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14 Jan 20. Defense Department to Stand Up New Counter-Drone Office. The Pentagon will soon stand up a counter-unmanned aerial system office that will be headed by the Army, said the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer Jan. 14. Following the Dubai Air Show in November, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord visited numerous locations across the Middle East including U.S. military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The thing that was really top of everybody’s mind were counter-UAS,” she said during a meeting with reporters hosted by George Washington University’s Project for Media and National Security in Washington, D.C. “We see that small UAS are becoming a more popular weapon of choice … [and] we need to be agile and pivot to that challenge.”
Pentagon leaders recently decided to designate the Army as the executive agent for counter-drone technologies, Lord said. The new office will be stood up in Arlington, Virginia, in the Crystal City neighborhood. It will be staffed by around 60 people.
“We are just finishing off on the policy that directs the activities,” she said.
The office will examine the many counter-UAS efforts across the Defense Department and come up with three to five systems that are best for the military writ large and make sure they are effectively leveraged, Lord said.
The Defense Department is bringing together a number of organizations, including the office of the director of operational test and evaluation and Defense Digital Service, to work on the effort.
Robert Behler, the head of DOT&E, has a group conducting independent tests and evaluation of currently fielded systems, Lord noted.
“Come April we will have that evaluation completed and written up. And that coincides [with] when we want to make some decisions about downselecting … to the three to five systems that would be utilized,” she said.
The department is examining a variety of sensor modalities and defeat mechanisms.
“One size does not fit all,” Lord said. “You need a system with multiple sensors … or defeat systems. And the key is really the command-and-control and then the communication across theater.”
The office aims to thwart both small and large adversary UAS, she added.
Countering rogue and enemy drones has long been an objective for the Defense Department, but recent high-profile events have thrown the technology into the spotlight. That includes an alleged Iranian attack on Saudi Aramaco facilities in September using unmanned aircraft.
“One of the challenges is that we know that the adversary is very agile and updates their [tactics, techniques and procedures] … very quickly,” Lord said. “We are looking at a very nimble system where we can push patches in the same day, if you will, so that we again can stay ahead of” the threat.
The Pentagon is gung-go about tackling the issue, and senior leadership involvement and funding are increasing, she noted.
In terms of the industrial base, counter-UAS is one of the acquisition and sustainment office’s four key focus areas, Lord said. Others include microelectronics, 5G networks and hypersonics.
The department plans to establish a hypersonics “war room.”
“We just decided last week that we would stand up a hypersonics war room to begin to look at the defense industrial base and begin to have different companies [come] in,” Lord said.
The technology is the Pentagon’s top research-and-development priority and it plans to buy large numbers of systems when they are mature enough to be fielded.
Last week, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said missile manufacturers and other suppliers need to do more to boost their hypersonics manufacturing capability.
“What we need to see is industry step up,” he said Jan. 10 during remarks at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve got to come forward and … first and foremost, invest the time to work with our national lab network to understand how we’ve come forward with these technologies. But they’re going to have to make investments to be able to produce these at scale.” (Source: glstrade.com/National Defense)
14 Jan 20. New Radar Stretches US Navy’s Reach To Track More Threats, Faster Threats & Smaller Threats.
Commanders have been asking for the new SPY-6 radars on ships now, and the Navy is working on making it happen.
In the coming weeks, the Navy is slated to unveil a new plan for what ships plans to put to sea in the coming decades, and how it wants those hulls configured. One of the “must haves” in the emerging era of small drones, ballistic missiles, stealthy aircraft and unmanned ships is the ability to see further and react faster, as countries from China to Iran to North Korea throw a dizzying array of advanced weapons into the mix.
In November, the Navy laid down the keel for its first Flight III destroyer, one of the ships at the forefront of this modernization plan. The USS Jack H. Lucas will take to sea armed with new weapons, advanced sensors and a more powerful AN/SPY-6 radar system that can see three times further than previous radars.
The Raytheon-made system is capable of tracking incoming missiles, small drones and ships at distances, and at a volume, that existing radars can’t, the Navy and company representatives say.
The new SPY-6 will also be installed on the USS Bougainville, a new America-class amphibious assault ship slated to head to sea in 2024, and the USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford-class aircraft carrier which was christened in December.
Scott Spence, Raytheon’s Senior Director of Naval Radar Systems says that the new SPY-6 the company is putting on these ships is modular, so they’ll be upgradable through software upgrades, allowing ships of multiple classes to receive new versions and technology upgrades relatively easily and regularly throughout their decades in the fleet.
“It is a true air and missile defense radar,” Spence said. It simultaneously does both the anti-air mission as well as the ballistic missile mission “so it can track incoming ballistic missiles at the same time as looking at low-flying cruise missiles, at the same time as tracking aircraft and providing all that information to the combat management system.”
Crews won’t have to shut down one function of the radar in order to perform another function, and they’ll be able to interface with the system installed on other ships, giving commanders a vastly expanded field of vision. That’s a critical capability when operating across the vast expanse of the Pacific as China adds dozens of ships to its fleet, and as the Navy operates in the Arctic more regularly, putting hundreds or thousands of miles between ships in the North Atlantic.
The newest version of the radar, AN/SPY-6(V)1 completed its final round of developmental testing last February, having successfully tracked its 15th ballistic missile target.
The SPY-6 radar is a key part of the Navy’s Aegis system’s latest upgrade, Baseline 10, which will be installed on all Flight III destroyers.
While the Navy waits for those ships and their new radar systems, some military leaders want the system now. Last March, Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Phil Davidson sent a letter to Capitol Hill asking to “accelerate the modernization of the Aegis DDG fleet with solid-state (AN/SPY-6) air search radars, to compete against the advanced threat of hypersonic and ballistic missiles.”
