December 19, 2018 | International, C4ISR

Marines look for IBM Watson-like artificial intelligence to plan large-scale wargames

The Marines are looking to big data analysis and potentially an IBM Watson-like machine or software to help conduct complex wargaming and plan for future battles in an immersive environment.

The Corps' Program Manager for Wargaming Capability, Col. Ross Monta, told Marine Corps Times that a recent program announcement seeks to “bring advanced analytics, visualization, models and simulation together to create an environment that enables senior leaders” to make a host of decisions.

Those range from capabilities for the future force and ways to test operational plans, develop concepts of operations and help provide information to prioritize resources.

The announcement is the service's second round of information gathering in four technology areas that include modeling and simulation, wargame design, data services and visualization. The Marines are reviewing white papers submitted from industry in January, February, March and July. They're aiming to have testing begin as early as October.

At the 2017 Modern Day Marine Military Expo, then-Lt. Col. Monta spoke on how the Corps was developing a three- to five-year plan for a wargaming center at Marine Corps Base Quantico that would allow planners to conduct 20 wargames a year, including two large-scale, 250-participant exercises.

The simulation they sought at the time would provide, “accurate representation of future operating environments, simulate friendly and enemy capabilities” and perform “rapid, in-depth analysis of game-derived data or insights.”

The then-head of Marine Corps Systems Command, Brig. Gen. Joseph Shrader, said that wargaming had to get beyond “moving yellow stickies on a map.”

At that time the center was capable of conducting about 11 wargame scenarios a year, Monta said.

They were looking at partnering advanced simulation capabilities, such as the one they're seeking in the fbo.gov posting, with flesh and blood experts from the Ellis Group think tank to better see high-order, long-term warfighting needs.

The head of training systems command, Col. Walt Yates, told Marine Corps Times that the aim was to have ways of using artificial intelligence to run simulations as many as 1,000 times.

With those numbers, planners can learn probabilities of victory, casualty expectations and the logistics required to accomplish the mission.

Simulation capabilities would allow commanders to run scenarios against future threats to gauge what equipment and tactics are most needed to succeed.

These factors would inform planning for everything from buying the next piece of combat gear to how best to deploy forces, Yates said.

The big data analysis is just one of a list of items the Corps has been working in recent years to push their wargaming from squad to Marine Expeditionary Force-level, leveraging advances in computing, data analytics, virtual reality, augmented reality and gaming.

Beginning this past year, Marines at each of the Corps 24 infantry battalions began fielding Tactical Decision Kits, a combination of laptop, VR goggles and drones that allow small unit leaders to map battle spaces and then run operations plans in VR to rehearse missions.

Earlier this year, MARCORSYSCOM officials sought industry input on pushing weapons simulations for live training, force-on-force shooting past the decades old laser technology still in use today.

They want shooting systems that more realistically replicate how bullets and other projectiles move and the types of damage they cause.

The system that would be able to simulate all weapons and vehicles typically seen in a battalion, which would include at least: M4/M16; M9 or sidearm, the M27 Infantry Automatic Weapon; hand grenades; rocket propelled grenades; Light Anti-Tank Weapon; 60mm mortars; 81mm mortars; Claymore antipersonnel mine; Mk-19 grenade launcher; Russian machine gun; AK-47 variants; M41 TOW; Javelin missile and the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle.

It would also allow for immediate after-action review so that trainers and commanders could see where their Marines were aiming, when and how much they fired to strike a target and what damage their opponents caused.

