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18 Dec 24. UK looks to protect funding for rapid Watchkeeper UAV replacement. Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan did not elaborate further on the replacement effort but did note that the Watchkeeper retirement will allow the MoD to still save “quite a lot of money” that would otherwise go toward support costs for the aircraft.
The United Kingdom has learned from watching Ukraine that its Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle is “no longer fit for operational purpose,” but the ministry of defense is committed to protecting funding that will go towards its replacement, according to a senior official.
“We are working really hard with the army and ensuring they’re funded to deliver the sorts of drone capability in 2025 to replace the drone [Watchkeeper] that’s being retired,” Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Capability) Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan told lawmakers from the UK Defence Committee on Tuesday.
In November, London said it had decided to scrap 46 of the British Army medium-altitude, long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) drones as part of sweeping equipment cuts aimed at delivering savings of £500 million ($632 million) over the next five years.
Magowan’s comments on the lack of operational utility offered by Watchkeeper are in keeping with those of John Healey, UK Secretary of Defence, who justified the early retirement of the aircraft on grounds that “technology has overtaken” it.
Magowan did not elaborate further on the replacement effort but did note that the Watchkeeper retirement will allow the MoD to still save “quite a lot of money” that would otherwise go toward support costs for the aircraft.
As previously reported, the Watchkeeper program has suffered years of delays, cost overruns and a series of test and operational crashes. As of September 2022, the UK had spent £1.31 billion on the program, according to a lawmaker statement. It initially entered service in 2014, supporting Afghanistan force protection efforts, but has rarely been deployed on military operations since that conflict. In October, Watchkeeper was operated with upgraded sensors in Estonia, as part of Exercise Athena Shield, according to a British Army statement. (Thales UK, manufacturer of the Watchkeeper, told FlightGlobal in November that while London’s decision to cut the platform was “disappointing,” the company said it was “proud of Watchkeeper’s success in Afghanistan, support to Border Force and, most recently, being deployed in Estonia.”)
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s hearing, lawmaker questions prompted additional revelations from Magowan across a number of other key programs, including plans to replace 17 Royal Air Force-operated Puma medium lift helicopters, also axed under the latest round of military cuts.
He said that a “range of capabilities” are currently being explored that could “plug gaps” when the rotorcraft, which are permanently based in Brunei and Cyprus, are retired in March 2025. The UK has already committed to the acquisition of six Airbus H145 Jupiter helicopters to replace the Puma’s in 2026, so it appears that Magowan is suggesting an interim or stop-gap acquisition could be approved. He did not share additional details.
The Puma’s premature withdrawal from service from Brunei and Cyprus has previously drawn concern from Airbus. In November, the company noted in response to the move that, though it welcomes the H145 business, “we regret the likely impact on the UK’s defence industrial base, with the potential loss of skilled engineering roles and wider consequences for the aerospace supply chain.”
Magowan also said that the £1 billion ($1.3 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program, designed to source a successor for a separate fleet of Puma aircraft, is “playing out now,” adding “there’s one bidder left and that bidder has significant investment in the in the UK.”
The single bidder is presumably a reference to Leonardo, the only manufacturer to put forward a bid after Airbus and Lockheed Martin both walked away from the competition in August because of requirement problems and fears linked to not receiving “adequate long-term returns.”
In a program update last week, Maria Eagle, UK minister for defence procurement, said that “there are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter procurement process.”
She added, “The New Medium Helicopter competition remains sensitive, and the evaluation and approval process must complete before further details, including aircraft numbers, can be confirmed.”
The previous Conservative government had said the procurement could be “up to” 44 airframes, but Breaking Defense has reported industry expects the real number to be around 30 platforms, and FlightGlobal recently reported it could be as few as 23.
NMH contract award is set for next year, but the UK’s Strategic Defense Review (SDR), due for release in mid-2025, could complicate matters because it has been designed to evaluate national defense priorities and equipment planning.
