Sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
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27 Jan 22. As the USAF Considers E-7A Buy, It Gets a Sneak Peek at Red Flag. As the USAF considers how and whether to proceed with a rapid acquisition of Boeing’s E-7A Wedgetail, the service will get an up-close-and-personal look at the airborne warning and control aircraft in the coming days. An E-7A from the Royal Australian Air Force is participating in USAF’s latest Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Maj. Gen. Case A. Cunningham, commander of the Air Warfare Center, confirmed during an AFA Air and Space Warfighters in Action virtual seminar on Jan. 26.
“It’s a really fantastic opportunity to get to integrate and work closely with our key ally on what we all know is a critical and essential capability for the pacing challenges that we face in the Indo-Pacific theater, especially, but in other theaters as well,” Case said.
In particular, the Air Force will look to use the Red Flag, which kicked off Jan. 24 and runs until Feb. 11, as an opportunity to “really refine the tactics, techniques, and procedures that it means to work with F-35s and F-22s, for example, in the highly contested environment, as they work in collaboration with the E-7A,” Case said.
And the insight gained through this training won’t just help the Air Force learn how to better integrate and work alongside allies, Case said, “but also will feed into the lessons as we potentially look at bringing the E-7 capability to our own air force.”
The potential addition of the E-7A to replace the aging E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, has emerged as a top priority of Air Force leadership in the past few months.
In September at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. called the E-7 a “good platform,” saying he had flown aboard multiple times and it would likely be ready much sooner than other options developed from scratch.
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, head of Pacific Air Forces, endorsed the E-7 as well, calling it “a proven capability” and saying he’s been impressed with its performance.
In October, the Air Force issued a business opportunity announcement asking Boeing to conduct “studies, analyses, and activities required to ascertain the current E-7A baseline configuration and determine what additional work would be necessary” to make the aircraft compatible with Air Force “configuration standards and mandates.”
Around the same time, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mark D. Kelly noted that he needed a replacement to the E-3 “two years ago.”
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall confirmed in December that the service is looking to buy the E-7A as a bridge system to a future space-based moving target indicator system, calling it one of his top priorities.
In addition to Australia, Turkey, South Korea, and the United Kingdom have all ordered E-7As as well. (Source: News Now/https://www.airforcemag.com/)
27 Jan 22. Metravib eyes new PEARL shot detector with smaller form factor. Metravib Defence aims to develop a new version of its Personal Equipment Add-on for Reactive Localization (PEARL) weapon-mounted acoustic shot detector, Janes has learned.
Speaking at the International Armoured Vehicles 2022 conference in London, a company representative told Janes that the next evolution of the PEARL technology would be a smaller and more compact array, able to be directly integrated to the back of the soldier’s helmet, or other wearable pieces of equipment.
Although smaller and lighter, this solution would likely come with the trade-off of less precision in the detection of the elevation of the incoming shot.
PEARL is essentially a scaled-down version of Metravib Defence’s flagship system, the PILAR V, and was revealed in 2012. PEARL consists of an array of four microphones housed in a single unit. The unit itself weighs around 400 grams and is designed to be mounted to the host weapon via a MIL-STD-1913 ‘Picatinny’ rail interface. (Source: Janes)
26 Jan 22. Thales Purchases 12 Short-range Ground Mission Radars from Weibel Scientific for GBAD Solution.
- Strengthening Thales Ties With Danish Defence Industry
- Only four months after signing a cooperation agreement, Thales and Weibel Scientific consolidate their collaboration with a contract for 12 Weibel Doppler XENTA family short-range ground based mission radars.
- The combination of Thales’ international leading radar position, with the highly advanced Weibel Doppler superior radar capabilities, brings to the market a best-in-class radar portfolio within the advanced Thales Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) offering.
- Thales continues to reinforce its bonds with the Danish defence industry and fulfil the company commitment to invest locally through industrial partnerships.
Thales and Weibel Scientific, a Danish advanced doppler radar manufacturer, signed a contract, for the acquisition of 12 Weibel Xenta short-range ground mission radars for a GBAD solution within the Thales radar portfolio. The contract cements the relationship between the two companies only four months after signing a cooperation agreement at the Danish Embassy in Paris.
