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October 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace

European Missile Research Paves Way For Collaborative Weaponry

By Tony Osborne

Future conflicts will require weapons that can adapt to different target sets and collaborate to hit harder.

As several European nations gear up to begin the development of advanced new combat aircraft, such as the Franco/German/Spanish Future Combat Air System and the British-led Tempest project, and invest in long-range ground-based weaponry, European missile manufacturer MBDA has begun focusing its research programs on delivering these advanced capabilities.

The Anglo-French Materials and Components for Missiles Innovation and Technology Partnership (MCM-ITP), led by MBDA and sponsored by the French and UK defense ministries to the tune of €13 million ($14.5 million) a year, has been developing technologies over the last 11 years to help increase the performance and lower the cost of MBDA's British and French weapons.

Small to midsize enterprises (SME) and academia have participated in the program, validating technologies with more than 200 projects in eight research domains ranging from rocket propulsion to seekers and fusing, developing them up to a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4.

The research program has assisted in development of the French Mica NG air-to-air missile, supporting a small active, electronically scanned array radar module for the seeker of the radar-guided version, while the Spear 3, a network-enabled guided missile being developed in the UK will use a wire-free architecture. In addition, as the Spear 3 family of weapons broadens in the future, it will use an adaptive control system.

The ITP is beginning to look at technologies that can speed up the engagement chain, adapt warheads for different kinds of targets and even develop lower-cost air-breathing engines for new families of so-called remote carriers—the attritable unmanned air systems that will support future combat aircraft into theater.

“We know that collaborative weapons would be a big advantage to defeat air defenses, but how we do that has not yet been quantified,” says Olivier Lucas, MBDA's director of Future Systems, speaking to Aviation Week at the MCM-ITP Conference in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 15.

“We need to demonstrate the benefits you can get from these networked weapons through operational analysis,” he adds.

To make collaborative weapons work, Lucas says there will need to be developments in low-cost data links to connect them, and then algorithms that can take advantage of the cooperation and ensure all these systems can still work together in environments where navigation and communication signals could be degraded.

Industry has already proved it can make UAVs collaborate and swarm in formations, but as Lucas points out, this is usually done with the aid of satellite-based global positioning systems.

The military is unlikely to enjoy such a luxury in a high-end conflict. All four global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)—the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Europe's Galileo, Russia's Glonass and China's BeiDou—work around similar frequencies and could be easily jammed.

Weapons such as cruise missiles can already operate without GNSS by relying on inertial navigation systems (INS), or if flying over land they can recognize landscapes based on internal terrain databases. But what if a considerable part of their flight is over water, where there are no landmarks?

As part of the MCM-ITP, a team from MBDA, Airbus Defense and Space and French aerospace research agency ONERA have developed a means of correcting INS drift using satellite communication signals. The Resilient and Autonomous Satcom Navigation (Reason) system gives the weapon an alternative measurement signal.

Many military communication satellites already have the capability of geolocating interference. Using the signals to provide navigation updates employs a reverse of that process, say engineers. They have already proved the theory by linking an INS fitted to a 4 X 4 vehicle that took signals from two of the UK's SkyNet communication satellites and compared the INS track with that of GPS, noting small deviations from course.

The team believes the Reason technology will be valuable for future generations of long-range cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles such as the Anglo-French Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon, currently in a concept phase.

Another MCM-ITP project is looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) and a process called deep reinforcement, learning to better understand the levels of autonomy that might be needed in the engagement chain. The Human Machine Teaming (HUMAT) project considers the growing complexity and capability of modern missiles and the increasing amounts of data being collected by multilayered intelligence systems. It recognizes that human operators may need to be supported in their analysis and prioritization of threats by artificial intelligence.

The two year-long program, started in November 2017, has studied different elements of the engagement chain, as well as the ethical, legal and technological constraints, with the aim of creating “robust engagement decision-making,” and “effective transfer of task responsibilities between the human operator and the machine.”

The HUMAT system has benefits for the weapon command-and-control systems, particularly air-to-surface attack, but also multilayered air defense systems, say MBDA engineers.

“We have to understand the information we will share with the weapons, what will be split, what is planned and what decisions are left to the group of weapons,” says Lucas.

“This process has to be tuned, you can either program the trajectory of each weapon or tell the weapons: ‘Here are your targets, now do your best,'” he says.