Also in the hearing Magowan said that the BAE Systems Bofors Archer, an interim self-propelled howitzer, is set to enter service with the British Army in “early 2025,” while the UK and Germany are in “close negotiations” on the longer term solution, expected to be the KNDS Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) 52 cal. Wheeled Artillery System. (Source: Google/Breaking Defense.com)
18 Dec 24. Red Sands III exercise in Saudi Arabia: Rheinmetall Canada demonstrates its drone defence capabilities at ultra-short ranges. A Rheinmetall system for combating drones at ultra-close range has demonstrated its effectiveness in a joint exercise with representatives of the U.S. Army Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. The Red Sands III exercise took place in September 2024 at the Shamal 2 firing range in north-eastern Saudi Arabia and focused on countering uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).
The multinational exercise provided a challenging environment for assessing C-UAS solutions. At the same time, it enabled technology developers and operational personnel to work together to close capability gaps. The exercise was preceded by successful qualification tests, which took place in the United States in the summer of 2024.
Designed as the last line of defence against small low-flying and fast-moving drones, Rheinmetall’s ultra Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) system offers an engagement range from 50 to 800 m. The Mission Master XT uncrewed ground system (UGS) serves as the carrier platform.
Developed by Rheinmetall Canada, the system consists of the Rheinmetall Fieldranger Multi remote-controlled weapon station with a twin Dillon Aero M134D minigun, a radar, an electronic optics package and an artificial intelligence (AI)-based target acquisition and tracking system. This advanced layered defence system is capable of engaging multiple threats with formidable fire power. It offers multi-domain capabilities that execute with precision when detecting, tracking and engaging aerial and ground threats.
Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system mounted on the Mission Master XT
Strong performance despite harsh desert conditions
In the final phase of Red Sands III, five challenging scenarios were set up to simulate real-world threats. In all scenarios, participants’ capabilities were assessed against Group 2 and 3 multi-rotor drones as well as Group 3 fixed-wing aircraft. Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system demonstrated superior capabilities, scoring hits on all drones and successfully neutralizing every multirotor drone on the first pass. This performance was only matched by Rheinmetall and participants with costly advanced missile systems.
Even under the extreme conditions of the Saudi Arabian desert – where temperatures sometimes reached up to 45 °C – Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system excelled thanks to its rapid operational readiness and its resistance to weapon interference, overheating and interruptions to the power supply. Earlier exercises at Fort Drum NY, USA, also demonstrated the system’s resilience in high humidity and heavy rain. Another outstanding feature is the system’s AI-driven tracker, which detects and classifies drones long before they are engaged, even in dusty conditions and poor visibility.
In addition to its operational success, Rheinmetall’s system proved to be extremely efficient. With a low cost per engagement, it represents a sustainable and economical solution.
A benchmark for the future development of CUAS
The exercise – an example of the partnership between the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and U.S. Army Central Command – provided a valuable platform for assessing and refining systems in real-world scenarios. “We are proud to have played a critical role in enhancing operational readiness and fostering innovation to effectively counter emerging threats,” said Alain Tremblay, Vice-President Business Development and Innovation at Rheinmetall Canada. Rheinmetall’s performance at Red Sands III underscores the company’s leadership in providing reliable, adaptable and cost-effective solutions that meet the evolving requirements of modern defence operations worldwide.
17 Dec 24. Kratos Conducts First Flight Of Thanatos UCAV. Kratos Defense and Security recently completed the first flight of its Thanatos stealthy uncrewed combat air vehicle, proving out the aircraft’s basic design as the company now focuses on flying a fully integrated system.
Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, tells Aviation Week the company hopes to learn more about the system as it evolves over the next 6-12 months. The company would not say when the first flight occurred, just that it was within the past several months.
Kratos unveiled the Thanatos design in November 2023 when company CEO Eric Demarco said in an earnings report that the company hoped to have a contract within a year. The design shows what appears to be a single-engine UCAV with two inlets and a single exhaust. The aircraft does not have a vertical tail and horizontal stabilizers, showing the company’s stealth approach.
