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28 Nov 24. UK: Drones over US military bases are highly unlikely to pose physical security threats. On 26 November, US Air Force (USAF) elements stationed in Europe reported that more unidentified drones were spotted over several US bases in the UK, specifically Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall (both Suffolk) and RAF Fairford (Gloucestershire). Several similar incidents have taken place since 20 November. The origin and intent of the drones and their operators have yet to be confirmed. The timing of the incidents coincides with heightened geopolitical tensions linked to the war in Ukraine; Russia has repeatedly accused the UK of direct involvement in the war. However, the authorities have stated that the drones have not been identified as hostile, and that there has been no impact on the military bases’ residents or infrastructure. Nonetheless, while we assess that the drones are likely to be civilian models, the involvement of foreign actors remains possible. Further incidents of drones flying over military sites and assets are likely. We also assess that such drone activity is highly unlikely to pose a physical security threat to affected areas. However, an increased security posture near US and UK military sites is highly likely. (Source: Sibylline)
25 Nov 24. Norway asks US about maritime drone options as it ponders new, long-range capability.
“Norway is considering several types of drones, and it is too early to comment further on the type, number, or specific requirements for the acquisition beyond what is outlined in the adopted long-term plan,” a Norwegian official told Breaking Defense, though one US executive expects a decision within months.
Norway has embarked on studies to examine how it would introduce a new, long-range, aerial maritime surveillance drone into its forces in the high north and has asked the US for information about suitable American options, the Ministry of Defence said in a new statement.
“Norway is considering several types of drones, and it is too early to comment further on the type, number, or specific requirements for the acquisition beyond what is outlined in the adopted long-term plan,” Anne Marie Aanerud, state secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, told Breaking Defense Thursday.
“As part of the ongoing studies we have requested additional information on relevant drones from the U.S. authorities,” she said. “The response will be incorporated into the ongoing work on the drone acquisition.”
Aanerud noted that a timeline for contract signing has has still to be decided, as military officials continue to work up a strategy to implement recommendations for the long-term defense plan.
That defense plan, published in April, revealed Oslo’s intention to procure the maritime surveillance drones, and Aanerud told Breaking Defense the ministry envisions platforms that are able to “monitor large areas for extended periods of time, complementing the tools we already have.”
The future drones are set to be based out of Andøya Air Station, northern Norway, 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle and previously home to Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA). Olso decided to reverse a decision to close the base in the aftermath of the Ukraine war and amid a renewed focus on bolstering defense capabilities to counter Russian aggression.
Though Aanerud declined to say if any specific platforms are under consideration, and several international firms make drones that could fit the bill, the fact that US authorities had been contacted suggests that American systems are in the running.
An executive at Northrop Grumman, for one, said the company’s MQ-4C Triton, a pricey high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) system, was among them. The US Navy operates the Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) mainly to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and as a complement to Boeing P-8A MPA operations. Norway operates five of the P-8 crewed platforms.
Doug Shaffer, vice president of autonomous intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting programs at Northrop Grumman, told Breaking Defense his firm has had “extensive” written exchanges as well as face-to-face meetings with Norwegian officials about the aerospace giant’s offerings.
“We’ve had all our engineers there, answering hundreds of questions,” he said, adding that an aircraft selection decision could come in the “next few months.”
Northrop says the Triton, which can fly above 50,000 feet, can cover some 4 m nautical miles with its sensor array in a 24-hour sortie — roughly equivalent to the size of China.
But it is expensive. In July, Inside Defense reported that each newest version of Triton has an estimated price tag of $618 m though that figure was a result of a per-unit price jump in the US Navy program after the total acquisition was slashed.
Shaffer argued the capabilities of a single airframe are worth the price tag over the drone’s entire lifecycle.
“The largest cost is the operational sustainment over decades, and to do the same mission as a HALE platform, it takes three to five times more MALES,” he claimed, referring to medium-altitude, long-endurance drones. “That calculus is what Norway is evaluating.”
If that is a calculus Norway is doing, on the other end of the equation could be the much less expensive American-made MQ-9B SeaGuardian, a MALE variant of the MQ-9 Reaper produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) that can fly at 40,000 feet. The flyaway unit cost of a MQ-9B sits at approximately $38 m, excluding through life and sustainment costs, according to figures from Shephard Media, a British trade publication.
GA-ASI has positioned the drone for sale up north, saying in company literature that “with MQ-9B, the Nordic and Northern European allies now have a surveillance platform to choose that can perform all their key missions with low acquisition and operating costs.”
- Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for GA-ASI, declined to comment on whether the SeaGuardian is in the race for Norway’s next UAV, but did suggest it would be an effective high north asset.
“MQ-9B’s advanced sensors, data processing power, worldwide proliferated low-Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite communications link, and impressive endurance make Arctic awareness possible from anywhere in the world,” he said. “Over the Arctic, MQ-9B can detect air, ground, surface, and subsurface targets of interest, including surveillance balloons, maritime vessels, and submarines, and then feed real-time intelligence to military and civil authorities around the world.”
