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13 Oct 21. Excelitas Technologies Corp., a leading industrial technology manufacturer focused on delivering innovative, market-driven photonic solutions, announces its new Cobra Eye™ flat-field eyepiece for integration into thermal, night vision, virtual reality and augmented reality systems. The Cobra Eye is compact and lightweight for user comfort, while enabling low distortion and a wide field of view (FOV).
The Cobra Eye eyepiece utilizes a combination of glass and plastic elements to meet a required weight of 60 g with a -6D to 2D dioptric adjustment. It has excellent correction of aberrations and color, which provides high resolution images across the FOV. This also makes the eyepiece ideal for monochrome and color display viewing applications. In addition, Cobra Eye avoids vignetting to ensure uniformity in brightness across the total FOV.
Cobra Eye is ITAR free. It offers 50 lp/mm resolution with just 4 percent distortion, and pixel pitch of 9.6um. Effective focal length is 22 mm, with full field view angle 40 degrees. Its maximum display size is 12.3 mm x 9.8 mm, with 15.7 mm diagonal (1280×1024) display (SXGA).
The new eyepiece operates at -40wC to +55CC and can be stored at -51CC to +71CC. It is configured to withstand vibration from 5 to 55 Hz and force up to 2.5 g, as well as mechanical shock of 40 g / 6 ms. Solar radiation specification is consistent with MIL-STD-810G, and sealing meets the IP68 standard.
Brad Tan, Excelitas’ Business Development Manager, said, “The Cobra Eye offers increased comfort and ease of use, enabling the latest technologies in high-performance vision systems such as augmented reality applications. This newest eyepiece design leverages Excelitas’ years of experience developing high-technology optics and meeting the highest performance needs of customers in a range of industries.”
The lightweight optic is configurable to customer needs. For more information, please visit https://www.excelitas.com/product/cobraeye-lightweight-compact-eyepiece-micro-displays.
13 Oct 21. Interest grows in sense-through-wall radar. Radar technology has the capability to sense the presence of stationary or mobile adversaries concealed behind walls or other non-metallic structures.
The US subsidiary of the Czechoslovak Group (CSG) presented its Presence of Life Radar v.1 (POLR-1) system at the AUSA defence exhibition in Washington DC on 11-13 October. A company representative from CSG USA explained to Shephard that there is growing interest from various defence and law enforcement agencies in systems to detect stationary or mobile targets behind walls or non-metallic barriers. Similar systems have been developed elsewhere by companies such as Iceni Labs in the UK and Camero-Tech in Israel. POLR-1 can be utilised in combat scenarios (such as urban warfare) to enable troops to see who is hiding behind barricades or other obstacles. CSG USA described interest from the UK MoD and New Zealand MoD, while the DoD is reportedly keen to provide funding to expand the capabilities of POLR-1.
POLR-1 has a range of 40m and provides 2D or 3D images to the operator, using ultra-wideband radio localisation technology to penetrate walls or other metallic barriers. The radar has a battery life of five hours and weighs 3.25 kg, including the battery.
The system displayed at AUSA had the radar connected to a laptop, but the representative explained that it can be linked to a small portable device as well.
POLR-1 has been in development since 2010, and between 2018 and 2021 it was certified by numerous US agencies. CSG USA explained that current users include state-level law enforcement agencies in the US, USSOCOM, the US Customs and Border Protection Agency, the Czech police, international law enforcement agencies, Thailand and Vietnam.
While the company representative did not disclose how many radars have been sold to these agencies, he did acknowledge that the Australian government has bought two units.
When asked about how much training is necessary to master POLR-1, CSG USA explained that learning the basic settings can be done in 45 minutes, while the more advanced options (interior mapping, locating hidden walls or determining line of distance) can be learned in 4-6h. (Source: Shephard)
13 Oct 21. US Army ‘pauses’ IVAS programme, fielding on hold. US Army officials have halted plans to field a militarised version of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 augmented reality (AR) system to soldiers, placing a contract worth up to USD21.9bn in jeopardy, Janes has learned. The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology’s (ASAALT’s) office paused the service’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) and is “essentially doing a reset of that programme, figuring out what is the appropriate timeline and the where is the technology”, Brigadier General William Glaser, director of the Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team, told Janes on 12 October. Several other army officials confirmed the decision but, as of this writing, ASAALT, Program Executive Officer Soldier, and Army Futures Command offices had not responded to Janes request for additional information about what sparked the decision and what impact it might have. (Source: Jane’s)
12 Oct 21. BAE Systems Unveils Ultra Low-Light Image Sensor, Enabling Night Vision in Overcast Starlight Conditions. BAE Systems, Inc. announced its backside illuminated (BSI) “Hawkeye” HWK1411 ultra low-light image sensor, enabling market-leading night vision capabilities with reduced size, weight, and power. (Image courtesy of Shutterstock)
BAE Systems, Inc. has unveiled its backside illuminated (BSI) “Hawkeye” HWK1411 ultra low-light image sensor, enabling market-leading night vision capabilities with reduced size, weight, and power. The 1.6 megapixel sensor provides high-performance imaging capabilities in all light conditions, and is optimal for battery-powered soldier systems, unmanned platforms, and targeting and surveillance applications.