The increasing variety of air threats is challenging airspace sovereignty and air defence more than ever. Having a proven layered architecture for defence helps protect against complex, emerging threats such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), which are becoming ubiquitous to theatres of operations, presenting a new range of challenges for detection. The advanced Thales GBAD solution offers a bubble of protection for short, mid and long-range, with excellent detection capabilities.
Leveraging on Thales’ international experience, full digital radar technology, expertise in various bands and leading provider of defence mission solutions, this cooperation will benefit clients with a top class ground based short-range solution with outstanding CUAV performances. In particular, this common offer cements the partnership between the two companies for the future Danish GBAD proposal ensuring maximum value for the Danish Armed Forces and the Danish defence industry, with a proven and leading turnkey solution.
The new contract sets another milestone for the European commercial relations between the Danish and French defence industry, and underlines Thales’ commitment to invest locally through industrial partnerships and collaborations.
“It is at the core of Thales strategy to work together with local industry players and engage in local markets. The new contract strengthens the cooperation between Weibel and Thales, positioning both companies for future opportunities, reinforcing close collaboration and ties between the Danish and French defence industry,” says Tommy Ayouty, CEO Thales in Denmark.
“It is at the core of Thales strategy to work together with local industry players and engage in local markets. This contract consolidates our cooperation agreement and strategy to deliver the best performance in our ground based short-range radar portfolio, to jointly develop opportunities and as a leading provider of defence mission solutions, provide our customers with cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of today and tomorrow” Christophe Salomon, Executive Vice President, Land and Air Systems, Thales.
”This contract illustrates the value and strength of our partnership. Thales and Weibel Scientific are a great match because our highly advanced and specialized radar technology compliments Thales vast portfolio, perfectly. With this contract, our ambition of becoming the number one radar supplier within Short Range Air Defence and Counter UAS is one step closer to fruition,” says Frode Scott Nilsen, CEO of Weibel Scientific. (Source: ASD Network)
25 Jan 22. Monolit-BR coastal defence radars enter service with Russia’s Western Military District. The Monolit-BR coastal defence radar has entered service with the Leningrad Naval Base in Russia’s Western Military District, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation announced on its website on 20 January. Two Monolit-BR systems were delivered, the ministry said, adding that they are designed to provide over-the-horizon (OTH) tracking of surface vessels and low-flying aircraft. The likely recipient was the 25th Coastal Missile Brigade, which is part of the Baltic Fleet headquartered at the Leningrad Naval Base. Monolit-BR consists of two radar vehicles, and can use passive and active tracking methods to limit its radar signature as required. It can also receive targeting data from the Mineral-ME shipborne OTH radar and other stand-off collection assets and co-ordinate this data into fire-control solutions for the 3K60 Bal coastal defence system. The 25th Coastal Missile Brigade is known to operate the 3K60 as well as the K-300P Bastion-P coastal defence system. The Mineral-ME radar equips the Baltic Fleet’s Sovremenny-class flagship Nastoychivy, but the destroyer has been out of service for a refit since 2013. (Source: Janes)
25 Jan 22. Senop redefines the use of Carl-Gustaf by introducing the first fully integrated fire control system AFCD TI. Senop set out on a mission in close co-operation with Saab to rapidly respond to the needs of Carl-Gustaf® users around the world by developing the Advanced Fire Control Device Thermal Imager (AFCD TI) for Carl-Gustaf M4, also known as M3E1 in U.S., and M3 man-portable, multi-role weapon systems.
After three years intensive development program Senop marks the latest technological leap by introducing the first fully integrated fire control system with 24/7 operational capability in one cost-effective solution with optimized usability.
“Carl-Gustaf is a world-leading weapon system within the support weapon category. We want to keep the system updated to meet users’ increasingly demanding needs in the challenging battlefield environment. Carl-Gustaf M4 is the lightest iteration of the weapon and will offer further capabilities with its future munitions. In addition, the fire control system and 24/7 operational capability play an important role in the military kill chain. We are happy with Senop’s cooperation on development of true integrated fire control systems for Carl-Gustaf,” explains Michael Höglund, Head of the Ground Combat business unit at Saab.
AFCD TI is a smart sight that ensures an excellent first-round hit probability of both stationary and moving targets by using the parameters of the sight and weapon system. Sight is provided with ballistic calculator, laser range finder and both a day camera and a thermal imager in the same casing. AFCD TI is the lightest fire control system for Carl-Gustaf on the market. The device weighs only 1.5 kg and is designed and built to meet the highest usability requirements. For more information about the technical characteristics of the device, see the Patria Magazine article (add link here) and brochure https://senop.fi/wp-content/uploads/senop-afcd-ti-mMOz749l.pdf. Also check out the product video https://youtu.be/VLdP2-_OpxI.
