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20 Jul 18. Russia’s ZALA AERO Tests LIDAR on UAS. ZALA AERO successfully tested BVS complex using airborne laser scanning technology (LIDAR). Target load of the aircraft – the modern laser scanner from leading manufacturers. This is the first domestic unmanned system using a laser scanner. The technology consists in determining the coordinates of the plurality of surface points (including – relief under trees) by a laser scanner installed on board the unmanned aircraft. The measurement accuracy provided GNSS Positioning System (survey-grade accuracy) and inertial navigation system. The unique feature of ZALA AERO unmanned system for an air scan is unsurpassed precision measurement of dimensions of objects – up to 1 cm in horizontal and vertical. To date, in addition to laser scanning, no other remote sensing method allows both the visible surface of the earth (eg, plants, power lines) and the true surface topography. In addition, laser scanning allows to solve problems at night and in conditions of low visibility. These airborne laser scanning is used to create three-dimensional terrain models, orthophoto, virtual models of cities, allows control of the engineering work, determine the level of sagging wires for monitoring power lines, examine the state of the railways and other infrastructure. (Source: UAS VISION)
19 Jul 18. Special mission aircraft, KC-390 ‘main focus’ for Embraer in Boeing tie-up. In the wake of a major tie-up between Boeing and Embraer, the Brazilian company is looking to grow two areas: its special mission aircraft and the KC-390 transport, with an agreement to be finalized on the latter by the end of the year. In an interview while at the Farnborough International Airshow, Jackson Schneider, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, told Defense News he is “pretty much focused on” those two areas as cooperative programs with the American defense giant.
“These two ones in the beginning, other ones can come, but these are our main focus,” Schneider said, adding that there have been no discussions about working together on unmanned systems, a technology both companies produce.
The KC-390 is the “most important” project for Embraer, he said. The plane is to be inducted into the Brazilian military later this year, marking the first time the platform will become used in active operations. Embraer’s hope for years has been that once the plane is in use, other countries will see it as a proven asset and begin investing. But having Boeing’s marketing arm behind the system opens up opportunities that may otherwise have been closed, with Schneider acknowledging “the Boeing presence in the market is very complementary of what we have. It will enlarge significantly our opportunities in terms of sales.”
Analysts have questioned if Boeing will seek equity in the KC-390, where the two companies would divide the costs and the profits of each plane sold. Schneider said no decision on such an arrangement have been made. Major discussions on the KC-390 tie-up will begin next week, he added, with the goal of having things finalized before the end of the year. Earlier in the week, Greg Smith, Boeing’s chief financial officer and executive vice president for enterprise performance and strategy, told reporters the company is still “working through final details of” the agreement but did not rule out a financial stake in each plane. Smith also noted that the two companies are going to partner together to “sell that aircraft globally,” perhaps a sign the KC-390 agreement will be more robust than just marketing.
Special mission aircraft
One of the few gaps in Boeing’s portfolio has been the lack of small business-jet solutions for airspace management missions, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. That was evident in recent competitions, such as the U.S. JSTARS battle, where competitors all offered smaller jet bodies and Boeing would offer larger passenger-jet sized alternatives. In contrast, Embraer has for several years marketed its ERJ145 aircraft for ISR or airborne early warning and control missions. And that experience creates the second leg in Schenider’s Boeing team-up plan.
“I think that we have very interesting applications in terms of business jets, very creative,” he said. “We have already had some solutions that could go to market for training, for medical evacuation, for airport inspections, but there are many other opportunities, alternatives that we can explore together, also in this joint venture.”
Schneider said discussions with Boeing on a special mission aircraft are behind in comparison to the KC-390. Asked how quickly he believed something could get done and a system brought to market, Schneider was realistic.
“To define the possibility is quick. To develop, to introduce it to market, depends on what you are talking with the potential clients. Also, the design of the solution can be more or less sophisticated, [impacting] time frame to market solution and price,” he said. (Source: Defense News)
18 Jul 18. Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today announced the GWX™ 75, a new addition to its suite of weather radars. Intended for a wide range of aircraft, the Doppler-based, solid-state GWX 75 incorporates exceptional range and a new, enhanced color palette that features more color contouring than traditional weather radar on the market. A helicopter version of the weather radar, the GWX 75H, is also available. Optional features such as turbulence detection and ground clutter suppression are also available with the GWX 75.
“We are thrilled to continue to broaden our suite of weather radar solutions that meet the needs of thousands of aircraft operators throughout the world,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “With improved features, a lower cost of ownership and easy upgrade path, the GWX 75 is a simple and straightforward weather radar solution that increases situational awareness to aid in navigation around severe weather.”
The GWX 75 provides pilots with a source of on-board weather information to assist in the analysis of convective weather threats, which aids in situational awareness and helps reduce aircraft operational costs. Pilots can tailor a unique weather picture on each individual display in the cockpit, offering superior customization. A high-definition color palette also helps pilots more easily interpret the severity of an individual storm cell or multiple storm cells in an area, which can incorporate four-times more color contouring than typically displayed by other weather radars on the market. Boasting a solid-state design, the GWX 75 offers reduced power consumption and extended life compared to earlier generation, magnetron-based weather radars. The GWX 75 offers a range of 320 nautical miles, horizontal scan angles of up to 120 degrees and to focus on an area of interest, pilot-adjustable sector scanning. The GWX 75 also retains vertical scan capabilities, which allows the pilot to focus on storm tops, gradients and storm cell build-up at various altitudes. Utilizing the GWX 75, pilots can more confidently navigate around challenging weather with optional features such as Doppler-enabled turbulence detection and ground clutter suppression. Turbulence detection identifies turbulence in air containing certain particulates, such as precipitation, while ground clutter suppression allows the GWX 75 to separate radar ground returns and remove them from the display. Additionally, Garmin’s exclusive WATCH® (Weather Attenuated Color Highlight) helps to identify shadowing effects of short-range cell activity and highlights areas where radar returns are weakened or attenuated by intense precipitation to allow for more precise weather interpretation.
Additionally, Garmin is launching a new Weather Radar Operations eLearning course, which is available immediately via the flyGarmin®website. This course helps pilots get the most out of a Garmin weather radar by discussing a variety of topics and reviewing operational techniques, such as tilt and range management, weather radar display interpretation, as well as automation and task management. An interactive session also allows pilots to manipulate the controls of the weather radar as various features and settings are reviewed within the PC-based course. This course is available for $149 and comes with a two-year subscription. The GWX 75 is designed as a direct replacement for the GWX 70 or as a new installation in a wide variety of aircraft and is compatible with select Garmin integrated flight decks, the GTN™ 650/750 series touchscreen navigators, the TXi series and G500/G600 flight displays. Customers can later upgrade from the GWX 75 to the GWX 80 weather radar with ease. Garmin has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification for the GWX 75 and GWX 75H weather radars, which are expected to be available in August starting at a suggested retail price of $21,995 and $31,995 respectively. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
18 Jul 18. Leonardo-Ultra Electronics team has a pitch for Britain’s future fleet of Protector drones. A new tie-up between Leonardo and Ultra Electronics that will facilitate the integration of the latter’s mini-sonobuoy system on UAVs could fulfill Britain’s effort to include this capability onboard its future fleet of Protector drones. The aircraft is being delivered without the anti-submarine warfare capability, something that will be covered by the delivery of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the Royal Air Force. But manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has called on the government to supplement this manned capability with an unmanned ASW-capable system. Giving evidence to inform the Modernised Defence Programme that the U.K. is set to release in the coming week, GA-ASI said in April the government should feel like it can rely on the Protector fleet, specifically in a maritime role supporting the P-8.
“Turning to the maritime role, the committee’s earlier flexible response report highlighted ‘critical capability gaps,’ where ‘the provision of maritime patrol’ was of ‘paramount’ importance,” the evidence said. “While the inclusion in [Strategic Defence and Security Review] 2015 of provision for nine P-8A maritime patrol aircraft goes some way towards ameliorating this deficiency, the various demands on the Poseidon platform are likely considerably to exceed its capacity to deliver.”
Leonardo and Ultra have teamed to offer the former’s Ultra Light Sonics Enhanced System with the latter’s mini-sonobuoy system — as well as a dipping sonar capability from L3 Technologies. Northrop Grumman previously touted its MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance UAV as a system that could help bolster the maritime surveillance capability of the U.K., marketing the complementary manned-unmanned teaming, or MUM-T, of the unmanned aircraft with the P-8 in line with how the U.S. and Australia either are or plan to operate their respective aircraft.
“Given that Triton is an order of magnitude costlier than Protector, a more cost-effective way for the RAF to capitalise on its P-8A and Protector acquisitions would be to team these two platforms, leveraging the latter’s maritime potential and developing a P-8A/Protector MUM-T capability,” GA-ASI’s evidence said. “Not only would such an approach exploit to better effect Protector’s flexibility and multi-role capability, it would also reduce the demand on scarce MPA assets and effectively extend P-8A service life.”
