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29 Oct 24. C2 Robotics, Thales Australia partner to enhance Speartooth LUUV capabilities. Melbourne-based C2 Robotics has partnered with Thales Australia to enhance the capabilities of its Speartooth large unmanned underwater vehicle (LUUV).
Thales Australia will supply its sonar sensor system for Speartooth, Thales and C2 Robotics announced on 28 October.
Marcus Hellyer, C2 Robotics’ director of strategy, told Janes on 30 October that the Thales sonar can enhance the “autonomy, reliability, and safety” of Speartooth.
“Essentially the sonar will allow Speartooth to more accurately detect and avoid obstacles including other vessels. This will contribute to increasing users’ trust in the Speartooth system and expanding the range of missions it can conduct and the range of environments it can operate in,” Hellyer said.
Hellyer added, “We are confident that integration work can begin quickly. Thales is supplying an existing sonar that is already in production. Due to its small size, the integration doesn’t have significant space, weight, or power requirements that would need us to alter Speartooth.”
Hellyer did not provide more details about the Thales sonar system that will be integrated into Speartooth. Thales Australia had not responded to Janes request for more information about the sonar system at the time of publication.
C2 Robotics has been collaborating with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to develop Speartooth. The LUUV is available in two prototype lengths, 8m and 11m, with a focus on containerised deployment. (Source: Janes)
25 Oct 24. EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, and Baykar, Turkiye’s global leader in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and artificial intelligence technology, have signed a Cooperation Agreement at SAHA Expo 2024. Formalised by Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, and Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, during the event, this agreement establishes a framework to strengthen ties, enhance capabilities, and expand market presence for both companies.
Under the terms of the agreement, the cooperation will centre on integrating EDGE’s guided munitions and payloads onto Baykar’s advanced UAS platforms, with Baykar leading the integration efforts. EDGE will provide technical assistance, including designing, manufacturing, and supporting the necessary equipment for successful integration. This initiative aims to meet market demand swiftly and effectively, ensuring supply chain security and delivering high-performance solutions for their customers.
Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, said: “This agreement with Baykar represents a significant milestone in further strengthening our established collaboration. By integrating our advanced solutions onto Baykar’s proven UAS platforms, we can respond swiftly to evolving market demands while further enhancing the capabilities we deliver to our customers. Additionally, this partnership underscores the strategic importance of working with Türkiye’s well-established companies and leveraging its robust defence ecosystem. Together, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology with agility, efficiency, and innovation, while ensuring secure and resilient supply chains.”
Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, said: “Today, alongside the CEO of EDGE, one of the largest defence organisations in the UAE and one of the top 30 in the world, we signed an agreement between BAYKAR and EDGE to integrate EDGE-developed smart munitions into our platforms and for joint cooperation. In recent years, the UAE and Türkiye have built significant defence relations, with the UAE being Türkiye’s largest trade partner in the Middle East. I would like to extend my gratitude for this agreement, with the hope that it will contribute to the independence and security of both nations.” (Source: Defense Arabia)
28 Oct 24. Russia Discloses Information About Upgraded Privet-82MK2 UAS. The Russian army received the modernized Privet-82MK2 UAS, which the Russians themselves position as a “kamikaze drone”. The enemy claims the high efficiency of this system. Russian propaganda media write about this with reference to the commander of the Sovy (engl. – Owls) drone group of the 88th “Espanyola” brigade flying battalion with the call sign “Sokol”.
According to reports, over the past three months, the upgraded Privet-82MK2 UAV has made more than 100 sorties, the success rate of which is estimated at 60%. It is currently impossible to verify the validity of such a thesis, as well as to fully trust this information. According to the Russians, this drone is used to launch strikes on observation posts, dugouts, temporary deployment points and other targets on the battlefield.
The enemy claims that the drone allegedly proved itself positively “by a set of characteristics”:
- it is resistant to means of electronic warfare
- thanks to the autopilot, it can overcome difficult areas
- it can be configured to perform different types of tasks.
