April 11, 2023 | International, Other Defence
US Army official reveals watercraft, networks as logistics focus areas
The Army is taking steps to master contested logistics by focusing on key modernization requirements taking shape now.
October 18, 2018 | International, C4ISR
Here’s when industry can expect to hear more on the Army’s tactical cloud
By: Mark Pomerleau
The Army plans to respond to more than 70 proposals from industry on how to best take advantage of the tactical cloud before the end of the year.
As part of the service's efforts to modernize its tactical communications and network, the program office and the network cross functional team hosted an industry day in August in Raleigh, North Carolina. Army leaders discussed how to tell industry about the service's goals and to learn more about what industry can offer.
Army officials described the industry day as market research, noting that contracts might not come out of it.
“This is a technical exchange to help the Army solve complex problems,” Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, director of the network cross functional team told the audience during the August event. “This will not work without dialogue.”
The Army received 78 white papers in response to the two day tactical cloud event, according to an Oct. 17 tweet from Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications – Tactical. Army leaders expect to finish reviewing the white papers by the end of October and plan to respond in late November.
Moreover, an Oct. 17 posting on the Federal Business Opportunities website noted that vendors with promising capability will receive an invitation for a no cost demo, around December and January. At these demonstrations, the posting said vendors will show their capability focused on three aspects;
- Technical maturity
- Operational relevance
- Technical ability to integrate into the Army's network design
Vendors will be expected to answer technical questions from a panel of government technical, program and operational subject matter experts, the post said, with government assessment leads presenting the demonstrations to the CFT and C3T leadership.
“As part of these outcomes, the Army will develop an experimentation/assessment plan as well as identification of possible resourcing for promising capabilities. If selected, vendors will be notified of next progressive steps,”. the post said.
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December 14, 2023 | International, Aerospace
KNDS and LEONARDO form strategic alliance
Such a strategic alliance will enable the implementation of programs in cooperation among European nations
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July 3, 2019 | International, Aerospace
These 4 technologies are big problems for US military space
By: Nathan Strout A recent report highlights the fact that the commercial space sector is an increasingly important part of the military's efforts in space, but there are places where industry falls short. The national security space arena is a niche market, characterized by low production runs paired with a need for high-quality products. That combination makes it a difficult area for the commercial sector. While national security space increasingly relies on industry to provide components for space vehicles, the fact remains that in some key areas there are no domestic suppliers for critical technologies, leaving the United States dependent on foreign suppliers. Here are four such technologies singled out in a recent report on the United States military's industrial base: Solar cells According to the report, the commercial sector is not investing in the research and development needed to improve solar cells, which are used to power satellites. Businesses have maxed out the capacity for triple-junction solar cells, but do not appear capable of pushing forward to four- or five-junction solar cell technology. The Pentagon also wants solar cells that are able to withstand more radiation for longer than current products on the market. Improving solar cells to get the same or more power out of even slightly smaller panels could have a major impact when it comes to launching a satellite into space, meaning that reducing solar panel size is highly valuable. Tube amplifiers Starting in the 1990s, the domestic supplier market share for traveling-wave tube amplifiers — electronic devices used to amplify radio frequency signals to high power — dropped from 50 percent to just 12 percent. While that market has shown a slight recovery, the presence of heavily subsidized companies like Thales in France make it difficult for American companies to compete. Gyroscopes Precision gyroscopes are used in spacecraft to determine altitude and are essential to providing inertial navigation systems. According to the Department of Defense, there is only one domestic supplier of hemispherical resonating gyroscopes, resulting in long lead times — the report claims that the company can only produce one to two units per month. Fiber optic gyroscopes fair better with three domestic suppliers currently manufacturing them, but those companies are themselves vulnerable to overseas supply issues with their subcomponents. Infrared detectors Just one foreign manufacturer produces the substrates necessary for space infrared detectors, and the Pentagon warns that a disruption of any more than a few months of production of the substrates could negatively impact the quality and completion of American satellites. Because of this, the U.S. government has used a Defense Production Act of 1950 provision that allows it to offer economic incentives to either develop, sustain or expand domestic production of technology critical to national defense, and an Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program is in the works to support the remaining two American foundries for one type of substrate. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2019/07/02/these-4-technologies-are-big-problems-for-us-military-space/