Raytheon says it can backfit the SPY-6 system on to current Flight IIA destroyers, and given that military officials like Adm. Davidson are advocating for the new SPY-6 capability now to meet the emerging challenge of China and North Korea, Spence said “we’re looking to get on contract for the backfit ships, right now the plan would be to get on contract in FY21,” though plans are still in the works.
The Flight IIA destroyers currently in the fleet aren’t able to accommodate the 37 radar modular assemblies that make up the full SPY-6 — each consisting of 2x2x2 boxes. The current destroyers can accept 24 RMAs, due to power and space constraints. But the smaller configuration can still provide a whopping 30-fold increase in sensitivity, allowing the ships to detect and track everything from small drones to ballistic missiles.
As it stands, the Navy plans to begin equipping 15 Flight IIA destroyers with the 24-module variant of the radar, with first delivery occurring in 2024. (Source: glstrade.com/Breaking Defense.com)
15 Jan 20. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered its 10th AN/AQS-20C minehunting sonar system to the U.S. Navy. The sonar-towed body was officially transferred to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. The system – which is the program of record for the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package – is now fully qualified and will move toward initial operating capability.
The AN/AQS-20C comprises five distinct sonars, including a synthetic aperture sonar that provides the highest possible resolution for acoustic identification. The system detects, classifies, localizes, and identifies mines on the seabed, near-bottom moored mines, volume mines, and near-surface mines.
“AQS-20C is capable of enabling true single-pass, minehunting when paired with the Barracuda mine neutralizer,” said Wade Knudson, senior director of Raytheon’s Undersea Warfare Systems business area. “Delivery of the 10th towed body brings this critical autonomous technology one step closer to IOC.”
The AQS-20C system is platform agnostic and can be integrated onto various tow vehicles. It is a key element in single sortie detect-to-engage capability, which combines the search-detect-identify and neutralize elements of an MCM mission on a single platform. The program completed developmental testing in February 2019, and will undergo further integration on the MCM Unmanned Surface Vehicle in early 2020 and ultimately aboard the LCS.
15 Jan 20. For the first time, Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Navy flew an F/A-18 Super Hornet equipped with an Infrared Search & Track (IRST) Block II pod in late 2019. IRST Block II is a critical component of the Block III Super Hornet. The Block III conversion will include enhanced network capability, longer range with conformal fuel tanks, an advanced cockpit system, signature improvements and an enhanced communication system. The updates are expected to keep the F/A-18 in active service for decades to come.
IRST is a passive, long-range sensor incorporating infrared and other sensor technologies for highly accurate targeting.
“The IRST Block II gives the F/A-18 improved optics and processing power, significantly improving pilot situational awareness of the entire battle space,” said Jennifer Tebo, Boeing Director of F/A-18 Development.
Currently in the risk reduction phase of development, IRST Block II flights on the Super Hornet allow Boeing and the Navy to collect valuable data on the system before deployment to the fleet. The Block II variant will be delivered to the Navy in 2021, reaching Initial Operational Capability shortly thereafter.
“The IRST Block II sensor gives Navy fighters extended range and increasing survivability. This technology will help the Navy maintain its advantage over potential adversaries for many years,” said Kenen Nelson, Lockheed Martin Director of Fixed Wing Programs, supplier of the IRST sensor.
14 Jan 20. US Army’s New Sighting System Could Lead to Reckless Shooting and Fratricide, Experts Say. After more than 20 years of attempts, the U.S. Army is now equipping infantrymen with a sophisticated sighting system that allows them to accurately shoot around corners without exposing themselves to enemy fire. But this futuristic capability, some say, may come at the cost of proficiency and could even result in more friendly-fire casualties.
Using a technology known as Rapid Target Acquisition (RTA), soldiers can see their weapon sight reticle wirelessly transmitted from a new thermal sight on the M4A1 carbine into their thermally enhanced night vision goggles, allowing them to see and quickly shoot enemy targets — day or night, from the hip or lying behind cover and shooting over a wall.
“It’s hard to express how much of a game-changing technology this is for our soldiers on the battlefield,” Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, said during a recent interview.
Army officials promise the RTA technology has performed well in soldier testing. But military experts warn that if the service isn’t careful, it could lead to an overreliance on technology, degrading critical marksmanship skills over time and increasing the risks of fratricide that come with ambiguity in thermal-spectrum detection.
Related: Army: New Wireless Sight Offers Leap-Ahead for Night Marksmanship
More and more challenges like this are likely to arise as the Army’s extensive modernization effort begins to yield new capabilities that rely on advanced technology such as robotics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to enhance soldier performance on the battlefield, they said.
“I think when new technologies come in, they enable people to do things that they weren’t able to do before and to do current tasks more easily with less intent — you don’t have to concentrate as much,” said Dakota Wood, a senior research fellow for Defense Programs at The Heritage Foundation. “Overreliance on technology can lead to lack of discipline and a lack of understanding of the fundamentals and skills that are needed when the technology isn’t there to help you out.”
A Long Way from Land Warrior
Army weapons officials have been trying to give soldiers the ability to shoot around corners since the late 1990s with Land Warrior, a program that relied on a wearable computer and advanced navigation and communications gear to give soldiers more situational awareness. The system allowed soldiers to see around corners with a weapon-mounted thermal camera that fed into a helmet-mounted heads-up display. Soldiers ultimately rejected it, however, because it relied on a tangle of bulky connecting cables that became snag hazards and restricted mobility.
