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20 Dec 22. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) flew the new NATO Pod for the first time on Nov. 23, 2022. The NATO Pod is a joint development between GA-ASI and Sener Aeroespacial of Spain. The NATO Pod is built by Sener Aeroespacial in Europe to meet NATO airworthiness standards, while increasing configuration and payload options for MQ-9A and MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft produced by GA-ASI. The new product is designed for international customers that are interested in rapidly integrating sovereign payload capabilities to achieve specific mission objectives.
The test flight was performed at the Yuma Proving Grounds using a GA-ASI owned MQ-9A aircraft.
NATO Pod development was driven by GA-ASI’s desire to provide customers with a customizable, multi-use pod for carriage of sovereign, cross-domain Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensors for MQ-9A and MQ-9B RPA systems. GA-ASI is working with Sener and other European suppliers to integrate their sensor capabilities within this new pod. The NATO Pod is a flexible, scalable, certifiable enclosure with the structural features to host wide-ranging mission systems. The pod meets DEF STAN and STANAG certification standards for airworthiness, including lightning protection and bird impact. The NATO Pod interfaces with common MQ-9 aircraft power and navigation interfaces, including the platform datalink connection to the Ground Control Station (GCS). Customer system integration is based on using a common set of interfaces to the aircraft and GCS systems.
“This is a truly momentous product design and implementation effort,” GA-ASI Vice President of Mission Payloads and Exploitation, Satish Krishnan. “We’ve worked closely with Sener to meet requirements and keep our combined teams in sync to achieve this great outcome. Our successful test flight allows us to begin marketing this new capability to our international partner nations as a way to rapidly add sovereign payload capability.”
Rafael Orbe, Defence General Director at Sener Aeroespacial, said: “This first flight is the fruit of a long collaboration between GA-ASI and Sener and we are proud to have contributed to the success of the project. We look forward to continuing the good work together, which we are sure will bring us more successes in the future.”
This industrial cooperation effort introduces European manufacturing of GA-ASI designed mission hardware and opens the door to customer-specified mission payloads – including technologies that are built outside the U.S. – for deployment on MQ-9A and MQ-9B. The NATO Pod that was tested featured a payload built by Arpège S.A.S. France.
MQ-9As are operated by a number of European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. GA-ASI’s newer MQ-9B variant has been acquired by the UK and Belgium. Recently Poland announced that it will lease MQ-9A.
20 Dec 22. Kraken’s MINSAS system chosen for HII’s medium class UUV.
MINSAS’s system design makes it suitable for REMUS 620 Medium Class UUV’s modular payload and battery architecture. Kraken Robotics’ AquaPix Miniature Synthetic Aperture Sonar (MINSAS) system has been chosen for HII’s new REMUS 620 Medium Class UUV as the standard payload offering.
Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) offers greater resolution and higher area coverage rates when compared with legacy Side Scan Sonar, and hence serves as an option for mine countermeasure (MCM) operations.
According to Kraken, higher resolution imagery correlates to the cut down in false positives by human operators as well as Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) software.
Through advanced capabilities offered by the collaboration of the REMUS 620 and MINSAS Synthetic Aperture Sonar, the count of contacts needed to be authenticated gets cut down, thereby potentially reducing MCM timeline significantly.
The company’s SAS products have been integrated to HII’s uncrewed systems range of small, medium and large AUVs, providing several opportunities to boost the Mine Hunting and MCM capabilities for several NATO nations.
MINSAS’s system design makes it suitable match for the REMUS 620’s modular payload and battery architecture given that it can provide both 60 cm and 120 cm array offerings as per customer’s requirements, thereby creating room for extra sensor or battery payloads as required.
The system is also claimed to offer out-of-the-box high-resolution, real-time onboard beamforming that supports embedded ATR, and smart autonomy features such as dynamic mission re-tasking as per the identification of contacts.
Earlier this month, Kraken Robotics secured a prime contract from the Government of Canada to provide Remote Minehunting and Disposal Systems for the Department of National Defense. (Source: naval-technology.com)
20 Dec 22. Northrop Grumman conducts flight test of RAPTR and Mini-CNI on UH-60. The test saw the simultaneous transmission of advanced sensor data and communications using the systems. Northrop Grumman has conducted a flight test of Re Scalable Aperture for Precision Targeting Radar (RAPTR) and Mini-Communications, Navigation, Identification (Mini-CNI) systems.
During the flight test, the systems were installed on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to showcase their capabilities to perform bi-directional air-to-ground communications functions.
The multifunction RAPTR sensor and Mini-CNI demonstrated the transmission of advanced sensor data and communications when conducting air-to-air searching and tracking of targets.
The flight test was carried out at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as part of a series to showcase Northrop Grumman’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) capabilities.
According to the company, the demonstration proved the systems’ ability in assisting the US Department of Defense’s (DOD) crewed-uncrewed teaming and long-range precision fires missions.