HWK1411 is the first low-light complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor to capture imagery during overcast starlight conditions. It combines a large photon-collection array with world-class light sensitivity (quantum efficiency), the ability to see small changes in contrast (low read noise), and reduced signal noise from electricity (low dark current).
“HWK1411 replaces larger and heavier legacy technology, and allows the military market to transition to the digital domain, creating a path to next-gen systems for the future,” said Robyn Decker, director of Sensor Solutions at BAE Systems. “Capturing digital images is the first step toward delivering data fusion and augmented reality technology that will transform how warfighters perceive the battle space in ultra low-light conditions.”
In addition to the Hawkeye sensor, the company has developed a compact multichip camera module (MCM) to simplify camera integration. The MCM combines the HWK1411 image sensor with a microprocessor, flash memory, power conditioning, a flexible cable for plug-and-play connectivity, and a high-performance glass lens for optimal field of view. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
12 Oct 21. Liteye’s SHIELD to Support RCCTO C-sUAS HEL System under $5.5m Contract. Together with SAIC, Liteye Systems and its partners have been chosen to participate in the development of RCCTO’s new High Energy Laser (HEL) Prototype program to expand capabilities in Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS). Centennial Colorado — Liteye Systems, based in Denver Colorado, has been awarded a $5,500,000, multiple-year contract to integrate its Liteye SHIELD C-sUAS payload in the US Army (RCCTO) HEL prototype effort. The Army, acting as the Executive Agent for C-sUAS remains focused on the elimination of UAS threats. In a May 2021 Senate Armed Services Hearing, SECARMY, Christine Wormuth, said: “The Army needs to be very attentive to challenges like counter UAS for example.…those are absolutely areas that we need to be working on in terms of developing our capabilities and obviously being able to test our capabilities.” The objective of C-sUAS HEL prototype effort is to develop, integrate, manufacture, and ultimately test a prototype HEL System(s) in an operationally relevant environment. This contract enables the rapid prototyping of a near-production representative, cost-effective HEL System(s), which will be integrated with current military battle management systems. Liteye’s SHIELD payload will provide the detection, tracking, and identification of Group 1 & 2 UAS in a range of combat environments which will utilize the new 3D SPYGLASS™ Radar developed in Colorado with Numerica Corporation. The HEL “hard kill” capability will be provided by a partner company and integrated with Liteye’s SHIELD payload to be tested and demonstrated during operational tests and evaluations. The platform integration of SHIELD will support the US Army’s maneuver capability in the Brigade Combat Teams and will also be compatible with robotic vehicles like Pratt & Miller’s Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV).
“This effort represents more than 15 months of focused effort by our team and renews our strategic partnership with the US Army dating back to 2016 when we sent our first C-sUAS systems down range.” said Kenneth Geyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Liteye Systems.
14 Oct 21. D-Fend Solutions’ New Software Version of its Flagship Counter-Drone Solution Includes More Protection Plan Options and Detailed Map Information for Enhanced Safety.
New version further differentiates EnforceAir C-UAS by facilitating even greater control.
D-Fend Solutions, the leader in radio frequency (RF), cyber-based, counter-drone takeover technology, today announced a new software version of its flagship product, EnforceAir, as part of the company’s quarterly software enhancement program.
The award-winning defense technology company has officially released a new EnforceAir version. It includes new features that supply users with additional protection plan options, detailed map information that will make communication with law enforcement more effective and enhanced safety. The version also includes improvements to D-Fend’s Multi-Sensor Command & Control (MSC2) system.
New features in this software version include:
More Options for Stationary Protection Areas
Protection and alert areas within the stationary protection plans can now be circular, or the traditional polygon shape, depending on user needs and the scenario. Circular protection areas are located by default around EnforceAir’s location. They can be adjusted to provide users with greater flexibility and to protect more distant areas. This enhancement is supported for single and multi-zone alert and protection areas.
Faster Orientation and More Accurate Communication with Law Enforcement
The online maps display has been enriched with an additional information layer that includes street names and points of interest. This feature will make it easier for users to get oriented and to quickly share information with law enforcement regarding precise drone pilot location. This information layer is displayed as a default setting but can be filtered from the display.
Greater Safety
During creation and editing of the safe route for rogue drones, the following settings are now enforced:
- The minimum altitude of safe routes will be above 30 meters, to protect nearby civilians and property
- The distance between waypoints in a defined safe route will not be less than 20 meters
- When landing at the nearest waypoint, the minimum altitude should be above 30 meters
- The maximum number of waypoints in a safe route is eight, to eliminate overly complicated routes
“Our customers were instrumental in guiding much of the innovation in this latest version and numerous D-Fend Solutions clients have already installed it,” said Yaniv Benbenisti, D-Fend’s President & Chief Product Officer. “This new version further differentiates EnforceAir’s anti-drone offerings by facilitating even greater control and safety, to maintain day-to-day continuity in sensitive environments. We remain committed to upgrading our software on a regular basis to stay in front of the continuously evolving drone threat.”