In 2015, PEO Soldier officials unveiled a new take on this concept that eliminated bulky connector cables. Using a new Family of Weapon Sights-Individual (FWS-I), soldiers can wirelessly transmit their sight reticle into the wide display screen of the new helmet-mounted Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B) and quickly fire at enemy targets.
Last September, the Army conducted a small fielding of the FWS-I and ENVG-B, along with other equipment at Fort Riley, Kansas, making the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team the first unit in the service to receive Rapid Target Acquisition.
During testing, PEO Soldier officials saw a dramatic improvement in marksmanship when National Guard troops first shot with current optics and then used the Rapid Target Acquisition technology, Potts said.
“We went up to New Hampshire and we were working with the National Guard up there, and we put them through a stress shoot. … And after they [had] been through a rigorous field exercise and they shot 40 targets,” he said. “And on average, when we put them through that, they hit 17 out of 40. They were winded and people don’t realize … when you put people under simulated combat situations, shooting a target ain’t as easy as people think it is.”
After a couple of hours of training with the FWS-I and the ENVG-B, the soldiers showed marked improvement, hitting an average of 34 out of 40 targets after doing another rigorous fire-and-maneuver exercise, Potts said.
“It was a fire-and-maneuver exercise. It was up in the snow at night in New Hampshire, and you are talking about guys that are knocking down targets at over 200 meters at night, doing hip shots with this,” he said. “You don’t have to put the buttstock into your shoulder. He can stand behind a building; he can lay behind some rocks, put a weapon over his head and still engage targets.”
Technology Can’t Replace Marksmanship Fundamentals
This worries experts in the special operations world, because it goes against the fundamentals of marksmanship that have always been critical to engaging the enemy.
“You don’t have the body behind the gun absorbing and managing recoil in the traditional manner that we teach soldiers how to control and manage recoil,” said a former Army special operations forces soldier with expertise in small arms, visual augmentation systems and acquisition. “Firing a single round is one thing, but being able to control the weapon … to be able to fire two or three or four rapid shots to ensure incapacitation of the threat is greatly diminished.”
In a real combat situation, the soldier using this technology will be “swinging the weapon around in a non-intuitive manner … until something that is hot zigzags across the field of view. And then he zigs the gun back, finds the heated thing, stabilizes the gun enough to break a single shot and then shoots the target,” according to the former SOF soldier, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely. “So, everything that we teach them about daytime marksmanship, other than trigger control, is thrown out of the window.”
Wood, who is a retired Marine officer, said the military has to guard against becoming overconfident in technology and continue to train on proven marksmanship techniques.
“I think that is really a danger, and it calls upon the Army and possibly the Marine Corps or others who start using these sorts of things to absolutely be rigid in ensuring discipline that marksmanship fundamentals are learned to begin with and then practiced on a regular basis, so that you can go analog and use the mechanical skills needed — sight picture, trigger control, breathing,” Wood said.
“When you bring in these super sophisticated sighting systems … and you are just looking through a lens and wherever your weapon is pointing you see the dot, well what happens when that systems fails? Do you know how to go to iron sights? Do you know how to compensate for environmental factors that your computer mechanism might not be picking up?” he asked.
Potts told Military.com that he is confident that the Army will continue to train soldiers on time-tested marksmanship skills such as shooting with backup iron sights.
“One of the big debates in the Army for years is, we give the premier equipment that exists to who — our special operators, who are our best trained people in the world,” Potts said. “If you are going to put two people into combat, the 19-year old private or the 29-year-old sergeant … to make it fair, you probably want to give the young guy all this new technology because he is not as skilled as this other guy.”
The Thermal Blob and the Risks of Fratricide
Another potential minefield involved with this new sighting technology could emerge if soldiers begin relying too much on thermal signatures to identify targets, experts said, which can lead to fratricide.
Beyond 100 yards, human targets can look like heated blobs through thermal devices, making it impossible to differentiate between friend and foe, the SOF source said.
The Army’s new ENVG-B can fuse both the infrared image intensification of traditional night vision and thermal into one image to get the best of both technologies, Army officials say.
“I think that thermal fusion is extremely effective; it eliminates some of the fratricide risks that come with thermal,” the former SOF soldier said. “Now it becomes a training issue … how rapidly can you fade between more thermal and less thermal.
“If you have the thermal cranked up in order to identify heat signatures, that overlay thermal image in the ENVG-B is going to reduce your ability to see clarity and definition in the image intensification, IR spectrum.”
If soldiers have their thermal set to high, they won’t be able to see “patterns of uniforms, curvature of the magazine on the rifle or whatever you are using to decide that it is an enemy combatant, not one of my fellow soldiers,” he said.
Soldiers and leaders in armored units don’t have the same problem because enemy tanks and vehicles can be easier to identify under thermal optics.
“When you’re trying to find a tank at two kilometers and then be able to see, based off exhaust plume locations, what that vehicle is — thermal helps you,” the former SOF soldier said. “But human beings don’t have telltale signatures of three road wheels and an exhaust pipe and the rear right thing that glows in this manner.
“Thermal gives you a bunch of capabilities, but it has its limitations, which is why I am encouraged about fusion,” he said. “I think that fusion is the future. I just don’t believe that digital fusion is where it needs to be right now from a technology standpoint.”
The Army did not respond to a Military.com inquiry specifically about fratricide concerns with the new system.
The service is just beginning to produce more mature technologies as a result of the ambitious modernization effort it launched in 2017. It plans to field optionally manned robotic combat vehicles and new unmanned systems to send into the fray before risking its manned assets.
