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April 24, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

High-cost satellites remain vulnerable to low-cost threats

By:

WASHINGTON ― Despite advances in satellite technology, many of the U.S. military's most expensive and necessary assets remain vulnerable to jamming from inexpensive tools, according to a new report from the CSIS Aerospace Security Project.

“The technology needed to jam many types of satellite signals is commercially available and relatively inexpensive,” the report reads. Other electronic threats such as spoofing, which attempts to trick receivers into believing manipulated data from an attacker is real, also offer low cost options to adversaries who hope to interfere with satellite connectivity. These kinds of attacks can disrupt communications or position, navigation and timing techniques.

The report, released April 12 and titled “Space Threat Assessment 2018,” notes that while United States near-peer adversaries have made strides in more advanced kinetic weapons, such as direct ascent anti-satellite weapons, jamming technology also is seen as critical. For example, “China has made the development and deployment of satellite jamming systems a high priority,” according to the authors, Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson and Thomas Roberts.

Another near-peer, Russia, has displayed jamming and spoofing capabilities in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria in the last several years. The report said the use of Russian technology in these conflicts “demonstrate[s] that Russia retains advanced electronic attack capabilities, despite some analysts' claims that Russia's ability to jam and spoof satellites has declined since 1991.”

But the threat from jamming and spoofing attacks goes beyond near-peers. Iran and North Korea, so-called rogue states, also have demonstrated the capability and willingness to interfere with satellite communications and GPS signals, according to the report.

And the ability to jam and spoof signals is likely to spread. The report notes once a jammer or spoofer is developed, “it is relatively inexpensive to produce and deploy in large numbers and can be proliferated to other state and non-state actors.”

But the United States is not sitting by idly. The Air Force's Advanced Energy High Frequency satellites, reserved for secure communication, “incorporate a high degree of protection against jamming, spoofing, and other forms of electronic attack,” according to the report.

The U.S. is also preparing troops to operate in GPS-denied environments. In January, the Defense Department jammed GPS-signals in western states so pilots could train in environments that will likely come to characterize combat in the age of electronic warfare.

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/space-symposium/2018/04/16/high-cost-satellites-remain-vulnerable-to-low-cost-threats/

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  • SUISSE NOUVEL AVION DE COMBAT : 5 GÉANTS FONT LEURS OFFRES

    January 28, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    SUISSE NOUVEL AVION DE COMBAT : 5 GÉANTS FONT LEURS OFFRES

    Les spécialistes en armement ont jusqu'en 2020 pour produire un rapport en vue du choix du prochain avion de combat helvétique. Les cinq candidats sollicités pour le prochain avion de combat suisse ont transmis leurs offres vendredi à armasuisse. Cette étape marque le début de la phase d'analyse et d'essais. Les offres portent sur les avions suivants: Eurofighter (Airbus, Allemagne), F/A-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, États-Unis), Rafale (Dassault, France), F-35A (Lockheed-Martin, États-Unis) et Gripen E (Saab, Suède). De février à mars, les spécialistes d'armasuisse et des Forces aériennes procéderont aux essais des avions dans les simulateurs correspondants, indique vendredi le Département fédéral de la défense dans un communiqué. Ces activités auront lieu chez les candidats et se dérouleront parallèlement aux audits de support produit. Au cours de ces audits, les forces aériennes des pays de fabrication présenteront l'exploitation et la maintenance des avions ainsi que le déroulement de la formation. Ils seront suivis par l'analyse des réponses au questionnaire que les fabricants devaient remplir dans leurs offres. Essais à Payerne Parallèlement, entre avril et juillet, les avions de combat seront soumis à des essais en vol et au sol à Payerne. Pour chaque candidat, armasuisse, en coopération avec l'État-major de l'armée, les Forces aériennes, la Base logistique de l'armée et la Base d'aide au commandement, rassemblera dans des rapports spécialisés les connaissances tirées de la phase d'analyse et d'essais. Ces rapports constitueront la base de la comparaison entre les candidats qui sera réalisée au deuxième semestre 2020. Ils serviront aussi à déterminer pour chaque modèle d'avion la taille nécessaire de la flotte. Deuxième appel d'offres Sur cette base, armasuisse élaborera un deuxième appel d'offres qui sera transmis aux candidats. À partir des connaissances acquises avec la deuxième offre, armasuisse comparera les candidats entre eux et déterminera l'utilité globale pour chaque candidat. Le rapport d'évaluation mettant en parallèle cette utilité avec les coûts d'acquisition et d'utilisation pour une période de 30 ans sera alors élaboré. Le Conseil fédéral décidera du modèle retenu. https://www.lematin.ch/suisse/Nouvel-avion-de-combat--5-geants-font-leurs-offres/story/21758047

