Sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
www.blighter.com
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22 Oct 20. The sensor solutions provider HENSOLDT will equip the Royal Thai Army with its TRML-3D. This is the third TRML-3D ordered by the Royal Thai Army. The radar will be delivered in 2022.
“Our TRML-3D is an extremely reliable radar, developed especially to be rapidly deployable and highly mobile for fast camp and decampment”, said Guillaume Bayol, Sales Director Asia Pacific. “The decision by the Royal Thai Army to select TRML-3D for the third time clearly demonstrates the confidence that they have in HENSOLDT radar solutions”.
The mobile systems TRML-3D is used in surveillance and air defence missions supporting short-range air defence weapon systems. It is a fully coherent multi-mode phased array surveillance and target acquisition radar system designed for detection and air defence. The 3D radar is capable of detecting, tracking, and classifying various types of targets with a particular emphasis on small, fast and low-flying aircraft, missiles and hovering helicopters. TRML-3D has been in service since 2004 and is in operational use with different armed forces worldwide.
22 Oct 20. Silentium to support Saab’s counter UAS program. The defence and aerospace company has signed an MoU with Saab Australia to support the development of counter UAS and situational awareness solutions.
Passive radar and surveillance systems developer Silentium has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saab Australia.
Under the MoU, which was signed by Silentium Defence chair Kim Scott and Saab Australia managing director Andy Keough CSC, the companies will co-operate to advance complementary capabilities in counter UAS (C-UAS) and situational awareness solutions.
According to, Dr James Palmer, CEO of Silentium Defence, the partnership is a reflection of growing demand for the unique capability advantage passive radar capabilities deliver for established surveillance systems and platforms.
“Highly customisable, our systems are agnostic by design to allow integration with varied technologies and platforms, both current and future-state,” he said.
Scott added that the partnership would expand the firm’s reach in both domestic and international markets.
“Working with Saab and other customers and partners to explore additional applications of our technology in the fast-moving C-UAS and surveillance sectors makes sense both commercially and in terms of impact potential for Silentium Defence,” he said.
“This particular MoU will give Silentium Defence additional access to local and global civilian and Defence markets to help expand application of our passive radar systems to protect what matters.”
Keough said the prime’s collaboration with Silentium was part of its ongoing commitment to support Australia’s local defence industry.
“Partnerships of this nature provide opportunities to translate Australian industry knowledge into unique technologies, build our sovereign capability and create jobs for the future,” Keough said.
“As an expert in integrated command and control systems, we understand discretely detecting objects of interest provides a distinct advantage for our customers, and passive radar technology is a key enabler of that capability.”
He concluded: “We look forward to working with the Silentium Defence team to create unique technologies for real-world challenges.”
This latest announcement comes just weeks after Saab confirmed it had signed contracts worth up to $20m to provide the Royal Australian Navy with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training system AUV62-AT, along with five years of in-service support.
The prime contractor has agreed to deliver the AUV62-AT system in 2022, after which it is expected to provide ongoing in-service operational and maintenance support through to 2027, in co-operation with local industry, including long-standing Newcastle-based partner BlueZone Group. (Source: Defence Connect)
21 Oct 20. Elta Systems, Hensoldt partner on system to consolidate submarine capabilities.
Israeli company Elta Systems has partnered with German firm Hensoldt to develop a single piece of technology for submarine masts that combines optics, communications and other sensors.
The Integrated Communication and Surveillance, or ICS, system combines Hensoldt’s optical surveillance optronics mast OMS 150 with Elta’s expertise in signals intelligence and satellite communications payloads. Elta, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, said the product will address the need to combine operational possibilities on one mast while maintaining the submarine’s stealth capability.
“The collaboration is part of Elta’s new strategy, leveraging our advanced technological experience and know-how accumulated over decades of defense operations. This collaboration will bring value to our customers by offering a unique, cost-effective, compact and high-utility solution,” Elta CEO Yoav Tourgeman said.
The ICS system combines optics, radar warning, and monitoring of GPS and communications with other vessels and units.
“The data gathered in real time can provide the submarine’s crew vital information regarding the enemy’s exact location and current situation. It is equipped with a SATCOM and Laser system for secure communications,” according to an Elta statement. The system is being rolled out as part of the European maritime trade show Euronaval, which is being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Brent Sadler, a senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said submarine forces are likely to grow in the coming years, which means “the market for periscopes is growing faster than in the recent past.”
A submarine’s periscope, along with other masts for communications, radar, SATCOM and optics, tend to festoon submarines, creating a small forest atop the vessel’s sail or conning tower. A submarine officer for 26 years, Sadler noted that “if you have less sticks sticking out of water, it’s less likely you’ll be detected, so having fewer masts cuts down on cross-section of radar and optical [protrusion].”
“So the trend is to reduce the number of masts you stick out of the water,” he added, “so if you have a periscope and need to do radio communications or listen for hostile radar, better to have that on one mast.”
According to two sources involved with developing the ICS system at Elta, the new integration seeks to provide submariners with additional capabilities that complement a naval task force. The demand for submarines is increasing, and as they performing less missions strictly alone, the subsurface boats need more sensors and communications tools to work with other vessels as well as airborne and ground assets.
Sadler points out that one of the challenges here is not only miniaturizing add-on payloads but also cooling the thermals because these additions and sensors add heat that can be detected.