It is claimed that the enemy is using this drone in the area of Chasovoy Yar. The working range of the Privet-82MK2 UAV is up to 8-12 km, the maximum range is 30 km.
The modernized Privet-82MK2 drone was presented for the first time this summer at the Army-2024 propaganda forum in Russia. One of the “innovations” implemented in this UAV is the possibility of taking off with the camera turned off – so that the enemy, in case of interception of the video signal, cannot determine the place of launch.
The maximum speed of the UAV is up to 140 km/h, the cruising speed is 90 km/h. The drone can carry up to 5.5 kg of payload – for example, it can be armed with an 82-mm mortar bomb. This UAV is launched with a help of a catapult. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense Express)
28 Oct 24. Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) has announced a strategic investment and collaboration with Near Earth Autonomy (Near Earth) to support multiple autonomous rotorcraft program pursuits, including the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC). Honeywell is teaming with Near Earth, which has been selected by the USMC to lead one of the teams demonstrating optimized logistics using rotorcraft, through an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) under the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium (NASC). In the ALC program, Leonardo Helicopters, Near Earth and Honeywell will showcase uncrewed rotorcraft capabilities for contested environments on Leonardo’s AW139 helicopter.
The agreement will help accelerate the development of autonomous flight and supports Honeywell’s portfolio alignment to three compelling megatrends: the future of aviation, automation and the energy transition.
“Uncrewed aircraft are a vital means of keeping service men and women out of harm’s way in contested environments. But they must also be advanced enough to reliably and efficiently perform their missions, even in GPS-denied environments. Together with Near Earth, we’re seeking to advance the reliability and functionality of autonomous technology and build products that support autonomous operations globally,” said Matt Milas, President, Defense & Space, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “By focusing on retrofitting existing platforms we’ll be able to deliver rapid, scalable solutions.”
The ALC program will leverage the extensive collective aviation expertise of the three companies to deliver advanced autonomy solutions, enabling uncrewed operation of rotorcraft for logistics and casualty evacuation missions for the USMC. This initiative, part of the USMC Aerial Logistics Connector program, focuses on developing an unmanned logistics system to provide support in contested environments, with operational aircraft targeted by 2030. Honeywell and Near Earth aim to help deploy these solutions rapidly and at scale.
“The ALC program is focused on achieving assured autonomy on an unprecedented scale,” said Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth. “We are excited to partner with Honeywell, a leader in avionics and flight control, to create a comprehensive system for aerial logistics that can rapidly be put into commonplace use.”
“Leonardo Helicopters is excited to introduce the USMC to the world-class AW139 helicopter for this next-generation FVL mission,” said Scott Volkert, Dir. of USMC Programs for Leonardo Helicopters.
This collaboration with Near Earth allows Honeywell to explore additional opportunities for rotorcraft and UAS beyond the USMC initiative.
28 Oct 24. USMC Deploys ‘Loyal Wingman’ Drone in Joint Force Test.
A test Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned combat aerial vehicle deployed recently in a first-ever joint force data link integration test during Emerald Flag 2024.
The Marine Corps’ “Loyal Wingman” drone provides targeting data to F-35Bs and other aircraft.
“The XQ-58A effectively demonstrated its capabilities as a forward deployed sensing platform – providing critical threat targeting data to Marine Corps fifth-generation aircraft,”
reads a Marine Corps press release on the integration effort.
Procured by the service under the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer, or the Portfolio (PAACK-P) program, which will serve as an experimentation bed for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aerial System Expeditionary (MUX) Tactical Aircraft (TACAIR), the Marine Valkryie drones took flight for the first time last year. Successive flight tests occurred in February and September of this year, with the latter acting as preparation for the service’s data link integration effort at Emerald Flag.