New Tactical Configuration for the MSC2
D-Fend Solutions’ Multi-Sensor Command & Control system (MSC2), a central management solution, controls multiple EnforceAir sensors remotely from a single server, empowering organizations to intuitively safeguard vast expanses of land from rogue drones.
The current version supports the new tactical MSC2 configuration. This configuration provides users with the ability to easily deploy and operate multiple EnforceAir units through the MSC2 application in the field, or other ad-hoc deployments.
The MSC2 tactical configuration is based on a rugged laptop (Dell Latitude 5420) that functions as the MSC2 server and operating station. The configuration provides the same operation, detection and mitigation capabilities as the MSC2 stationary configuration, while enabling operational agility and flexibility.
Additional Features
Additional features have been introduced to EnforceAir for a more intuitive and seamless user experience:
- Users can set a custom duration for the system’s audio alert notification (5-600 seconds)
- Landing-point location for rogue drones can be set via coordinates (in addition to the drag-and-drop option
- There is an “Apply All” option when editing safe routes details
- The alert area for moving asset plans can be edited via keyboard, or the slider option
- The approximated detection zone for the Long-Range Directional antenna will be displayed
These developments advance the already easy-to-use technology and expand the protection capabilities offered by the system.
About D-Fend Solutions
D-Fend Solutions is the leading counter-drone takeover technology provider, enabling full control, safety and continuity during rogue drone incidents across complex and sensitive environments, to overcome both current and emerging drone threats. With hundreds of deployments worldwide, EnforceAir, the company’s flagship offering, focuses on the most dangerous drone threats in military, public safety, airport, prison, major event and critical infrastructure environments. D-Fend Solutions’ technology has been chosen as best-in-class and is in deployment at high-tier U.S. government agencies – including with U.S. military, federal law enforcement and homeland security bodies – as well as major international airports globally. EnforceAir autonomously executes RF, cyber-takeovers of rogue drones for a safe landing and outcome, ensuring the smooth flow of communications, commerce, transportation, and everyday life. (Source: PR Newswire)
12 Oct 21. Citadel Defense Expands Counter Drone Capabilities. Citadel provides a family of CUAS products under the Titan brand. Citadel Defense expands their industry-enhancing counter drone offering with new purpose-built solutions that address critical emerging requirements from the U.S. Government. Citadel Defense has expanded their intelligence and counter-unmanned aircraft systems offering with a suite of new solutions under the Titan brand. The Titan family of CUAS solutions are designed to keep the U.S. military ahead of the threat curve through industry-leading autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Citadel provides low size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) solutions that have been operationally validated across fixed, mobile, and dismounted missions. Best known for their full spectrum Titan system, the company has launched new solutions including Titan Drone Finder (DF), Titan Tactical Assault Kit (TAK), and Titan Multi-Sensor (MS) to address emerging requirements.
Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense explained, “Our autonomous systems quickly and accurately detect, identify, track, and defeat threats without impacting legitimate UAS operations. This preserves freedom of action for friendly forces and security teams.”
Citadel’s open software architecture supports quick integration into other command and control platforms. Using a custom ATAK software plugin, the Titan system can be autonomously monitored and controlled from anywhere in the world. The Titan Drone Finder system geolocates the pilot and drone and tracks patterns of UAS activity important for mission planning. The Titan Multi-Sensor solution integrates radar, optics, and advanced AI analytics to deliver comprehensive and affordable force protection.
“Countering the small UAS threat is a joint team effort. We are fortunate to work with the industry’s leading technology companies to deliver the most advanced solutions for any mission set,” said Williams.
The Titan family of CUAS solutions provides additional options for Forces across all CUAS capability domains. Citadel Defense continues to sell their products to the military, intelligence agencies, and homeland markets. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
12 Oct 21. Excelitas Technologies Introduces CheetIR-Cub Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) Thermal Imaging Camera. New Medium-Range Camera Designed for SWaP-C. Excelitas Technologies® Corp., a leading industrial technology manufacturer focused on delivering innovative, market-driven photonic solutions, announces a new medium-range, MWIR thermal imaging camera, CheetIR-Cub. It is designed to meet the challenges of balancing size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C), combining a 10um VGA format (640×512) HOT detector with a long-life linear cooler, the proven CheetIR common continuous zoom optical module, and a 200mm focal length objective.
CheetIR-Cub’s compact size and weight makes it suitable for applications where constraints exist, such as retro-fitting existing sighting systems, or for mobile surveillance applications where low size and mass are key. CheetIR-Cub weighs less than 4kg. It features low-power electronics and a linear cooling engine, with steady state power less than 5W, making it ideal for applications with limited available power draw such as portable surveillance platforms, where the silent operation characteristic of the linear cooler is also advantageous. Finally, CheetIR-Cub is packaged at a highly competitive initial cost, plus lower life-cycle costs enabled by its long-life detector that provides 30,000 hours Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF).