The two systems will also help increase the US Army’s FVL platforms’ survivability and lethality while furthering the company’s efforts to enable the DOD’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control programme.
Northrop Grumman advanced mission capabilities vice-president Susan Bruce said: “This flight test was a key step in demonstrating the ability to integrate multifunction sensors and advanced communications and networking systems into the FVL ecosystem that will provide warfighters with a number of new line-of-sight capabilities.
“These combined solutions will extend the operational reach of joint and coalition partners and will improve lethality, survivability and targeting against any threat for decision dominance in contested environments.”
Northrop Grumman noted that the RAPTR and Mini-CNI systems offer flexibility and lower cost, risk and time to deploy.
The systems feature a software-defined, modular open systems architecture. (Source: army-technology.com)
19 Dec 22. Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Webinar. DASA and BEIS hosted a webinar to test the vision for Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Phase 3. Watch it below.
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) are exploring a Phase 3 of the “Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence” competition, to build on current activities which seek to advance innovative technologies to enable the long-term co-existence of offshore windfarms and Air Defence radar.
The competition is funded by the BEIS Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and is undertaken in partnership with the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and DASA.
On 16 December, DASA and BEIS hosted a webinar to test the programme’s vision with the wider market and provide the opportunity to inform the programme. The scope of Phase 3 is likely to support technologies across the 3 broad categories:
- radar
- stealthy materials
- alternative tracking based solutions.
The competition is aimed at any technology providers within those 3 categories, as well as original equipment manufacturers, onshore and offshore owner/operators and developers who would be interested in collaborating with the technology providers as part of Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Phase 3.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal when the competition launches in 2023, watch the below webinar.
Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence – Phase 3: Webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tks-RrEx5s
What is covered in the webinar?
- Recap of Phase 1 and Phase 2
- Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Phase 3 scope and timelines
- Proposed Delivery Model
- Collaboration survey
- Q&A
Collaboration Survey
For a potential phase 3, we encourage collaboration between suppliers. To support this, we have a short survey to collect details of suppliers who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. This collaboration list will be circulated to all those who have signed up on a weekly basis. In contrast to phases 1 and 2, the potential phase 3 will likely be a grant competition and require match-funding from the bidders.
Fill out the collaboration survey here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/J3Y3MY/
The importance of Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence
Offshore wind will play an increasingly critical role in the UK’s renewable energy supply to enable Net Zero ambitions, as manifested by a 50GW target by 2030 and a Climate Change Committee (CCC) central scenario of at least 75GW of capacity by 2050.
The offshore windfarm installations may adversely impact the quality of data obtained from the long-range Primary Surveillance Radars (PSR) which are the backbone of the UK’s Air Defence detection capability. A mitigating solution, or combination of solutions, is needed to enable the co-existence of windfarms and Air Defence and enable the deployment of offshore wind.
Through the Joint Air Defence and Offshore Wind Task Force, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently working on procuring mitigation solutions in the near term, to enable the next generation of large-scale offshore windfarms to be built that will become operational from 2025 and beyond. This BEIS funded innovation programme is complementing the MOD work and focuses on helping to find solutions that will enable the long term co-existence of Air Defence and offshore wind.
What happened in Phase 1 and 2?
In Phase 1, £2m worth of contracts were awarded to fast-track ideas for technologies that could mitigate the impact of windfarms on the UK’s Air Defence radar system. Learn more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/offshore-windfarm-development-boosted-by-2mi-research
In Phase 2, seven projects were awarded a total of £3.8m funding to develop technologies that support the coexistence of offshore windfarms and UK Air Defence systems. Learn more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/38-m-in-contracts-awarded-to-mitigate-the-radar-risk-of-windfarms
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
16 Dec 22. C-UAS company Edgesource launches commercial division EdgesourceX. C-UAS company Edgesource Corporation has announced the launch of a new commercial division – EdgesourceX. The new company features commercial versions of its military Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) products which are now available to civil customers, including sports arenas, critical infrastructure, public safety agencies, and individuals seeking increased security and privacy.
The company’s portfolio includes WindtalkerX, which detects and locates drones, their pilots, and more, within a range of 35+ kilometers, according to the company. “WindtalkerX deploys in 30 minutes or less and can gather 30+ data fields, including serial number, drone location, home location, operator location, flight path, velocity, and altitude.”
Another product is DowdingX, which provides a single-pane common operating picture platform offering a simple, operating picture and “is as easy to use as Google Maps”, says the company. The system displays and analyzes sUAS activity and create real-time intelligence reports. “Real-time notification of drone activity allows for user-defined zones of interest, threat warnings, and alerts via SMS or email. DowdingX can also integrate an organization’s existing C-sUAS systems or sensors by compiling data into a centralized common operating picture to increase response time and deconflict information. DowdingX can be deployed and used by end operators with minimal training in less than an hour.”