“We are proud to be part of building a whole new concept for all Carl-Gustaf users around the world. AFCD TI offers a number of performance-enhancing functionalities in one and the same device, which is a significant difference compared to a traditional day sight and Clip-On combination,” shares Aki Korhonen, Managing Director of Senop.
The final qualification of the AFCD TI will be completed soon, after which this new capability will be available for all Carl-Gustaf M4 and M3 users. AFCD TI is also interoperable with AT4 weapon systems.
Senop builds new capabilities by tailoring solutions according to customer’s specific needs and requirements. Senop’s Defence & Security portfolio consists of high-performance image intensifiers, night sights, intelligent thermal sights, handheld target acquisition and observation systems, vehicle camera systems, hyperspectral cameras, and multipurpose container-based platform solutions.
24 Jan 22. Leonardo stake in Hensoldt could boost FCAS, Tempest commonalities. A corporate tie-up between Italy’s Leonardo and Germany’s Hensoldt could make Europe’s two future fighters, the Tempest and the Future Combat Air System, more interoperable, a Leonardo official has claimed.
On Jan. 3 Leonardo concluded a deal to take a 25.1% stake in electronics firm Hensoldt, which will immediately see closer collaboration between the firms on e-scan radar technology being supplied to the Eurofighter.
While Leonardo is design authority on the new radars being built for Kuwaiti, Qatari and Royal Air Force Typhoons, Hensoldt has that role on the radars being supplied for upgrades to Spanish and German jets.
But Hensoldt is also set to take a role on the electronics on board the planned Franco-German FCAS fighter, while Leonardo is working on the UK-led Tempest program.
Questions have been raised about the wisdom of pushing two new fighter programs in Europe rather than pooling resources.
Thanks to the Leonardo-Hensoldt team-up they may at least more interoperable, said Giovanni Soccodato, Leonardo’s Chief Strategic Equity Officer.
“There may be a commonality in technology. The two aircraft must be interoperable to work together within NATO, so having Hensoldt work on FCAS and Leonardo work on Tempest could help,” he told Defense News.
He added, “With Hensoldt having a role on FCAS, Leonardo as a shareholder becomes more central to European defense programs.”
The completion of the deal for Leonardo to take a stake in Hensoldt was followed on Jan. 14 by news that Hensoldt was handing Leonardo a 260m euro ($295m) contract to supply components for its Eurofighter radars for Germany and Spain.
Soccodato said that thanks to Leonardo’s new stake in the German firm, “this is less of a contract and more of a partnership.”
He added, “Taking the stake is a strategic move, not a financial investment.”
Prior to taking the stake in Hensoldt, Leonardo units in the UK and Italy were already advising the firm in its work on Eurofighter radar.
“Between us we have the majority of the electronics work on Eurofighter,” he said.
Soccodato added that there would be technology sharing on other programs.
“Hensoldt’s strength in optical technology can help our products, while we have command-and-control technology they don’t have. Our super-fast computing and artificial intelligence capabilities could also now be accessible for Hensoldt,” he said.
Leonardo and Hensoldt are two key manufacturers of Transmit-Receive modules for e-scan radar, he added.
“We are helping build a base for a European defense industrial capability,” he said. (Source: Defense News)
24 Jan 22. US Special Operations Command picks Anduril to lead counter-drone integration work in $1bn deal. U.S. Special Operations Command has picked California-based Anduril Industries to lead its counter-drone systems integration work in a $1bn deal, according to a contract announcement and company statement.
As the integration partner, “Anduril will deliver, advance and sustain [counter-unmanned systems] capabilities for special operations forces wherever they operate,” the Jan. 24 company statement read.
Anduril’s family of systems designed to counter drone threats is run by the Lattice operating system and includes its Sentry tower and the small unmanned aerial system Anvil. The system also brings in “best-of-breed” third-party sensors and effectors “for a layered defensive approach,” according to the company.
The Lattice system is able to provide autonomous detection, classification and tracking of targets at the edge of the battlefield and alerts users to the detected threats. It also prompts users with solutions to engage and destroy the threats, the company described.