Brinkley also said that future upgrades of the aircraft, including detect and avoid technology integrated with Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) capability, Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) and air-to-air radar, “will add to the ease of operating in the Arctic.”
Specific to maritime missions the MQ-9B can also be equipped with a 360-degree maritime radar, fitted with an Automated Identification System (AIS), an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability, featuring a sonobuoy monitoring and control system capable of dispensing up to 40 sonobuoys, noted Brinkley.
A spokesperson for the US State Department, which plays a key role in negotiating foreign military sales, told Breaking Defense that the US has a “close defense trade partnership with Norway that includes co-production of advanced systems like the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS. However, we have no comment on our specific cooperation in the long-range maritime UAV space and would refer you to the Government of Norway.”
In A Cold Country, A Heated UAV Debate
Generally speaking, Oslo has consistently stressed that multinational collaboration with allies will be a core element of the maritime surveillance drone acquisition, particularly in areas such as development, operations and training.
In June, it committed to closer bilateral defense cooperation with Scandinavian counterpart Denmark, through a letter of intent, covering drones and air defense, among other items. Similarly, Copenhagen has committed to the acquisition of long-range drones to monitor the Arctic and North Atlantic. Additional funding for the effort was secured in January, as part of an initial cross party agreement, that falls under a new, national defense settlement, according to a Danish Ministry of Defence statement.
But at a local level, the Norwegian drone effort has been hotly debated in recent months with critics, including senior defense officials, publicly warning against the procurement of large, long-range surveillance types at all.
Writing in a Norwegian Armed Forces magazine, Rolf Folland, former Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force and currently the Norwegian military representative to NATO, questioned the survivability of the US platforms, specifically citing shootdown incidents of both aircraft.
“We have seen examples of this vulnerability in Ukraine, and in the Middle East, where large drones of the type MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk have been shot down,” he wrote. “These shootings illustrate how today’s large drones, even with advanced technology, can become easy targets for hostile actors who use relatively simple air defense systems.” (Triton is a variant of the Global Hawk.)
Large drones “with their low speed and large radar cross-section … can become relatively easy targets for an adversary that has modern anti-aircraft systems, and they are vulnerable to electronic countermeasures that can disrupt their communication and navigation systems,” stated Folland.
Instead of Norway opting for such large, expensive platforms, he recommended looking into alternative ideas, specifically procurement of a stealth-designed drone or ordering additional satellites. “Monitoring and situation overview from space can potentially be significantly better than from a drone,” he added.
Despite such sentiment, there are few indications though that Norway will change course on its current acquisition approach. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
27 Nov 24. DIU Leads Blue UAS Refresh Challenge to Test, Validate UAS Platforms and Capabilities for DoD.
The Defense Innovation Unit recently hosted the first of what is intended to be an annual Blue UAS Refresh event at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California.
A team of more than 40 military drone end-users representing each service and several major program offices evaluated more than 35 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and capabilities to support the Department of Defense’s (DoD) ability to quickly scale and field commercially produced unmanned aerial systems and related technologies.
The three-day challenge supported more than 150 day and night flights, with each platform flying an average of six flights. Multiple categories of platforms were evaluated including first person view, drones classified as Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 by the U.S. military based on their maximum weight and normal operating altitude, as well as components (sensors, radios, gimbals, etc.) and software capabilities through testing operationally relevant scenarios representing the challenges warfighters face across the joint force.
Key to this event:
- The majority of platforms were also observed for any effects of Electronic Warfare in response to jamming that targeted their Command and Control links.
- Commercial partners received direct and unfiltered feedback from operational end users providing unique access to essential, valuable information.
- DoD evaluators gained exposure to a wide variety of capabilities to address unique problem sets.
At the end of the challenge, military UAS operators provided evaluations on the effectiveness and ability of the platforms and capabilities to meet their current and emerging mission sets. Feedback included ratings on modularity, ease of use, mission planning, and fit to the capability gaps end users have.
Today, there are three paths to procurement of UAS platforms in DoD. The first is via a traditional program of record, which results in less capable, more expensive systems that lag the technological frontier by multiple generations. The second is through an exception to policy procedure which imposes extensive time and paperwork burdens on acquiring units. The third is through Blue UAS.
DIU’s Blue UAS effort provides a comprehensive and continuous approach to rapidly vet and verify commercial UAS technology for the DoD and U.S. Government. The Blue UAS List provides and maintains access to a robust roster of policy approved commercial UAS which suit the diverse needs of DoD users. It operates in accordance with the 2020 and 2023 NDAA’s and the 2024 American Security Drone Act. All drones on the Blue UAS list have a Global Authority to Operate (ATO), placing no additional paperwork burden for approved use anywhere in the world.
DIU will begin announcing the updated Blue UAS list on a rolling basis in December 2024 following verification of NDAA compliance and finalization of ATO’s. Current Blue UAS companies that are not renewed have an opportunity to be added to AUVSI’s Green UAS list to continue selling to non-DOD government agencies and entities that require proof of NDAA compliance.
In an effort to continue to strengthen the UAS industrial base, DIU works closely with AUVSI, the trade organization for the autonomous systems industry. In 2023, AUVSI launched the Green UAS Certification that builds upon DIU’s Blue UAS efforts that serves the commercial and non-defense drone community. Green UAS provides access to the same level of verification and certification for cybersecurity and NDAA supply chain compliance.