Fendley said during a Dec. 7 interview at the Reagan National Defense Forum here:
“The air vehicle for Thanatos is now effectively proven. We’re not trying to figure out does the airplane fly, we’re now trying to figure out does the integrated system tick the mission box.”
Kratos says it has strong interest in the upcoming increment of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The first increment awards went to Anduril and General Atomics. Fendley says members of the CCA class of aircraft show the ability to augment what is being done with fifth-generation fighters and with offboarding systems from fourth-generation fighters to make them more survivable. For example, that would include a “high initial focus” on electronic warfare to provide greater standoff for fourth-generation fighters like Boeing F-15s and Lockheed Martin F-16s.
The company points to its ongoing work with both the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and Air Force with its XQ-58 Valkyrie.
Fendley says the Valkyrie program is focused on
“integrating different operational mission sets” in testing, including flights during a recent Emerald Flag exercise in October. During that mission, the XQ-58A passed targeting data to USMC Lockheed Martin F-35Bs to “close the kill chain” for the first time, he says.
The Marines have expressed interest in ultimately fielding a system like the XQ-58, he says.
One aspect that Kratos argues is operationally relevant is that the Valkyrie is runway independent, having been launched both on rockets and last year using a trolley.
“The DOD has come back and said runway independence is king,” he says. “It’s gone back and forth, back and forth, but now it’s pretty much in ink.”
That said, Kratos also is working on a conventional takeoff and landing system with retractable year, he says.
The company is designing its UCAV offerings with manufacturing feasibility in mind. For example, the company was asked what it would take to conduct a 1,000-unit production run for its Valkyrie. That study has shown propulsion likely would be a choke point, as Kratos would look to use both in-house designed engines and those from partners. The finding was the production run would take “not very long, [but] the engines were the constraint,” he says.
The company builds its own engines for targeting drones and other small uses, and in July announced a collaboration with GE Aerospace to develop scalable uses on systems including CCAs.
“We build to manufacture right from the start, and that’s a pretty good advantage for us, both in our own systems and to be able to work with others who might want to develop their own system,” Fendley says.
Kratos said that it hopes to have a contract for Thanatos by next year, and said that the project was one of a number of “new programme opportunities” that would require additional investment in 2024, but that could then contribute to significant growth for the company in 2025.
This funding profile may fit with the USAF’s plan to mount a competition to pick one or more CCA designs in the 2024 Fiscal Year (which runs from October 1) with work due to start on the initial batch of those aircraft beginning could begin in Fiscal Year 2025.
It may be entirely coincidental that the CGI concept art released by Kratos includes a US Air Force logo on the rear fuselage, leading some to conclude that the aircraft could be tied to the USAF’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme. (Source: UAS VISION/Aerospace Global News; Aviation Week)
17 Dec 24. The UK-based autonomous unmanned surface vessel (USV) developer ACUA Ocean has successfully completed the test launch of the USV Pioneer from its base at Turnchapel Wharf in Plymouth. The launch of the USV Pioneer is a milestone achievement for ACUA Ocean as it sees its maiden vessel go to water for the first time.
The Pioneer-class programme began life in 2022 through funding from the UK Department of Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition with initial concepts and designs developed by naval architect John Kecsmar of Ad Hoc Marine Design, a global leader in small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) vessel design.
The launch is a major milestone for the Pioneer-class since completing its design phase in February 2024 before commencing build at Aluminium Marine Consultants (AMC) on the Isle of Wight in March.
The launch marks just nine months from initial hull fabrication commencing to vessel in the water for trim, stability, and incline testing. Key to the design of USV Pioneer is its unique SWATH design which provides for significantly enhanced stability in higher sea states.
USV Pioneer’s rapid design, development and launch meets two critical requirements for commercial and security end users. It meets the increasing need to rapidly deploy the latest equipment and technology rather than multi-year procurement and build cycles of traditional vessels, while also bringing greater seakeeping stability and operational persistence not currently found in smaller monohull USVs capable of collecting data and deploying sensor and system payloads.