The traditional dilemma for submariners is performing missions successfully while reamining stealthy, according to Elta naval systems expert and retired Israeli Navy commander Shlomi Dor. “You need a communication mast, and adding an ISR capability with SATCOM on the same periscope — it’s the only mast that keeps safety for submarine[s] … and communicate[s] to task force and headquarters, whoever you need to be in touch with. This mast is a very robust solution that I think will contribute a lot for mission’s sake all over the world.”
The integration of the ICS system on the mast can be done in a refit without changes to existing submarine infrastructure, according to Elta. Michael Sela of Elta told Defense News that the system builds on mature and field-proven sensors, and uses the company’s expertise in phased array SATCOM antennas and other technology. It is expected to be operational in the near future.
Developments in periscope design, among other technological trends, will impact submarine designs, perhaps making them smaller with taller periscopes, Sadler said. An uptick in submarine purchases means increasing economies of scale that lead to the research and development behind new designs.
But Sadler raised concerns about Elta’s parent company, IAI, cooperating with China on civil aviation projects. The West, in particular the United States, has raised the alarm over China’s involvement in the defense industrial base. That is also true for potential customers in Asia and Europe, where partnerships with China are being questioned more, he said.
“The capability has a niche and fills market demand, [but] make sure that the China connection [is] addressed.” (Source: Defense News)
22 Oct 20. Chess Dynamics Wins Key European Naval Electro-Optical Systems Contract.
- Sea Eagle FCEO (Fire Control Electro Optical) systems to provide all round, all weather surveillance
- Key 12 vessel MCMV (Mine Counter Measures Vessel) Programme
- Delivering state-of-the-art, 24-hour surveillance, tracking and gun fire control target data solution
Leading British surveillance, tracking, and gunfire control specialist, Chess Dynamics has been awarded a contract by French shipbuilders KERSHIP for the supply of electro-optical surveillance systems across 12 innovative new Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMV), which are being supplied to the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies. News of this contract award gives Chess its fourth and fifth European naval customers for the Sea Eagle FCEO product.
Working through Naval Group, responsible for naval systems design for KERSHIP, Chess has beaten strong competition for this key European naval electro optical systems contract. MCMV is a new concept 2800-ton militarized ship specialised in mine warfare innovatively built around a ‘toolbox’ of autonomous mine countermeasures drones. The MCMV procurement programme is well underway and has achieved its ‘Systems Functional Review’ (SFR) milestone in May.
Providing an all-weather, 24-hour surveillance, tracking and target data solution, Chess Dynamics will be delivering its Sea Eagle FCEO systems which will be interfaced with the ships’ combat management and gun fire control systems. This contract will bring the number of Sea Eagle FCEO systems delivered to over 110 worldwide.
The solution for two systems for each of the 12 ships, is to be fully integrated with other sensors on the vessels through the combat management system. It will also supply tracking and targeting data with merged stabilised TV and infra-red images to enable enhanced visual surveillance for the various roles that these vessels will be conducting. As part of the Chess Dynamics’ Sea Eagle family of systems, the FCEO offers a stabilised integrated electro-optical and tracking system comprising a high-power thermal imaging camera, powerful HD TV camera and an eye-safe laser range finder. This in turn delivers 360˚ azimuth coverage, facilitating continuous electro optical verification of contacts.
Dave Eldridge, Chess Dynamics Sales Director commented, “The news of this contract award has been greatly received by all at Chess Dynamics. The business is committed to delivering surveillance and gun fire control system solutions which are ideally suited to harsh maritime environments and enable our customers to meet the multiple operational requirements within naval, coastal and border environments.
“These systems will be delivered from our Naval Centre of Excellence in Plymouth. Significant investment has been made to retain and recruit the necessary expertise to develop and evolve our Sea Eagle family of systems, incorporating industry-leading technology and designs. This contract award of our Sea Eagle equipment is a testament to our continual development and commitment to working in partnership with our customers” Eldridge continued.
The well-established Sea Eagle FCEO system is the leader in its class, commissioned with numerous navies globally and with over 90 units delivered it has an envious reputation, being well-proved in service.
22 Oct 20. USAF Seeking Upgrades to Counter-UAS Weapons. The US Air Force is in the market for upgrades to its counter-drone technologies, according to an Oct. 16 request for information posted on a federal contracting website.
The service is in the early stages of deploying lasers, microwaves, and other weapons more advanced than a shotgun to deal with potentially threatening drones loitering around bases. In particular, the RFI is looking for ideas to fend off the smallest unmanned aerial systems like quadcopters.
“These threats may have characteristics such as small size, low radar cross-sections, low infrared or radio frequency signatures (or no RF signatures), ability to hover, and low-altitude flight capability, which may render them difficult to detect and/or defeat,” the Air Force stated. “These UAS are typically either controlled remotely from a ground control station or capable of flying pre-planned routes.”
Cheap aircraft can be turned into battlefield weapons when modified to drop hand grenades, and they can spy on military installations or heavily damage jets if sucked into an engine. American military officials have warned for years that small drones pose a pervasive threat to troops in the Middle East.
Over the next year, the Air Force wants to pursue updates to counter-drone command-and-control, radar, and electronic warfare systems related to directed-energy weapons. It’s soliciting concepts in 12 areas from lethality to crunching weather data. Responses are due Nov. 17.
For instance, the service suggests automating the process of targeting, tracking, and shooting at an incoming drone instead of relying as heavily on a human operator.
“At a minimum, the ideal configuration is for [a high-energy laser] system to have its beam director/optics automate all steps between acquisition, tracking, aimpoint selection, and only requires a human to interact with it through final approval to fire from operator/battle commander,” the RFI said.
The service also considers being able to compile and send reports with the details of drone threats and conflicts to other units, which could give the military a better understanding of an enemy in a particular area.