To be effective, Army leaders that they will have to rely on some level of artificial intelligence to enhance battlefield decision-making — a prospect that some in the community warn could lead to deadly mistakes and unintended collateral damage if safeguards aren’t in place.
The ENVG-B portion of Rapid Target Acquisition is a short-term capability that Army officials plan to begin trading in in 2021 for the new Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), an advanced Microsoft technology that relies on augmented reality to allow soldiers see a constant feed of battlefield information into special combat glasses, in addition to the sight reticle.
Time will tell if the Army can deliver on its promises and transition to new technology and advanced capabilities in a way that mitigates risks and maintains soldiers’ proficiency.
Despite the concerns over RTA, Wood said it could be an effective battlefield tool.
“On the good side, more of your force could be more effective because you are not having to rely on everybody having extraordinary marksmanship skills,” he said. “When everything is working, you are pointing the weapon, you are seeing where the dot is, and everybody is able to deliver fairly effective fire. That would be great, and I think that is where the proponents of something like this are going.”
Potts said he is confident that the technologies such as RTA and IVAS will become more and more advanced with each new upgrade.
“People look at us and [think], ‘Why can’t you guys figure this out.’ I want to say, ‘Do you want to talk about the history of the smartphone and four decades ago what that looked like and how many of you have forgotten that you used to carry yours in the trunk of your car in a case,'” he said.
“If we had done it by the normal military acquisition system, we would have canceled the program three times,” Potts said. “But the reality is no one will give up their smartphones. We are going to have a great product for our soldiers, and it’s going to get better every time. We just have to have the tactical patience to get there.”(Source: Military.com)
15 Jan 20. Liteye Systems Delivers Another $10m in CUAS Solutions. Liteye Systems, Inc. has announced the shipment of an additional $10M of US AUDS systems. The recent delivery of Liteye’s US configured Anti-UAS Defense Systems (AUDS) to the US Government continues a three-year run of consistent performance delivering life-saving technology to our warfighters.
US AUDS is a backbone for Counter UAS solutions, layered with multiple capabilities to Detect, Track, Identify and Defeat against malicious threats. The C-AUDS variant (Containerized AUDS) features a state-of-the-art operator suite, hardened for use in any climate, and can easily be moved between locations.
Liteye has over $70m in counter drone contracts with the US Government and is Combat Proven with over 1,000 defeats against enemy drones flown by ISIS, Taliban and others. Founded by Kenneth Geyer and Tom Scott in 2000, Liteye is now ranked as one of the leading privately held companies in Colorado.
“Liteye has AUDS operating all over the world,” stated Kenneth Geyer, CEO. “As we’re seeing drone incidents escalate, it’s imperative that we’re more diligent about our technology improvements, on-time delivery and performance standards. We continue working with our end-users and partners to layer capabilities into the system to remain effective against the new threats recently seen in the news”
About Liteye Systems, Inc.
Located in Centennial Colorado, Liteye Systems, Inc. is a world leader and technology solutions manufacturer and integrator of military and commercial Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS), manufacture of US AUDS, Drone Sense and Warn Systems, rugged high-resolution head mounted displays (HMD), augmented sights, thermal surveillance systems, convert surveillance systems, electronic warfare packages, radar systems, and fire control software solutions. With offices in the UK and sales affiliates worldwide, Liteye is protecting critical infrastructure from real world threats. (Source: UAS VISION)
14 Jan 20. Intevac Receives $8.1m Delta I Digital Night Vision Goggle Contract Award. Intevac, Inc. (Nasdaq: IVAC) announced today it has received an $8.1m contract award from the U.S. Army for the 24 month development of the Delta I fused digital night vision goggle incorporating advanced augmented reality (AR) capabilities. The program is in support of a Coalition Warfare Program for the special operations forces of the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“This will be the first goggle system to incorporate Intevac’s newly-developed ISIE 19 EBAPS® sensor,” commented Timothy Justyn, executive vice president and general manager of Intevac Photonics. “This award continues to demonstrate Intevac’s commitment to delivering the latest digital night vision technology to our Warfighters.”
“We are very proud to have received this system development order for our digital night vision technology,” added Wendell Blonigan, president and chief executive officer of Intevac.
Intevac’s digital night-vision sensors, based on its patented Electron Bombarded Active Pixel Sensor (EBAPS®) technology, provide state-of-the-art capability to the most advanced avionic fighting platforms in the U.S. Department of Defense inventory. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
14 Jan 20. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has signed an exclusive teaming agreement with Major Tool & Machine, Inc. to develop array structures for the U.S. Navy’s SPY-6 radar program when it transitions from low-rate initial production to hardware production and sustainment.
SPY-6 is a family of next-generation, integrated air and missile defense radars that is being installed on more than 50 ships across seven Navy ship classes.
“Major Tool’s array structures will literally serve as the foundation upon which we build the U.S. Navy’s most advanced radars,” said Paul Ferraro, vice president of Raytheon’s Seapower Capability Systems business. “Our team of industry-leading partners is ready to deliver SPY-6’s unmatched, multi-mission capability to the surface fleet.”
Since its inception in January 2014, the Raytheon-led SPY-6 program has met all 20 milestones, ahead of or on schedule. The radar has a track record of performance, demonstrating its multi-mission capabilities against an array of single and multiple, simultaneous targets throughout the Navy’s extensive testing program.
AN/SPY-6(V) remains on schedule for delivery to the first DDG 51 Flight III, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). The first delivery of AN/SPY-6(V)2 to LHA 8, the USS Bougainville, an America Class Amphibious Assault Ship, is on plan for 2021.