Ultra’s mini-sonobuoy system — a larger version of which comes as a baseline capability on the P-8 — is some 18 months away from being fully developed and will be manufactured in the U.K. The system is already used on the Royal Navy’s Merlin rotorcraft fleet, which will be operated from its new carriers. Sovereignty in the design of Protector is an important feature for the U.K. government, which is electing to acquire British-made weaponry in the form of the Raytheon UK-developed Paveway IV laser-guided bomb and MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-ground missile. Ultra previously paired with GA-ASI to offer a sonobuoy launch capability for its MQ-9 system, which is the baseline aircraft that from which Protector’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV will be derived. GA-ASI claimed in 2015 that a maritime capability on the drone could complement what was at that point an unfulfilled maritime patrol aircraft requirement for the RAF, which ultimately selected the P-8. It was then revealed in 2017 that Ultra was involved in an ASW demonstration of the MQ-9, which was conducted in October of that year. The U.K.’s Strategic Defence and Security Review stated that the Protector fleet would see the incumbent fleet of MQ-9 Reapers at least doubled, although it has been claimed that only 16 will initially be acquired. GA-ASI has told the government additional Protector systems could be used in this ASW role, adding that “the case for more maritime-capable Protectors would be strengthened considerably should all nine P-8As envisaged in SDSR 2015 prove unaffordable.” The Leonardo-Ultra team is also targeting the MQ-8C Fire Scout rotary-wing UAV program for its sonobuoy system, claiming that the appetite is there to integrate it onto the air vehicle, but funding will have to be applied to push this aim further. The company told Defense News that 50 could be integrated onto the Fire Scout and that international customers, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region, are interested in operating an ASW capability onboard a UAV to complement maritime patrol aircraft acquisitions. (Source: Defense News)
16 Jul 18. Cyient has successfully developed a low-cost, X–Band, single-channel Transmit and Receive Module based on hybrid Printed Circuit Board technology using packaged devices. The TRM is part of Cyient’s New Business Accelerator (NBA) program that fosters internal innovation through R&D. Cyient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, and operations management services to global industry leaders, will be showcasing their market leading Radio Frequency (RF) capabilities at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow. The newly developed TRM was unveiled at the company’s VIP chalet (A21) on Monday, July 16. This technology enhances both Cyient’s RF design capabilities and their design-led-manufacturing. The Cyient TRM was developed using non-export controlled components and can be seamlessly applied to multiple radar systems including, ground surveillance, border surveillance, air defense, and airborne fighter radar. The technology can also be easily adapted to multiple configurations such as tile architecture and quad-TRM.
Cyient’s VP for Avionics, Kaushal Jadia, states, “The Cyient Transmit and Receive Module offers a significant value proposition for the global radar market. Cost is often a limiting factor when adopting new sophisticated radar platforms. The Cyient TRM offers a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) design that eases production processes, increases performance, and lowers costs by more than 30%.”
Anand Parameswaran, Senior Vice President, Aerospace and Defense at Cyient, commented, “Cyient is continuing to invest in research and development through our NBA program and the TRM is just one of the many ground breaking technologies that we plan to launch. Our design-led-manufacturing solutions are transforming the A&D product development lifecycle, creating a competitive advantage for our customers.”
The New Business Accelerator
The Cyient NBA program is an in-house investment vehicle created as part of the company’s goal to provide end-to-end solutions to their clients. The NBA’s objective is to identify the most critical industry challenges and develop innovative solutions that help clients compete and succeed in their respective markets. The NBA initiative also fosters a business model that promotes global engineering collaboration and accelerates growth across the A&D industry. Cyient is among the elite in innovation and the NBA will provide a platform for new solutions to be delivered to the industry.
18 Jul 18. Elettronica Group and Indra, in the context of the Farnborough Airshow, have presented their collaboration in the development of a next generation Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) based Direct Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system suitable to protect rotary and fixed wing aircrafts. Elettronica and Indra decision has been based on the high level of the respective know-how technological capabilities synergy with the goal to build up an innovative DIRCM system, with proprietary technologies from several EU countries, to deliver a truly European self-protection solution fully ITAR-free to facilitate international commercialization. The system, the first to be fully developed in Europe and one of the most advanced in the market, has been dubbed EuroDIRQM, to reflect its European roots and its application of QCL technology for DIRCM purposes. The two companies have already completed the development of a first EuroDIRQM prototype system, with QCL operational ground tests successfully performed in March, with the kind cooperation of the Italian Air Force. The EuroDIRQM is conceived as “all-in-one” equipment usable for multi-platform and multi-mission that will provide self-protection capabilities to all kind of aircrafts, from helicopters to transport/tanker to jet aircraft. Quantum cascade is the latest development in laser technology, and represents a step forward from conventional semiconductor lasers. QCL energy is generated directly in the band of interest, optimizing power consumption at the same time as output beam. This is a cutting-edge technology that is currently being introduced for next-gen systems in all fields. The EuroDIRQM solution will bring together about 30 years of combined experience in the DIRCM field by the two companies and the collaboration will benefit from their long term cooperation in other international successful programs. During previous programs, Indra and Elettronica have successfully applied their DIRCM capabilities to different platforms and scenarios. The new QCL technology will expand Indra DIRCM capabilities, already consolidated with the InShield DIRCM system, contracted by OCCAR for the A400M ES fleet and operationally demonstrated in a CH47 Chinook in 2017. In the same way, Elettronica DIRCM portfolio, with the ELT/572 DIRCM, contracted by Italian Air Force and operative on-board of its C-130J aircraft, AW101 helicopters in Combat Search And Rescue configuration as well as operationally demonstrated in a C27J in 2016, will also be enlarged with this QCL based solution. DIRCM systems are self-protection airborne solutions to protect aircrafts from the impact of heat-seeking missiles, and are specially required for protection against MANPADS missile attacks. The operative concept is based on the detection of the incoming threat during the missile launch and the countermeasure of the missile guidance using a directed laser beam that deviates the trajectory of the missile. All the process is quick and automatic, and the system can react against attacks of any IR seeker with a jamming sequence that ensures successful countermeasure. MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defence Systems) are surface to air missiles, guided towards the heat generated by the aircraft, and can be easily managed by one single operator. These devices are the main cause for military aircraft losses in conflict scenarios. MANPADS pose an international threat and a global concern due to their proliferation and their use by terrorist and uncontrolled groups.
18 Jul 18. Coda to transition US Navy’s DAVD-HUD prototype to operational system. Coda Octopus Group has entered a US Navy Cooperative Research Development Agreement (CRADA) regarding the real-time divers augmented vision display-head up display system (DAVD-HUD).
The deal with the US Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) will see the company transition the DAVD-HUD prototype into a complete ready-for-operational-use solution.
The prototype DAVD-HUD is integrated with Coda’ real-time 3D visualisation software and has been successfully trialled and evaluated by both divers and astronauts.
Coda Octopus Group chairman and CEO Annmarie Gayle said: “I am very excited and pleased that we have been given this significant opportunity to take forward the initial vision of the DAVD-HUD into a real-time, real-world application that will greatly advance defence and military applications.
“This is a significant development for Coda Octopus as it positions the company to roll out its unique real-time 3D capabilities, both hardware and software, across the navy, a very important group of users.”
The company will collaborate with NSWC PCD under the latest CRADA in order to transition the existing prototype into a first-generation operational system, which is expected to be put into production no later than one year from the date of the agreement.
Coda will then receive an exclusive invention licensing agreement to develop and deliver the complete software and hardware system to the US Navy and the wider military community.
The US Government has also provided the company with funding for the development of 3D visualisation software to be used in collaboration with the DAVD prototype, which was previously using 2D imaging sonar data.
The scope of project involves the development of the second, third and fourth generations of the complete DAVD-HUD, including the helmet with all electronics included, in addition to the real-time 3D sonar and visualisation software. (Source: naval-technology.com)
17 Jul 18. Leonardo forms partnerships with Ultra CSS and L3 Technologies to offer complete next-gen acoustic sensor system for anti-submarine warfare.
- •Leonardo has formed separate partnerships with L3 Technologies, relating to the company’s advanced low-frequency HELRAS dipping sonar technology and next generation mid-frequency, lightweight Firefly dipping sonars, and with Ultra Electronics Command & Sonar Systems, for its advanced sonobuoy sensors
- •The company will now be able to offer a complete acoustic system based on its new ULISSES processor, integrated with sonobuoys and/or dipping sonar depending on customer requirements, and able to deliver multistatic capability
- •This partnered approach will see Leonardo able to offer a new market-leading system to international customers, helping the Company meet its objective for long-term sustainable growth as laid out in the 2018-2022 Industrial Plan Leonardo has entered partnerships with L3 Technologies and Ultra Electronics Command & Sonar Systems (“Ultra”) in order to offer a complete Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) acoustic system based on Leonardo’s new lightweight ULISSES (Ultra-LIght SonicS Enhanced
System) processor. Leonardo will offer an integrated system comprising ULISSES and either a dipping sonar provided by L3 or sonobuoys provided by Ultra, or a combination of both. The integrated system will be trialed for the first time later this year with the complete system available for deliveries in 2020. Leonardo has a track record in ASW technology, originally providing the OTS-90 acoustic system for Italian and Dutch NH90 Naval Frigate Helicopters. The Company has taken the experience gained from this work and used it to develop the new ULISSES processor, packing enhanced functionality into a much smaller unit weighing just 6.5kg. Combined with market-leading sonobuoys from Ultra and advanced HELRAS and Firefly dipping sonars from L3, Leonardo is now able to offer a highly competitive integrated acoustic system to a range of international users. A reduction in system weight compared to legacy systems means that ULISSES can be fitted on-board even very small unmanned platforms such as the Company’s own SD-150 Hero rotary-wing aircraft. Notably, the new system is able to deliver multistatic functionality, where the processor collects data from multiple sonobuoys and combines the information to develop an in-depth picture of the under-sea environment, including detailed location data of any potentially threatening vessels. Multistatic functionality invented and developed by Ultra is embedded in the ULISSES sonobuoy processor. Currently, Ultra is the only company to provide miniaturized sonobuoys fitted for multistatic operation which are suitable for small UAV applications and Leonardo will be the first company to offer a system which makes use of them. The ULISSES system can also use the very-low-frequency L3 HELRAS dipping sonar as an active source, improving its multistatic performance and delivering the best possible
17 Jul 18. L3 WESCAM Opens Authorized Service Center in Madrid, Spain. L3 WESCAM announced today that it has signed an agreement with European Optronics Services S.L. (EOS) to open a WESCAM Authorized Service Center (WASC) in Madrid, Spain. The 1,744-square-foot facility will maintain L3’s MXTM-Series of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging turrets operated by customers located across Spain, Portugal and Algeria. The center is expected to be operational early 2019. The EOS facility will be equipped with the tooling required for optical alignment and other equipment necessary to ensure MX systems can be maintained in-region at an advanced service level. With a dedicated team assembled and trained to support MX systems operating across the air, land and maritime domains, customers will see an increase in operational availability and shorter turnaround times.
