Sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
www.blighter.com
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03 Apr 19. NATO considers Boeing P-8 maritime patrol aircraft as temporary gap filler until 2035. Boeing is in exploratory talks with various allies to fill NATO’s current gap in maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, according to company and allied officials. 0The idea would be to make the P-8 military multimission maritime version of Boeing’s commercial 737 aircraft available to a core group of allies as a stop-gap measure until the alliance secures its own maritime capabilities by 2035.
“Our interim solution would help de-risk that next generation of maritime patrol aircraft for the allies,” Steven Gillard, director of NATO affairs at Boeing’s office in Brussels, said during a 2 April interview. Gillard’s team briefed an audience of 20 allies later that day about the P-8’s capabilities, and will do the same the following week to the so-called Bucharest 9 format of NATO’s eastern flank countries. (Source: News Now/IHS Jane’s)
03 Apr 19. New remote real-time spectrum analyser provides powerful and versatile tool for radio-monitoring applications. New from Link Microtek is the recently introduced remote-controlled version of Narda Safety Test Solutions’ SignalShark real-time spectrum analyser, which provides a powerful and versatile means of carrying out radio monitoring for organisations such as regulatory authorities, mobile phone network operators, police and security services, intelligence agencies and the armed forces. Covering the frequency range 8kHz to 8GHz, the SignalShark 3320 Remote Unit is capable of detecting, analysing and classifying a wide range of signals, as well as locating the source of transmissions using either automatic direction finding or TDOA (time difference of arrival) techniques. The instrument uses advanced FFT computations to achieve a 40MHz real-time instantaneous bandwidth with a 100% probability of intercept (POI) for signals longer than 3.125µs, which means that there are no gaps in the frequency span and every signal event can be detected reliably, even if it is extremely brief and transient.
The unit is also able to capture the spectrum over the full frequency span of 8kHz to 8GHz in a single measurement at the impressively fast scan rate of 50GHz/s. Featuring an integrated computer running Windows 10, the 3320 provides a very flexible GUI with four task modes to support a wide variety of measurement applications, namely scan mode, real-time spectrum mode, auto DF mode and real-time streaming mode. Measurements are visualised by means of different views. For example, the user can choose to display the frequency domain and channel level at the same time by selecting a spectrum view and a level meter view. One particularly useful feature is the persistence view in real-time spectrum mode, which makes it very easy to spot interfering signals even if they are only transmitted sporadically. The source of the interference can then be tracked down using dedicated SignalShark direction finding antennas. The 3320 unit is equipped with an excellent RF front-end delivering outstanding sensitivity and dynamic range. It also provides four switchable RF inputs, which allow several different antennas – covering different frequency bands, for example – to be connected at the same time without the need for a complex switch that conventional single-input analysers require for this purpose. Available in either stand-alone or 19in. rack-mount versions, the SignalShark 3320 is accessed with remote desktop software via a network and can also be operated locally by means of an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. Utilising the SCPI remote control protocol and VITA 49 compliant I/Q streaming, the unit will integrate easily into almost any software environment.
02 Apr 19. HENSOLDT, the leading independent sensor provider, has developed a new product which leads the next generation of military identification (IFF, identification-friend-or-foe) systems on modern warships. NESIS 4000 capitalizes on the latest AESA (= Active Electronically Scanning Array) radar technology giving it superior performance compared to conventional systems. Due to this technology the radar beam can be steered electronically so that the system does not require a mechanically rotating antenna on top of the ship’s mast. The first system will be delivered to the launching customer by end of this year.
The avoidance of a rotating antenna at the highest point of a ship by using a non-rotating, ring-shape fixed-array antenna in a lower part of the ship’s integrated mast reduces the radar cross-section and infrared signature of the vessel by far. Therefore, the new technology allows for improved survivability of surface vessels and cost-saving flexibility in ship-design. In addition, the AESA technology increases radar performance and reduces significantly the update rates. Compared to conventional systems, targets and eventual threats can be identified much faster and the range in a 360° area around the ship is widened to a 200 NM radius.
HENSOLDT supplies customers all over the world with air traffic control and identification systems for military and civilian applications. Its MSSR 2000 I secondary radar is deployed for military friend-or-foe identification by the naval forces of Germany, France, UK, Australia, Chile, Norway and Finland.
01 Apr 19. Russia radar design bureaus eye new airborne radar systems. Russian manufacturers are seeking avenues to address requirements for airborne radar systems. Airborne radar capabilities have become a progressively larger factor in the competition for fighter aircraft export sales, as most advanced air forces now require a fighter that includes an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar set.
The AESA radar in the latest model of Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen E/F models, for example, will feature an antenna array fitted with gallium nitride (GaN)-based transmit/receive (T/R) modules. GaN technology is the next step in the evolution of AESA, offering higher efficiency and generating less heat than the gallium arsenide (GaAs) modules used in most other competitors’ models of AESA. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
01 Apr 19. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) are jointly pursuing the Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR) contract that will consolidate and modernize America’s aging surveillance and air traffic control radars.
SENSR is a multi-agency program that includes the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security. SENSR will replace current air traffic control and surveillance radars with fewer, more advanced multi-mission systems and release wireless spectrum for commercial use.
“There’s an increasing demand for radio spectrum that’s driving the rapid expansion of wireless internet services across America,” said Ralph Acaba, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. “SENSR will revolutionize our airspace radar infrastructure for reliable, more secure, enhanced situational awareness and communication.”
Implementing SENSR is vital to the growth, safety and efficiency of commercial industries, air traffic control, homeland security and national security. The consolidation effort will free up a tremendous amount of bandwidth that can be used to move America rapidly toward a 5G capability.
“As a nation, we need a modern, efficient radar infrastructure,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager, Integrated Warfare Systems & Sensors, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “It would enhance our national security and air safety, and support a healthy, growing economy well into the future.”
Together, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have over a century of civilian and military radar expertise in more than 60 countries. Both companies bring extensive experience across radio frequency bands and mission areas, specifically in the development of Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin combined air traffic and surveillance solutions support more than 60 percent of the world’s airspace.
01 Apr 19. IFT Approval. Customs and Border Protection reached an agreement on March 22 with the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona to install the final set of Integrated Fixed Tower (IFT) surveillance systems for the baseline deployment of the program. The IFT system that will be deployed on the Nation’s land will consist of a relocatable version of the towers. The agency doesn’t have a timeline for when the system will be deployed. Elbit Systems of America is the IFT contractor. The company’s current contract still has two options for additional deployments. The IFT systems include electro-optic and infrared cameras, radars, and related communications equipment to provide wide area surveillance for the Border Patrol along certain stretches of the southwest border. (Source: Defense Daily)
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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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