Digital simulations and scale wave tank testing undertaken by academics at the University of Southampton and the Wolfson Unit have shown the USV Pioneer, at 14.2m length and 25t gross weight, outperforms the stability and seakeeping capability of a monohull vessel over 10 times its displacement and 3 times its length.
Following the successful launch, the USV Pioneer now enters a three-month period of sea trials and crucial regulatory checks ahead of demonstrations in March 2025. As part of the sea trials, ACUA Ocean will be working alongside Lloyd’s Register towards her Maritime and Coastguard Agency Workboat Code approvals.
Commenting on the launch, ACUA Ocean Co-Founder Neil Tinmouth said, “This launch marks another major milestone in the journey for USV Pioneer and is testament to the team both at ACUA Ocean and the dozens of partners and subcontractors who have spent the last nine months delivering on this pioneering, world-first, vessel. Although there is still a long road ahead, this is a proud moment, and highlights a wider paradigm shift in British maritime innovation not seen for many years.”
16 Dec 24. German Navy tests BlueWhale underwater drone for covert ship tracking. The Germany Navy has tested the BlueWhale underwater drone as a candidate platform for what the sea service envisions as a future fleet of unmanned vessels for combating enemy submarines.
Officials staged the two-week experiment last month in the Baltic Sea, which has become something of a microscope of global tensions. NATO, Russian and Chinese vessels routinely criss-cross the shallow body of water, as vital communications cables and energy pipelines lie on the seabed.
The German sea service explicitly envisions an anti-submarine warfare role for the BlueWhale vehicle, made by Israel Aerospace Industries. Equipped with various cameras as well as active and passive sensors, the drone can spot submarines, surface vessels and sea mines — notably, without emitting signals of its own that would alert targets that they are being tracked, according to the Germany Navy.
“This a capability currently only available via manned submarines, which makes it significant for maritime surveillance,” officials wrote in a statement posted on the Navy’s website.
The BlueWhale drones fall into the category of large unmanned underwater vehicles, weighing in at 5.5 tons, with a length of almost 11 meters and a diameter of over 1 meter.
German naval-systems specialist Atlas Elektronik participated in the recent test, which service leaders consider a stepping stone towards their “Marine 2035+” strategy. The plan envisions accelerating the development of unmanned technology and quickly integrating new drones into the sea service’s command-and-control schemes.
Asked about the approach to integrating a non-NATO system into German and alliance naval operations networks, Dror Bar, vice president of IAI and CEO of subsidiary ELTA Systems, told Defense News there were existing interfaces to fall back on during the drill.
Those were developed in cooperation with Atlas last year for two NATO exercises hosted by Portugal, the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) and the Dynamic Messenger events, Bar said.
Interest by NATO nations in underwater and surface drones as complements to manned naval warfare has increased significantly in recent years. Officials envision them as unattended sensors for repelling enemy warships or monitoring the health of critical infrastructure on the sea floor. (Source: Defense News)
16 Dec 24. Mayman Aerospace, a portfolio company of UAE EDGE Group/SDF is proud to announce the commencement of flight testing for the full pre-production model of the RAZOR P100, the groundbreaking base model for a family of dual-use, multi-function Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. This milestone marks a significant leap forward in autonomous aerospace technology.
Designed to transport a payload of 100 pounds up to 240 miles, the AI-guided RAZOR P100 is poised to transform both military and civilian operations. The aircraft’s potential use cases include contested cargo delivery, target drone operations, cruise missile capabilities, missile range extension, disaster recovery, offshore energy servicing, long-line sea rescue, medical transport, and more. The RAZOR P100’s range, payload, and speed make it an unparalleled asset for defense, commercial industry, and civilian/government market sectors.
Mayman Aerospace is currently operating under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, further demonstrating the strategic importance of this innovative platform.
