December 12, 2024 | International, Land
July 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace
General Atomics to conduct test flights of SeaGuardian drone in Japan
BY BEN SAMPSON ON 9TH JULY 2020
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is to validate its SeaGuardian unmanned drone for use by Japan's Coast Guard Service in mid-September in a series of test flights.
The long endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) SeaGuardian is a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper drone and features lightning protection, composite materials, and sense and avoid technology. The 79 ft (24 m) wingspan aircraft can fly for up to 40 hours at up to 50,000 ft.
The validation flights, which will be conducted in partnership with Asia Air Survey (AAS) are expected to run for approximately two months and will include support from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) at its Hachinohe base in Aomori Prefecture.
The flights aim to validate the wide-area maritime surveillance capabilities of RPAS for carrying out the Japan Coast Guard's (JCG) missions, such as search and rescue, disaster response, and maritime law enforcement.
According to the JCG, the flight validation will be conducted in accordance with “the policy on strengthening maritime security systems,” using drones to perform maritime wide-area surveillance using new technology.
“We're pleased to support the JCG's goals of validating SeaGuardian's maritime surveillance performance,” said Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. “We know there is a need in Japan and worldwide for affordable, long-endurance airborne surveillance in the maritime domain.”
The SeaGuardian system features a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar with inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging mode, an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver, and high definition – full motion video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras. This sensor suite enables detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square nautical miles.
The aircraft's Raytheon-supplied SeaVue surface-search radar system provides automatic tracking of maritime targets and correlation of AIS transmitters with radar tracks.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' SeaGuardian and SkyGuardian RPAS are designed to operate in all-weather and are built to achieve Type Certification based on STANAG (NATO standard) airworthiness compliance.
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August 12, 2020 | International, C4ISR
Leidos Awarded SOCOM Tactical Airborne Multi-Sensor Platforms (STAMP) Follow-On Operational and Support Contract for Program Manager Sensors - Aerial Intelligence (PM SAI)
Reston, Va., Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Leidos (NYSE:LDOS), a FORTUNE(®) 500 science and technology leader, has been awarded a task order by Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) under the Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services (RS3) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. It has a total value of $649 million and includes a one-year base period of performance followed by four one-year option periods. Work will be performed in various locations both within the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and Outside the Contiguous United States (OCONUS). "We have assembled a proven, best-of-breed team who are deeply committed to the success of the STAMP mission," said Gerry Fasano, Leidos Defense Group president. "We are proud to support the SOCOM community with tactical ISR operations, system integration, and sustainment for commercial derivative aircraft for the Special Operations Command." Through this contract Leidos will provide pilot services, airborne sensor operators, hub and spoke operations/excursion support, staffing for the Intelligence Coordination Center, system training, logistics, aircraft and primary mission equipment maintenance and integration, configuration management and engineering support services in support of the program's DHC- 8 and King Air 300 aircraft. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500(®) information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 37,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements include contract valuation assuming the exercise of all options. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 3, 2020, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Media Relations Media Contacts: Melissa Dueñas, Senior Vice President, Communications, +1 (571) 526-6850, Melissa.L.Duenas@Leidos.Com Thomas Doheny, Director, Strategic Communications, +1 (571) 526-7601, Dohenyt@Leidos.Com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leidos-awarded-socom-tactical-airborne-multi-sensor-platforms-stamp-follow-on-operational-and-support-contract-for-program-manager-sensors---aerial-intelligence-pm-sai-301108220.html SOURCE Leidos
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August 27, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Yahsat Boosts Thuraya's Next Generation Capabilities With A Commitment Of Over US$500 Million
ABU DHABI, UAE and TOULOUSE, France, Aug. 27, 2020 /CNW/ -- Airbus has been selected by Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE's leading global satellite operator, to build Thuraya 4-NGS, the next generation mobile telecommunications system that will drive the continued advancement of Thuraya's L-band business. Thuraya 4-NGS will deliver higher capabilities and flexibility while increasing capacity and coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, enabling next generation mobility solutions for all customer segments, including defense, government and enterprise. Thuraya 4-NGS (Next Generation System) Yahsat Logo Airbus Logo This is a major milestone in Yahsat's commitment towards transforming Thuraya and rolling out its next-generation system, which entails a complete overhaul of its space and ground platforms, enabling a new set of services, products and solutions, across a greater coverage area. The new capabilities will drive leadership across many strategic product lines, such as maritime, IoT, and data solutions offering a wide spectrum of throughput capabilities and the highest speeds available in the market, while reinforcing Thuraya's strengths in the MSS voice market. Thuraya's next generation system will provide a world of opportunities to customers, service partners, hardware manufacturers and integrators, enhancing user experience across land, sea and air to support multiple customer segments, including government, consumer and enterprise. Furthermore, an advanced portfolio of solutions to support government and defense users will accelerate Thuraya's leadership in this market, both within the UAE, regionally and globally. Meanwhile, all existing products and services will continue to be supported by Thuraya's space and ground segments, enabling service continuity during and after the transformation programme. This latest commitment from Yahsat takes its total committed investment to date to well over US$500 million, and more is anticipated in the coming years, including an option with Airbus to build Thuraya 5-NGS (an additional satellite identical to Thuraya 4-NGS), strengthening its coverage and capabilities across the Asia Pacific region. Khaled Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Yahsat's Board of Directors and CEO of Mubadala's Aerospace, Renewables & ICT stated, "The half a billion US dollar commitment, underscores our position as a market leader, pioneer and disruptor. We are creating a multipurpose and flexible satellite ecosystem that is attuned for growth and future diversification and Thuraya 4-NGS is a key milestone in our ongoing mission to provide advanced yet affordable satellite solutions with levels of performance, reliability and security at the leading edge of today's technology." Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Thuraya and General Manager of Yahsat Government Solutions (YGS) continued, "Thuraya 4-NGS represents a significant evolution of our L-band capabilities, enabling a wider range of interoperable FSS/MSS solutions for Thuraya and YGS customers. This will be critical in delivering superior defense solutions, such as battlefield communications, to our government users, while offering a complete MSS portfolio to all of our current and future customers and partners to drive the next phase of innovation and growth." Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems said, "Building on a relationship with Yahsat that dates back more than 10 years, our selection is testament to the innovation and engineering excellence of Airbus' geostationary satellites. Thuraya 4-NGS, as well as being electric, will also benefit from our latest processed payload technology giving increased flexibility and adaptability over the course of its life in orbit. Yahsat's new project reinforces Airbus Defence and Space's position as the world's number one in electric propulsion satellites." Based on the state-of-the-art all-electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform, Thuraya 4-NGS will incorporate a large 12-metre L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing providing advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams. It is scheduled for operation in 2024. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225048/Thuraya_Telecommunications_Company.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225075/Thuraya_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225047/Yahsat_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225046/Airbus_Logo.jpg SOURCE Thuraya Telecommunications Company https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/yahsat-boosts-thuraya-s-next-generation-capabilities-with-a-commitment-of-over-us-500-million-855138288.html