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19 Jun 24. AV Successfully Flight Tests JUMP 20 VTOL UAS with a Heavy Fuel Engine.
- Heavy fuel engine provides JUMP 20 with greater performance, efficient fuel consumption and longer operational lifespan
AeroVironment (AV) successfully demonstrated its JUMP® 20 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) with a heavy fuel engine. The higher horsepower and lower fuel burn rate provided by the heavy fuel engine expands the capabilities of AV’s proven JUMP 20 platform. Integration of the heavy fuel engine further establishes the JUMP 20 as a multi-domain multi-mission UAS capable of autonomously operating in challenging conditions.
“The addition of a heavy fuel engine to the JUMP 20 provides global forces an unparalleled VTOL solution with a longer operational lifespan, greater performance and efficient fuel consumption. It is well suited for land and sea domains where available fuel sources could be dictated by the respective logistics support plan,” said Shane Hastings, AV’s vice president and general manager of Medium UAS. “Heavy fuel compatibility continues to be a strong requirement for many customers, and we’ve made great strides in making our proven JUMP 20 fully compliant with these requirements.”
AV’s JUMP 20 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), fixed-wing UAS with 13+ hours of endurance and an operational range of 185 km (115 mi). The 15 hp engine is purpose-built for uncrewed systems and capable of running on multiple fuels and gasoline. With over 15 hp output, the high endurance, minimal fuel burn engine also requires less frequent maintenance cycles and overhauls. It is lighter than traditional gasoline engines and has an auto-start capability that delivers customers a simplified UAS requiring less operator engagement to operate and sustain.
(Source: ASD Network)
18 Jun 18 24. L3Harris and Startup Seasats Accomplish Milestone in Proving Resilient, Distributed Maritime Autonomous Operations. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) joined maritime startup Seasats to successfully test the advanced capabilities of an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) in the Pacific Ocean.
Seasats and L3Harris demonstrated reliable, resilient and effective operations off the coast of Hawaii with a surfboard-size ASV after completing a 2,500-mile journey from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The 10-week voyage also proved the ASV’s seaworthiness while continuously operating in challenging conditions.
“The ability of ASVs to prove their prolonged and reliable operations in the ocean is critical for establishing their effectiveness as a hard-to-detect, autonomous and affordable platform for L3Harris’ collaborative network payloads – essential for military effectiveness in contested environments,” said Andrew Puryear, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, L3Harris. “We are committed to collaborating with promising startups on innovative solutions that will make an impact in supporting the U.S., its allies and partners.”
Seasats manufactures ASVs under the product name Lightfish, which operate autonomously in all maritime environments for up to six months.
“We were extremely pleased how well the Lightfish navigated the challenges of an open ocean environment during our transit to Hawaii,” said Mike Flanigan, CEO and President, Seasats. “We see ASVs as a force multiplier and another way to affordably and quickly grow U.S. naval presence around the world.”
Seasats is a privately-owned company that designs and produces solar-powered maritime ASVs for military and commercial use. L3Harris strategically invested in Seasats in 2022 as part of its ongoing strategy to adopt emerging technologies that address customers’ growing requirements for innovative, agile solutions that can be fielded rapidly.
(Source: ASD Network)
19 Jun 24. Small drones will soon lose combat advantage, French Army chief says. The advantage now enjoyed by small aerial drones on battlefields including in Ukraine is but “a moment in history,” French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill said at the Eurosatory defense show in Paris.
While anti-drone systems are lagging and “leave the sky open to things that are cobbled together but which are extremely fragile,” countermeasures are being developed, Schill told reporters during a tour of the French Army stand at the show June 19. Already today, 75% of drones on the battlefield in Ukraine are lost to electronic warfare, the general said.
”The life of impunity of small, very simple drones over the battlefield is a snapshot in time,” Schill said. “Right now it’s being exploited, that’s clear, and we have to protect ourselves. Today, the sword, in the sense of the aerial drone, is powerful, more powerful than the shield. The shield is going to grow.”
This year’s edition of Eurosatory featured dozens of anti-drone systems, including shotguns, cannons and missiles, while companies including Safran, Thales and Hensoldt presented soft-kill solutions to eliminate drones by electronic means. Schill said vehicles in France’s Scorpion collaborative combat program will all be anti-drone systems in two years time, linking their detection capability with turrets that can fire a missile or a 40mm airburst grenade.