For more information: https://www.edgesourcex.com/ (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
13 Dec 22. ScaleFlyt Antijamming proposes protection for Indian drone ecosystem. Thales experts are actively engaging with the local Indian drones ecosystem to offer drone technologies to support the region’s burgeoning drone sector according to social media reports. Thales Aerospace ScaleFlyt portfolio is designed to allow safe and secure long-range UAV operations against interference and jamming threats of drone GNSS navigation – a critical area for defence applications of drones. The technology is relevant to the Indian Ministry of Defence which deploys a range of high-altitude logistics drones; medium-altitude logistics drones; unmanned surveillance helicopters; remotely piloted aerial vehicles; mini-remotely piloted aircraft systems; runway-independent remotely piloted aircraft systems.
The Thales ScaleFlyt Antijamming solutions are designed to allow safe and secure long-range UAV operations against interference and jamming threats of drone GNSS navigation, says Thales.
Most drones fly using GNSS as the primary source for navigation. Intentional jamming or unintentional interference can jeopardize your mission with critical impacts (loss of drone, mission aborted or range reduced) due to external signals that may overlap with satellite signals. With no protection, flying in the sphere of the jammer will immediately halt your mission.
The ScaleFlyt GNSS Antijamming add-on, dedicated to all civil unmanned vehicles, rejects GPS/GNSS jamming signals. ScaleFlyt Antijamming solutions use Controlled Radiation Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) to protect against jamming threats. The underlying principle involves modifying the non-directional antenna pattern to form a dynamically controlled pattern that optimises the GNSS signal-to-noise ratio. The technique of interference rejection is when the antenna is controlled to minimise the power level of interference sources (“nulls” are introduced into the antenna pattern in the direction of the jammers).
At the end, the CRPA detects the presence and directional angle of the jammer. Then, the CRPA is able to alert the pilot and cancel signals of the jammer and provides jammed-free GPS/GNSS signals. For more information visit: www.thalesgroup.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
19 Dec 22. Swiss Drone-Busting Eagle Squadron Permanently Grounded.
Yet another squadron of anti-drone eagles is being grounded after officials in Geneva, Switzerland decided advances in the technology made success rates uncertain and even dangerous for the birds to manage.
The so-called “eagle brigade” project took flight in 2017, and the eagles were trained to catch drones in mid-air to protect dignitaries in a city that often hosts international summits and the like.
“The technological and strategic improvements in terms of the use of drones make this project using raptors too uncertain, even dangerous for the physical integrity of the eagles,” the Geneva Cantonal Police told Le Matin Dimanche.
Two raptors – Altair and Draco – were trained by a falconer on how to intercept undesirable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Local police had bought the eagle eggs and hatched them.
Umberto Nassini, who led Geneva’s Falcom Association, the unit that put the eagles through their paces, told the publication the closure of the project was disappointing.
“This represents around 100,000 francs of investment and hundreds of hours of work,” he said.
Dutch police also toyed with the idea of developing a squadron of drone-busting eagles in 2016, claiming that talons were an effective weapon against a moderately-sized quadcopter.
At the time, a spokesman said: “The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe place, a place where there are no other birds or people.”
The Dutch version was terminated in 2017 – before it got off the ground – after the local police decided that training the birds and expensive and more complex than first anticipated.
The UK’s Met Police and Scottish police also considered in 2016 deploying their own flying corps to tackle the menace of UAVs.
A spokesman at the Met told us at the time:
“As would be expected in an organization that is transforming we take an interest in all innovative new ideas and will of course be looking at the work of the Dutch police use of eagles.”
Neither of those ideas took flight, likely because they realized it was an expensive project that generated some interested lines of coverage but wasn’t commercially viable or effective. (Source: UAS VISION/ The Register)
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Blighter Surveillance Systems is a world-leading designer and manufacturer of best-in-class electronic-scanning ground-based radars, surveillance solutions and Counter-UAS systems. Blighter’s solid-state micro-Doppler products are deployed in more than 35 countries across the globe, delivering consistent all-weather security protection and wide area surveillance along borders, coastlines, at military bases and across critical infrastructure such as airports, oil and gas facilities and palaces. Blighter radars are also used to protect manoeuvre force missions when deployed on military land vehicles and trailers, and its world-beating multi-mode radar represents a great leap in threat detection technology and affordability for use in a variety of scenarios.
The Blighter range of radar products are used for detecting a variety of threats, from individuals on foot to land vehicles, boats, drones and low-flying aircraft at ranges of up to 32 km. Blighter Surveillance Systems employs 40 people and is located near Cambridge, UK, where it designs, produces and markets its range of unique patented solid-state radars. Blighter prides itself on being an engineer-led business committed to providing cost-effective and flexible solutions across the defence, critical infrastructure and national security markets.
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