Pentagon researchers are looking into several different counter-UAS system designs spanning the weapons themselves to the subsystems that point and shoot them. The Air Force is currently testing high-powered lasers and microwaves overseas while it takes less-destructive approaches—like using gun-fired nets to trap quadcopters—in the continental U.S.
Photo: An unmanned aerial system is staged on a mobile landing zone as U.S. Marines with 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, prepare to engage the UAS with a Compact Laser Weapon System during Counter-UAS training with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 in Yuma, Ariz., on July 30, 2020. USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Larisa Chavez. (Source: UAS VISION/Air Force Magazine)
21 Oct 20. Liteye Systems Launches the Liteye C-UAS Simulator. Liteye Systems, Inc., Numerica and AEgis Technologies Group have announced the joint development of a high-fidelity C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Modelling, Simulation and Training system, the Liteye C-UAS Simulator.
The Team identified an industry need to enhance the traditional hands-on individual and classroom training currently being provided to operators and service representatives for Liteye’s Anti-UAS Defense System (AUDS) across the world. The Liteye C-UAS Simulator incorporates a high-fidelity virtual environment tied to the actual Liteye AUDS Command, Control (C2) and user Interface. The combination of the virtual environment and the operational C2 Interface provide the most advanced realistic simulation and training system available.
“It’s difficult and cost prohibitive to find realistic, full-mission test and training locations within the United States every time a new threat hits the street,” said Zac Neumayr, VP of Field Operations at Liteye. “Our Simulator allows a trained operator to remain proficient and develop new techniques and procedures to successfully defend personnel and critical infrastructure around the world. Liteye’s AUDS remains one of the most effective systems employed as part of an integrated ground and air defense solution. The addition of the Liteye C-UAS Simulator is another in the long list of tools under development by our team to stay ahead of the current and future threats.”
“The technical designs and performance of small UAS are increasing rapidly as is the propensity for them to be used in a malicious and deadly way,” said Ryan Hurt, VP of Business Development at Liteye. “Having the Liteye C-UAS Simulator as a backstop, we can rapidly evaluate the best tactics, techniques, and procedures to counter new threats by adding the threat profile to the simulation and develop the counter-tactics. With the Simulator, Liteye trained operators have the tools they need to develop C-UAS tactics faster than new threats can be developed.”
Liteye’s AUDS is Combat Proven to disrupt and neutralize UAS engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and potentially malicious activity against critical infrastructure sites. Combining electronic-scanning radar target detection, electro-optical (EO) tracking and classification, and directional radio frequency (RF) inhibition capability, the AUDS smart-sensor and effector package is capable of remotely detecting and tracking small UAS, classifying potential threat, and providing the option to disrupt activity. AEgis is a US defense industry trailblazer in custom Virtual Reality simulators, providing 360° immersive, high-fidelity virtual environments that transform traditional training into a repeatable, lasting experience that enhances end-user’s operational readiness. AEgis’ expansive collection of simulators includes the VAMPIRE Suite of Simulations, a fully embedded UAS training simulation with more than 9,000 fielded systems delivered to 7 countries, all Department of Defense (DoD) services, and multiple government agencies. (Source: UAS VISION)
16 Oct 20. Soldiers Become Another Node In DoD’s Internet Of Things: ENVG-B. A soldier wearing the ENVG-B can look through binoculars, turn on the camera in their rifle’s sight, and then point that sight around a corner to see and shoot, without exposing anything more than their hands or the rifle.
Increasingly miniaturized sensors and displays mean every rifleman may have a network between their sight and their binoculars.
The Enhanced Night Vision Goggles – Binocular (ENVG-B) look almost analog, like a set of fancy, lightweight binoculars mounted on a helmet. (By contrast, traditional night vision goggles are monocular, which limits depth perception). But inside, they are a sophisticated set of sensors, aided by cameras and on-board memory, that incorporate with other networked gear carried into battle.
ENVG-B is still being fielded across the force, but the Army is already developing a next-gen system, a set of augmented reality targeting goggles — a militarized Microsoft HoloLens — known as IVAS. The Army’s also developing an Adaptive Squad Architecture to ensure all the different technologies going on a soldier’s body are compatible.
“ENVG-B is a system of systems,” Lynn Bollengier of L3Harris Technologies said at this week’s annual Association of the US Army conference. These systems include integrated augmented reality aspects from the Nett Warrior tablet, as well as wireless interconnectivity with weapon sights.
Combined, that means a soldier wearing the ENVG-B can look through their binoculars, turn on the camera in their rifle’s sight, and point that sight around a corner to see and shoot, without exposing anything more than their hands or the rifle.
These kinds of technologies constitute “a defense Internet of Things,” said Vern Boyle, VP for advanced capabilities at Northrop Grumman.
One example of this on display at AUSA was a picture-in-picture display. While still allowing the soldier 40 degrees of horizontal and vertical visibility, the ENVG-B binoculars could incorporate a small, picture-in-picture image from a second source.
“Any info that can make it to a tactical radio, as long as that’s in Nett Warrior, can be populated into the picture-in-picture mode in the video,” said Bollengier.
The most immediate uses of this feature would be live video from other cameras on the battlefield, including those carried by planes, drones, or other sensor-rich vehicles. Another possibility is that a soldier could upload a complete 3D model of the hill they are fighting around, drawn from the Army’s One World Terrain database.
