December 18, 2023 | International, Land
March 23, 2024 | International, Naval
These systems will augment Germany's existing air defense infrastructure with additional Patriot equipment.
January 24, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Mike Rees Raytheon Company has announced that it will deploy sustainment and cybersecurity experts around the world to support the ground control systems and onboard sensors used by the U.S. Air Force fleet of RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft. Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services will perform the work, which includes providing software upgrades to defend against cyber threats, as part of a $65 million subcontract from the aircraft manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. “Raytheon will help these unmanned aircraft meet tomorrow's threats,” said Todd Probert, vice president of Mission Support and Modernization at Raytheon IIS. “We have been improving the Global Hawk fleet's capabilities for 20 years by modernizing their ground and sensor systems and will now ensure their resiliency in the face of cyber threats.” Raytheon previously announced a $104 million effort to modernize the Global Hawk ground segment, moving payload and aircraft operators into mission control buildings. These new stations replace mission control, and launch and recovery elements previously housed in shelters. https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2019/01/raytheon-provides-cybersecurity-for-global-hawk-uas/
June 2, 2020 | International, Aerospace
The Air Force is proposing turning unarmed military cargo jets into temporary bombers. Cargo jets, with their large internal volume, could launch missiles from safe distances, far away from enemy forces. The Air Force has already successfully tested dropping simulated munitions from the back of airplanes. The U.S. Air Force is looking at arming otherwise unarmed cargo planes, pressing them into service as makeshift bombers. The service believes future wars with adversaries like Russia or China will require plenty of aerial firepower and transport planes, loaded with pallets of cruise missiles, could provide an inexpensive solution. According to Defense News, the Air Force thinks aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III could become part-time missile trucks. The unarmed aircraft typically shuttle troops and equipment, but in a pinch, would be equipped with “smart pallets” carrying long-range cruise missiles and other munitions. The pallets would be capable of feeding position, navigation, and targeting data to their onboard missiles. Once dropped from the rear of the aircraft, the pallets would quickly release their missile cargoes, sending them downrange to their targets. The larger the aircraft, the more missiles it could carry. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a32714464/air-force-cargo-planes-makeshift-bombers/