Graham Evans, Excelitas’ Product Director, said, “We are delighted to have begun delivering the new CheetIR-Cub camera, and its versatility is evidenced by early orders. One new customer will use the CheetIR-Cub on a naval platform as part of an Electro Optic sensor suite. Another will use it for portable surveillance systems. Excelitas will continue to deliver units from these initial orders well into 2022.”
The CheetIR family of cameras all share the same common continuous zoom optical module, designed and manufactured by Excelitas in the UK. All cameras are ITAR free and utilize High Operating Temperature (HOT) 10um pixel technology. The result is a range of cameras that provides solutions for applications ranging from Counter-UAS and naval fire control to fixed and mobile surveillance platforms.
For additional information, please visit Excelitas’ AUSA 2021 booth 2367, or https://www.excelitas.com/product/cheetir-cub-compact-standard-definition-mwir-camera.
11 Oct 21. Army Puts Leidos Special Mission Plane Through Paces At Project Convergence. A newly configured plane — which they’re calling ARTEMIS 2.0 — is expected to be ready in March 2022, Leidos says. This comes after two extensive deployments to both the Pacific and European theaters, flying more than 569 mission hours and boasting an impressive readiness rate of more than 90 percent in 2020. Leidos has high hopes for the future of its unique leased aircraft, designed to fly at high altitudes and carry a wide range of sensors everything from signals intelligence to multi-int to help the US Army wage electronic warfare and help with long range fire detection and deep sensing — all keys to countering Chinese and Russian threats. The Leidos Special Mission Aircraft went from idea and CEO approval to a useful deployed capability in a scant 18 months. Aircraft integration began in August 2019 and the modified plane got its Operational Airworthiness Release at the end of July last year. The LSMA can support up to six separate rack-mounted equipment stations which gather data through the array of antennas that leave the aircraft looking a bit like an echidna.
Those stations can be removed and wheeled right off the plane, to be replaced by up to 16 seats — to accommodate extra operators, crew or troops — in just hours, the company says.
In some ways LSMA might seem similar to the EC-37B, built by L3Harris, but Leidos’s Matt Pfrommer said the missions aren’t quite the same.
“So, ARTEMIS is about sensing and targeting for Army and joint fires, whereas, my understanding is Compass Call is about non-kinetic effects, creating, you know, electronic warfare effects on the battlefield,” said Pfrommer, VP for airborne solutions. “So while they do overlap a little bit, our mission is not to produce electronic attack. Sensing identification and creating an operational picture of the battlefield.”
Of greatest importance to the Army, the LMSA’s sensors can be mixed and matched as the service wishes. A newly configured plane, which they’re calling ARTEMIS 2.0, is expected to be ready in March 2022. This comes after two extensive deployments to both the Pacific and European theaters, flying more than 569 mission hours and boasting an impressive readiness rate of more than 90% in 2020.
This year it deployed to Europe and took part in Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise 21 (EDGE). A few days ago it arrived and prepared for the Army’s groundbreaking Project Convergence, where it will operate over the next 60 days. After that, the plane heads back to European Command.
This all began when an urgent needs requirement was issued for the aircraft’s capabilities on Sept. 26, 2019 by OSD (probably by the USDI office), so there was a demonstrated and recognized need for it.
Leidos bought a Bombardier Challenger 650 that boasts a 4,000NM range, which can translate into a 10-hour loiter period near the targets. Its sensors and physics allow it to operate out of range of Russian or Chinese anti-aircraft systems, while still making them and other key assets targets, the company says.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the ARTEMIS effort is the business model. The aircraft is contractor owned and operated. Leidos will integrate the sensors, data systems and all the ancillaries on the aircraft; fly it; maintain and support it; own it; and sell sort of a Netflix-like monthly subscription to the service.
It appears to be working as Leidos has that second aircraft under development.
Breaking Defense spoke with Leidos about the Special Mission Aircraft in 2019:
- Topics: aircraft, Army, AUSA 2021, Leidos, Leidos Special Mission Aircraft, Project Convergence
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We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
13 Oct 21. Citadel Defense has expanded its intelligence and counter-unmanned aircraft systems offering with a suite of a suite of new solutions under the Titan brand. The Titan family of CUAS solutions are designed to keep the U.S. military ahead of the threat curve through industry-leading autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Citadel provides low size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) solutions that have been operationally validated across fixed, mobile, and dismounted missions. Best known for their full spectrum Titan system, the company has launched new solutions including Titan Drone Finder (DF), Titan Tactical Assault Kit (TAK), and Titan Multi-Sensor (MS) to address emerging requirements.
Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense explained, “Our autonomous systems quickly and accurately detect, identify, track, and defeat threats without impacting legitimate UAS operations. This preserves freedom of action for friendly forces and security teams.”
Citadel’s open software architecture supports quick integration into other command and control platforms. Using a custom ATAK software plugin, the Titan system can be autonomously monitored and controlled from anywhere in the world. The Titan Drone Finder system geolocates the pilot and drone and tracks patterns of UAS activity important for mission planning. The Titan Multi-Sensor solution integrates radar, optics, and advanced AI analytics to deliver comprehensive and affordable force protection.
