October 31, 2024 | International, C4ISR, Security
LiteSpeed Cache Plugin Vulnerability Poses Significant Risk to WordPress Websites
High-severity flaw in LiteSpeed Cache plugin allows unauthorized access. Update to version 6.5.2 now!
May 1, 2019 | International, Naval
German, Norwegian officials huddle over joint submarine program
COLOGNE, Germany — Senior German and Norwegian defense officials met in Munich on Monday to plot a path for the two countries' multibillion-dollar joint submarine program.
Officials said the meeting by the naval chiefs and defense-acquisition leaders was meant to push toward an agreement on the timing, cost and performance characteristics of the 212-CD program. The plan, these officials said, is to have the program on contract with lead vendor ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2020, with the first vessel delivered to Norway in late 2026.
A deal with the German shipyard was previously envisioned for this year.
The design of the new boats has yet to be locked down, which may reflect a last glimmer of hope in Berlin and Oslo that other countries in the market for submarines — namely Italy, the Netherlands or Poland — could join the effort.
Germany and Norway inked a strategic cooperation agreement on submarines in 2017. The idea is for TKMS to produce six identical boats — two for Germany and four for Norway. Norwegian missile-maker Kongsberg, in turn, will outfit German Navy ships with an upgraded variant of its Naval Strike Missile.
The stakes are high for the program, as any delays in fielding the submarines would throw off military plans in either country. The German Navy has seen years of delays in its F-125 frigate program. According to the service, an industry consortium led by TKMS is to blame.
The German military, which is seeking a budget boost beyond what is on the books so far, is under pressure to field equipment on time and on budget. The idea is to prove that the defense-acquisition apparatus can convert additional money into additional capability. As a result, officials are increasingly tight-lipped about details surrounding big-ticket projects beyond rosy statements.
“After a successful meeting: We are convinced that we want to make #U212CD a success story,” German Navy chief Vice Adm. Andreas Krause wrote on Twitter late Monday. “We will act and speak as if we were ONE Navy. Both navies need the new submarines delivered in time, cost and quality. Everyone involved in this project should never forget its relevance.”
Sebastian Bruns, a naval analyst with the University of Kiel in northern Germany, said the interplay between the German and Norwegian defense bureaucracies will be crucial as the program progresses.
“This type of integrated process is new for Germany,” Bruns told Defense News. That is because everything from spare parts to training and operational aspects is designed to be bilateral from the start, possibly tying the two sea services together for decades.
“We are talking about a time frame through the 2060s,” he said.
Bruns added that questions remain about Germany's future defense budget and whether the submarine program will have to compete with other national priorities.
According to a Navy spokesman, the program is reflected in the Defence Ministry's broad budget outlines. Lawmakers are expected to get details for debate next year.
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January 26, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Missile Defense Agency picks 2 vendors for hypersonic weapon tracking sensor prototypes
Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — The Missile Defense Agency selected two companies to build prototype sensors capable of tracking hypersonic weapons from space. L3Harris and Northrop Grumman will create the prototypes for the agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor. L3Harris won a $122 million award Jan. 14, while Northrop Grumman received a $155 million award Jan. 22. In tandem with the Space Development Agency's tracking layer, the HBTSS constellation is the Pentagon's answer to hypersonic weapons, which are too dim to effectively track with current sensors in geostationary orbit and can potentially avoid terrestrial sensors. The constellation will be closer to the planet's surface in low Earth orbit, allowing sensors to more easily see the dimmer threat. However, being closer to the Earth's surface results in a far narrower field of view for each satellite. In order to get worldwide coverage, the Pentagon is pursuing a proliferated constellation made up of dozens of satellites. SDA's tracking layer satellites will initially pick up a threat, with each satellite tracking the weapon and then passing off custody to the next satellite as the weapon leaves its field of view. Ultimately, the threat will be passed on to the more sensitive HBTSS, which can provide targeting data. “The combination of high speed, maneuverability and relatively low altitude of some of the emerging advanced missile threats makes them challenging targets for our current missile defense systems,” the agency said in a statement. “HBTSS is needed, since we cannot populate the Earth and the oceans with terrestrial radars to meet this need. The ‘birth-to-death' tracking that HBTSS can provide when integrated with terrestrial sensors will make it possible to maintain custody of missile threats from launch through intercept regardless of location.” Four companies were in the running to build the new HBTSS prototypes, but MDA stated on Jan. 22 that L3Harris and Northrop Grumman will be the two moving forward into the on-orbit prototype demonstration. The other transaction authority contracts covers the prototypes through launch and early on-orbit testing. According to MDA, the prototypes should “demonstrate the sensitivity and fire-control quality of service necessary to support both the emerging hypersonic threat kill chain and dim upper-stage ballistic missiles.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2021/01/25/missile-defense-agency-picks-two-vendors-for-hypersonic-weapon-tracking-sensor-prototypes
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June 16, 2024 | International, Aerospace
Leidos awarded $738 million U.S. Air Force cybersecurity and IT support contract
The single-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract has a one-year base period of performance, with four one-year options and one six-month option.