Collaborative weapons will also need to feature additional low-cost sensors to help them make their targeting decisions, including those that understand radar signal and resolution, so that the most appropriate weapon can be selected to hit a particular target successfully.

Mission planning is also being addressed. MBDA engineers and academics from Queen Mary University of London have been exploring the use of deep-learning techniques to speed up the targeting process for weapons such as cruise missiles. Current air-launched cruise missiles such as MBDA's Storm Shadow/SCALP family use an imaging infrared sensor and autonomous target recognition system in the terminal phase of flight. But to recognize the target, a 3D model needs to be developed as part of the mission planning process. This process can be laborious and time-consuming, so engineers have been studying ways to create the models using satellite imagery.

Using deep-learning techniques, the system has been fed thousands of daylight and infrared satellite images taken in different conditions at different times of the day. The Fast Targeting algorithms have learned how to match images with the target area despite various geometric and radiometric distortions, allowing a 3D model of the target to be built much faster. The idea is to make such weapons much more flexible and pave the way for them to be used against time-sensitive targets.

Lucas says such technologies will help address the issues associated with combat mass, dealing with the challenge of fewer platforms, so the same weapons will have to be adaptable for different missions and targets.

“In recent conflicts in Libya and Syria, weapons could not be used to their full effectiveness, because they were too powerful, and there was a risk of collateral damage,” says Lucas.

Operators will be able to program future weapons to scale the warhead's effects up or down to deal with different targets and environments, he suggests.

Other projects in the MCM-ITP are developing lethality models for different types of targets, including aircraft, ships and structures. Replacing metal parts in warheads with reactive materials could result in more efficient and increased lethality, and if combined with additive manufacturing techniques warhead costs could also be reduced, say engineers.

Additive manufacturing processes could lead to new designs for penetrator warheads in particular. Engineers from MBDA and SMEs Impetus Afea and Fluid Gravity Engineering have developed a 3D penetrator warhead case with a smaller mass than the thick casings usually produced through casting. Using the 3D-printed case means less energy is lost during warhead detonation than with the older cast penetrator.

Testing has proved the 3D-printed casing can match the survivability of the thicker casing, and reduced collateral effects can also be achieved, MBDA says.

The company is now looking to evolve the MCM-ITP to deal with new technologies that may cut across the eight domains of research, with the addition of a new ninth, open-challenge domain that will be more flexible for future program needs.

A name change is also in the offing, with MCM-ITP being renamed the Complex Weapons Innovation and Technology Partnership (CW-ITP) from early next year.

https://aviationweek.com/defense/european-missile-research-paves-way-collaborative-weaponry

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  • Grand entretien avec Joël Barre, délégué général pour l'armement