“Countering the small UAS threat is a joint team effort. We are fortunate to work with the industry’s leading technology companies to deliver the most advanced solutions for any mission set,” said Williams.
The Titan family of CUAS solutions provides additional options for Forces across all CUAS capability domains. Citadel Defense continues to sell their products to the military, intelligence agencies, and homeland markets. (Source: UAS VISION)
11 Oct 21. SOSA consortium unveils first standards for military sensor technologies. C5ISR Center scientists and engineers continued their work as they assessed emerging government and industry positioning, navigation and timing technologies, along with testing the C5ISR/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) chassis, during the Network Modernization Experiment (NetModX 21). (Kaitlin Newman/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — Almost four years after its first meeting, a consortium of government and industry representatives has released its first set of standards for open-architecture military sensor and electronic warfare systems, potentially paving the way for a new era of true plug-and-play capabilities.
At the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting, members of the Open Group consortium — established to guide development of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture Consortium — described the milestone’s significance and discussed how standards are continuously developing.
The standards come amid growing commercial and government buy-in to the sensor open systems architecture approach, or SOSA, intended to be a new standard for the military’s electro-optical/infrared, signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and communications systems.
Using a modular design and nonproprietary standards, they ensure SOSA-aligned technologies are interoperable, ending the vendor lock problem that has plagued the military for generations.
The most notable example of what SOSA will enable is the Army’s C4ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards, or CMOSS. Instead of having each sensor, computing or electronic warfare capability custom-installed onto a vehicle, CMOSS provides a single chassis with a number of card slots. The Army can then install new capabilities by plugging in 1-inch VPX cards, or upgrade capabilities by replacing cards with newer, advanced versions. If the Army wants to update a given capability, it doesn’t have to go back to the same vendor or undergo an expensive and time-consuming custom installation with a new product. It simply has to shop around and see who can offer a better replacement card, buy the card and install it in the CMOSS chassis.
CMOSS was the major driver for SOSA, although the efforts have diverged. For example, the CMOSS backplane — the board that provides the connectors for the cards — no longer fits SOSA standards.
The expectation is the interoperability achieved through SOSA will support system affordability, allow more reconfigurations with different components and result in faster system development. The end goal is to have a third party providing independent verification that products meet SOSA standards, allowing the military to confidently purchase technologies that will fit into the open architecture it desires.
As the consortium’s standards have matured, their adoption by industry and the government has grown substantially. SOSA-conforming cards, chassis and backplanes are now available off the shelf.
At the same time, membership in the consortium has almost doubled over the last two years, signaling commercial interest in the new standards, said consortium spokesperson Valerie Andrew.
The Army was a significant partner in SOSA development, but other services are also involved. According to SOSA representatives, the U.S. Space Force recently joined the consortium.
Perhaps more importantly, SOSA is beginning to show up in requirements for Defense Department systems. Mark Littlefield, a senior manager of embedded computing products for Elma Electronic and head of SOSA’s Small Form Factor Subcommittee, said he knows of at least one departmental program that has a mandate to follow SOSA requirements.
“What does all this mean? It means that SOSA works,” Littlefield said.
The consortium will continue to develop SOSA standards over the next year. Among other activities, the consortium will participate in the Tri-Service Open Architectures Interoperability Demonstration on March 15 as well as the Army C5ISR Center’s upcoming Plugfest in November. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
11 Oct 21. The US Army’s futuristic goggles near completion. Imagine getting a 3-D layout of a target building piped into your goggles on a heads-up display before you and your teammates kick the door in and clear the rooms. That future could become reality with the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System, basically a “do-it-all” goggle for troops. The IVAS’ early versions were developed using Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset. But a newly ruggedized system has been used by soldiers all the way up to company-level live fires as recently as last year. In late September, Army experiments evaluated how well the current radios used by troops could work when combined with IVAS. Those radios are key to passing data between IVAS and the company-level cloud storage, as well as other devices troops are using. But further maturation of the heads-up display portion is required. That next step will come later in fiscal year 2022, according to Maj. Gen. Anthony Potts, commander of Program Executive Office-Soldier and Brig. Gen. Larry Burris, director of the Army’s Cross Functional Team-Soldier Lethality. Potts told Army Times that IVAS goggles have been worked through his command’s Soldier Integration Facility — a test area where soldiers get to try out new technologies early in the development process. The two-star said that developers want to mature the heads-up display before moving forward with the project.
“It’s very interesting, we have found working with [the Army’s] Night Vision Labs that this is one of those [things] where we are really out in front of the technology curve,” Potts said.
The IVAS program will conduct a user trial in January 2022 on the newest, ruggedized design that is being built.
“We know we want this newer design for the baseline [model],” Potts said. And if those trials work out, operational tests of the IVAS are planned for later in 2022, he added. In March 2021, the Army announced a $21.8bn contract with Microsoft. The initial purchase includes 40,000 devices.