14 Jan 20. Four Nations to Be Protected with Lockheed Martin’s Next Generation Radar. Through partnerships with the U.S. Government, Spain, Japan, and Canada, Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) solid state radar (SSR) technology will provide front-line defense to nations around the world with cutting-edge air and missile defense capabilities. These nations are part of a growing SSR family of 24 platforms, ushering in the next generation of maritime and ground-based advanced radar technology. The basis of SSR is the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), which the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) selected Lockheed Martin to develop in 2015 with an on-track delivery set for 2020. In 2019 Lockheed Martin’s SSR for Aegis Ashore Japan was designated by the United States Government as AN/SPY-7(V)1.
What is SSR Technology?
SPY-7’s core technology is derived from the LRDR program, which has been declared Technical Readiness Level 7 by the U.S. Government. The technology consists of a scalable and modular gallium nitride (GaN) based “subarray” radar building block, providing advanced performance and increased efficiency and reliability to pace ever-evolving threats. As part of its investment into the advancement of SSR, Lockheed Martin built a Solid State Radar Integration Site to conduct detailed testing to prove the maturity of the system and reduce fielding risk. Scaled versions of the LRDR site will be utilized for future radar programs including Aegis Ashore Japan, Canadian Surface Combatant and MDA’s Homeland Defense Radar in Hawaii.
Solid state offers powerful capabilities to detect, track and engage sophisticated air and missile threats, including the very complicated task of discriminating – or picking out – and countering lethal objects present in enemy ballistic missiles. The Lockheed Martin SSR uses state-of-the art hardware and an innovative software-defined radar architecture to meet current requirements while providing extensibility features to pace evolving threats for decades to come. Its unique maintain-while-operate capability provides very high operational availability and enables continuous 24-hour/7-day week operation.
Solid state radar is a multi-mission system providing a wide range of capabilities, from passive situational awareness to integrated air and missile defense solutions. The combined capability and mission flexibility of Lockheed Martin’s SSR has gained the attention of new and current users of the Aegis Weapon System, the world’s premier air and missile defense combat suite.
Meeting the World’s Most Demanding Missions
While LRDR is the first program to utilize Lockheed Martin’s new SSR building blocks, over the past three years Lockheed Martin has consistently been selected in open competitions to equip an additional 24 platforms in four nations.
SPY-7 provides several times the performance of traditional SPY-1 radars and the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously with the latest proven interceptors.
Spain’s Ministry of Defense stated its preference for Lockheed Martin’s technology for its five F-110 class frigates in 2017 and awarded the ship construction order to Navantia in 2019. These ships will host the first-ever S-band variants of the SPY-7 radar for the Spanish Navy. Production will be a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Spanish company, Indra. When the frigates deploy in 2026 our SPY-7 variant will be integrated as part of the Aegis Weapon System. The frigates will also incorporate the International Aegis Fire Control Loop (IAFCL) integrated with SCOMBA, the national combat system developed by Navantia.
Canada’s Department of National Defence also selected Lockheed Martin as the naval radar provider for its 15 Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ships. Lockheed Martin’s IAFCL is integrated with Canada’s combat management system, CMS 330, developed by Lockheed Martin Canada for the Royal Canadian Navy’s HALIFAX Class ships. The program will make Canada the owner of the world’s second largest Aegis fleet, and our SPY-7 radar variant will enable CSC to conduct highly advanced maritime missions for decades to come.
Mature, Cost-Effective Systems Ready Now
Including LRDR, the 24 Lockheed Martin SSR platforms selected to date represent a total of 91 antennas of varying sizes, collectively composed of over 15,000 subarrays. On LRDR alone, Lockheed Martin has produced an equivalent of eight Aegis shipsets to-date. The U.S. Government’s LRDR has a planned service life for decades to come and will be supported and maintained throughout that period. This ensures the U.S. and its allies will have a large and stable base of cost-effective logistics and support for many years in the future.
14 Jan 20. Aveillant’s bespoke anti-drone system deployed at Heathrow to protect the UK’s busiest airfield. Today, Aveillant Limited, a Thales Company, announces that its anti-drone systems have been deployed at Heathrow as part of the airport’s bespoke set of end-to-end counter drone measures provided by Operational Solutions Ltd to help to keep the country’s busiest airfield free from drones.
This one-of-a-kind Counter Drone system works by detecting and tracking drones in surrounding airspace and alerting airports of unauthorised drone use quickly and efficiently. This new and innovative system also works to locate the drone pilots themselves and can be used to identify their location.
This technology has been specifically designed for Heathrow Airport by Operational Solutions Ltd and comprises of a variety of leading counter drone technologies, including systems from Aveillant.
The fast and accurate detection of rogue drones helps to keep Heathrow’s passengers and colleagues safe and will support the airport, law enforcement and air traffic controllers as they work to protect Heathrow’s airspace. This new kit will enhance detection capabilities and minimise delays, helping passengers to get away on time. The technology will also help the airport to meet its sustainability objectives, by reducing the fuel wastage and additional flight stacking caused by unauthorised drones use.
This news follows the introduction of legislation, introduced in March 2019, prohibiting unauthorised drones from being flown within the Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) which extends out to 5km of any airport boundary. Pilots who break the law and fly without permission within a Flight Restriction Zone in the UK can face a prison sentence of up to five years.
Jonathan Coen, Director of Security for Heathrow Airport Ltd said: “The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our number one priority. That is why we’re investing in this new cutting-edge technology which will enhance our capabilities in the detection and deterrence of drones in and around our airfield. We’re delighted to have this unique system keeping our skies safe and helping passengers and cargo to get to their destinations on time.”