First-person view drones currently carry out about 80% of the destruction on the front line in Ukraine, when eight months ago those systems weren’t present, according to Schill. The general said that situation won’t exist 10 years from now, and the question could be asked whether that might already end in one or two years. Schill cited the example of the Bayraktar drone, “the king of the war” at the start of the conflict in Ukraine but no longer being used because it’s too easy to scramble.
The general said he doesn’t consider that the war in Ukraine calls into question the French choice of a maneuvering army built around medium armor, with a focus on speed and mobility. The vehicles that the Army is introducing as part of the Scorpion program — the Griffon, Serval and Jaguar – can be equipped with either active or passive protection, even if a strong emphasis of mine protection means they’re “quite massive.”
Griffons, Servals
The French Army is receiving around 120 Griffons and 120 Servals every year as part of Scorpion, as well as more than 20 Jaguars. The vehicles are equipped with “extremely powerful” information systems, and a vehicle such as the Griffon may contain more lines of code than a Rafale fighter jet, according to Schill.
Vehicles developed before the Scorpion program, such as the Leclerc main battle tank, are being reconfigured to become part of the collaborative combat system, which for example allows a target detected by one vehicle to be attacked by another. Scorpion was “extremely ambitious,” works, and has met expectations, according to Schill.
“Everything we had planned is perfectly in place, but it’s just a question of cost effectiveness on certain capabilities,” the general said.Something not considered five years ago is the rapid development of microprocessors, which means the gathered data can now be analyzed within the vehicle rather than externally. In combination with on-board artificial intelligence, that will allow for capabilities such as immediate threat detection, including of drones.
When looking to draw lessons from Ukraine, there needs to be a distinction between what is situational and related the type of terrain and battles being fought, and what is structural, the general said. The war in eastern Europe doesn’t mean the issues of the past 30 years around risk and crisis management will disappear. “We must remain a versatile army.”
The French choice has been to not separate the army into distinct parts suited for different theaters, for example an intervention army that is agile and mobile and a mechanized armor army prepared to fight a war like the one in Ukraine today, with “perhaps more rugged, lowered vehicles, but which, when they hit a mine will kill crews.”
Schill said he wants to preserve the “warrior aspect” of the French army, in which every soldier is aware they can be deployed in operation, rather than a soldier in a territorial defense army “who will never do anything.”
The pace of military drone development means that Army can’t commit to large buying programs, because an acquired capability can become obsolete in five months, according to the general. Schill said today’s drones fly better than those two or three years ago, with more computing power onboard that is capable of terrain-based navigation or switching frequencies to escape jamming.
Drones can’t be compared to 155mm shells, which can be stocked and will remain relevant in 10 years time, and the Army needs to find “the right system in this fast-moving world of new technology,” Schill said. The challenge is creating an industrial model that can produce in mass if necessary, and sufficiently standardized.
Future buying of electronic gear such as drones but also small radios and smart phones may be done in batches to allow for technology evolution, for example renewing equipment at the brigade level rather than multiple-year programs to equip the entire Army with a new piece of equipment, Schill said.
‘Just not possible’
The general also commented on the future French-German Main Ground Combat System, which will consist of several vehicles, some of them manned and others automated, combining anti-drone weapons, close-defense anti-aircraft capabilities, missiles and a canon. Putting all of that on a single tank would create a vehicle weighing 80 metric tons, which “is just not possible.”
Development of the system is going to 10 to 15 years because the land-based robotics are “not completely mature yet,” according to Schill.Schill said he doesn’t know whether the right main gun for the future tank system will be 120mm, 130mm or 140mm, saying that will depend on issues such as stealth and mobility requirements, as well as what the gun bore would add in terms of penetration. KNDS, which is involved in the MGCS program, presented a gun that can swap its barrel to fire either 120mm or 140mm shells.
The French Leclerc tank probably won’t get a second upgrade beyond the current XLR version being rolled out, according to the general. He said the French-German agreement is for the next-generation system in 2040, making the Leclerc question a secondary issue.
It’ll be in France’s interest to piggyback on any capability additions made by the United Arab Emirates, another Leclerc user, between now and 2040 as a way to finance intermediate innovations, Schill said. The introduction of the MGCS won’t immediately mean the end of the Leclerc, which the general expects to be in service in the French Army until 2045.