The IVAS is how the Army will move situational awareness and targeting — like what jet pilots have had for years — into the eyes of dismounted soldiers roaming the battlefield. Plans call for IVAS to include rapid targeting acquisitions, thermal and night vision capabilities, navigation headings, mapping, markers, data sharing and more. The current IVAS prototype weighs 2.5 pounds, the same weight as the newly fielded Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
12 Oct 21. Echodyne, the radar platform company, announced today the newest addition to its market-leading portfolio of radars – EchoShield. Designed from the ground-up to set a new price-performance standard for mid-range radars, EchoShield is an advanced software-defined multi-mission radar for a wide variety of commercial, defense, and government use cases.
EchoShield’s development has been informed by hundreds of customers and applications across multiple industries. The radar’s architecture builds upon the field-proven success of Echodyne’s proprietary metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA®) radars that are in use across a wide range of applications, such as counter-UAS, border and base security, force protection, critical infrastructure security, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, UAV detect and avoid, and autonomous ground vehicles.
A pulse-Doppler cognitive 4D radar, EchoShield combines ultra-precise electronically scanned array (ESA) beamforming and real-time dynamic waveform synthesis to deliver sub-degree tracking accuracy on hundreds of objects across a broad 3D field of view. EchoShield’s cognitive search capabilities integrate onboard or offboard data stores to adapt and direct radar resources when and where required in order to deliver the right data and detail at the right time. Whether using the radar’s significant onboard processing capabilities or ingesting data-rich range-doppler spectrograms into offboard compute, EchoShield’s SDK enables deep integration and multi-sensor fusion.
EchoShield is designed to be software-optimized to mission profiles that align powerful dynamic radar resources with unique customer requirements to deliver superior radar performance. Based on market demand, the initial software release prioritizes a counter-UAS mission and excels at detecting, tracking, and classifying any uncrewed aircraft, including low slow and small drones even in dense urban environments. Further releases will match radar resources with
customer demand in dozens of applications and markets.
Radar is a fundamental sensor for a wide range of commercial and government applications, but achieving high performance at reasonable cost, size, weight and power (C-SwaP) has always been a challenge,” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “Our customers have challenged us with certain radar performance attributes and EchoShield has been designed to meet these demanding requirements. Our customers are lining up for first units and already discussing production volume, so we’re very pleased with the market reception.”
EchoShield operates in the Ku band, with RadioLocation service at 15.7-16.6 GHz and
RadioNavigation at 15.4-15.7 GHz, and is commercially exportable to many countries under US EAR regulations. Its features include:
- 130° azimuth x 90° elevation field of regard (fully customizable)
- 0.5° tracking accuracy in azimuth and elevation, with very low track splitting/dropping
- Powerful UAV classification with low false-alarms and near-zero false-negatives
- Cognitive search capabilities integrate onboard or offboard data
Average tracking ranges for counter-UAS mission:
○ Group 1 (-20 to -10 dBsm): 2.7 to 4.8 km
○ Group 2 (-10 to -5 dBsm): 4.8 to 6.4 km
○ Group 3 (-5 to 5 dBsm): 6.4 to 11.4 km
Our breakthrough Metamaterial-ESA technology unlocks a level of beamforming previously only available with large ultra-expensive AESA’s with hundreds of channels,” said Tom Driscoll, CTO of Echodyne. “EchoShield combines this precise beamforming with modern fully-adaptive cognitive-radar approaches and intelligent control software, and the result is a radar with best-in-class detection, tracking, and classification performance.”
For additional details and technical specifications, please visit our website at echodyne.com.
About Echodyne
Echodyne, the radar platform company, designs and delivers high-performance compact, solid-state, patent-protected MESA® radars. Ideally suited for defense, security, machine perception, and autonomy, Echodyne’s commercially priced electronically scanned array radars are used by defense and government agencies, autonomous developers, and security integrators for counter-UAS, borders and perimeter security, critical infrastructure protection, unmanned aerial vehicles, and autonomous vehicles. Privately held, the company is based in
Kirkland, Washington, and is backed by Bill Gates, NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, Vanedge Capital, and Lux Capital among others. For more information, please visit: Echodyne.com.
11 Oct 21. US Army, Lockheed find faster path to field air and missile defense radar. Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army have found a way to speed up delivery of the latest variant of the Sentinel radar by six months to meet capability demands, including integration into the service’s Indirect Fires Protection Capability, or IFPC, system. Lockheed unveiled its A4 version of the radar at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference on Oct. 11. The Sentinel A4 active electronically scanned array is the next-generation radar planned to replace the current phase and frequency scanned array in Sentinel A3 and earlier versions. The air and missile defense radar is able to detect cruise missiles, unmanned aircraft systems, rockets, artillery and mortars, said Mark Mekker, program director of Army radars at Lockheed, but the big difference between the A3 and A4 versions is that the latter can simultaneously identify and track different threat types.
“You don’t have to put it in a dedicated mode. This can do all the modes simultaneously and doubles the range and accuracy,” he said.
Sentinel A4 will be incorporated into the Army’s future integrated air and missile defense system and its IFPC system, and is designed to keep up with the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense System in formations.