The Sentry tower is comprised of an onboard radar and optical sensors within embedded computing cores that can process data through machine-learning algorithms to detect, identify and track threats.
Anduril said it will deliver capability through “traditional means,” but will also deploy the capability as a service and configure the system to carry out specific missions as threats evolve or new threats emerge. And under the contract, it must design, prototype and develop new counter-UAS technology.
“Anduril’s software-first approach and its open and interoperable Lattice operating system enables sensor modularity and massive scalability,” the statement said. “As the SIP, Anduril will maintain continuous system updates, develop and deploy new capability, and integrate best-in-class third-party sensors and effectors, future-proofing deployed systems at no additional cost to the customer.”
Under the SOCOM contract, Anduril will perform the work both within and outside of the continental United States. The contract is expected to be completed by Jan. 19, 2032, according to the Defense Department contract announcement.
Eleven other proposals were received in response to a publicly posted SIP, or system integration partner, prototype opportunity notice.
The company has other contracts within the Defense Department and with other national security-related customers.
Anduril has also adapted existing technology developed for base and border protection over the course of 11 months so it could detect another major threat: cruise missiles. The company demonstrated the capability at the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System demonstration in 2021 using autonomous Cruise Missile Defense Sentry Towers. The towers were integrated into the company’s Lattice open-platform command-and-control system like they are for the c-UAS capability
Anduril also grew its capability portfolio in April 2021 with the acquisition of Area-I, a Georgia-based, air-launched effects company, with plans to incorporate its mission autonomy and intelligent teaming technology into Area-I’s unmanned systems. (Source: Defense News)
21 Jan 22. Northrop Grumman Reaches E-2D Manufacturing Milestone. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully delivered the 51st U.S. Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye production aircraft, AA-52. The aircraft represents the last to be delivered under the Multi-Year Procurement (MYP) 1 contract. AA-52 is equipped with the Delta System/Software Configuration (DSSC) Build 3, which provides an additional leap in operational effectiveness and technology for the E-2D with the incorporation of aerial refueling and a dwell-based tracker. MYP 2 deliveries will begin this year, with increasing, game-changing capability enhancements for the Navy and joint force to outpace evolving threats.
27 Jan 22. DroneShield releases upgraded capabilities via firmware across its C-UAS devices for quicker and more effective detection. Global Leader in Drone Defense Tech / Counter-UAS, Electronic Warfare and Signals Intelligence Shares Details on Next-Level RfPatrol, RfOne and DroneSentry-X Devices.
Updates To Be Rolled Out to Devices Over the Next Week; Given Immediate Urgency Following Recent Uptick of Drone Strikes.
DroneShield (ASX:DRO), an Australian/US global leader in Artificial Intelligence based platforms for protection against advanced threats such as drones and autonomous systems, has today announced an enhancement of their AI engine through the release of updated RF Detection devices. The instruments improved include the RfPatrol, RfOne and DroneSentry-X drone detection and tracking platforms.
DroneShield capabilities are used to protect Military, Government, Law Enforcement, Critical Infrastructure, Commercial and VIPs throughout the world. Key products such as the DroneGun Tactical, RfPatrol, DroneGun MKIII, DroneSentry-X, RfOne MKII and software like DroneSentry-C2 are used to detect and eliminate unmanned threats.
Key aspects of the firmware update include the following:
- Seamless Integration: Introduction of Cursor-on-Target message output, allowing sensors to seamlessly integrate into the major platforms such as ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit)
- Increased Detection Speed: A 30% detection speed improvement. This means the time between initial detection scan and alerting is dramatically reduced.
- Improved AI-Model: The AI model has been trained specifically for weaker or obstructed signals, greatly increasing the detection range performance of all devices.
- Elevated Frequency Range: An additional frequency band is now fully operational, supporting a number of key protocol detectors specific to this band.
“As we’ve seen in recent events, the use of drones and UAS escalates and increases destruction in situations of high tension- with no barrier of distance,” stated Oleg Vornik, DroneShield CEO. “Detection is even more vital than before.”
The updates will be rolling out across DroneShield devices globally in the next week, with heightened urgency given recent uptick in drone strikes in the Middle East and elsewhere. The technology upgrade is validated by deployments with the US Air Force and Australian Army.
Additional information about the system can be found at www.droneshield.com.
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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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