While originally designed for training, One World Terrain is designed to be a comprehensive 3D map of the entire world, shared in a common library that can be adapted to training or battlefield needs. But bringing the 3D model into combat will require some degree of forethought, given the limitations of transferring large file sizes at a moment’s notice.
“There is no silver bullet” for transferring the 3D map files, said Ryan McAlinden, a technology advisor at Army Futures Command. Sometimes the network will have the capacity, other times getting the map might mean physically delivering a hard drive to the forward location and uploading it from there. That said, “compression has come a long way, and the maps can send over cellular networks.”
So long as the soldier in the field is capable of receiving data, there will be no shortage of ways to incorporate that information into how they fight. The primary challenge will be maintaining that connectivity and making sense of the information as it arrives. (Source: glstrade.com/Breaking Defense.com)
19 Oct 20. USAF Scoping Out Upgrades to Counter-UAS Weapons. The Air Force is in the market for upgrades to its counter-drone technologies, according to an Oct. 16 request for information posted on a federal contracting website.
The service is in the early stages of deploying lasers, microwaves, and other weapons more advanced than a shotgun to deal with potentially threatening drones loitering around bases. In particular, the RFI is looking for ideas to fend off the smallest unmanned aerial systems like quadcopters.
“These threats may have characteristics such as small size, low radar cross-sections, low infrared or radio frequency signatures (or no RF signatures), ability to hover, and low-altitude flight capability, which may render them difficult to detect and/or defeat,” the Air Force stated. “These UAS are typically either controlled remotely from a ground control station or capable of flying pre-planned routes.”
Cheap aircraft can be turned into battlefield weapons when modified to drop hand grenades, and they can spy on military installations or heavily damage jets if sucked into an engine. American military officials have warned for years that small drones pose a pervasive threat to troops in the Middle East.
Over the next year, the Air Force wants to pursue updates to counter-drone command-and-control, radar, and electronic warfare systems related to directed-energy weapons. It’s soliciting concepts in 12 areas from lethality to crunching weather data. Responses are due Nov. 17.
For instance, the service suggests automating the process of targeting, tracking, and shooting at an incoming drone instead of relying as heavily on a human operator.
“At a minimum, the ideal configuration is for [a high-energy laser] system to have its beam director/optics automate all steps between acquisition, tracking, aimpoint selection, and only requires a human to interact with it through final approval to fire from operator/battle commander,” the RFI said.
The service also considers being able to compile and send reports with the details of drone threats and conflicts to other units, which could give the military a better understanding of an enemy in a particular area.
Pentagon researchers are looking into several different counter-UAS system designs spanning the weapons themselves to the subsystems that point and shoot them. The Air Force is currently testing high-powered lasers and microwaves overseas while it takes less-destructive approaches—like using gun-fired nets to trap quadcopters—in the continental U.S. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/https://www.airforcemag.com/)
20 Oct 20. Echodyne Unveils New Radars for Urban C-UAS. Echodyne, the radar platform company, announced the release of EchoGuard CR and RadarHub to enable greater drone/aircraft detection in dense locations and simplify multi-radar deployment. These products represent a big step forward for the Counter-UAS space, broadening the capabilities of security systems in challenging environments.
EchoGuard CR provides high performance, active beam-steering, 3D radar capability in urban and dense environments or locations with reduced range requirements, and RadarHub simplifies multi-radar deployment and management.
The products extend Echodyne’s unique ability to bring high performance beam steering radar capabilities to commercial markets.
“We’re excited to continue to add to our product stack. Our new beam-steering radar, EchoGuard CR, brings highly accurate ground and airspace perimeter surveillance within the budget of the vast majority of critical infrastructure customers,” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “In addition, RadarHub provides a platform to easily deploy and manage multi-radar installations through one central interface and is a strategic addition to our expanding product lineup.”
EchoGuard CR
EchoGuard CR radar uses MESA radar technology to meet demand for high-performance radar for close range security within commercial budgets. The solution delivers advanced 3D perimeter surveillance for critical infrastructure with reduced energy output for greater accuracy in cluttered and busy semi-/urban environments.
EchoGuard CR’s ultra-low size, weight, and power (SWaP) is ideal for guarding ground and airspace perimeters of critical infrastructure and high-risk facilities in semi-/urban locations, and reliably identifies motionless or in-motion drones that may be spying from distance. A highly intuitive user interface allows configuration of the radar to site and mission requirements and offers options for integration into security platforms or as a stand-alone system. The lightweight solid-state hardware design simplifies mounting for fixed site deployments and offers rapid setup for portable or temporary needs.
RadarHub
RadarHub is a pre-engineered control cabinet solution that simplifies deployment, networking, and operations of multi-radar installations. The solution connects up to 5 radars and conveniently manages all key performance parameters, including power and network, through a single interface.
RadarHub is compatible with the growing EchoGuard family of radars and can be easily integrated with security system infrastructure or used to quickly deploy standalone hemispherical surveillance for temporary missions. Radar Hub provides flexible support for a variety of sensor fusion configurations such as radar + camera + additional sensors, e.g. RF or ADS-B, and has a UL-508A compliant design and construction. (Source: UAS VISION)
20 Oct 20. DroneDeploy Platform Captures Data from any Angle or Altitude. Enterprise drone data platform DroneDeploy has become the first single solution that can capture and process photos, videos and more from any angle – from the ground to the air, from exterior to interior, on foot or by machine.
Through its new feature, 360 Walkthrough, DroneDeploy now works with both drones/aerial cameras and any on-the-ground 360-cameras (hand-held or robotic) to provide a valuable, comprehensive digital reconstruction of any job site.
