Israel’s Aeronautics to supply Orbiter 3 drones to Greece

On the same subject

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  March 21, 2024 | International, Land

  RCAF Today: Turbine to Tiger Moth - Skies Mag

  Two RCAF instructor pilots wind back the clock to 1944, with the help of a Leading Aircraftsman’s logbook.

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  September 21, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  Rockwell Collins awarded first long-term contract with Department of Defense to provide MUOS SATCOM-capable airborne radios

  Five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract vehicle to equip warfighters with the benefits of MUOS communications CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Sept. 20, 2018) – Rockwell Collins has been awarded the first long-term contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to supply Mobile User Objective System (MUOS)-capable airborne radios and ancillaries for DoD platforms including fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, ships and ground installations. A five-year agreement through the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for sixth-generation ARC-210 RT-2036(C) radios begins with a base award of $82.6 million in 2018 with four option years to follow. The contract also includes fifth-generation ARC-210 radios and ancillaries, as well as associated data and services. “This is the next big step in arming warfighters with next-generation communications capabilities including those available through MUOS, which brings greater overall capacity and signal quality for high reliability when it's needed most,” said Troy Brunk, vice president and general manager, Communication, Navigation and Electronic Warfare Solutions for Rockwell Collins. The ARC-210 RT-2036(C) can utilize the MUOS network to provide military forces with worldwide, crystal-clear voice, video and mission data over a secure high-speed Internet Protocol-based system. The radio is also part of Rockwell Collins' TruNet™family of products that ensures secure connectivity between ground and airborne units. As the sixth-generation solution, the ARC-210 RT-2036(C) features a software-defined radio architecture enabling multiple legacy and advanced waveforms, high-speed mobile ad hoc networking and beyond-line-of-sight connectivity capabilities. It will join the more than 45,000 highly-reliable ARC-210 radios currently fielded across the globe on more than 180 platforms. About Rockwell Collins Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a leader in aviation and high-integrity solutions for commercial and military customers around the world. Every day we help pilots safely and reliably navigate to the far corners of the earth; keep warfighters aware and informed in battle; deliver millions of messages for airlines and airports; and help passengers stay connected and comfortable throughout their journey. As experts in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, cabin interiors, information management, mission communications, and simulation and training, we offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and services that can transform our customers' futures. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com. https://www.rockwellcollins.com/Data/News/2018-Cal-Yr/GS/20180920-first-long-term-contract-awarded-DoD-MUOS-SATCOM-capable-airborne-radios.aspx

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  December 3, 2019 | International, C4ISR

  France’s armed forces minister: How AI figures into operational superiority

  By: Florence Parly Robot vs. human: This is the new battle in vogue. Ask Col. Gene Lee, a former fighter pilot and U.S. Air Force pilot trainer, defeated in 2016 by artificial intelligence in an air combat simulation. This specific AI program, even deprived of certain controls, is able to react 250 times faster than a human being. It is one story among many others of how AI technologies play and will play a leading role in operational superiority over the next decades. I personally choose not to oppose the human to the robot. There is no discussion of replacing human intelligence by artificial intelligence, but it will be essential in increasing our capabilities manyfold. AI is not a goal, per se; it must contribute to better-informed and faster decision-making for the benefit of our soldiers. AI means unprecedented intelligence capabilities. Crossing thousands of satellite images with data provided by the dark web in order to extract interesting links: This is what big-data analysis will make possible. AI also means better protection for our troops. To evacuate wounded personnel from the battlefield, to clear an itinerary or a mined terrain — as many perilous tasks that we will soon be able to delegate to robots. Lastly, AI means a stronger cyber defense. Cyber soldiers will be capable of countering at very high speed the increasingly stealthy, numerous and automated attacks that are threatening our systems and our economies. We have everything to win in embracing the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. This is why the French Ministry of Armed Forces has decided to invest massively in this area. However, we are not naïve, and we do not ignore the risks associated with the development of emerging technologies such as AI. Hence, we chose to develop defense artificial intelligence according to three major principles: abiding by international law, maintaining sufficient human control and ensuring the permanent responsibility of the chain of command. To ensure daily compliance with these principles over the long term and to feed our ethical thought, as new uses of AI appear every day, I decided to create a ministerial ethics committee focused on defense issues. This committee will take office at the very end of this year and will come as an aid to decision-making and anticipation. Its main role will be to address questions raised by emerging technologies and their potential use in the defense field. At the heart of these questions stands an issue that is of interest but also of concern, both within the AI community and within civil society. It comes down to the lethal autonomous weapon systems that some call “killer robots” — weapon systems that would be able to operate without any form of human supervision, that would be able to alter the framework of the mission they are allocated or even assign new missions to themselves. It is important to know that such systems do not exist yet in today's theaters of operation. However, debating about them is legitimate. In fact, France did introduce this issue in 2013 to the United Nations in the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. We do wish these discussions to continue in this multilateral framework, the only one that can eventually bring about a regulation of military autonomous systems, as it is the only one that is altogether universal, credible and efficient. We cannot rule out the risk of such weapons being developed one day by irresponsible states, or falling into the hands of nonstate actors. The need to federate with all other nations in the world is even more imperative. France defends its values, respects its international commitments and remains faithful to them. Our position is unambiguous and has been expressed in the clearest terms by President Emmanuel Macron: France refuses to entrust the decision of life or death to a machine that would act fully autonomously and escape any form of human control. Such systems are fundamentally contrary to all our principles. They have no operational interest for a state whose armed forces abide by international law, and we will not deploy any. Terminator will never march down the Champs-Elysées on Bastille Day. Florence Parly is the armed forces minister in France. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2019/12/02/frances-armed-forces-minister-how-ai-figures-into-operational-superiority/