“We are proud to deliver a stronger, globally diverse in-service support network for our customers,” said Rod Till, Vice President of Customer Service for L3 WESCAM. “By working with innovative companies like EOS that are located in strategic regions, we will continue to grow our in-service support structure and see an immediate increase in customer satisfaction.”
Deployed in close proximity to L3’s customers, other strategically located facilities can be found throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Spain, Germany, Jordan, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. Additionally, L3 is preparing to open more WASCs later this year in the Asia region. Providing service and support where and when they are needed, L3’s global in-service support facilities also incorporate remote diagnostic testing of fielded operational systems; service representatives available for dispatch 24/7 from any WASC; eLearning; and classroom, in-flight and in-vehicle training, in addition to mission simulation and mission rehearsal training. (Source: ASD Network)
17 Jul 18. US Army, Navy Buy Raytheon’s Coyote Drone Weapon. The US Army, witnessing the expanding use of commercial and light miltiary drones around the world, has bought Raytheon’s tube-launched Coyote drone to find, target and destroy them. The contract includes Raytheon’s KRFS radar. The Army is deploying the system. The company would not say how large the contract is, but it’s believed to be less than $100m. The Army issued a Joint Urgent Operational Needs (JUON), clearing the way for the contract announcement.
“Enemy unmanned aircraft are among the biggest threats facing our ground troops today,” Thomas Bussing, a Raytheon vice president said in a statement. “Our small, expendable Coyote provides the Army with an affordable and highly effective solution for countering the growing UAS threat.”
Coyote uses a proximity warhead to destroy an enemy drone. They demonstrated their effectiveness recently at Yuma Proving Ground, destroying 11 drones. They can be flown in swarms, where say 10 would be equipped with ISR sensors to find the target, 10 with laser designators to fix the target and 10 with warheads to destroy them. The Navy also is buying some Coyotes, Bussing said, but it is not being deployed. The Navy is using them to test. Presumably, this is through the JUON.
Raytheon plans to boost Coyote’s capabilities, equipping them with jet engines. This will allow them to attack larger and faster drones. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense)
18 Jul 18. White House wants expanded counter-drone powers. If the White House gets its way, open season for robots in the skies could follow. On July 17, the Office of the Press Secretary released a statement in support of the “Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018.” The bill, which has also been promoted by the Department of Homeland Security, would grant broad powers to law enforcement to take action against drones flying within the domestic United States. The release is couched in terms of protecting the safety of the sky for legitimate drone users, ensuring the success of the commercial drone sector while maintaining protections for privacy and civil liberties, but the meat of it is about the dangers of drones, and how to stop them.
“Achieving that goal requires the development of a legal framework that protects the public from nefarious uses of this technology,” says the Office of the Press Secretary, “such as facilitating terrorist attacks, conducting espionage, or facilitating other criminal activities such as illicit surveillance, interfering with the safe operation of aircraft, interfering with law enforcement operations, delivering contraband inside prisons, or smuggling drugs or other harmful materials across our Nation’s borders.”
While drones have been used abroad for terrorist attacks (and as a tool of insurgent militaries), to date no domestic terrorist within the United States has attempted terrorism by drone. Interference with law enforcement is a more provable concern, as the FBI claims a drone swarm interfered with a hostage rescue operation. Drones delivering contraband into prisons is also a known and observed phenomenon, and drones have carried illicit goods across borders. And perhaps most prominently, drones flown over or near wildfires have caused halts to firefighting efforts, lest the human-carrying vehicles be endangered by the small robots. In addition, the Army is undertaking a substantial counterdrone effort. To meet that threat, to whatever degree it is a pressing concern that needs a response, the proposed bill would authorize a range of responses for government and law enforcement (and likely military bases as well), start with identifying and tracking drones as they fly, and working its way through significantly more aggressive countermeasures up to and including the use of force against drones. Citing a lack of current procedure, guidance, and authority for the federal government to stop drones, the release argues this bill provides “a tailored grant of authority within a framework that provides effective oversight, protects privacy and civil liberties.”
There are privacy protections written into the bill, nestled after a short line that would allow Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to seize a drone under the rules governing forfeiture. The bill would require twice yearly reports to Congress from the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, together with the secretary of transportation, to disclose what drone mitigation efforts have taken place, and what tools were used for mitigation. It’s an earnest effort, but given the way drone mitigation is already tied by the administration into flashy threats like terrorism and cross-border smuggling, it’s also not hard to imagine the federal government using the new powers granted to it by this bill, and resisting transparency in the name of national security. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
17 Jul 18. BATTLESPACE meets SteelRock Technologies at Farnborough. Disruptive UK defence and technology company, SteelRock Technologies, launched a modular, fixed Counter-UAS system for major commercial markets with technology partner Silent Sentinel. SteelRock Technologies (an innovative UK-based defence and technology company) launched ODIN, a modular, commercial counter-UAS system, designed in collaboration with technology partners Silent Sentinel, at Farnborough International Airshow today. Another system on show, ODIN is the world’s most advanced counter-UAS system, allowing users to detect, track and control hostile UAVs safely. SteelRock Technologies’ Night Fighter effector delivers next-generation range, safety and user control options in a fully modular and interoperable system. Allied to Silent Sentinel’s advanced pan and tilt system and sophisticated electro optical array, ODIN allows users to detect and track UAV threats up to 3kms and then control them with the Night Fighter’s advanced control options: Hover, Land, Return Home. Headquartered in the heart of London’s West End and with R&D and Manufacturing and Testing facilities in South Wales, SteelRock Technologies is dedicated to fulfilling its UK-based and international clients’ expectations. SteelRock Technologies provides unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and counter-UAV products as well as solutions primarily designed for government and military clients.
Unique business model offers:
- Counter-UAV detection, threat mitigation and elimination
- UAV platform sale and development, with primary focus on smaller rotary and fixed-wing platforms
- Software development including bespoke flight systems and end to end encryption
- Sensor/payload development
- Aerial platform integration for a diverse range of governmental & commercial applications
- Data capture and analysis
Pioneering UK Company, SteelRock UAV, introduced the world’s safest counter-UAV system to the global aerospace, defence and security markets in 2017 at the Dubai Airshow. The increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in both military and civilian areas is posing a significant challenge to police, security and military organisations around the world. Many solutions have been designed to help combat this new threat, from Radio Frequency (RF) technologies to physical interceptors. While RF technologies can be used to great effect to disable UAVs, the safety implications of using powerful RF technology, particularly in built-up civilian areas, are serious but rarely talked about. For SteelRock UAV, the safety of both the counter-UAV system operator and the surrounding human environment have always been a key concern. To address this serious RF technology safety issue, SteelRock UAV has created the NightFighter Counter-UAV System – a highly focused, directional antenna system, for use in military and civil protection applications that can override, repel, capture and/or take-down UAVs. Having analysed the problems posed by existing counter-UAV technology, the NightFighter was designed and manufactured to maximise the safety of the system’s operator, as well as the immediate infrastructure and surroundings. If not directed properly, items such as hospital health monitoring systems, security and police communications, telecoms infrastructure (mobile phone masts) vehicle navigation systems and life-saving medical devices (such as pace-makers), which all rely on RF, can be materially affected by Counter-UAV RF devices. The NightFighter has been carefully developed to avoid any levels of interference with such critical national infrastructure, while still delivering precisely and safely on specific targets. By using a highly directional antenna, the NightFighter minimises the surrounding environment’s exposure to RF and, as importantly, shields the operator from the dangerous RF exposure levels that are experienced with other Counter-UAV RF systems. The NightFighter has undergone rigorous safety and Radiation Hazard testing to ensure that all the steps taken have created the safest Counter-UAV system on the market. Not only has the NightFighter passed all these tests, but in a recent controlled UAV ‘take-down’ at range, the RF exposure to the operator was measured at 10 per cent of the permitted EU limits – far exceeding design safety expectations.