The Army will continue integration of hardware and software for the engineering and manufacturing development A4 radars and now plans to procure five additional Sentinel A4 radars specifically for integration into the IFPC system in fiscal 2022. Those will be delivered in the first quarter of FY23, said Col. Jason Tate, the Army’s program manager for STARE programs. “Search, Track, Acquire, Radiate and Eliminate” programs falls within the purview of Program Executive Office Missiles and Space.
The A3 version “has had upgrades, but that growth was never planned. The A4 has been designed for growth, particularly related to size, weight and power swap. So that’s something that’s already been planned in, and it’s good because it’s going to help continue to grow the capability and help evolve it and help to keep up with the various evolving threats,” Tate said.
The radars will go through soldier evaluation and receive feedback ahead of low-rate initial production, according to FY22 Army budget documents. The service is requesting $120.7m in FY22 for these activities.
Lockheed and the Army designed and built the A4 version for growth by building an oversized mechanical structure so that more radiant electronics can be added to the system without making any mechanical changes, Mekker said, “so that we can further increase our ranges and our performance of the system.”
If the Army wants to upgrade the A4 radars for additional capability, “it’s really software enhancements, not actual changing of the hardware, which is extremely important because that takes time and it costs more money,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of radar and sensor systems at Lockheed.
The company is also beginning to focus on the involvement of international partners. There are 15 countries with the A3 version, Mekker said. (Source: Defense News)
11 Oct 21. US Army evaluates DroneGun MKIII C-UAV system. DroneShield’s DroneGun MKIII handheld counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system has undergone an evaluation at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona to gather feedback that will be used to improve the technology in the coming months, the company told Janes .
DroneGun MKIII is a 2 kg pistol that can neutralise individual platforms or swarms of drones in various domains using a radio frequency (RF) disruption approach.
The evaluation took place over the course of a week in late September and was organised by the army’s Joint Counter-UAS Office (JCO).
The trials involved “various scenarios the [US] army had scripted for benchmarking the systems in a real-world environment with real-world test cases”, said Matt McCrann, the company’s vice-president of sales.
He said the trials meant DroneShield was “able to capture a lot of good data that will continue to fuel our further development and innovations”. For example, the company was able to define the effective ranges of the DroneGun MKIII against various UAV targets and measure the impact against numerous command-and-control links, protocols, and on-board sensors.
The trials offered a range of lessons for the company, McCrann added, “We gained insight and valuable feedback from several operators on how they would prefer to stow, carry, and employ the DroneGun MKIII within their operational environments.”
The DroneGun MKIII is now just over two years old and was developed in response to military requests for a smaller and lighter C-UAV capability that could complement a primary weapon, the company told Janes at the time of its release in July 2019. (Source: Jane’s)
13 Oct 21. US DoD announces new orders to improve domestic sUAS industrial base. The orders are part of Defense Innovation Unit’s strategy to accelerate ‘capable and secure’ sUAS adoption.
sUAS reduces the need for the troops to compete for scarce centralised assets like large-scale UAS. Credit: Virginia Guard Public Affairs / Flickr.
The US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has made eight new awards to strengthen the domestic small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) industrial base for national and economic security.
With a total value of some $14m, the awards have been granted through the Defense Production Act, Title III Program.
They are part of DIU’s aim of furthering the adoption of ‘capable and secure’ sUAS.
According to a press statement released by the DoD, DIU aims to accelerate the adoption of this capability through the ‘Blue UAS’ effort.
The Blue UAS effort seeks to increase DoD access to commercial systems. It is also focused on improving the industrial base to prevent the dominance that is currently existing in the supply chain.
US Defense Industrial Policy Deputy Assistant Secretary Jesse Salazar said: “sUAS significantly augment our national defence.
“This investment in the defence industrial base is intended to provide critical battlefield capabilities across the spectrum of conflict, including on-demand reconnaissance which augments service members’ capabilities and increases their survivability, lethality, and mission flexibility.”
Systems and Technology Research, Vantage Robotics Skydio, Auterion Government Solutions, Kutta Technologies, Shield AI, and Tomahawk Robotics are the companies receiving the awards.
Meanwhile, Auterion Government Solutions has received two separate awards.
According to the DoD, sUAS provides persistent and high-definition imagery and video to the soldiers.
It reduces the need for troops to compete for ‘scarce centralised assets’ such as large-scale drones.