Dominic Walker, CEO of Aveillant Limited, said: “Aveillant is pleased that its counter drone systems have been selected to be deployed at Heathrow and that they are able to contribute to the safety and security of passengers and airlines at the UK’s largest international airport.”
13 Jan 20. Pierce + Northrop + Liteye Live Fire Demonstration with US Army. Pierce Aerospace, a Remote ID UAS Service Supplier (RID-USS), participated in the first C-UAS engagement that confirmed positive ID of UAS with a Remote ID system. Pierce’s Flight Portal ID (FPID), compliant with the ASTM F38 Workgroup “UAS Remote ID and Tracking” standard, delivered Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) information to Counter-UAS (C-UAS) operators, which resulted in the successful execution of an engagement against “hostile” UAS at the US Army Futures Command Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX).
The demonstration involved Northrop Grumman’s Sophisticated Counter Unmanned Systems Weapon Radio Frequency (SCUWR) C-UAS system of systems, consisting of a Liteye‘s Anti-UAV Defeat System “AUDS” and SCUWR’s 30mm X 113mm Chain Gun mounted on a US Army Stryker armoured vehicle. FPID was used to identify friendly aircraft during the engagement. The system of systems approach resulted in the FPID equipped UAS surviving the engagement and continuing its mission. The hostile aircraft did not survive. Operators in the Stryker were not briefed on which UAS was friendly, and relied on IFF information from the FPID display inside the Stryker to obtain positive identification of friend or foe prior to engagement.
Aaron Pierce, CEO Pierce Aerospace, said, “This was the first time getting kinetic with FPID and the results were desirable. I had eyes on the operation from the pilots’ location watching multiple UAS fly down range from the Stryker’s position. I was enthused when the system engaged the hostile UAS with a high explosive round fired from the Chain Gun, leaving our friendly, FPID equipped UAS, to continue operating in an airspace that was no longer contested. The data from this operational demonstration with a deployed and proven C-UAS system, and other demonstrations recently conducted with the US Army, is instrumental for the continued development of FPID to serve both commercial and defense markets.”
FPID is a dual-use Remote ID technology suite designed to serve remote identification, commercial UTM, and C-UAS systems. This demonstration reflects positive results for advancing and fielding FPID integrated efforts, including Northrop Grumman’s Mobile Demonstrator – a mobile C-UAS system designed for use in civilian environments.
“Combining a kinetic and electronic attack capability continues to prove a reliable solution to defeat malicious drones,” said Dan Olson, vice president, armament systems, Northrop Grumman. “The reliability of our gun systems and the development of advanced ammunition types creates a very capable system that provides the ability to meet the future requirement to counter unmanned systems.”
“It was impressive to see the SCUWR demonstrate the integration of multiple defense capabilities into a layered solution,” said Zac Neumayr, VP Strategic Accounts of Liteye Systems. “With the threat of small UAS increasing this approach maximizes the ability to protect the warfighter. Liteye is committed to providing top level surveillance tracking, identification, jamming as well as cueing of additional defeat systems to complement this advanced defense platform. We’re eager to get these capabilities to the field.”
Pierce continued, “I am very appreciative of Northrop Grumman and Liteye supporting our demonstrations. This was a big step in advancing FPID’s practical application of Remote ID and I look forward to working with their teams to further develop and field integrated products.” (Source: UAS VISION)
14 Jan 20. PowerVision Launched Autonomous Personal AI Camera at CES 2020. PowerVision Robot Corporation launched its newest product, the PowerEgg X, at CES 2020. The multi-function device can be used as an autonomous personal AI camera, as a handheld 3-axis AI camera, also a high-performance drone. In launching the PowerEgg X, PowerVision has created an entirely new product classification, the all-in-one autonomous personal AI camera category.
The instant-sharing PowerEgg X fills consumers’ demand for an all-in-one, smarter, easier-to-use, versatile, portable, cost-effective camera that, oh by the way, can also fly. It is equipped with a 4k/60fps HD camcorder with a three-axis gimbal. It produces professional quality images, whether it is used as an AI camera, handheld gimbal camera or a drone. All of this, in an IPX6 rated waterproof case that will be demonstrated at CES 2020 in our drone cage with a waterfall.
“‘Innovate the Future’ is our mission and innovation is in our DNA,” said Wally Zheng, Founder and CEO of PowerVision. “Three years in development, PowerEgg X pulls together the technology consumers are seeking and puts it in a small, elegant egg shape. With smart-image recognition tracking, image mechanical stabilization, and simple video-editing tools, it is easy for anyone to shoot material as if they were a professional-grade videographer. By creating a multi-purpose device, PowerVision has reduced the user’s total purchase cost, storage requirement, increased ease-of-use, and giving the user unprecedented convenience.”
Autonomous Personal AI Camera Mode
With the help of its powerful proprietary AI algorithm and robotics technology capabilities, the PowerEgg X enables facial recognition, deep learning, and a tracking field of view up to 170°. Subjects will always be in the middle of the video frame, even if the subject is playing sports, dancing, or running.
A unique spotlight feature automatically remembers a subject, allowing the PowerEgg X to track it, even if the subject moves in and out of the field of view. It also allows users to take a photo, record video, track movements, and capture a group photo by merely making gestures that are based on a deep-learning massive gesture database.
Handheld Gimbal Camera Mode
When switched into the handheld mode, the PowerEgg X captures all of life’s beautiful moments – anytime, anywhere – using its three-axis mechanical-stability augmentation gimbal and Autonomous Personal AI camera. It has a battery life of 3.5 hours and produces 4K/60fps UHD images while its three-axis gimbal helps resist vibration caused by external factors. PowerEgg X’s anti-shake feature outperforms optical image stabilization used in ordinary photography, guaranteeing superior, high-quality pictures.