17 Jul 18. BATTLESPACE also met up with Silent Sentinel, a key partner for SteelRock on the Stand at Farnborough. Silent Sentinel was established in 2002 to design, manufacture and supply advanced, market-leading surveillance and security systems. Silent Sentinel prides itself on the quality and innovation of its products and its high standards of service and customer care. Silent Sentinel is committed to developing products that are technologically advanced at a competitive price. As a company we are flexible and happy to work with our customers on a branded or OEM basis. The team has more than 25 years’ experience in the production of CCTV and ancillary equipment. For the past seven years Silent Sentinel has been manufacturing in the UK high quality 360ocontinuous rotation PTZ positioning systems and numerous specialist bespoke builds as an OEM supplier to a number of international brands. Silent Sentinel has more than 10,000 units already in the market. We are a genuine engineering house, not only manufacturing fantastic great value products but also capable of interpreting exact requirements into built products and much more. Utilising the latest technological advances Silent Sentinel brings affordable thermal imaging technology to commercial surveillance and security applications. All models are designed to operate without ambient light or illumination and will provide excellent image quality in challenging environments. All can be used as a stand-alone security device or to enhance the capability of any video surveillance system. As thermal cameras detect heat and provides high contrast images they offer the best detection device to work with video analytics. Thermal Imaging cameras measure heat and converts it into a visible image which makes it ideal for zero light surveillance, and will operate in all weather conditions, even fog. Thermal Imaging cameras provide a high contrast image which is perfect for Video Analytics and motion detection. Radiometric models will give an alarm output, when a parameter is breached.
Silent Sentinel has a very extensive range of thermal imaging cameras for all applications. When combined with a video camera as in the Oculus, the best features of video and thermal are combined to provide the user with a surveillance device to capture any event. For extra-long range applications to protect any high asset value property, the Silent Sentinel Osiris platform is the best choice for security professionals, as it utilises a broad range of uncooled and cooled thermal cameras available, combined with video and EMCCD with a detection range of up to 20KM.
17 Jul 18. UK Wedgetail order fails to materialise at Farnborough. Key Points:
- Plans to procure a replacement for the RAF’s E-3D Sentry AWACS fleet appear to be in disarray
- A contract for the Boeing Wedgetail system had been rumoured, but this did not emerge at Farnborough
UK government ministers have yet to make a decision on the procurement of a replacement for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Boeing E-3D Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) platforms despite media speculation that a multi-billion pound order would be announced at the Farnborough International Airshow. A senior UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) source told Jane’s on 17 July that an announcement on the E-3D replacement could not be expected in the near future. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
17 Jul 18. Initial UAE GlobalEye delivery likely by end of year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), launch customer for the Saab GlobalEye multi-mission airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform, is likely to receive its first aircraft by the end of this year, company sources have indicated. At the Dubai Airshow in November 2015 the UAE initially ordered two examples of an enhanced version of the GlobalEye known as the Swing Role Surveillance System (SRSS), with a third aircraft subsequently ordered around February 2017. Asked by Jane’s about the UAE delivery schedule at Farnborough on 17 July, Lars Tossman, Head of Airborne Surveillance Systems at Saab, declined to give a specific timeline but noted that “a typical AEW platform delivery from contract signed is 36 months”. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
17 Jul 18. From the Spider to the Grifo, Leonardo launches radar and comms systems. Leonardo announced a host of new defense systems, including a communications intelligence system and a radar array. The Italian contractor unveiled the new offerings at the 2018 Farnborough Air Show in the U.K. The ‘Spider’ communications intelligence system promises to “detect, intercept, identify and geo-locate complex target communications” in real time, according to the company. The array, designed to fit on drones or manned aircraft, weighs less than 20kg (44 lbs) and fits in a 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5m pod. The Grifo E-Scan system, the latest model of electronically-scanning radars, uses a matrix of hundreds of tiny radar modules to ‘steer’ an electronic beam, rather than the radar physically moving to point a beam at a target. This allows the beam to move quickly and for “the radar to perform multiple tasks simultaneously” according to a company announcement. (Source: Defense News)
16 Jul 18. Minister announces new Australian sonar trial and testing facility. Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has announced an MOU between Thales Australia, the University of Tasmania, Australian Maritime College and AMOG Consulting to establish a state-of-the-art trials and test facility for submarine and surface ship sonar systems. Thales Australia, the University of Tasmania, Australian Maritime College and AMOG Consulting have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to investigate the establishment of the facility in Tasmania The potential locations being investigated for the facility are located in the federal seat of Braddon and will create jobs and develop expertise for the region. Minister Pyne, who witnessed the signing, said this initiative further demonstrates the Turnbull government’s investment in shipbuilding capability and sustainment is a truly national enterprise. Sonar systems are the eyes and ears of the nation’s submarines and ships and are key to giving them the edge they need. It is planned for Thales Australia to use Tasmania’s deep, cold and acoustically quiet lakes for the proposed acoustic testing capability could enable sonar systems, including those currently delivered by Thales to be tested to new levels of accuracy.
“Contributions to Australia’s military capability from our defence industry come from all around the country and are not confined to our big cities. Congratulations to everyone involved in delivering this great opportunity for the region,” Minister Pyne said. (Source: Defence Connect)
17 Jul 18. Saab looks to Europe and Asia for GlobalEye orders. Following the formal roll out of its GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft in February, Saab is targeting Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions for future military and civil orders. Launch customer UAE – has already committed to the purchase of three systems but the Swedish manufacturer is confident new contracts can be signed as the focus on surveillance capabilities across land, air and sea domains intensifies. Lars Tossman, VP/head of airborne surveillance systems at Saab, said that a changing political landscape and geopolitical tensions in Russia and China are adding to international surveillance market growth, the like of which GlobalEye is particularly capable of serving.
“We have quite serious dialogues ongoing both in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas because the interest in surveillance has increased. We have and have had for a while great interest in the GlobalEye because of its range of radar capabilities,’”he said.
Tossman failed to provide a clear indication of whether Saab had consulted with the RAF to offer GlobalEye as a potential option for any AEW&C procurement programme opened up by the MoD. “We would welcome a transparent competition but it’s up to the UK to make a decision. It’s an issue for the government at this stage but we shall see.”
The platform features swing roll capabilities, meaning sensor systems and radars can be used to track items across air, land and sea environments. It also holds EO/IR, system protection, voice communication, SATCOM, data link and ELINT functionality. The systems main surveillance radar Erieye has a tracking range of up to 400km and is used on various platforms across Sweden, the UAE, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Greece and Pakistan. Current GlobalEye programme developments include an opening up of the flight envelope, with mission system rig tests having now been completed. Tossman did not confirm when delivery of the UAE’s three aircraft would take place but said that from contract signature to handover, a period of 36 months – depending on configuration – stands as a typical timeline for orders. (Source: Shephard)
16 Jul 18. It’s time to kill JSTARS. A message to Congress: It’s time to kill the JSTARS. Let’s be clear: What you have in the E?8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System is a system that no longer meets the needs of modern warfare — at least not as effectively as alternatives that can take advantage of the extensive advancements that have happened during the last three decades. One can argue for modernization efforts that act as Band-Aids until a new platform can be operational — which is ultimately one part of the plan put forth by the U.S. Air Force when they first announced plans to scrap the recap. But investing in a new version of the aircraft simply boxes the service into a legacy approach to a segment of warfare that hinges on advanced technologies. Some of this is about preserving jobs in certain congressional districts; it always is — a concept that needs to be identified as the albatross that it is. This is why earmarks got banned. But it’s also a reflection of members of Congress looking too near term. Invest in a new platform now, and restrict the Air Force’s ability to invest in a more advanced platform later. Why would they bother? It would be a huge investment that would be near impossible to rationalize. I’ve written in past editorials that the Pentagon and Congress alike need to let programs die when their time has come. That’s particularly true when advanced technology is a factor, as it is here. At least in the case of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical system, or WIN-T, the Army was cleared to halt the program, knowing funds would be better filtered to capabilities that could deliver a more survivable, mobile and hardened tactical network. Of course, networking technology doesn’t translate to big production lines, so shutting it down is easier for Congress to get behind. JSTARS is more complicated.
And while we’re at it, retire the A-10, too.