Founder and CEO David Mayman expressed his excitement about the RAZOR P100: “The RAZOR P100 is a transformative aerospace technology driven by intelligent AI/ML, resilient comms and navigation that will give battlefield commanders, industry leaders, and civilian officials unprecedented flexibility to use low-cost, ultra-fast, highly compact, and fully autonomous Air Utility Vehicles in ways never before imagined or possible. We are excited to open this entirely new frontier of autonomous AI-driven VTOL aerospace.”
The RAZOR P100’s specifications underscore its revolutionary capabilities. Achieving speeds of up to Mach 0.75, the aircraft requires a takeoff and landing footprint of just 10×10 feet and measures a compact 77 inches from nose to tail. It can be launched in minutes by a two-person crew without the need for specialized equipment or prepared surfaces. Additionally, its plug-and-play modular design ensures quick and easy field maintenance, further enhancing its operational efficiency.
The successful initiation of flight testing represents a pivotal step toward full production and deployment. With the RAZOR P100, Mayman Aerospace is paving the way for an entirely new category of versatile autonomous VTOL solutions, setting the stage for a future where flexible, fast, and cost-effective air mobility is accessible to all.
16 Dec 24. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announces the sale of three MQ-9B SkyGuardian® Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems to the Polish Ministry of Defence. The MQ-9B is the newest model of RPA produced by GA-ASI, and will serve as the foundational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform for Poland. The sale to Poland also includes two Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS) and three years of GA-ASI’s SkyGuardian Global Support Solutions.
MQ-9B delivers exceptionally long endurance and range, with auto takeoff and landing under SATCOM-only control, and will be able to operate in unsegregated airspace using the GA-ASI-developed Detect and Avoid system.
“The purchase of MQ-9B SkyGuardian will deliver persistent multi-domain situational awareness, which is vital to Poland,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “SkyGuardian is a critical security tool and GA-ASI is proud to continue to build on its strong partnership with Poland.”
In 2022, Poland began operating MQ-9A Reapers as part of a lease agreement with GA-ASI. The success of those missions opened the door for the purchase of the MQ-9B aircraft.
The Polish National Defense Ministry said: “In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, a contract was concluded for the supply of MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned reconnaissance systems, which will increase the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces in the field of ISR.”
First customer deliveries of MQ-9B began in 2022 to the U.K. Royal Air Force. Contracts have also been signed with Belgium, Canada, the Japan Coast Guard, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has additionally supported various U.S. Navy exercises this year, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, and Group Sail.
13 Dec 24. BAE Systems Australia Conducts First VTOL Flight of New STRIX System. BAE Systems Australia’s (BAESA’s) STRIX Uncrewed Aerial System has conducted its first vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight, with the company saying the flight was made using the aircraft’s autonomous onboard system.
STRIX is a multidomain, multirole unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for deep strike, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and electronic warfare (EW).
The objective of the test flight, which was conducted in late October, was to “test the fundamental ability of BAE Systems’ Vehicle Management System (VMS) to control a novel VTOL configuration during launch, sustained hover, and recovery”, the company said.
BAESA described the VMS as the “brain” of STRIX. “The VMS conducted STRIX flying fully autonomously,” a company spokesperson told Janes on 12 December.
“The system is also capable of human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop operation. BAE Systems has … artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities as part of its software stack,” the spokesperson added.
According to BAESA, the VMS has been matured on other “novel uncrewed configurations”. These include the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and the M113 Optionally Crewed Combat Vehicle (OCCV).
“During these trials, the STRIX team successfully tested both the body and the brain, culminating in the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flying fully autonomously with a remote pilot providing safety overwatch,” BAESA said.
The tests took place at Henderson shipyard, south of Perth, in Western Australia.(Source: UAS VISION/Janes)
13 Dec 24. Quantum Systems Certified as Bundeswehr Training Centre for UAS. Quantum Systems was certified as a training facility by the German Armed Forces Aviation Office (LufABw) on 10 December 2024 and is now offering training on unmanned aerial systems from the Family of Systems for members of the German Armed Forces.