Green UAS compliant drones that have a DoD customer/sponsor willing to sponsor and fund a DoD ATO may have the opportunity to transition from the Green UAS cleared list to the Blue UAS cleared list. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense Innovation Unit)
25 Nov 24. A team of British engineers based in Portsmouth has successfully demonstrated a new type of autonomous submarine, developed specifically for military use, off the south coast of England. The vessel, called Herne, is what is known as an extra large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) and has been configured by BAE Systems to enable militaries to monitor and help protect underwater infrastructure across the vast expanses of the seabed, support anti-submarine warfare and provide another means for them to undertake covert surveillance missions. The trials earlier this month saw the craft conduct a pre-programmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, powered by Nautomate, the Company’s platform agnostic high specification autonomous military control system. This follows successful trials of the technology on a surface vessel earlier this year.
Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business, said: “Herne is a game changer in the underwater battlespace. It will give our customers a cost effective autonomous capability that will allow for a wide range of missions, end the reliance on crewed platforms, keeping people out of harm’s way and boosting endurance.”
Able to be fitted to existing or new build vessels, Nautomate gives users a cost effective option to boost their autonomous capabilities, allowing them to operate with greater scale, endurance and persistence, whilst removing the need for human crews to operate in arduous or dangerous conditions. This can free up skilled personnel to focus on the tasks where people add most value.
An added benefit of underwater autonomy is that, without the need to resupply or carry life support systems, Herne will be able to patrol the sub surface domain for far longer than a crewed alternative.
It can also be upgraded as new technology or ways of working evolve by using open architecture mission plug-ins.
BAE Systems collaborated with Canadian company Cellula Robotics to deliver the demonstrator configuration of Herne XLAUV. This successful collaboration resulted in a “whiteboard to water” capability in just 11 months, demonstrating the pace at which BAE Systems can deliver Herne and other autonomous maritime capabilities.
Now that the technology has been successfully demonstrated, the BAE Systems team will continue to refine Herne with further trials, depending on customer requirements.
25 Nov 24. Uncrewed boat sails in UK waters in first for Royal Navy. A crewless boat has been driven around the Solent – remotely controlled from a Royal Navy vessel in a first in UK waters. A Pacific 24 rigid-inflatable craft – the mainstay of small boat operations by the Royal Navy such as rescues, intercepting drug runners and moving sailors from ship to shore – was both remotely and autonomously piloted from experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett while the pair sailed off the coast of Portsmouth. The week-long trials pushed the uncrewed vessel to its limits with rough seas and even snow testing its systems and software in a range of operational scenarios. The autonomous tests saw it pre-programmed to follow certain manoeuvres and directions while the remotely-piloted tests saw it controlled by a Royal Marine using a console on board the ship.
While the APAC – Autonomous PACific – has been tested at sea abroad, this was the first time it’s been done in home waters and through the busy waterways of Portsmouth Harbour, successfully navigating around ferries, other Royal Navy vessels and private boats.
The trials were run by the Royal Navy’s autonomous experts NavyX who have previously trialled the APAC in Portugal with NATO partners at Exercise Repmus.
But conditions in the Solent raised the stakes and showed how the uncrewed rib can operate like its crewed counterpart in rough waters and all conditions.
With cameras and sensors on board, the robot rib fed back a live camera feed to control units and computers on XV Patrick Blackett with could then be analysed.
Other sensors and weapons could be added to further enhance its use as a vessel for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations with data fed back in real-time.
Commander Michael Hutchinson, commanding officer of XV Patrick Blackett and part of the NavyX team, said: “Integrating crewed and uncrewed systems and operating them at the same time is a huge step forward for the Royal Navy.
“This is the first time a fully autonomous and crewless boat has been operated in UK waters and we have achieved this throughout the week in different conditions and completing a range of tests.
“It forms the backbone for further integration that future ships will have with autonomous technology. The trials and experiments we do will develop the Standard Operating Procedures for the APAC and how to use uncrewed systems effectively for warfighting.”
An autonomous rib could be deployed to do recces, as a force protector against threats and even to launch weapons – minimising the risk to sailors who might otherwise be tasked with those missions.
Commander Hutchinson added: “What’s great about these trials and this piece of kit is it’s something we already have and something the Royal Navy already deploys.
“But adapting it to be used autonomously means we can do more with it and use it for a wider range of operations.”
Currently, the APAC can be controlled at short range from the XV Patrick Blackett but sensors on a drone flown from the ship could extend that range.
And with more trials planned next year, the NavyX team hope to build on their successes.
“Running the APAC in and out of Portsmouth Harbour is something we want to do more often and make it the norm,” Commander Hutchinson said.
“We want other ships and boats to be used to that and we can keep pushing the message that we can do it and we can do it safely.
“This is what XV Patrick Blackett is for. It’s a trials and evaluation ships that can develop operating manuals for technology and see what works, what doesn’t and how we get it ready for further use by the Fleet.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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