Here you have an aircraft — beloved by many — that is ultimately duplicative of capabilities offered by other platforms. It’s not apples to apples. But to spend the money to maintain a platform that is ultimately limited to uncontested skies and that is unsuited for operating against more sophisticated air defenses, is impractical. I realize the situation with the A?10 for Congress is different. As one colleague of mine put it, this is viseral. Congress and Air Force leadership alike have heard directly from war fighters about how their lives were saved by the Warthog. That’s persuasive. But a lot has changed, both in terms of the types of conflicts we are or expect to be involved in, and the capabilities offered by newer aircraft. Funneling dollars to keep in the air a platform that is essentially suited for missions in two countries, which can be accomplished through other platforms, is by definition government waste. It’s time. And for those advocating for aircraft that served the U.S. military well, as both of these aircraft have certainly done, all must remember that the losers from such decisions are obviously the services themselves, forced to allocate funds to keep programs meandering forward. It’s also the programs constantly bumped to the right until the budget environment is such to allow for a new start, with service leaders forced to push even harder year after year to rationalize their existence. And it’s the service members that miss out on capabilities. None of this is to say the military services should decide in isolation the fate of all programs; nor does it mean that financial consideration should not be factored in when deciding the future of an existing or proposed acquisition program that could cost billions of dollars. Should Congress have forced the Navy to buy Super Hornets it never asked for? Hard to say. It may seem rediculous to buy fighters to ensure a production lines keeps humming, but there are overhead costs associated with production restarts that at least offer a rational argument for such a decision. And maintaining programs when the platforms in question could meet requirements with incremental upgrades — think the U-2 and Global Hawk — can be practical as well. But does it make sense that source selection for the JSTARS recap — a program the Air Force clearly wants to scrap — is technically ahead of the still ongoing T-X trainer jet program, which few argue is a priority and has faced one delay after another for 15 years? It does not. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
16 Jul 18. Slovak MoD plans to procure 3D radars. The Slovak Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved plans to procure new 3D radars through government-to-government sales, the MoD announced on 11 July. Between the years 2018 and 2025, the MoD plans to procure a total of 17 3D radars – six 3D medium-range radars, five 3D short-range radars and six 3D very short-range radars for an estimated framework price of $181.1m. Peter Gajdoš, Slovak Minister of Defence, said: ‘We will purchase a total of 17 pieces of 3D radars just as requested and defined by the Slovak armed forces. In this regard, we will invite all governments to enter into negotiations with us so that we can find the most advantageous solution and submit it to the cabinet for approval no later than the end of June 2019.’ The new radars will help protect Slovak airspace on a 24/7 basis. (Source: Shephard)
12 Jul 18. Orbit Integrates 3D Audio into Elbit Systems’ Helmet Mounted Display. Orbit Communications Systems Ltd. (TASE: ORBI) announced today the integration of Orbit’s 3D Audio into Elbit Systems’ Helmet Mounted Display (HMD). Elbit Systems’ HMD, which displays flight data, sensors and 3D location-based information, allows pilots to slave the aircraft’s sensors and missiles simply by looking at the target, and similarly, enable aircraft sensors and other relevant information to be spatially presented. Suitable for both day and night operation, pilots using Elbit Systems’ HMD have a decisive edge in mission effectiveness while enhancing situational awareness, precision, safety and survivability. The integration of Orbit’s 3D Audio into Elbit Systems’ HMD provides directional audio cues to ground and air threats in full correlation to the visual cues on the visor. The combination of audio and visual cues allows pilots to pinpoint a threat more rapidly, in the space surrounding the aircraft, while radio separation improves situational awareness. Eitan Livneh, President & CEO of Orbit, said, “We believe 3D Audio will become a standard feature in cockpits of the future.” (Source: ASD Network)
16 Jul 18. This new counter-drone weapon can take down advanced drone communicators with less power, weight. This new counter-drone weapon can take down advanced drone communicators with less power, weight. Current counter-drone tools often use large-scale blasts of power to take out the radio comms between the drone and the pilot. That requires a lot of battery and can jam or disrupt friendly frequencies. The Drone Killer, made by IXI Technology and displayed at this year’s Warrior East Expo by ADS, Inc., hits both of those gaps and more.
John Lopardo, adjunct director with IXI, explained that the shoulder-fired weapon weighs only 7 pounds, battery included, and has a range of 500 meters. “It’s our line-of-sight solution,” Lopardo said.
Instead of shooting on a broad range of frequencies, the device has a “passive detector” that picks up what frequency the drone is using. Then it uses six distinct circuit boards to disrupt that specific frequency. The method saves power, meaning less battery is needed. It also isolates the jamming to the right range, avoiding disruptions to friendly communication channels. The device also can disable frequency-hopping drone controllers, which wasn’t a capability for past counter-drone devices.
“It’s not a broadband noise jammer,” Lopardo said. “In the older systems you had to send out a large amount of noise and you could interfere with friendly links in your area.”
Once hit, the drone begins to waver and either slowly drift to the ground or return to their controller. Older drones just drop like stones, Lopardo said. The Drone Killer has been tested and confirmed at Camp Pendleton, California; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and at the Muscatatuck Training Center in Indiana, Lopardo said. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
17 Jul 18. Link Microtek develops special high-power 9-way radial combiner for BAE Systems’ radar upgrade programme. Link Microtek, the manufacturer of RF and microwave subsystems and components, has designed and produced a compact high-power 9-way radial combiner specifically for BAE Systems as part of a programme to upgrade customers’ S-band radar transmitters by replacing their magnetrons with multiple solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs). Typically, the SSPAs are individual blades housed within a 19in cabinet, and their outputs need to be combined then fed via waveguide to the radar’s large rotating antenna; it is this function that the special 9-way combiner performs. According to Link Microtek’s managing director, Steve Cranstone, there were several challenges involved in the design of the special combiner: “Firstly, the device had to be able to handle extremely high microwave power and be sufficiently small to fit comfortably at the back of an SSPA cabinet.” In addition to meeting these specifications, there was another crucial consideration. One of the main reasons for upgrading radar transmitters with SSPA technology is to introduce a degree of fault tolerance into the system.
Cranstone again: “Because of this fault-tolerant approach, it was vital for the combiner to be designed in such a way that it continues to perform correctly in the event of one of the SSPAs failing. The particular style of combiner we employed – a radial, resonant-cavity design – is inherently superior at handling such non-optimum conditions and mismatches, but even so, a lot of modelling and simulation work went into the development of the device.”
Another advantage of the resonant-cavity design is its compact size compared with other types of combiner. The 9-way device, with its impressive peak power capability, measures just 194mm in diameter and has a depth of only 58mm, excluding the N-type input connectors and WR284 waveguide output. In terms of microwave performance, the combiner achieves a VSWR of 1.4:1 (maximum), an insertion loss of less than 0.5dB and a peak input power rating of 2.5kW. To complement the combiner, Link Microtek also designed and produced a special 50dB S-band WR284 coupler for monitoring the microwave power at the combiner’s output. Both parts are fabricated from aluminium with a satin black finish. The first radar transmitter to be equipped with SSPAs and Link Microtek’s special 9-way combiner is now in service, and BAE Systems is now offering the upgrade to other customers.
16 Jul 18. Russia announces its first drones equipped with LIDAR. Last week, Russia’s state-owned TASS media reported that Zala, a Russian company under the broader umbrella of the Kalashnikov defense complex, is putting LIDAR on its drones for the first time. These light detection and ranging systems are commonly used to create 3-D models of the world, and LIDAR is an important part of most autonomous vehicle designs. What’s unusual with this announcement is that, while the LIDAR system is going on Russian-made drones, the system itself is unmanned, possibly hinting that the LIDAR is an import.
“If this was Russian, domestic technology, then Zala would have named it — in fact, Russian military and industry are now making a point in specifically stating when certain domestic high-tech is used in new and upgraded systems,” says Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. “The Russian military industry is now in the midst of a massive ‘import-substitution drive,’ with the goal of weaning the domestic industry from its dependence on imported technology.”
Bendett says this isn’t the first time Russia has showcased a technological capability of a drone. The Orlan-10 drones, for example, uses imported parts in its optical components. As for the Zala drones, there are at least eight different models, including both fixed-wing and rotorcraft designs, that could potentially carry this LIDAR, with ranges as short as 9 miles and as long as 90 miles. The announcement at TASS notes that LIDAR on Zala drones will allow for better inspections of infrastructure and terrain, in ways that existing ground-based or manned aircraft technologies cannot provide.
“Russians highlight the key importance of large-scale UAV use as ISR assets in Syria as a key component in their campaign,” says Bendett. Russia’s drones have seen extensive use in Syria in service of the Russian mission there, and one thing learned through extensive use of a technology is the limitations of that technology. “Better situational awareness and quick data collection methods are crucial elements of LIDAR technology — something that Russian forces were behind on until today, with the introduction of LIDAR technology.”
No matter how valuable an asset a certain sensor technology might be, it means little if there isn’t a way to procure and use that technology. Which leads to the curious omission of where Russia is getting that LIDAR if the country’s own defense industry is not producing it.
“Western sanctions were supposed to limit Russian access to certain technologies — but, as this announcement indicates, ‘leading international manufacturer’ is most likely a company based in the United States, Western Europe, Israel or even China,” says Bendett, “Therefore, despite attempts at limiting Russian high-tech access, it appears Moscow still has choices when it comes to certain key technologies, perhaps gaining them via third parties in an attempt to circumvent such sanctions.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
17 Jul 18. The U.S. Army will use Raytheon Company’s (NYSE: RTN) Coyote® unmanned aircraft system and the KRFS radar, which stands for Ku band radio frequency system, to counter the escalating threat of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies above the battlefield. Equipped with an advanced seeker and warhead, the Coyote-enabled system can successfully identify and eliminate threat UAVs when paired with an advanced electronically scanned array KRFS radar, which acquires and accurately tracks all sizes of UAS threats. The most capable UAS in its class, Coyote is small, expendable and tube-launched. It can be deployed from the ground, air or a ship. Coyotes can be flown individually or netted together in swarms, and they are adaptable for a variety of missions including surveillance, electronic warfare and strike.