The rare certification of a civilian company for military training is another milestone for the German drone champion and sets new standards in simulator-based training of drone pilots and in the training of drone instructors with a train-the-trainer programme.
The new training from Quantum Systems has a two-stage structure, with the first stage involving training new drone pilots with no previous experience and the second stage involving the training of experienced drone pilots as instructors as part of a train-the-trainer programme. The latter is an innovation in the LufABw’s training process in order to scale up the number of available drone pilots in the armed forces more quickly.
A further innovation is the support of preparatory and accompanying simulator training, which currently accounts for around 20% of training and could comprise up to 80% of training in the future. Quantum Systems is thus a pioneer in simulator-supported training on unmanned aerial systems for the German Armed Forces. Thanks to the company’s own Learning Management System (LMS), prospective drone pilots and Bundeswehr instructors can cover part of their training remotely, which reduces the practical training time to ten working days. To maintain their skills and learn technical innovations, Bundeswehr course participants must attend an annual refresher course.
The VECTOR system is currently being introduced into the Bundeswehr under the name FALKE. Certification as a training centre covers all systems in the Quantum Systems Family of Systems and is not limited to FALKE.
“Together with the Bundeswehr Aviation Office, Quantum Systems is setting new standards in the training of drone pilots and instructors. Our two-stage certification approach and the additional support of simulator technology and distance learning allow us to train the personnel required to operate unmanned aerial vehicles for the Bundeswehr quickly and in a resource-efficient manner. We are proud to be the pioneer for the use of drones in the Bundeswehr.“ Sven Kruck, CRO, Quantum Systems
(Source: UAS VISION)
13 Dec 24. Ascent Aerosystems Spirit Awarded AUVSI Green UAS Certification. Ascent AeroSystems, a leading manufacturer of compact, high-performance, coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone systems, announced today that its flagship Spirit platform has been named to the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Green UAS Cleared list.
AUVSI’s Green UAS program builds on the standards set forth by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and reinforced by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Blue UAS program. Green UAS is designed to help commercial and non-DoD agencies confidently procure NDAA-compliant UAS that meet the security, supply chain, and operational requirements for critical public safety, infrastructure, and industrial operations. It is currently the only non-DoD method proving the same level of verification and certification for cybersecurity and NDAA supply chain compliance as Blue UAS.
“Transitioning the Spirit to the Green UAS Cleared List further demonstrates Ascent’s commitment to its current and future government customers, and to the manufacturing and cybersecurity discipline necessary to support mission critical UAV operations at scale,” Ascent AeroSystems’ cofounder and CEO Peter Fuchs said. “The Green UAS Cleared List, created and maintained by AUVSI in collaboration with DIU, assures customers that the Spirit will continue to meet the government’s stringent supply chain and security standards even as DIU’s small UAS qualification program continues to evolve.”
Green UAS certification is a fully vetted signal to industry and operators that the America-made Spirit is a safe and secure platform for a wide range of mission profiles. Offering more capability, greater payload flexibility, and unmatched operational availability versus other UAVs in its class, Ascent’s Spirit is a compact, reliable, all-weather, high-performance platform.
“Ascent AeroSystems’s successful completion of the Green UAS process verifies that their coaxial drone platform meets the highest levels of cyber and supply chain security,” said Casie Ocaña, Director, Trusted Programs at AUVSI. “AUVSI is committed to supporting the growth of technology supply chain that ensures robust availability of safe, secure drone solutions. The Spirit’s demonstrated effectiveness and Ascent’s ability to manufacture at scale aligns with our mission to expand accessibility to vetted UAS that serve security-sensitive sectors.”
The Green UAS certification process included a review of the Spirit’s inherent security—including all components and subcomponents, supply chain risk management with continuous monitoring, remote operations security and connectivity, and a review of the company’s corporate cyber hygiene.
Ascent AeroSystems has taken a holistic and proactive approach to cybersecurity hygiene based on the NIST-800 171 standard and is prepared for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 certification as the program rolls out. (Source: UAS VISION)
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