The offering has already been tested and proven in collaboration with mobile robot creator Boston Dynamics, and one of the nation’s largest privately held construction companies, Brasfield & Gorrie.
“DroneDeploy is already the leader in enabling businesses to capture the reality of their job sites from the air. But we know our more than 5,000 customers are also looking for a solution that allows data capture on the ground and indoors,” said Mike Winn, co-founder and CEO of DroneDeploy. “Today, we’re responding to that need with 360 Walkthrough. By combining aerial, interior and ground data onto one platform, we’re providing our customers with a complete perspective of their sites, ultimately increasing efficiency and worker safety in industries like construction, agriculture, renewables, and more.”
Brasfield & Gorrie has been using DroneDeploy since 2015. DroneDeploy has helped Brasfield & Gorrie reduce expensive progress documentation costs and capture significantly more imagery than previous methods. Earlier this year, the company began collaborating with Boston Dynamics and DroneDeploy to develop an industry-first workflow for automating 360 video-based construction documentation. Brasfield & Gorrie helped develop and pilot a workflow to perform on-the-ground building walkthroughs and inspections using the agile mobile robot “Spot” by Boston Dynamics, along with DroneDeploy’s 360 Walkthrough.
Outfitted with a 360-camera, Spot allows workers to autonomously capture data from building interiors and take close-up photos for the bid process or inspection. Using the Spot and DroneDeploy SDKs, Brasfield & Gorrie specialists are able to automate the full process, from mobile data capture to cloud upload and image processing, immediately making the data available for other project team members to view using DroneDeploy. With this new workflow, superintendents and project managers can easily and efficiently gather the data they need to obtain a comprehensive view of their job site, from any perspective.
“By combining robotic automation with DroneDeploy’s interior and exterior progress documentation process, we’re able to more consistently capture data about the complete project,” said Russ Gibbs, Director of VDC, Innovation and Operational Technology at Brasfield & Gorrie. “As a result, we’re able to make more informed decisions while allowing our team members to focus on tasks that require their expertise.”
“One of Spot’s chief functions is to automate data capture on job sites safely, accurately and frequently, connecting customers to critical insights that keep projects on-track,” said Brian Ringly, Construction Technology Manager at Boston Dynamics. “By collaborating with DroneDeploy and Brasfield & Gorrie, we’re making it easier to implement repeatable, autonomous 360 data capture in complex environments where Spot’s unique mobility is an advantage, and leverage the DroneDeploy platform to make that data actionable in a common data environment.” (Source: UAS VISION)
20 Oct 20. New driver’s night observation devices. Rheinmetall to modernize the Bundeswehr’s Marder infantry fighting vehicle The German Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall a further order for modernizing the tried-and-tested Marder infantry fighting vehicle, or IFV. Under the contract, Rheinmetall Landsysteme will now be supplying the Bundeswehr with over 170 driver’s night observation devices for the Marder fleet. Worth around €24m (including valued added tax), the order also encompasses logistical support, training and other services. Delivery begins at the end of 2021 and is to be complete by the end of 2022. The new driver’s night observation device is the Spectus II. It fuses the image from a residual light amplifier camera with one produced by a thermal imaging device, improving the driver’s ability to see even in conditions of poor visibility.
In addition, the system features a rear-view camera. Cooperation partners taking part in the project include Rheinmetall Technical Publications and the Rheinmetall subsidiary benntec Systemtechnik GmbH. In response to an urgent operational requirement for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Rheinmetall previously integrated the Spectus I – the Spectus II’s forerunner – into the Marder 1 A5A1 fleet.
Now official, this order constitutes a continuation of successful efforts to extend the Marder’s service life. In December 2019 the German armed forces contracted with Rheinmetall to carry out a comprehensive modernization of part of the Marder fleet. Moreover, the current contract could result in further orders from customers both at home and abroad, thanks, for instance, to the budget committee of the Bundestag giving a green light on 7 October 2020 to procurement of a thermal imaging aiming device for the gunner and commander in Bundeswehr Marders. Besides Germany, the Marder IFV is in service with the armed forces of Chile, Indonesia and Jordan.
As the system’s original developer, Rheinmetall possesses comprehensive experience and expertise in all aspects of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle. The weapons system first rolled off the assembly lines of Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH’s predecessor organization in Kassel. Battle-tested and exceptionally reliable, the Marder will continue to serve German mechanized infantry units as a trusty workhorse for some time to come, even now that the number of new Puma IFVs in service with the German military will soon reach 350.
18 Oct 20. With artificial intelligence, every soldier is a counter-drone operator. With the addition of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the aim is to make every soldier, regardless of job specialty, capable of identifying and knocking down threatening drones.
While much of that mission used to reside mostly in the air defense community, those attacks can strike any infantry squad or tank battalion.
The goal is to reduce cognitive burden and operator stress when dealing with an array of aerial threats that now plague units of any size, in any theater.
“Everyone is counter-UAS,” said Col. Marc Pelini, division chief for capabilities and requirements at the Joint Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, or JCO.
Pelini and Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, JCO director, who spoke Thursday at the virtual Association of the U.S. Army conference, told reporters that the original focus was on smaller Tier I and II threats. But that has now extended to Tier III threats, traditionally covered by the Army’s air defense community, such as Avenger and Patriot missile batteries.
Some of that work includes linking the larger threat detection to the smaller drones that now dot conflicts across the world, including the hot zone of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
In June, the Department of Defense conducted a “down select” of existing or in-the-pipeline counter-drone systems from 40 to eight, as Military Times sister publication C4ISRNET reported at the time.