“Enemy unmanned aircraft are among the biggest threats facing our ground troops today,” said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president. “Our small, expendable Coyote provides the Army with an affordable and highly effective solution for countering the growing UAS threat.”
In addition to Department of Defense missions, the versatile Coyote is also used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for hurricane tracking and modeling. Raytheon is finalizing development of advanced Coyote variants that will fly faster and farther. Because of an urgent operational need, the Army is expected to use Coyote as a counter-UAS solution before the end of the year. The KRFS radar in use today is a multi-mission radar providing rocket, artillery and mortar, sense and warn, and counter-UAS mission capabilities. Its accuracy enables significant UAS mission performance including precision fire control and UAS swarm scenarios at tactically significant distances.
“The warfighter needs a complete mission solution to successfully counter UAS threats,” said Dave Gulla, Raytheon Mission Systems and Sensors vice president. “Our quickly transportable system that tracks low-swarming threats with KRFS and eliminates those threats with Coyote, is a game changer for the U.S. Army.”
Raytheon has delivered 40 KRFS radars to date, with more than 32 deployed by the Army and is upgrading the systems for extending capability and ensuring support of the soldier beyond 2025.
17 Jul 18. Raytheon Company’s (NYSE: RTN) Intelligence, Information and Services business demonstrated its Low-Power Radar‘s ability to provide precision approach guidance to landing aircraft from 15 nautical miles, which is five more than the current capability, to military officials representing the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force in Brooksville, Fla., June 26-28. LPR is a small, one-meter square Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, multi-mission x-band radar ideal for precision approach landings, aviation surveillance, precision weather observations, and small drone detection and tracking.
“This radar is like a Swiss Army Knife; it has broad applications across a lot of missions,” said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon’s Navigation, Weather and Services mission area. “Its extended range expands options for managing multiple fast aircraft on approach.”
LPR’s origin as a weather radar gives it an advanced dual-polarization capability that allows it to discern between heavy rain, hail, snow and sleet. It can also detect non-meteorological echoes from ground clutter, birds, and tornado debris. It does this by transmitting and receiving both horizontal and vertical polarizations, unlike most radars that only transmit and receive radio waves with a single polarization. Because it’s an AESA radar, it offers higher-quality images than conventional radars. Phased-array radars are also cheaper to maintain and offer adaptive beam scanning, which allows the radar to track more targets and interweave between different radar applications.
16 Jul 18. Leonardo marks major success for Osprey AESA radar with over 40 systems sold to eight customers.
- •The Osprey radar has been selected for platforms ranging from the US Navy’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter to the Leonardo AW101 helicopter. It is the only radar of its type currently available to offer full spherical coverage with no moving parts
- •Leonardo is a world leader in AESA surveillance radar, with its products having been selected by 30 countries
- •AESA radar (for both surveillance and fire control) is an area of excellence for Leonardo, as identified in the Company’s 2018-2022 Industrial Plan. Leonardo, exhibited at the 2018 Farnborough Air Show (stand L1), highlighted the success of its Osprey Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar family, announcing that more than 40 Osprey radars have been ordered by eight different customers. Leonardo expects Osprey to continue to rapidly grow its market share as it remains the only radar of its type available to offer full spherical coverage with no moving parts. Osprey is already on-board Norway’s new Leonardo AW101 search and rescue helicopters, which have now started to be delivered, and has also been selected by the US Navy to equip its new MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. The reasons for the success of Osprey include exceptional mission performance and low through life costs due to its innovative AESA design. Osprey builds on the success of the Company’s Seaspray family of AESA surveillance radars which have seen service with many armed forces and civilian agencies around the world, since the first Seaspray was sold in 2005. Like Seaspray, Osprey employs AESA technology, also known as ‘EScan’, technology which Leonardo innovatively applied to Surveillance radars ahead of other radar manufactures. Today, having been sold to 30 countries, Leonardo’s AESA radars set the standard for surveillance radars internationally. AESA technology involves a matrix of hundreds of tiny radar modules being used to ‘steer’ an electronic beam, rather than the radar physically moving to point at a target. This means the beam can be moved around extremely quickly, allowing the radar to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, for example carrying out maritime surveillance while at the same time monitoring weather along an aircraft’s flight path. Leonardo’s radars offer air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities with a variety of advanced modes including the company’s patented small target detection capability.
16 Jul 18. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Raytheon UK have entered into a strategic relationship to manage Shadow and Sentinel capabilities to further improve effectiveness and realise efficiencies. Raytheon has commenced an upgrade programme of the SDSR 2015 confirmed fleet of eight Shadow aircraft, which includes incremental upgrades of the Mk1 and delivery of an initial Mk2 capability in 2019 and full fleet in 2022. Raytheon as Prime Contractor to the MOD for the Shadow Long Term Support solution out to 2030, has completed a competition for the Part 145 and Part M roles and preferred bidders have been selected. A Shadow enterprise, governed by the MOD and delivered by Raytheon as the Lead Integrator, will drive the long term upgrade and sustainment for the Shadow capability out to its out of service date (OSD) in 2030. As part of the introduction of the Shadow Mk2 and to maximise subsequent opportunities for capability enhancement through to OSD, MOD, Raytheon and Textron Aviation have agreed to form Team Shadow. Textron Aviation as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the King Air 350 will drive innovative technology enhancements for the aircraft. The Integrated Sentinel Support Solution (ISSS), since its inception in 2016, is facilitating improvements and contributing to aircraft availability. Sentinel continues to provide significant capability on operations and is benefitting from the efficiencies and cost savings introduced by ISSS.
14 Jul 18. NGA offers $15,000 in prizes for imagery technology. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has announced a $15,000 prize for an algorithm that can colorize panchromatic images in under 10 hours without human intervention. The Rapid Image Colorization challenge seeks an algorithm that could colorize panchromatic grey scale images. The algorithm would help make a determination of the images and information collected by NGA more accurate, the challenge announcement explains. The winning algorithm will be able to colorize images of up to 10 gigapixels within the 10-hour time frame.
“This goes well beyond simple colorization of an old black and white image in terms of the size of the image and the speed at which the colorization must be accomplished,” the challenge announcement said.
NGA aids US policymakers, warfighters and intelligence professionals through imagery and geospatial intelligence information.
“NGA is continually looking for innovative solutions to improve the delivery of GEOINT to our customers,” Christy Monaco, director of the office of ventures and innovation at NGA, said in a press release.
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 9. Individuals and private entities are able to enter, the announcement said. The announcement was made on challenge.gov, a website that aids the federal government with innovation where federal agencies list challenge and prize competitions to solve problems related to agency missions. The Rapid Image Colorization challenge is one of three challenges NGA has listed on Challenge.gov. In 2016, NGA awarded more than $200,000 for two challenges seeking data analysis technology and software to track story edits. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
16 Jul 18. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will design, develop and manufacture the projector for BAE Systems’ Digital Light Engine head-up display on the F-16 Fighting Falcon for the United Arab Emirates armed forces. The digital HUD upgrade will integrate seamlessly into the F-16’s existing HUD space, requiring no changes to the aircraft, cabling or computing.
HUDs are located immediately in front of the pilot’s line of sight and combine real-time mission critical information with the outside world view. BAE Systems’ new DLE is an electro-optic upgrade to traditional analog HUDs, replacing conventional cathode ray tube devices.
“As the technology shifts from analog to digital, Raytheon is applying its decades of expertise in digital microdisplay technologies for HUD applications,” said Wolf Glage, vice president of engineering at Raytheon ELCAN Optical Technologies, the source for the projector. “Our solution has its roots in mature rear projection technology that dates back to the 1990s.”
BAE Systems’ HUD technology can be found in modern fighters, military trainers and business jets. Earlier this year, BAE Systems announced it was selected by Lockheed Martin to upgrade the HUDs across the UAE’s F-16 fleet.
“Digitizing the HUD helps our customers extend the service life of their fleets. By removing the conventional analog system, we’re able to increase the HUD’s reliability and decrease obsolescence issues, which all lead to lower lifecycle costs,” said Andy Humphries, director of Advanced Head-up Displays at BAE Systems. “This is the second time we’ve selected Raytheon to provide the projector for our DLE HUD, which is a reflection of our positive working relationship and Raytheon’s expertise in precision optics.”
16 Jul 18. FN Herstal releases a new comprehensive FN® Airborne Digital Suite at Farnborough International Airshow. The FN® Airborne Digital Suite provides military forces with the highest level of operational capability. It comprises of 3 complementary and interconnected components:
1.FN® D-HUD (Digital Head-Up Display): a modern and cost-effective targeting solution to improve precision in firing. It enhances accuracy and situational awareness and reduces the pilot workload.
This Digital Head-Up Display is easy to integrate, ergonomic and equipped with high-end optics technology and ballistic computation solution. The FN® D-HUD offers capability to retrofit in-service helicopters to the latest advances in targeting technologies.
2.The brand new FN® D-PC (Digital Pod Controller): this new FN Herstal Armament Management System (AMS) is designed to control digital pods and rocket launchers. The FN® D-PC is installed on the platform and is connected to the pods via MIL-STD-1760 compliant protocol.
3.The FN® D-Pod: a self-contained fixed-forward pod system, featuring the well-known .50 cal FN® M3P ma-chine gun, now with digital communication.