Drone Mode
The PowerEgg X is a high-performance drone equipped with a 4K/60fps camera and tri-axial mechanical stability augmentation technologies, and it can be used for highly dynamic aerial photography. It is capable of flying in winds of up to 29-38 knots. It comes with waterproof accessories (waterproof case and landing float) that enable it to take off from and land on water, which is a first of its kind in the industry. It also performs well in heavy rain and other scenarios, such as aquatic events and at-sea rescue operations.
The PowerVision PowerEgg X is the world’s first consumer drone that can pick up sound. Its proprietary SyncVoice technology allows users to narrate in real-time by using their mobile phone’s microphone or a wireless earphone. The narration is then automatically synchronized with pictures, effectively ending silent-aerial photography. It works for up to 30 minutes in drone mode and features automatic obstacle avoidance, precise landing, and other practical functions. Through a companion app, users can easily create short videos to share on social media instantly. (Source: UAS VISION)
14 Jan 20. BIRD Aerosystems, the leading developer of Special Mission Aircraft Solutions (ASIO) and Airborne Missile Protection Systems (AMPS), announces it has completed a successful trial of the OSCAR solution in Africa. The successful trial and the OSCAR solution’s unique capabilities will be presented during the upcoming Africa Maritime Security Forum in Senegal.
During the trial, the OSCAR (Ocean Surveillance Control and Reconnaissance solution) system was operated for a customer in Africa, and applied machine-learning algorithms on real-time maritime data sources such as satellite and terrestrial AIS, satellite SAR/EO/IR, LRIT, coastal radars, tactical sensors and more, and used it to detect, analyze and prioritize suspicious vessels while providing automatic intelligence and threat assessments and alerts of any suspicious or illegal activity detected.
The information provided by the OSCAR system enabled the customer to focus on specific vessels that were pointed out by the system as acting suspiciously, examine them, and incriminate the ones performing illegal activities.
Ronen Factor, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Founder at BIRD Aerosystems: “We are happy to announce that we have completed a successful operational trial of the OSCAR Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) solution in Africa. As we expected, the system was very effective in pointing out the suspicious vessels amongst hundreds of ordinary vessels, therefore allowing the customer to pinpoint his maritime patrol activities and achieve a very high operational efficiency in a cost-effective way. OSCAR is a Fully autonomous and advanced multi-sensor MDA system, and we hope that this trial will further expand the number of customers who are already interested in the system.”
OSCAR is an affordable and quick to deploy solution delivering real-time intelligence and threat assessments for the vessels within the country’s areas of interest. Combined with a secure over-the-cloud deployment and multi-sensor integration, OSCAR is an ideal solution for a nation’s maritime protection needs, as it provides 24/7 protection of the maritime domain and Tier 1 Level of prevention against illegal activities at sea such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, oil theft, smuggling, and illegal transshipment, as well as for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) monitoring.
Fully autonomous and personally customized for the needs of each customer, OSCAR handles oceans of data quickly and efficiently, driving operational costs down and detection probabilities up.
09 Jan 20. WhiteFox, BlueForce and EXO Tactik launch year-long drone security trial at Montreal airport. WhiteFox is partnering with BlueForce and EXO Tactik to launch a year-long drone security trial at YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport.
According to WhiteFox: “A drone security trial of this magnitude is unprecedented. Previous drone security trials have been conducted at airports, but none at an airport this large, and never for a year-long duration. The systems will gather invaluable information throughout the trial, relaying it back to the airport and the companies involved. The systems will be vigorously tested by the strains of an international airport, as well as the significant environmental stresses of a punishing Canadian winter.”
“This long-term trial will allow the airport to accurately monitor drone flights around the airport to gain valuable statistics and to keep the airspace around the airport safe,” said Brian Fentiman, VP and CTO of BlueForce UAV Consulting Inc.
“ADM is pleased to be joining forces with partners of choice as part of this pilot project. The safety of facilities and the traveling public is an ongoing priority of all the stakeholders at YUL and, in the coming months, we will be exploring various ways to facilitate the proactive management of threats that we may eventually be faced with,” said Stéphane Lapierre, Vice President, Airport Operations and Air Services Development.
For more information
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whitefox-partnering-with-blueforce-and-exo-tactik-to-launch-unprecedented-drone-security-trial-at-yul-montreal-international-airport-300983553.html (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
09 Jan 20. Israel “will soon start trials of wide-ranging laser-based air defence system.” Numerous press reports say that Israel’s ministry of defence has developed a new laser-based air defence system called “Laser Sword” to be tested over coming year to complement the Iron Dome network by shooting down incoming rockets and drones
According to the Times of Israel: “According to the ministry, the development of this laser system was possible due to a recent unspecified “technological breakthrough,” following years of investment in research efforts by defense contractors and academic scientists. The futuristic defense system is only in the early development stages and won’t be operational in the near future, the ministry said…. each system would have a high up-front price tag — in the hundreds of millions of dollars — but minimal cost for each use, meaning it would eventually become cost-effective. The head of the Defense Ministry’s Weapons Development and Technology Infrastructure Administration (MAFAT), Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, said each firing of the laser would cost approximately one dollar — not including the cost of the system — compared to the tens of thousands of dollars that each Iron Dome interceptor missile costs.
“So long as it were connected to electricity, the system would never run out of ammunition — a potential problem for the Iron Dome, which can only carry a finite number of interceptor missiles. The downside of a laser system is that it does not function well in times of low visibility, when there is heavy cloud cover and other inclement weather, the ministry said.