That was an effort to reduce redundancy in the flood of counter drone programs taken on in the wake of a $700m funding push in 2017 to get after problems posed by commercially available drones being used more frequently by violent extremist organizations such as the Islamic State to harass, attack and surveil U.S. and allied forces.
Those choices, in the down select, included the following, also reported by C4ISRNET:
Fixed/Semi-Fixed Systems
* Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS), sponsored by the Army
* Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial-Threats (NINJA), sponsored by the Air Force
* Counter-Remote Control Model Aircraft Integrated Air Defense Network (CORIAN), sponsored by the Navy
Mounted/Mobile System
* Light-Mobile Air Defense Integrated System (L-MADIS), sponsored by the Marine Corps
Dismounted/Handheld Systems
* Bal Chatri, sponsored by Special Operations Command
* Dronebuster, no sponsor, commercial off-the-shelf capability
* Smart Shooter, no sponsor, commercial off-the-shelf capability
Command and Control
* Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD-C2), sponsored by the Army (includes FAAD-C2 interoperable systems like the Air Force’s Air Defense System Integrator (ADSI) and the Marine Corps’ Multi-Environmental Domain Unmanned Systems Application Command and Control (MEDUSA C2))
The four areas evaluated to determine which systems stuck around for use or further development were effectiveness, integration, usability and sustainment, Gainey said Thursday.
A kind of virtual open house with industry is planned for Oct. 30, in which JCO will evaluate what options are out there.
Some of what they’re learning is being gathered through a consortium, of sorts, that involves regular meetings between service branch representatives during monthly sessions at the two-star level, Gainey said.
That goes into a real-time, updated “common threat library” that helps those in the field identify trends and changes that can be met across forces.
They use those sessions to share what each component is seeing in theater as far as drone use and changes. But it’s more than simple intelligence gathering, he said.
They also form rapid response teams. (Source: Defense News)
17 Oct 20. Anduril adapts tech to detect cruise missiles in US Air Force demo. Anduril Industries adapted existing technology developed for base and border protection over the course of 11 months so it could detect cruise missiles, which it did during the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System demonstration, according to Christian Brose, who is the company’s chief strategy officer.
The company’s autonomous Cruise Missile Defense Sentry Towers are comprised of an onboard radar and optical sensors within embedded computing cores that can process data through machine-learning algorithms in order to detect, identify and track cruise missile threats.
Within one year, Brose said, where half of that time was in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, Anduril set up three Sentry Towers at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and integrated them into the company’s Lattice open-platform, command-and-control system, which played a central role in the Air Force’s battle network assessment.
Lattice automates sensor fusion, network management, and distributed command and control. At the Advanced Battle Management System on-ramp effort, Lattice integrated systems such as the Wafer acoustic sensor, the Tripline radar and the Sentinel radar.
“What we were able to demonstrate as part of the on-ramp was, these are very effective systems that identified and accurately classified all of those surrogate cruise missiles that were fired against them and put a human operator on the loop such that all that individual had to do was confirm that the systems were correctly tracking the target that they were trained to find, and then send a command to an effector to defeat it,” Brose told Defense News in a recent interview.
“The reason we’re able to do it as flexibly, as openly as we do, is because we take a software-centric approach to the problem,” Brose said. “At the center of that capability is a software platform that enables this very flexible integration of different sensors to sort of feed the information into the system that is then processed and fused and refined through the application of machine-learning techniques so that you automate the process of target identification, target detection and tracking.”
The scenario at White Sands played out similarly to what the Army did at its Project Convergence campaign of learning at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, last month, where the service reduced the time it takes to defeat a threat because of system automation.
Rather than having a human comb through all the noise and clutter, pick out a potential target, verify that target, and then determine the right effector, some of that burden is taken over by the machine.
Anduril is interested in how its technology could play at Project Convergence and in the Army’s future indirect fires protection capability, which is under development to counter rockets, artillery and mortar threats as well as unmanned aircraft systems and cruise missiles, according to Brose.
“I think the thing in particular that we really find compelling about how the Army is thinking about this is, one, they’re focused on scalability. You have to have systems that are going to be able to scale to millions of people and things, sensors and systems, and weapons. That’s the Army’s reality,” Brose said.
Lattice, for instance, is built to be scalable, Brose stressed. “We’re able to scale networks of sensors, irrespective of cost and manpower — always the limiting factors,” he said.
With more sensors in the network, that typically translates to more manpower needed, which adds cost to the process.
“We’re looking at this from the standpoint of the sensor systems that we build as automating that process all the way up to the human decision,” Brose added.
The other thing Anduril finds compelling about the Army’s thinking and approach, Brose said, is the service has “fundamentally focused on how you push core battle network functions out to the tactical edge where systems and soldiers are going to have to make sense of information and generate decisions and take actions in very tactical environments with very spotty communications, degraded communications conditions. That, again, is what we have optimized Lattice for.”
The Army is buying two Rafael-manufactured Iron Dome systems to fill a gap in its capability to detect and defeat cruise missiles, but the service is also looking shaping an enduring capability to address that specific threat.
The cruise missile detection capability developed by Anduril was derived from its ability to detect other activity related to base defense and border protection, including the presence and nature of unmanned aircraft systems. The company is also interested in how it can contribute technology to solving the armed services’ collective need for an enduring counter-UAS capability. The Defense Department will host an industry day on C-UAS capabilities at the end of the month.
The Pentagon has selected interim systems for fixed and semifixed sites as well as mobile, dismounted and individual soldier systems to defeat UAS.
