data and the possible outcomes of actions, leading to quicker and more effective decisions. The Command Post of the Future utilizes commercial-off-the-shelf software in addition to geographic visualization software that works with both conventional maps and satellite photos to chart environments in three dimensions. Voice-over-Internet software and headsets are used for communications and briefings.
05 Oct 05. Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems unit and Lockheed Martin agreed to compete as a team for the U.S. Air Force’s Small Diameter Bomb Increment II program. Under the deal, Boeing would be prime contractor, providing the air vehicle and data link and having responsibility for the overall weapon system. Lockheed Martin would be principal supplier, providing the multi-mode seeker needed by the U.S. military, and would be responsible for the seeker system.
07 Oct 05. Lockheed Martin has successfully completed a live fly demonstration of the AMF component of the JTRS program. The demonstration featured airborne, ground-based and simulated maritime units collaborating in real time across an integrated airborne IP network to rapidly find, identify and strike a time- sensitive target. Lockheed Martin’s AMF JTRS team funded and executed the demonstration as a risk reduction effort to evaluate and improve the technical maturity of the team’s solution. The demonstration follows a successful Preliminary Design Review, held in August, which showcased numerous components of the team’s AMF JTRS solution. The latest demonstration brought those components together in a live fly exercise, proving that