Variants are:
.50cal FN® D-HMP250 Pod (ammo capacity: 250 rounds)
.50cal FN® D-HMP400 Pod (ammo capacity: 400 rounds)
.50cal FN® D-RMP Pod (ammo capacity: 250 rounds and 3 x 2.75″ rocket launcher tubes)
The FN® D-Pod can be operated by either FN® D-PC or on-board non-FN Armament Management System. It allows rapid reconfiguration of helicopters or subsonic aircraft between missions.
The FN® Airborne Digital Suite belongs to and takes benefit of the comprehensive range of FN Herstal’s integrated weapon systems based on 4 pillars: Airborne Fixed-Forward Firing Solutions, Airborne Crew Served Weapon Solutions, Land and Sea Mounted Weapon Solutions and Remote Weapon Stations. The FN® Airborne Digital Suite was showcased at Farnborough International Airshow.
13 Jul 18. L3 Exhibited Multi-Mission Bombardier™ Q400™ and AT-802L Longsword™ Aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow. L3 Technologies featured two next-generation Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) solutions for government and military applications at the Farnborough International Airshow. L3 exhibited both its new, extended-performance version of Bombardier’s™Q400™ aircraft and the AT-802L Longsword™, an FAA- and military-certified ISR and light-attack aircraft, at the L3 Aircraft Support Pavilion.
“L3 is an industry leader that delivers advanced, rapidly reconfigurable ISR solutions for a variety of complex missions, and we’re investing in more innovative technologies and systems to meet the needs of our customers,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. “Our customers need aircraft that can be deployed quickly. They want quality, and they want the best solutions for their requirements and their budgets. These two platforms help to accomplish those goals.”
L3’s Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) offers three baseline Q400 aircraft configurations — Multi-Role, Maritime Patrol and ISR/Special Operations — that enable nine mission profiles. The ability to adapt the MMA to meet each user’s distinctive needs sets it apart from other general or multi-purpose systems. Interchangeable, extended-range fuel tanks with mission payload and future provisions for fire-retardant delivery systems enable the platform to be quickly reconfigured for diverse planned operations or quick response to unexpected situations.
“As the world’s threats evolve, our efforts to respond have evolved as well,” said Darryl Conley, Vice President of Strategic Capture for L3 Aerospace Systems. “The L3 Q400 MMA is ready for tomorrow’s challenges and blends the strengths of a modern high-performance turboprop with our proven record as a systems integrator and payload innovator. This platform provides a single, reliable, cost-effective means to do the same work of a mixed fleet of specially equipped aircraft. The L3 MMA is the perfect solution to replace aging maritime/ISR aircraft fleets and the increased costs that go along with them.”
The AT-802L Longsword was developed through a collaboration between aircraft manufacturer Air Tractor and L3 Aerospace Systems. It is based on the successful AT-802-series of Air Tractor aircraft, among the world’s largest and most capable aircraft. The AT-802’s renowned heritage translates to best-in-class payload and endurance, and a global network of support for the more than 770 AT-802 aircraft delivered by Air Tractor.
“Longsword is a low-cost aircraft solution that can be configured for ISR and light-attack missions,” said Jonathan Dalrymple, Vice President of Business Development for L3 Aerospace Systems. “The platform provides precision targeting and enduring surveillance capabilities at a fraction of the sustainment cost of traditional fighter aircraft.”
13 Jul 18. NDMA (Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency) announced the selection of Safran Vectronix AG from Switzerland, a subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense, as part of an international competitive process, to deliver several hundreds of medium and long range multifunctional thermal imagers to the Norwegian Armed Forces. The products selected are MOSKITO TI™ and JIM Compact™ multifunction, compact and lightweight advanced performance handheld devices, fulfilling respectively medium and long range requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The selection of Safran Vectronix AG confirms its position as a world’s leading portable optronics equipment manufacturer. “This achievement clearly confirms the ability of Safran Vectronix AG to further develop its industrial footprint, here in Switzerland, thanks to a renewed portfolio of state-of-the-art products“ declared Patrick Drach, Director of Marketing & Sales of Safran Vectronix AG.
MOSKITO TI™ is a lightweight (1.3 kg), monocular handheld system, combining several high performance sensors and modules, including an uncooled thermal imager, high grade direct view optics (DVO), Low Light TV (LLTV) channel, a laser rangefinder (LRF), a digital magnetic compass (DMC) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.
JIM Compact™ (2 kg) is a multifunction, binocular, compact and state-of-the-art long range handheld device, combining a cooled high resolution thermal imager, advanced TV channel, embedded “see spot” capability, infrared laser pointer, a laser rangefinder (LRF), Low Light TV (LLTV) channel, a digital magnetic compass (DMC) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The combination of the two equipment will fulfill the broad range of operational requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces, including day and night observation, target acquisition, artillery correction and fire support, forward observer and Joint Terminal Attack Controller. NDMA (Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency) announced the selection of Safran Vectronix AG from Switzerland, a subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense, as part of an international competitive process, to deliver several hundreds of medium and long range multifunctional thermal imagers to the Norwegian Armed Forces. The products selected are MOSKITO TI™ and JIM Compact™ multifunction, compact and lightweight advanced performance handheld devices, fulfilling respectively medium and long range requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The selection of Safran Vectronix AG confirms its position as a world’s leading portable optronics equipment manufacturer. “This achievement clearly confirms the ability of Safran Vectronix AG to further develop its industrial footprint, here in Swizerland, thanks to a renewed portfolio of state-of-the-art products“ declared Patrick Drach, Director of Marketing & Sales of Safran Vectronix AG.
12 Jul 18. The US Navy wants the weather to predict sensor interruptions. When your battlefield intelligence depends on electronic communications, you’ve got to keep an eye on the skies.
“If you have ever listened to AM radio in a thunderstorm, you can hear the lightning strikes through the radio,” said John deGrassie, a Navy scientist. “Because Wi Fi and cell towers are so prevalent, people thinks it always works, like magic. In fact, meteorological conditions can seriously impact situational awareness.”
As head of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s atmospheric propagation branch, deGrassie has been thinking about how emerging technology, from sensors to supercomputers, can give the Navy a better command of its communications in times of atmospheric turbulence. Earlier this year, government, military and industry leaders in San Diego looked at new navigation aids, tools for finding lost warfighters, and cutting-edge software architectures. They also took a deep dive into atmospheric sciences, and deGrassie’s team has since followed up with a series of innovations that are due to see trials in the coming months. The rise of interconnected sensors presents a new challenge for atmospheric science.
“When it was one transmitter and one receiver we could do well enough, but now there are many more things in the environment that need to be managed, ideally while keeping human operators out of the loop,” deGrassie said. “There’s also an increase in the amount of data that needs to be shared. All that will be colored by what the atmosphere is doing.”
Fortunately, those same sensors also give researchers far greater insight into nature’s electromagnetic activities, making it possible to predict and respond to potential interruptions.
“We look at things like how much moisture is in the air, how much water vapor is present from the sea surface all the way up to the upper atmosphere. We factor in temperature and the index of refraction – like the mirages you see over hot asphalt. Then we also look at the things that may be present in the atmosphere, things like sulfates from burning coal or tiny particulates like sand or sea salt in the air,” he said.
Combine all those inputs, and you start to develop a fuller picture of the electromagnetic environment. “If we can see what the factors are right here and right now, we can confidently make predictions out from that one point,” he said.
This isn’t just about predicting the weather. “The Navy already has its own supercomputer models that run 24/7 and tries to give a weather prediction for the globe or for one specific area of interest,” deGrassie said.
Rather, this work aims in part to interpret that weather information more effectively, to chart more explicitly the impact of storms and other phenomenon on battlefield communications and data links.
“The new science we are working on now is to take those basic weather predictions and write new models to predict radio communication bandwidth and susceptibility to detection,” he said.
Suppose commanders needed ship-to-ship communications, but they can’t use satellites because of the weather or some other operational constraint. They need alternate comms to be invisible to the enemy. “One key question is: How loudly am I broadcasting, how far away is my communication going to be visible? We need to factor in the weather in order to know that. The weather also will impact the bandwidth and how much information we can pass along on any given day,” deGrassie said.
In one academic paper, deGrassie and his colleagues talk about using Mixture Density Networks (MDN) to estimate atmospheric particle size distributions. They find that “distributions are often multi-modal, composed of various underlying aerosol species that can grow from one mode to another.”
When the Navy’s research in this area comes to fruition, deGrassie predicts, “you are going to have more secure communications, more options for how to communicate at a given time. When you steam into a new area you will be able to quickly assess what other electromagnetic signals are present and what you can do in that space. All of that is going to impact your ability to perform.”