(Source: C4ISR & Networks)
19 Jun 24. Safran and Edge Autonomy present Lanner, a new configuration of the Penguin lightweight tactical drone system. Safran Electronics & Defense and Edge Autonomy proudly present Lanner, a new configuration of the Penguin Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) during the exhibition Eurosatory 2024. The Lanner configuration is based on the field-proven Penguin UAS platform and has been specifically modified to meet the requirements of the SDTL (Light Tactical Drone System) program for the French armed forces.
In this configuration, the Penguin drone can address multiple missions through a simultaneous dual payload capability, including Electro-Optical/Infra-Red systems, electronic warfare (detection of radio signals or jamming for example), radar, and ammunitions. It can thus carry out land and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
“We are excited to partner with Safran Electronics & Defense to offer a world-class UAS to the French armed forces”, said Josh Stinson, Chief Growth Officer for Edge Autonomy, “The Lanner configuration capitalizes on the field-proven capabilities of Edge Autonomy’s Penguin UAS along with Safran’s system expertise in optronics, PNT (position, navigation, and timing), UAV airworthiness, and mission systems.”
“Safran Electronics & Defense worked with Edge Autonomy to customize the Penguin drone with specific enhancements meeting the unique and demanding needs of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Penguin is a high-performance drone, combat-proven with tens of thousands of flight hours under a wide variety of conditions”, said Alexandre Ziegler, Executive VP, Defense Global Business Unit of Safran Electronics & Defense.
Developed and produced in Europe, the Lanner configuration establishes Safran Electronics & Defense and Edge Autonomy as the European leaders in tactical UAVs. This partnership supports Safran Electronics & Defense response to the SDTL call for tenders to equip the French armed forces. The capabilities of the two companies offer a unique combination of proven experience and technological innovation for a complete range of tactical UAS capable of meeting the full spectrum of operational needs of the French Ministry of Armed Forces and partner nations
19 Jun 24. Russia showcases new robotic motor boats in response to “global trends.”
Russia’s state arms export company is showcasing new robotic motor boats at the Fleet-2024 conference in St Petersburg.
Rosoboronexport, part of Russia’s Rotsec state company for arms exports, are showcasing uncrewed motorboats as autonomous surface vessels for the first time, from June 19 to 23 at Fleet-2024 in St Petersburg.
Russia’s autonomous uncrewed vehicle, the MMT-300, and the uncrewed motorboats Vizir, Orkan, and BEK-100 will be demonstrated to international customers for the first time at the maritime defence show.
Russian defence companies have developed the uncrewed motorboats in response to global trends on planning military operations, according to Alexander Mikheev, director general of Rosoboronexport.
“We will offer foreign partners to cooperate in building network-centric systems with integrated unmanned motor boats and autonomous unmanned vehicles, as well as in introducing the over-the-horizon operation concept using Russian robotic systems,” said Mikheev.
Mikheev describes the boats as being capable of carrying “various payloads”.
Uncrewed motorboats have played a significant role in the war in Ukraine, with the platforms playing a significant role in the 23 successful attacks that have damaged or sunk Russian ships since the beginning of the invasion.
In the Spring of 2024, Ukrainian officials reported that one third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed, causing a retreat, and rendering the fleet inoperable.
Russian military exports plummeting
Russian arms exports have plummeted since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, with France snatching the mantle of the world’s number two global arms exporter in March 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
SIPRI found that compared with the period between 2014-2018, Russia’s arms exports halved in the period 2019-2023, falling by 53%. While Russia exported major arms to 31 states in 2019, in 2023 this number fell to 12.
Rosoboronexport will also be showcasing the Rubezh-ME coastal missile system, and the Klavesin-1RE underwater robotic system.
A new export configuration for the corvette Tiger will be demonstrated with a Zaslon multifunctional radar system.
Among platforms Rosoboronexport describe as having “high export potential”, the company will showcase the Karakurt-E class corvette, Tornado-class fast attack guided missile craft, Project 11711 large amphibious assault ship, Project BK-16E landing craft and Project BK-10 special-purpose craft, and the Project 636 and Project Amur-1650 diesel-electric submarines. (Source: naval-technology.com)
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