Additionally, troops are using sUAS for detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to flush out barricaded gunmen. (Source: army-technology.com)
12 Oct 21. Skylock offers counter-UAS solutions to US market. A multi-layer counter-UAS system called ‘The Robot’ uses a combination of radar, RF detection, EO/IR and jamming for protection of bases and vessels. Israel-based company Skylock, part of the AVNON group, displayed its counter-UAS short-range solution, known as ‘The Robot’, at the AUSA event in Washington DC on 11-13 October. A company representative explained to Shephard that upcoming deliveries, scheduled to be completed before the end of the year, will be to customers in the UAE and undisclosed Eastern European nations. ‘The Robot’ has already been deployed to protect military facilities, airports, and prisons, and can also be installed aboard vessels. USSOCOM has acquired a portable version of the system. Represented by Mistral Group in the US, Skylock has a history of sales to several clients such as the Royal Thai Navy, India (for the protection of undisclosed critical infrastructure), the UAE, and an unnamed Latin American nation. ‘The Robot’ is a complex detection and jamming system with a range of up to 1.5km, consisting of four components. The first line of defence is a 3D radar, with an RF detection system next permitting identification and classification of suspicious UAS. This latter element allows for the creation of ‘black’ and ‘white’ lists to differentiate friendly from enemy drones, the Skylock representative explained. Then two 225mm EO/IR cameras, for day and night operations, allow visual verification. The final layer comprises four jammers, with a range of up to 1km, providing ‘complete 360-degree coverage’, covering both ISM band and GNSS frequencies. The radar, sensors and jammers are all integrated into a unified C2 system. (Source: Shephard)
11 Oct 21. CACI Debuts Two New Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Technologies. CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) announced today the release of its latest technologies to mitigate threats from unmanned aircraft systems. The next generation CORIAN 2.0 system and new CORIAN Tactical system, are part of CACI’s SkyTracker® Suite of counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) technology, combining the latest generation of sensors and effectors for a complete range of autonomous threat coverage. Visit CACI during the AUSA 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition from Oct. 11-13, 2021 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Hall C Booth 3525 to see the technology and learn more.CORIAN™ 2.0, the next generation fixed-site multi-sensor platform expands on existing CORIAN technologies with improved mechanical design, capability advancements, and integration with other phenomenology. These enhancements extend the range of system effectiveness, provide the ability to guard against multiple, simultaneous threats from standoff distances and easily integrate with other systems, including command and control systems such as forward area air defense command and control (FAAD C2).
CORIAN Tactical, the new system offering both fixed and on-the-move protection against sUAS threats, secures airspace and critical infrastructure in environments ranging from dense population areas to remote locations. With a tailorable and scalable configuration, low size, weight, and power (SWaP) and precise capabilities, the ruggedized system offers expanded mission options that can be installed in less than an hour.
“Backed by the world’s largest threat signals library and over 1200 sensors globally, our experience mitigating C-UAS threats allows us to offer technology for any C-UAS challenge or mission,” said Todd Probert, President of National Security and Innovative Solutions at CACI. “Our newest platforms contain the most advanced technology available in the market to detect, track and defeat emerging threats to our national security, protecting people and places in any environment.”
CACI’s SkyTracker Technology Suite is a family of systems that reliably detect, track, classify and defeat Group 1-5 UAS threats. The technology portfolio enhances operational awareness across high-level UAS threat groups and within a layered defense construct across numerous environments. SkyTracker features purpose-built hardware with easily updated software to provide unique capabilities for both threat detection and precision mitigation. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
05 Oct 21. US Marine Corps to test Smart Shooter SMASH 2000 counter drone technology. The US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, through its Rapid Capabilities Office (MCRCO), has purchased several SMASH 2000 systems from the Israeli manufacturer Smart Shooter for test and evaluation, according to a report by Defence-blog. The systems are due delivery this Fall.
The company has also signed cooperative research and development agreement with U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane). Under this agreement, the U.S. Navy will evaluate the use of SMASH technology on ships and vessels for Counter-UAS purposes, says the report.
This collaboration aims to perform joint integration and evaluation of Smart Shooter’s technology with weapons and ammunition currently supporting the US Navy’s mission.
With an increased hit probability for small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and increased engagement range, Smart Shooter’s SMASH technology has demonstrated the potential to increase the Navy’s ability to engage sUAS at the individual level – using existing weapons and ammunition in inventory.
(Image: An unidentified tester takes aim with Smart Shooter’s SMASH 2000 optic, which allows troops to lock onto targets and will tell them when their chances of hitting their mark are at their highest. Fred Warmer via Smart Shooter).
For more information visit: www.defence-blog.com, www.smart-shooter.com
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
08 Oct 21. Fortem Technologies eyes further improvements to DroneHunter C-UAV system. Following recent tests of its DroneHunter counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) technology with the US Army, Fortem Technologies is preparing for an operational assessment of the system. DroneHunter is an artificial intelligence-enabled UAV, which intercepts other UAVs using a net tether. It is part of Fortem Technologies’ broader SkyDome system, which comprises various elements that can be operated separately or together. DroneHunter defeated a range of rotary- and fixed-wing UAVs during the US Army test at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. The targeted UAVs had various speeds, sizes, altitudes, and flight characteristics, according to Fortem Technologies. DroneHunter is integrated with the US Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control system. During the test, it used radar from the US Army’s Fixed Site-Low, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System. The test took place in August, and was the latest in a series of evaluations with the US Army, said Jim Housinger, vice-president of programme management at Fortem Technologies. It followed a similar test in March, which also took place at Yuma. DroneHunter’s software was updated between the two tests, “enabling us to make some changes that the army had requested and to tighten up our targeting algorithms”, Housinger told Janes. The August test had a higher performance rate than the previous test, he added. The recent test focused on ‘Group 1′ UAVs, meaning small systems with a maximum weight of 9.1 kg. It included fixed- and rotary-wing systems, Housinger said, although details on the precise models used are restricted. (Source: Jane’s)
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