Starting in 2020, the Air Force-led Emerald Flag series of exercises focuses on the joint integration of platforms across the services in a multi-domain environment. The exercise’s activities are centered around Eglin Air Force Base, which hosts numerous test and development components and a maritime testing range. The exercise has also been the site of previous force integration efforts by the Air Force, as seen in the 2022 iteration that included MQ-9A Reaper drones demonstrating their Satellite Communication abilities to conduct cross-country operations in support of Agile Combat Employment.
Elgin has also hosted the Marines for prior testing efforts of Valkyrie under PAACK-P. The base hosted the service’s second flight test, which was called a “key milestone in implementing Project Eagle,” the notional name for the Marine Corps yet-to-be-released 2024 aviation plan.
For the Marine Corps, this year’s iteration of Emerald Flag centered around the Valkyrie as a sensor and its ability to transmit what it saw back to both the service’s F-35B fifth-generation fighters and platforms from other services. Col. Derek Brannon, the branch head for the Cunningham Group within the office of the deputy commandant for aviation, highlighted the integration of Valkyrie with a four-ship of Lightning IIs and other aircraft via tactical data links and digital communication.
“The success of this flight test during Emerald Flag pushed the manned-unmanned teaming concept a step further for the entire Joint Force,” Brannon said.
Valkyrie’s Link-16 capabilities were previously tested and verified during the drone’s third flight test, which also marked the first time the Pentagon “controlled an air vehicle using offboard expeditionary methods.”
“Initial results indicate that the prototype met threshold requirements for autonomously exchanging relevant tactical information. These Link-16 capabilities significantly enhance the Marine Air-Ground Task Force’s ability to conduct integrated and joint operations, contributing to the Marine Corps’ mission to deter conflict and, when necessary, defeat enemies in complex and evolving scenarios,” reads a news release about the September test.
With this latest test, the Kratos drone should only have two more planned tests under the original PAACK-P requirements. The service’s tests aim to examine the viability of the “Loyal Wingman” platform to support the F-35B through autonomous electronic support, AI-enabled assistance to combat air patrols and delivering or supporting long-range fire missions. Kratos demonstrated the platform’s electronic warfare capability in April when one of the drones, in conjunction with two F-35Bs, conducted an electronic attack. The service did not publicly report this test despite it occurring before the third flight test in September.
“This test flight marked the capstone event for the PAACK-P Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve project and proved the tactical utility of uncrewed offboard sensing platforms,”
said Lt. Col. Bradley Buick, future capabilities officer for Cunningham Group. (Source: UAS VISION/USNI News)
25 Oct 24. Trio of Ghost Bat Block 2 variants to be completed next year. A trio of Royal Australian Air Force Block 2 variants of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat are expected to be completed by the end of next year, according to information from manufacturer Boeing Australia.
Boeing has produced a total of eight MQ-28A prototype aircraft, with three RAAF Block 2 variants currently in production and planned to be completed by the end of next year, according to a Boeing spokesperson.
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed teaming aircraft are designed to act as a force multiplier in support of advanced multi-mission air combat operations. Ghost Bat development vehicles continue to be manufactured at the company’s Fishermans Bend facility in Victoria.
“The Ghost Bat is designed to act as a force multiplier, providing the Royal Australian Air Force with affordable mass and flexibility in its force mix, while reducing risk to existing crewed assets,” a Boeing Australia spokesperson said.
“We have worked closely with RAAF to mature the concept of operations for MQ-28.
“We have made significant progress in the last two years to mature the Ghost Bat capabilities, and we are working towards being able to deliver an operational capability to the Royal Australian Air Force in the next few years.
“MQ-28 was conceived, produced and tested at record speed, and recently Boeing and RAAF marked more than 100 hours of flight testing and 20,000 hours in the digital environment.”
Earlier this year at the Connect Defence Industry Development Strategy Summit 2024, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy confirmed that there was ongoing interest in both intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles for the uncrewed aircraft, as well as acquiring strike capability. (Source: Defence Connect)
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