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 30, 2019

    January 31, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 30, 2019

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Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $412,117,013; fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,717,587; and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $137,787,474 will be obligated on this award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded $55,062,919 for modification P00011 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0055). This modification provides for the procurement of five Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems and two lightweight fuel cells. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (33 percent); Ozark, Alabama (27 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18 percent); Moss Point, Mississippi (16 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $55,062,919 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $43,856,375 for modification P00017 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-15-D-0001). This modification exercises an option for organization, selected intermedia, limited depot level maintenance, and logistics services in support of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center's (NAWDC) F/A-18A/B/D/D/E/F, EA-18G, MH-60S, F-16A/B, and E-2C aircraft. Work will be performed at NAWDC, Fallon, Nevada, and is expected to be completed in January 2020. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. 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U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W909MY-19-D-0004). Med-Eng LLC, Ogdensburg, New York, was awarded a $47,203,546 firmed-fixed-price contract for Generation II advanced bomb suit systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-19-D-0007). Kforce Government Solutions Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $28,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure traumatic amputation task trainers. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-19-D-0005). Donald L. 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Emergent LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was awarded a $7,616,333 firm-fixed-price contract for Oracle PeopleSoft software license renewals. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Crystal City, Virginia; and San Diego, California, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Navy; and operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,616,333 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-F-0274). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY American Water Operations and Maintenance LLC, Voorhees, New Jersey, has been awarded a $26,589,346 modification (P00143) to a 50-year contract (SP0600-08-C-8257), with no option periods for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the water and wastewater utility systems at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This is a fixed-price with prospective-price-redetermination contract. 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Quotations were solicited via the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedule, Information Technology Schedule 70, and one quotation was received from 29 offerors solicited. The period of performance for Option Period Three is Feb. 10, 2019, through Feb. 9, 2020, and there is one remaining unexercised option period for this task order. The Defense Information Technology Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. * Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1744377/source/GovDelivery/

  • Australia releases weapons wish list amid defense spending boost

    July 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Australia releases weapons wish list amid defense spending boost

    By: Nigel Pittaway MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia plans to increase defense spending over the next decade to AU$270 billion (U.S. $187 billion) in response to what it says is a deteriorating regional environment. The July 1 announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the plan coincides with the launch of the government's 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the associated Force Structure Plan, which will raise projected spending from AU$195 billion as laid out in the 2016 Defence White Paper. “The simple truth is this: Even as we stare down the COVID pandemic at home, we need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous and that is more disorderly,” Morrison said during the documents launch at the Australian Defence Force Academy on Wednesday. “We have not seen the conflation of global, economic and strategic uncertainty now being experienced here in Australia in our region since the existential threat we faced when the global and regional order collapsed in the 1930s and 1940s.” Morrison also cited trends including military modernization, technological disruption and the risk of state-on-state conflict as further complicating factors in the Indo-Pacific region, which he said has deteriorated more rapidly than forecast by the previous whitepaper from 2016. “The Indo-Pacific is the epicenter of rising, strategic competition. Our region will not only shape our future; increasingly though, it is the focus of the dominant global contest of our age,” he said. “Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea and the East China Sea.” What do the documents say? The two defense documents forecast the development of closer ties with Australia's regional partners and with the U.S., but it also warns of the need for enhanced self-reliance, which Morrison said signals the country's “ability and willingness” to project military power and deter actions against it. “Relations between China and the U.S. are fractious at best as they compete for political, economic and technological supremacy. But it's important to acknowledge that they are not the only actors of consequence. The rest of the world and Australia are not just bystanders to this,” he said. “Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the countries of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Pacific all have agency, choices to make, parts to play, and of course so does Australia.” Additional capabilities to those already being acquired include long-range strike weapons, area-denial systems and cyber tools — including the establishment of an offensive cyber capability. Also included on Australia's shopping list is the Lockheed Martin AGM-158C long-range anti-ship missile, which would become the country's next air-launched maritime strike weapon under Project Air 3023 Phase 1. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds confirmed Thursday that Australia will acquire an unspecified number of LRASM weapons through a Foreign Military Sales deal with the U.S. Navy. Training on the weapon is to begin in the U.S. in 2021. The missile will initially be employed by the Royal Australian Air Force's fleet of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters, with an initial operational capability to follow in 2023. Reynolds said the missile will also be integrated with Australia's F-35A jets, which are also made by Lockheed. Australia is also seeking replacement fleets for the Royal Australian Air Force's Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules, Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft, Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control planes and EA-18G Growler electronic attack platforms. The country's Jindalee Operational Radar Network is also to be expanded to cover Australia's eastern approaches. The government is also backing the creation of a hypersonic weapons development program. The documents also call for the Royal Australian Navy to receive two new multipurpose sealift and replenishment vessels and up to eight mine countermeasures and tactical hydrographic vessels, to be based on the Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels now under construction in local shipyards. The Australian Army is to receive an active protection system for its Hawkei and Bushmaster fleets of protected mobility vehicles; two regiments of self-propelled howitzers, to be built locally; and a replacement for its Abrams M1A1 main battle tanks. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/07/02/australia-releases-weapons-wish-list-amid-defense-spending-boost/

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