July 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval
JERUSALEM — In a first for Israel, Elbit Systems is adding unmanned aerial system capabilities to its Seagull unmanned surface vehicle, according to the company.
The Seagull USV incorporates the Skylark C, a maritime drone based on the Skylark mini-UAS. The Seagull, which is currently operational and looks like a patrol boat, was designed as a solution for several missions, including anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures.
Elbit announced on July 8 that it had tested the new unmanned combo as a means to provide new intelligence gathering capabilities and improve situational awareness for naval forces. With a takeoff weight of 15 kilograms, the Skylark C provides a visual feed transmitted to land-based control units. The addition of a UAV also extends the Seagull operator's line of sight.
Skylark C was unveiled in 2016 as an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance asset. As an electrically propelled drone with low visual and acoustic signature, the company advertised it as ideal for covert operations and special naval operations, such as anti-piracy missions.
Elbit demonstrated the Seagull — without the UAV capability — to the British Defence Ministry last month.
This concept of integrating UAVs with existing technology is part of a trend across Israel. Elbit has incorporated its MAGNI micro-drone onto vehicles and is selling large numbers of small and medium-sized UAVs to countries that want to integrate them throughout ground forces.
Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems acquired local drone-focused firm Aeronautics Limited last year in hopes of combining their capabilities. The move could see UAVs alongside optionally manned vehicles.
For its part, the U.S. Navy has experimented with the unmanned vessel Sea Hunter, but reports do not indicate UAVs have been added to it.
Drone-enabled fleets are becoming part of the future of naval operations: Small UAVs, such as the Scan Eagle, are deployed from manned ships, and manned submarines have also launched drones.
Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, has argued that while the U.S. currently uses USVs to conduct anti-submarine warfare, the Navy “should increase the role of unmanned systems.”
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By Anthony Capaccio Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. received about half of an initial $2.3 billion in increased, accelerated payments the Pentagon provided contractors to help companies' cash flows after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in the U.S. The initial infusion was included in $13 billion in regular, periodic progress payments paid to the companies, according to newly released defense figures. Lockheed Martin initially received $685 million while Boeing got $670 million, according to a Pentagon statement to Bloomberg News In a separate statement, Lockheed Martin said that modifications to existing contracts resulted in additional accelerated payments to the company, increasing its total received to $1.1 billion by June 30, “all of which we have flowed down to our supply base.” Lockheed and Boeing are the top two U.S. defense contractors, so they were expected to get the biggest share of the funds. Other companies receiving the accelerated payments include: Raytheon Technologies Corp.: $410 million L3 Harris Technologies Inc.: $74 million The Boeing/Lockheed United Launch Alliance LLC: $70 million Northrop Grumman Corp.: $70 million Another $321 million went to other companies. The companies are benefiting from a policy the Pentagon announced in March, just as the pandemic was building in the U.S., that provided for faster, and bigger, payments to companies. The move was intended to guarantee that critical national security contracts -- including the production of key weapons systems and supplies -- weren't interrupted by companies having problems accessing cash or credit. The extra funding would ensure production lines were able to stay open. The Defense Department's move meant that larger firms could get as much as 90% of their payments for contracts in progress, up from 80% previously. For smaller businesses, which might be more susceptible to virus impacts, the rate rose to 95% from 90%. As the initial funds were identified, the Pentagon “worked with each of the major primes to ensure that they were identifying at risk companies in their supply chain and flowing down payments to those companies, as well as all companies doing work for the prime,” said the statement. The major contractors “have been flowing down payments, in some cases more than the payments received from DOD,” it said. Pentagon officials initially estimated in March about $3 billion would be paid but that number included a potential $700 million payment on a long-standing contract that further analysis deemed was not necessary. In addition to the accelerated progress payments, the Air Force in April released to Boeing $882 million withheld from the company over current deficiencies with its KC-46 military tanker program as part of Covid-19 relief efforts. After the program was announced, Senator Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, expressed concern about its oversight. In particular, the Massachusetts Democrat questioned whether companies might try to divert the increased payments for stock buybacks, dividends or executive pay. Pentagon Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord in a May 15 letter to Warren said that hasn't been the case. “Companies do not divert payments for incurred costs to share buybacks, dividends or executive salaries because contractors must have already incurred costs before they receive the increased progress payments,” Lord wrote. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/lockheed-boeing-got-half-of-2-3-billion-in-pentagon-virus-cash