However, there’s still work to be done, as Anduril’s cruise missile detection capability is in its infancy, Brose said. “They still have a lot of testing and evaluation and development work that has to go into them,” he explained.
But “this is not science fiction,” he added. Anduril “really demonstrated these systems at White Sands a few weeks ago without a human in the loop, a network of sensor systems, both the ones that we built and fielded, and legacy systems that we integrated into Lattice. … It is able to autonomously identify, classify, detect and track multiple cruise missiles.” (Source: Defense News)
19 Oct 20. UK government agency approves anti-drone system developed by Advanced Protection Systems. Advanced Protection Systems (APS) reports approval of its SKYctrl anti-drone system by the British government organization the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). The agency took the APS SKYctrl anti-drone system to its training ground to complete the approval process. CPNI provides security consultancy to businesses and organizations in the critical national infrastructure sector.
For more information visit: www.apsystems.tech (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
13 Oct 20. Dedrone introduces new radio sensor to protect critical infrastructure. Counter drone specialist Dedrone has announced the launch of a new radio sensor for drone detection. In connection with Dedrone’s DroneTracker software, the RF-360 detects, classifies and localizes unwanted or malicious drones and their remote controls on the basis of their radio signals at great distances and in areas with high radio traffic, for example in cities or at airports. The successor to the RF-300 automatically connects to the Internet and is quick and easy to install.
“Dedrone continues to innovate and meet the airspace security needs at the world’s most critical operations, including utilities, correctional facilities, government and defense operations,” said AD Devarakonda, CEO of Dedrone. “The RF-360 provides our customers the data they need to protect their operations against unwanted drones. “In the past year, the COVID-19 shutdowns accelerated use-cases for drones, and with more drones in the skies, come more exposed vulnerabilities. With this new sensor, Dedrone customers will continue to maintain complete airspace domain and manage their drone risk.”
New features of Dedrone’s RF-360 include:
- Detection range of up to 5 km: Additional range provides additional reaction time for security teams to deploy security measures and prevent losses from a drone incursion. Locating the drone is key for rapid response. For areas with larger footprints, such as airports, utilities, smart cities and corporate campuses, Dedrone’s sensor provides expanded coverage with fewer sensors installed across the protected area.
- Enhanced performance in RF-noisy environments: In urban environments or at airports, radio signals come from cell towers, microwave antennas, or radar systems. The RF-360 filters this “noise” to reliably and quickly detect specific drone communication signals. It can also be used on vehicles, next to high powered radar systems.
- Simple setup and installation for fixed and mobile deployments: The RF-360 has integrated LTE and GPS. Once activated, Dedrone’s RF-360 sensor automatically connects to the Dedrone Cloud and immediately begins assessing airspace activity. Whether installed at a fixed or temporary site, Dedrone’s new sensor easily integrates into existing security command centers and provides additional layers of airspace data. No integration in the local IT infrastructure is necessary – only power is needed.
For more information visit:
www.dedrone.com
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
13 Oct 20. Ascent Vision tests counter UAS solutions at Camp Grafton Training Centre. Ascent Vision Technologies tested its counter Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) at Camp Grafton Training Center, Near Devils Lake, N.D, on 23 September 2020. The exercise was part of the training centre’s summer programme which private industry to access the post’s assets and use spare capacity.
According to the US Army National Guard, Ascent Vision Technologies (AVT) has used CGTC several times over the last few years. Based in Montana, AVT needs large area to test, refine, and demonstrate their counter UAS (unmanned aerial systems) systems. Camp Grafton South provides the land and airspace needed to accomplish training goals.
For more information visit:
www.dedrone.com
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
19 Oct 20. US Air Force selects A-Tech’s LOCUST counter UAS capability for prototype development. The US Air Force has selected the LOCUST counter Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) solution supplied by A-Tech Corporation, doing business as Applied Technology Associates (ATA), in a prototype development award worth USD17.6 million.
According to ATA, the purpose of the agreement is to obtain a ground-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) prototype for the purpose of fixed-site Air Force Air Base Air Defense against Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerospace system (UAS) threats. The Directed Energy Counter-UAS prototype project involves the development, assembly, and ultimately test of a prototype DEW in an operationally relevant environment.
This prototype effort will be divided into two phases, with Phase 2 being an option. Phase 1 consists of prototype design, assembly, and contractor test. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by September 10, 2021.
Larry Lloyd, ATA’s Vice President for Business Development. “We look forward to building upon our LOCUST counter-UAS product portfolio with this key prototype project.”
This award is the result of a competition under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Consortium Initiative umbrella agreement FA8604-19-9-4050. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8604-19- 9-4050).
For more information visit:
www.atacorp.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
19 Oct 20. Thales launches the world’s first fixed-panel friend-foe identification system for the French Navy’s future frigates.
- Identifying air targets after they have been detected is crucially important in the theatre of operations. To meet this need of the Forces, Thales is unveiling the TSA6000, the latest addition to its family of IFF (identification friend or foe) interrogators.
- The fully digital TSA6000 comprises four fixed antenna panels to provide 360° coverage and unprecedented identification performance.
- Smaller, lighter and more efficient than a rotating antenna system, the interrogator can identify targets extremely quickly and is set to revolutionise IFF identification.
Thales is unveiling the TSA6000, the first IFF interrogator to use flat fixed-array active antenna technology. This new solution, unique in the world, provides 360° coverage around the vessel, with no trade-off in range capabilities, and an unprecedented and extremely fast identification capability.
