British Army successfully tests radio wave-based drone defence system

On the same subject

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  May 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  U.S. Army Upgrades UAS Ground Control Station

  Published: 23 May 2020 by Mike Ball Leidos has been awarded a contract by the U.S. government's General Services Administration (GSA) to provide software upgrades for the U.S. Army's Unmanned Aircraft System Ground Control Station – Version 4 (UASGCS-V4). The upgraded software solution will be compatible with the existing common baseline and will maximize reusable efficiencies for the existing UAS, as well as U.S. Army, Department of Defense and commercially-available software. This will result in a simplified, efficient and integrated system that will make both training and operation simpler as well as providing commanders with maximum concept of operations (CONOP) flexibility. The new solution will improve the ability of unmanned aircraft ground control station operators to see where they need to go, locate enemies and execute their mission. As part of the contract, Leidos will provide engineering services for technical and logistics support, including software development. Leidos will also support integration of the new design solution into the Army's Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) as well as system qualification, certification and operational testing for multiple UAS platforms. Michael Hile, Leidos division manager, Airborne Solutions, commented: “We look forward to supporting the U.S Army's UASGCS-V4 through this next-generation software solution. Our team's expertise in software programming and development, along with their deep mission knowledge, will help ensure the success of this critical mission.” https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2020/05/u-s-army-upgrades-uas-ground-control-station/

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  November 13, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Airbus hopes its $6.5 billion German Eurofighter sale will shine for Switzerland, Finland

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — Airbus is trying to make hay out of its $6.5 billion sale of 38 Eurofighter aircraft to Germany for other procurement competitions in Switzerland and Finland. The European defense giant inked a deal with the German Luftwaffe, or Air Force, this week after the country's parliament, the Bundestag, approved the budget earlier this month. The Luftwaffe stands to get 30 single-seater and eight twin-seater planes, Airbus said in a statement. Four of those aircraft will serve as test beds for future technology, as the company positions the Eurofighter as the bridge to the next-generation Future Combat Air System, a German-French-Spanish collaboration, according to the service. “The renewed order from Germany secures production until 2030 and comes at a strategically important time for the program,” the company statement read. “In addition to an expected Eurofighter order from Spain to replace its legacy F-18s, procurement decisions in Switzerland and Finland are imminent in 2021.” Switzerland wants to buy up to 40 aircraft for a maximum of $6.5 billion, and the Eurofighter is one of the aircraft in the running. Similarly, Finland is considering the plane as a replacement for its F-18 fleet. “The variant offered in Switzerland corresponds to the configuration of the German Quadriga order,” Airbus officials wrote in the statement, referring to the name of a new, fourth tranche of aircraft. The new batch, to be delivered by 2030, will replace the first tranche, bought between 2003 and 2008, which can only do air-to-air combat and boasts an obsolete radar, according to the German Defence Ministry. Voters in Switzerland approved a new air defense package in September, including a ground-based weapon system and a fleet of combat aircraft. A second offer from the four competing companies is expected this month. Besides the Eurofighter, Dassault's Rafale, Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin's F-35 also are under consideration. The Finnish government over the summer upped the budget for its “HX” fighter program to $5.8 billion, eyeing a procurement decision in 2021. “The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060,” Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke said in a statement following the contract signature with the German government. “Its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the European Future Combat Air System, FCAS.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/11/12/airbus-hopes-its-65-billion-german-eurofighter-sale-will-shine-for-switzerland-finland

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  April 1, 2024 | International, Land

  Army office in charge of rapid development takes on Guam air defense

  The Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office is taking on the task to create a joint integrated fires architecture to protect Guam.