August 23, 2018 | International, C4ISR
By: Mark Pomerleau
Both Army leadership and adversaries are recognizing the importance of the network as the foundational weapon system that enables most other functions.
“Bottom line, if I could have just one thing, I need a network,” Lt. Gen. Theodore Martin, deputy commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, said Aug. 21 at TechNet Augusta.
“A network that is defended 24/7, around the clock under conditions of adversity, in contact, in the rain with the battlefield.”
The head of Army Cyber Command, Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, noted during the same conference that the Russians have figured out the Army's “secret sauce” is the network, along with the data that rides on it and the other weapon systems that leverage it.
The Russians understand the capability the network provides after observing the U.S. operate since 1991 and they've developed a strategy to attack it, Fogarty said.
As such, Martin noted that the network must be constantly defended from being jammed, interdicted or spoofed.
Martin also explained that it can't just be a one-off solution as in years past. The pace of change in technology today is iterating so rapidly that “we can't get into the cumbersome business of getting a server stack and then fielding it to units of action only to find out they're obsolete by the time the third set is issued,” Martin said.
Full article: https://www.c4isrnet.com/show-reporter/technet-augusta/2018/08/22/army-leaders-say-this-is-the-services-secret-sauce
May 2, 2023 | International, Aerospace
By the end of the year, a new and unusual deal for the F-35 fighter′s spare parts could be in place — one that would upend the current supply model.
January 29, 2021 | International, Naval
By: Vivienne Machi STUTTGART, Germany — Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland have officially been tasked to build, test and field a high-energy laser weapon system for the German Navy over the next year. The consortium, dubbed ARGE, was awarded a contract “in the low double-digit million euro range” by Berlin's military procurement office, the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). Work will be conducted through the end of 2021, with trials scheduled for 2022 aboard the Navy frigate Sachsen, per a joint press announcement released Thursday. The work is to be split on a “roughly equal basis,” the companies said. Rheinmetall will be responsible for the laser weapon system, the beam guiding system, cooling, and integrating the weapon system with the overall laser source demonstrator. MBDA will focus on the operator console along with tracking technology and command-and-control system integration. Details have yet to be revealed about where the system's development will take place. This latest contract continues the companies' collaboration on high-energy laser efforts, which was first announced in August 2019. Rheinmetall and the Germany military have been testing high energy laser technologies in the maritime domain since 2015, a company spokesman told Defense News. “The contract marks a systematic extension of the functional prototype laser weapon successfully tested in recent years, with the experience gained now dovetailing into one of the most ambitious projects in the field of laser weapon development in Europe,” said Alexander Graf, head of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition's laser weapons program, and Markus Jung, who leads the company's laser weapon development segment. Once the demonstrator is installed, it will be used to test other aspects of the laser weapon system, such as the sensor suite and combat management system, and evaluate rules of engagement, said Doris Laarmann, MBDA's head of laser business development, in the release. The German arm of MBDA announced a restructuring of operations in late 2020, following mixed signals from Berlin regarding the status of the Tactical Air Defense System (TLVS) program. Executives have expressed skepticism that a contract award would emerge soon for the follow-on work of the former Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). In 2015, the German government announced it would use MEADS as the basis for TLVS, which would eventually replace the nation's 1980s-era Patriot air defense systems. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/28/rheinmetall-mbda-building-high-energy-lasers-for-germanys-navy
September 25, 2019 | International, Aerospace
TUCSON, Ariz., September 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will deliver a prototype high-power microwave system to be deployed to troops overseas under a U.S. Air Force contract. Troops will use the HPM system to destroy hostile drones. Raytheon's HPM system uses directed energy to take down drones. HPM's wide beam can disable multiple targets at one time. The contract follows a separate Air Force contract in which Raytheon will build two prototype high-energy laser systems, also to be deployed overseas. The HPM and HEL systems can be used independently or together to counter-unmanned aerial system threats. "There's more than one way to defeat a drone," said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president. "We are delivering the world's first defensive directed energy systems that can be used alone or in tandem to defeat enemy drones at the speed of light." The HPM and HEL contracts follow successful demonstrations of Raytheon's directed energy systems for the Air Force and the U.S. Army. About Counter-UAS Raytheon Company is integrating multiple proven technologies to counter the unmanned aerial system threat across a wide range of scenarios – from commercial airports to forward operating bases to crowded stadiums. Raytheon's portfolio of sensors, command and control systems, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors covers all aspects of the UAS threat. To learn more, visit Counter-UAS. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I® products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter. Media Contact Carri Karuhn +1.520.746.2018 rmspr@raytheon.com http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2019-09-24-Raytheon-developing-advanced-high-power-microwave-system-for-US-Air-Force-deployment?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=INNOVATIONS&utm_content=RMS___HPM_____*N/A*_&utm_id=2657439865_2672985718_4&li