Naval forces today need to be able to rely on new technology to make the best decisions when it matters most. Thales helps them conduct their missions more safely at every critical moment, building on its air surveillance expertise and in-depth knowledge of operational contexts to develop high-value end-to-end IFF solutions.
Based on a revolutionary all-digital flat fixed-array technology, the TSA6000 IFF identification system provides a smart 360° electronic scanning (or e-scan) capability enabling extremely fast identification of new types of threats.
The four-panel antenna design allows full 360° coverage, overcoming the problem of signal masking caused by a ship’s topside infrastructure, especially if it has multiple masts.
Smaller and lighter, the TSA6000 is much easier for systems integrators to position and install on a vessel compared to IFF systems with rotating array antennas or fixed cylindrical arrays.
The TSA6000’s panels are independent from the radar system for even greater flexibility of installation and maintenance. Its modular, scalable all-digital architecture also simplifies support operations significantly: each panel comprises multiple modules for built-in redundancy and to help ensure the system is permanently available. In addition, the system has no mechanical or rotating parts, considerably increasing reliability and reducing time to repair.
The TSA6000 is compliant with Mode 5, the new NATO secure identification standard. With this new product, Thales offers an ultra high-performance identification capability with guaranteed interoperability between NATO and allied forces for the decades ahead.
The TSA6000 will equip the French Navy’s future FDI-class frigates from 2021 alongside the Sea Fire radar from Thales, which also has a flat-panel array. The radar / IFF combination will offer a near-instantaneous detection and identification capability against high-velocity threats.
As a global market leader in IFF identification, Thales provides a complete range of IFF solutions to meet the current and future needs of the armed forces. To date, over 20,000 IFF devices from Thales have been installed on 100 different types of land, air and naval platforms in 70 countries.
“The TSA6000 is the latest addition to the Thales family of IFF products and meets the full range of current and future operational requirements. With its unique digital architecture, it is designed to evolve in line with emerging requirements and future threats. We’re proud to be providing state-of-the-art and ever more innovative solutions to ensure the highest levels of protection for the armed forces and help them conduct their operations safely.” Florence Gourgeon, Vice President Radiocommunications, Thales.
16 Oct 20. US Army to Use AI to Defeat Small Drones. The Army’s office for countering small drones sees artificial intelligence and machine learning as key technologies for defeating enemy systems, service officials said Oct. 15.
AI is “critical to what we’re doing in the counter-UAS world,” said Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, director of the Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft System Office and director of fires, G-3/5/7.
Artificial intelligence will reduce the burden on human operators and improve their decision-making, said Col. Marc Pelini, division chief for capabilities and requirements.
The military wants AI-enabled systems that can speed up reaction timelines for thwarting drone attacks, which are seen as a growing threat, he said during a media roundtable at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference, which was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The technology has the potential to reduce false alarms by weeding out non-threats, and identify small unmanned aerial vehicles that might otherwise go undetected, he noted. It can also reduce the complexity of systems, making them more user friendly, Pelini said. The services want a “military specialty-agnostic capability” that a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine can intuitively operate.
The secretary of the Army is designated as the Defense Department’s executive agent for counter-small unmanned aerial systems, which includes platforms in UAS Groups 1 through 3. Systems in those groups — which are smaller and have less endurance than larger drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper — include platforms such as the DJI Phantom 3, the DJI S1000 and the Forpost system.
The Army office for countering small drones will be putting out a new strategy, Gainey said. Operational requirements have already been approved by the Joint Staff. The strategy is currently in draft form but should be delivered to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper “relatively soon,” he added.
The organization, alongside the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, is also getting ready to host a virtual industry event Oct. 30 to discuss the technology with companies, Gainey said.
According to an Army statement, the event will “provide information regarding emerging requirements, address the multitude of … challenges, and encourage competition and efficiencies in future technology development and procurement activities.”
It will be open to all vendors and will cover strategy, training, current capabilities and operational capability requirements, according to the service. It will also outline future acquisition approaches, “on-ramp” opportunities and plans for standardized test protocols.
The office recently conducted an assessment of fielded counter-UAS capabilities to determine which systems the military should continue to invest in, Gainey said. Criteria included effectiveness, usability, sustainment and integration.
The results were released at the end of June and included a number of platforms. In the “fixed/semi-fixed systems” category, the office selected the fixed site-low, slow, small unmanned aircraft system integrated defeat system, or FS-LIDS; the negation of improvised non-state joint aerial-threats, or NINJA; and the counter-remote control model aircraft integrated air defense network, or CORIAN.
The “mounted/mobile system” category included the light-mobile air defense integrated system, or L-MADIS.
The “dismounted/handheld systems” category included Bal Chatri, Drone Buster and Smart Shooter.
Finally, the “command-and-control” category included the forward area air defense command-and-control, or FAAD-C2, platform as well as interoperable systems, such as the air defense system integrator, or ADSI. It will also include the multi-environmental domain unmanned systems application command-and-control, or MEDUSA C2, once it becomes interoperable with FAAD-C2, according to the Army.
“With that assessment now complete, the department will continue to work with industry to bring these interim systems to full maturity or to eventually replace them with follow-on, enduring systems,” Gainey said. “This is probably where most of our effort is going right now, engaging with industry as we look at what’s next for these systems [and] balancing our core requirements.”
Meanwhile, the office is working with partner organizations such as the Defense Digital Service and the Defense Information Systems Agency to mitigate cyber vulnerabilities within its counter-drone systems, Pelini said. It also wants to use AI to exploit potential vulnerabilities adversaries have in their systems via spoofing and other methods, he added. (Source: glstrade.com/National Defense)
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