“According to the ministry, in the coming year, MAFAT, working with the Elbit and Rafael defense contractors, will create three versions of the laser system: a static ground-based system that can be placed along Israel’s borders to protect nearby communities; one that can be loaded onto a mobile platform in order to defend troops in the field; and one that can be attached to aircraft in order to both work around the visibility issue by placing the system above the clouds and to dramatically extend the system’s range.
The Jerusalem Post reports:
“This is a dramatic solution to rocket fire,” said Dubi Oster, head of the DDR&D Optronics Department. “We have been working on this for years. But it is challenging to get a good-quality beam to stay the size you need at the range you need… for example, a beam the diameter of a coin from here [in Tel Aviv] to Herzliya.”
“…While most developments over the years – both in Israel and abroad – have been ineffective, significant achievements have been made over the past year and a half as a result of collaboration between the ministry and defense companies, including Rafael and Elbit Systems, as well as academic institutions. The breakthrough recently made by the ministry is based on the precision of the laser beam, which can be focused on long-range targets and which can overcome atmospheric disturbances such as clouds and dust storms.
“According to Oster, the ministry was able to take several laser beams and, with an advanced algorithm, connect them to get one strong beam that is able to intercept and take down a variety of threats. Based on high-energy electric lasers rather than chemical laser technology, the robust system will complement the other layers of Israel’s aerial defenses and will be a strategic change in the defense capabilities of the state, the ministry said.”
For more information
https://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-ministry-announces-breakthrough-in-anti-missile-laser-development/ (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
10 Jan 20. Pierce reports successful engagement of rogue drone using IFF-based remote ID technology. Pierce Aerospace, a Remote ID UAS Service Supplier (RID-USS), participated in the first C-UAS engagement that confirmed positive ID of UAS with a Remote ID system, reports the company. Pierce’s Flight Portal ID (FPID), compliant with the ASTM F38 Workgroup “UAS Remote ID and Tracking” draft standard, delivered Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) information to Counter-UAS (C-UAS) operators, which resulted in the successful execution of an engagement against “hostile” UAS at the US Army Futures Command Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX).
A press release states: “The demonstration involved Northrop Grumman’s Sophisticated Counter Unmanned Systems Weapon Radio Frequency (SCUWR) C-UAS system of systems, consisting of a Liteye’s Anti-UAV Defeat System “AUDS” and SCUWR’s 30mm X 113mm Chain Gun® mounted on a US Army Stryker armored vehicle. FPID was used to identify friendly aircraft during the engagement. The system of systems approach resulted in the FPID equipped UAS surviving the engagement and continuing its mission. The hostile aircraft did not survive. Operators in the Stryker were not briefed on which UAS was friendly and relied on IFF information from the FPID display inside the Stryker to obtain positive identification of friend or foe prior to engagement.”
Aaron Pierce, CEO Pierce Aerospace, said, “This was the first time getting kinetic with FPID and the results were desirable. I had eyes on the operation from the pilots’ location watching multiple UAS fly down range from the Stryker’s position. I was enthused when the system engaged the hostile UAS with a high explosive round fired from the Chain Gun®, leaving our friendly, FPID equipped UAS, to continue operating in an airspace that was no longer contested. The data from this operational demonstration with a deployed and proven C-UAS system, and other demonstrations recently conducted with the US Army, is instrumental for the continued development of FPID to serve both commercial and defense markets.”
According to Pierce, FPID is a dual-use Remote ID technology suite designed to serve commercial UTM and C-UAS systems. This demonstration reflects positive results for advancing and fielding FPID integrated efforts, including Northrop Grumman’s Mobile Demonstrator – a mobile C-UAS system designed for use in civilian environments.
“Combining a kinetic and electronic attack capability continues to prove a reliable solution to defeat malicious drones,” said Dan Olson, vice president, armament systems, Northrop Grumman. “The reliability of our gun systems and the development of advanced ammunition types creates a very capable system that provides the ability to meet the future requirement to counter unmanned systems.”
“It was impressive to see the SCUWR demonstrate the integration of multiple defense capabilities into a layered solution,” said Zac Neumayr, VP Strategic Accounts of Liteye Systems. “With the threat of small UAS increasing this approach maximizes the ability to protect the warfighter. Liteye is committed to providing top level surveillance tracking, identification, jamming as well as cueing of additional defeat systems to complement this advanced defense platform. We’re eager to get these capabilities to the field.”
Pierce continued, “I am very appreciative of Northrop Grumman and Liteye supporting our demonstrations. This was a big step in advancing FPID’s practical application of Remote ID and I look forward to working with their teams to further develop and field integrated products.” (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
11 Jan 20. Japan Sends Two Patrol Aircraft to Middle East for Maritime Surveillance – Reports. According to the NHK broadcaster, the aircraft will collect and report intelligence that will help ensure safe maritime passage to commercial vessels with ties to Japan.
Two Lockheed P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force have headed to the Middle East for a prolonged mission of information-gathering on safe commercial maritime passage, Japanese media reported on Saturday.
The patrol area will cover the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, while omitting the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz — according to the broadcaster, it is in order not to damage Japan’s historically friendly relations with Iran. The mission will reportedly be based in the African nation of Djibouti and also cover anti-piracy patrolling near Somalia.
The P-3C aircraft departed from the Naha Air Base of Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Taro Kono. The mission is expected to last for approximately a year and is allocated 4.7bn yen (around $43m) in Japan’s 2020 budget. A destroyer will join the aircraft later in February, as per Kono’s order on Friday. (Source: News Now/Sputnik)
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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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