    March 1, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Land, C4ISR

    Grand entretien avec Joël Barre, délégué général pour l'armement

    ANNE BAUER « Le spatial devient un champ de confrontation potentiel » « La course à l'armement a bel et bien repris », a affirmé Florence Parly lors des voeux aux armées. Partagez-vous ce constat ? Avec une remontée en puissance des moyens à 295 milliards d'euros sur la période 2019-2025, la loi de programmation militaire promulguée en juillet dernier répond aux conclusions de la revue stratégique menée pendant l'été 2017. Celle-ci identifiait un renforcement des menaces, tant du côté du terrorisme que des stratégies de puissance des grandes nations, lesquelles investissent massivement dans les technologies de rupture. Plutôt que d'une course aux armements, je parlerais surtout d'une dynamique liée à l'apparition de technologies sur lesquelles il faut s'interroger. Quelles sont-elles ? On peut par exemple mentionner le planeur hypersonique évoqué par la ministre des Armées, Florence Parly. 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Par exemple, les développements autour du « Man Machine Teaming » menés avec Dassault consistent avec l'IA à bord du cockpit à aider le pilote à analyser au mieux toutes les données pour réagir à toutes les situations. Dans le domaine terrestre, l'IA va nous permettre de déployer davantage de robotique, par exemple pour la détection des mines improvisées. Dans le domaine naval, l'IA va ainsi permettre de robotiser la chasse aux mines. Faut-il craindre le développement de « robots tueurs » ? Non, la France a une position très claire : elle ne se lancera pas dans le développement de « robots tueurs », capables de tuer de leur propre initiative. La ministre Florence Parly l'a répété plusieurs fois, l'homme doit rester dans la boucle. L'IA aidera l'homme mais ne le remplacera pas. Et comment se prémunir face aux activités balistiques de pays de plus en plus menaçants ? Face à des nations au comportement inquiétant qui respectent de moins en moins les accords internationaux, nous devons nous préparer. Par le passé, plusieurs systèmes d'alerte ont été testés pour surveiller les départs de missiles, comme les satellites Spirale de détection infrarouge ou les radars à très longue portée pour suivre la trajectoire des missiles. Un rapport sur la politique spatiale militaire a été rendu en janvier au président de la République et il devrait en tirer des conclusions. Détecter un départ de missile, le suivre et, le cas échéant, savoir l'intercepter, réclame des développements capacitaires différents. Faut-il les mener tous ? Seul ou avec les Européens ? Comment conjuguer un système d'alerte avec la dissuasion nucléaire ? Autant de réflexions stratégiques importantes. Notre politique spatiale militaire doit-elle être complétée dans d'autres domaines ? La LPM prévoit 3,6 milliards d'euros pour le renouvellement complet de nos satellites optiques, d'écoute électromagnétique et de télécommunication. Il faudra aussi améliorer notre surveillance de l'espace, car le spatial devient un champ de confrontation potentiel entre les différentes puissances. Il faut donc, par exemple, pouvoir discriminer dans l'espace un débris d'un objet potentiellement hostile. Pour rester dans la course, il n'y a pas d'autre solution que la coopération européenne. Nous avons ainsi proposé aux Allemands de définir ensemble une feuille de route dans le domaine de la surveillance de l'espace. Et nous proposerons ensuite à la Commission européenne des projets réunissant plusieurs Etats pour avoir accès aux financements du futur Fonds européen de défense. Qui a des capacités de destruction des satellites ? Les Chinois ont détruit un de leurs propres satellites avec un de leurs missiles pour montrer qu'ils savaient le faire. 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De plus en plus, les pays acheteurs de matériel de défense réclament des garanties en performance et en fiabilité, que seule la DGA peut leur apporter. Veto américain, gel allemand, la France n'a-t-elle pas de plus en plus de mal à exporter son matériel de défense ? Pour limiter notre exposition aux réglementations étrangères qui peuvent contraindre nos exportations d'armements, quand ceux-ci contiennent des composants de pays tiers, nous menons, sur certains composants stratégiques, une politique de souveraineté européenne que nous défendons dans le contexte du Fonds européen de défense. Et à l'échelon européen, je souhaite que nous nous mettions d'accord sur les règles d'exportation des matériels développés en commun, notamment entre la France et l'Allemagne. Les accords Debré-Schmidt, qui permettent à chacun d'exporter selon sa réglementation nationale, sont une excellente source d'inspiration et doivent être actualisés. 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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 25, 2019

    March 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 25, 2019

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AIR FORCE National Aerospace Solutions LLC, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, has been awarded a $72,894,364 modification (P00071) to previously awarded contract FA9101-15-C-0500 for test operations and sustainment. This modification provides for test operations, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements and some support services for Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold AFB, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2019. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $722,733,576. Air Force Test Center, Arnold AFB, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (HT0014-19-C-0004), has been awarded a $44,165,348 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide support to the Defense Health Agency's Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC). The work includes support promoting access to state-of-the-science care for service members, veterans, and their families to prevent and mitigate the consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). DVBIC supports a network of 21 sites operating out of 16 military treatment facilities (MTFs) and five Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). Specific activities vary at each site and can include conducting clinical research and conducting education and outreach activities and assessing TBI injury data, while command and control exist within the DVBIC Headquarters for continuity of services. The contract will be performed at DVBIC HQ, Silver Spring, Maryland; MTFs at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; Naval Medical Center San Diego, California; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland; San Antonio Military Medical Center, Texas; U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Landstuhl (Germany); Joint Bases Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and VAMCs in Palo Alto, California; Tampa, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Antonio, Texas; and Richmond, Virginia. The contract end date is Sept. 25, 2020. This contract includes a six-month base period with four three-month option periods. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,336,163 are obligated on this award. This was a sole-source acquisition. The Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1794949/

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