There’s no set time frame for taking these capabilities live, and this work likely won’t emerge as a program of record, but rather will be integrated into existing Navy systems in the coming years. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
13 Jul 18. AirMap Partners with Skyguide for Swiss Drone UTM. AirMap has partnered with Skyguide, the Swiss air navigation service provider, to develop and deploy a national drone traffic management system (UTM—unmanned aircraft systems traffic management) for Switzerland. The announcement followed AirMap’s 2017 U-space demonstration with Skyguide. Switzerland already hosts the world’s first autonomous drone delivery network, in Zurich, and since 2013, drone flight requests to Skyguide have increased ten-fold. The AirMap UTM reaches 85 percent of the world’s drones and offers up-to-date airspace information for every country and national airspace rules for more than 20 countries. Investors in the U.S.-based company include Airbus Ventures (Innovation Zone 3394), China’s Baidu Capital, M 12, Qualcomm Ventures, and the Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten. The partnership with Skyguide is part of a broader strategy to leverage data from successful foreign UTM projects to expedite FAA approval of UTM in the U.S., said Gregory McNeal, co-founder of AirMap. McNeal is a professor of law and public policy at Pepperdine University and has served on the FAA’s Micro UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee, the UAS Registration Task Force, the Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, and the Remote Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee. McNeal said he hoped success abroad would convince FAA regulators of the efficacy of UTM. “We’ve been going around the world, where we can demonstrate this, and then going back to the FAA and saying, ‘Look how much faster it is happening in other places.’”
“Industry must show governments how advanced operations can be conducted safely,” McNeal said. ”If governments across the world don’t change their models the unmanned aircraft industry won’t take off more than it has, which is to say line of sight, [FAA] Part 107 operations, a remote-control aircraft within line of sight, or an autonomous remote control aircraft within line of sight.” He said the partnership with Skyguide enables AirMap to put in place in Switzerland by 2019 everything that would be required for a U.S. UTM system by 2021. “We’re going to take that information back to the United States,” he said. He also added that the UTM developed for Switzerland would translate well throughout Europe and into other markets. “Swiss U-space is really going to take off in 2018. Skyguide has such a good relationship with FOCA [the Swiss federal office of civil aviation], waivers that you process in Switzerland can become a template for a waiver that can be accepted by other agencies in Europe or the United States.”
BEYOND EUROPE
AirMap is also partnering with Airways New Zealand, the ATC provider in New Zealand. Areas that were previously closed [to UAS] are now open to more advanced operations. In Japan, AirMap has partnered with Rakuten to develop unmanned aerial package delivery capability. “Japan’s prime minister has set the goal of drone package delivery in rural areas in 2019 and by the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,” McNeal said. “We’re executing with Rakuten to do that. Japan has a series of densely inhabited districts and those districts have the authority to make drone rules. By delegating that they have moved very quickly.”
In the U.S., AirMap has partnered with the state of Kansas to deploy a UTM solution. “This is our laboratory to test different models,” McNeal said. “If you have a business and want to do something more advanced there, we have the blessing of the state government and all of their resources to go collaboratively to the FAA and say: ‘Here’s the advanced operation we want to do, here’s what our waiver looks like, the state has signed off, here’s our technology mitigation with AirMap, we have radar feeds the state has helped provide for us, we have local economic development authority.’ They want us there, the public accepts it, in that waiver goes, and we start to figure out how to do more advanced operations.”
McNeal said to be useful, UTM must be intuitive and adapt to changing conditions. He uses the example of airspace around an airport as an example. Rather than putting the entire airport operations area and surrounding boundaries and altitudes off limits, the intuitive UTM would automatically process runways and approaches in use, structures, and obstacles, and divide the adjacent airspace into grids in real time. “Then all of a sudden a big controlled circle marked ‘no’ becomes a series of automated ‘yeses’ or ‘yes-so-long-as,’ and that is the first step to UTM. And instead of just doing that for airports, we can do that for many other locations.” McNeal said the key was getting the right data to turn “no-fly zones” into “yeses or yes-so-long-as,” and the best source of that data is not always the FAA, in many cases it is state and local governments. This is particularly true for dynamic situations such as structure fires, he said.
The enabling technology begins with the drone, McNeal said. “Registration and identification is key. We want the authorization to automatically go from the drone to the airport ATC tower, and then the geofence unlocks once you have the approval. The drone is squawking, talking, and understanding what is coming back to it and getting the authorizations.” (Source: UAS VISION/AIN Online)
13 Jul 18. Solar-Powered Aircraft Completes 10-Hour Continuous Aerial Surveying. UAVOS Inc., a Mountain View-based company specialized in unmanned solutions, has completed flight tests of the unmanned SAT-i aircraft powered by the Sun, designed to perform monitoring and aerial photography during daylight hours. The new unmanned aircraft has demonstrated high performance, successfully completing a non-stop 10-hour mission for aerial photography of the surface relief, having a payload of a 600-gram mirrorless camera. SAT-i has a fixed wing with a wingspan of 7.3 meters. The weight of the aircraft is 6.2kg. The UAV is equipped with a Li-Ion battery that allows flying without solar energy for 2 (optionally 4) hours with payload up to 600 grams. The aircraft is hand-launched, the flight and landing are performed in fully autonomous mode. For UAV landing a flat level surface of 200 m long is suitable, with a touchdown accuracy of about 100m. The landing trajectory calculations are carried out in an automatic mode taking into account the current weather conditions. Low landing speed of 7m/s allows to keep the aircraft intact after numerous landings.
Vadim Tarasov UAVOS investor and board member said, “Based on UAVOS experience, to achieve high quality aerial photography, work has to be done in the daytime with a good level of illumination. Using solar-powered aircraft for such missions is, in our opinion, most promising, since solar energy is sufficient to perform a continuous flight throughout the daylight hours. Especially effective is the use of such UAVs for high-resolution orthomosaic imagery in large areas with a long flight time. For example, to successfully solve communication problems during long-distance monitoring missions of electrical power lines UAVOS uses the Iridium data satellite transceiver module.”
The UAVOS SAT-i UAV technology offers cost-effective services for a wide range of customer needs, including prospecting, mapping, monitoring of important lines of communication in remote areas, while using only solar energy during the day. Backup batteries allow to perform short missions for 2-4 hours without solar activity, in case of need extending the operations. (Source: UAS VISION)
13 Jul 18. Dedrone Introduces Drone Detection in the Cloud. Dedrone has announced the release of Dedrone Cloud. The new platform further advances Dedrone’s offerings, and enables smooth deployment of the Dedrone solution, accelerating the process for organizations to develop a threat analysis of their airspace. Dedrone Cloud streamlines and accelerates drone detection technology installations, without requiring on-site IT infrastructure or maintenance.
“Customers who need airspace security shouldn’t have to hassle with maintaining servers to store,” shares Joerg Lamprecht, CEO and co-founder of Dedrone. “Dedrone Cloud provides the simplest and most cost-effective path for our customers to install an airspace security technology solution, identify and track unauthorized drones, collect data, and protect their infrastructure.”
Additional highlights of Dedrone Cloud include:
- Accelerates technology deployment: Dedrone Cloud enables easier deployment of the Dedrone system and thus makes it quicker for customers perform a threat analysis of their airspace
- Removes the need for on-site infrastructure: Dedrone Cloud does not require additional IT infrastructure, helping security teams avoid additional costs for hardware, and time spent for installation
- Eliminates manual updates and maintenance: Communication between DroneTracker Software and RF sensor is configured automatically, and all new feature updates are automatically integrated into a customer’s DroneTracker software
- Ensures data is reliable, accessible and secure: With a 99.9% uptime rate, Dedrone Cloud enables security providers to have the latest information on their airspace activity
“Dedrone provides us a well-founded analysis of our airspace threats, which is a prerequisite for the development of an effective security system for the protection against drones,” explains David Ziegler, Security Manager at Noris Network AG. “Thanks to the Dedrone Cloud, we are now able to put drone detection technology almost everywhere, without any major financial and personnel costs.”
Dedrone’s software is a machine learning network using information from a proprietary database, DroneDNA. DroneTracker gathers intelligence from various sensors, including radio frequency and Wi-Fi scanners, microphones, and cameras, DroneTracker can detect drones over a mile away from a protected site and determines the communications protocol of the drone, its flight path and the location of the pilot. Once a drone is detected, the software alerts security personnel and can be integrated to deploy a passive security measure or defeat technology. Earlier in 2018, Dedrone released their newest radio frequency sensor, the RF-300, which finds unauthorized drones and their pilots. Combined with the broad coverage and early warning capabilities of Dedrone’s RF-100, the new RF-300 adds situational awareness so organizations can determine the nature and severity of threats from unauthorized drones. Dedrone’s RF-100 and RF-300 are both supported by Dedrone Cloud. (Source: UAS VISION)
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Blighter® Surveillance Systems (BSS) is a UK-based electronic-scanning radar and sensor solution provider delivering an integrated multi-sensor package to systems integrators comprising the Blighter electronic-scanning radars, cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions. Blighter radars combine patented solid-state Passive Electronic Scanning Array (PESA) technology with advanced Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Doppler processing to provide a robust and persistent surveillance capability. Blighter Surveillance Systems is a Plextek Group company, a leading British design house and technology innovator, and is based at Great Chesterford on the outskirts of Cambridge, England.
The Blighter electronic-scanning (e-scan) FMCW Doppler ground surveillance radar (GSR) is a unique patented product that provides robust intruder detection capabilities under the most difficult terrain and weather conditions. With no mechanical moving parts and 100% solid-state design, the Blighter radar family of products are extremely reliable and robust and require no routine maintenance for five years. The Blighter radar can operate over land and water rapidly searching for intruders as small a crawling person, kayaks and even low-flying objects. In its long-range modes the Blighter radar can rapidly scan an area in excess of 3,000 km² to ensure that intruders are detected, identified and intercepted before they reach critical areas.
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