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/12/18/marines-look-for-ibm-watson-like-artificial-intelligence-to-plan-large-scale-wargames

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December 18, 2019 | International, Land, C4ISR

FLIR Awarded $92.9 Million Contract for Logistics Support to U.S. Army Product Manager Force Protection Systems
Arlington, Va., December 16, 2019 ― FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced that it has been awarded a five-year, firm-fixed-price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinitely Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The IDIQ vehicle has a ceiling value of $92.9 million, with an initial order of $5.2 million. The award is for repair, refurbishment, and logistics support of electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors used by the Army's Product Manager Force Protection Systems programs, including Base Expeditionary Targeting Surveillance System-Combined (BETSS-C), Combat Outpost Surveillance Force Protection System, and Foreign Military Sales. BETSS-C entails a combination of cameras and surveillance equipment mounted on deployable towers and used to monitor wide areas around important military locations and bases. FLIR has been part of the BETSS-C effort since 2004 when it was called RAID, providing long-range EO/IR sensors at the heart of the system. Today, the company supplies high-definition sensors for BETSS-C as well as radars capable of detecting vehicles, people, or other moving objects at range. FLIR has delivered more than a thousand EO/IR sensors to the U.S. Army as part of the BETSS-C program. This latest IDIQ maintains the service partnership and related revenues FLIR has accrued with the Army, while augmenting the company's ability to meet their needs. “BETSS-C is a critical piece of technology that supports the safety of U.S. forces and its allies at locations around the world,” said David Ray, president of FLIR Systems' Government and Defense business unit. “We value this opportunity to support the Army and optimize the capabilities of this vital surveillance system.” The contract covers a five-year period of performance starting in the fourth quarter of 2019. Work will be performed at FLIR's Wilsonville, Oregon site and international repair facilities. About FLIR Systems, Inc. Founded in 1978, FLIR Systems is a world-leading industrial technology company focused on intelligent sensing solutions for defense, industrial, and commercial applications. FLIR Systems' vision is to be “The World's Sixth Sense,” creating technologies to help professionals make more informed decisions that save lives and livelihoods. For more information, please visit www.flir.com and follow @flir. Forward Looking Statements The statements in this release by David Ray and the other statements in this release about the contract and order described above are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about FLIR's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the following: the ability to manufacture and deliver the systems referenced in this release, changes in pricing of FLIR's products, changing demand for FLIR's products, product mix, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, the ability of FLIR to manufacture and ship products in a timely manner, FLIR's continuing compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, and other risks discussed from time to time in FLIR's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and FLIR does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet service providers. View source version on FLIR Systems: https://www.flir.com/news-center/military/flir-awarded-$92.9-million-contract-for-logistics-support-to-u.s.-army-product-manager-force-protection-systems/
February 16, 2022 | International, C4ISR

Lockheed Martin Eyes Asia-Pacific Multi-Domain Opportunities
April 30, 2020 | International, C4ISR

L3Harris and Collins split $203M order for Army radios
Joe Gould The U.S. Army is ordering second-generation manpack radios from L3Harris Technologies and Collins Aerospace worth $203.2 million, ahead of a forthcoming operational test that will inform a full-rate production decision next fiscal year. The Army said April 29 it awarded a negotiated bilateral firm-fixed-price delivery orders to Collins, of Iowa, and L3Harris, of New York, for a total of 3,440 (1,720 each) radios and ancillaries. Delivery, which is part of its third low-rate production order, are to begin in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. The radios are a key element to what the service calls the integrated tactical network, the concept behind the Army's modernized battlefield network which will incrementally add capabilities units every two years beginning in 2021. The orders will support the ITN and tactical satellite modernization efforts, as well as security force assistance brigades and future deployments, according to the Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). L3Harris announced it received a $95 million low-rate initial production order for AN/PRC-158 multi-channel radios, while Collins said it received an order for its AN/PRC-162 ground radios, worth the remaining value of the award―about $108 million. Both fall under the five-year HMS (Handheld, Manpack & Small Form-Fit) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, which has a $12.7 billion ceiling and a five-year extension option for the Army. “L3Harris is proud to deliver the most critical part of the U.S. Army's Integrated Tactical Network, enabling secure multi-mission capability in the most challenging and contested environments,” said Dana Mehnert, L3Harris's president for communication systems. “The AN/PRC-158 will equip soldiers with cutting-edge waveforms, providing resilient SATCOM and advanced wideband networking at the tactical edge.” In a statement, Ryan Bunge, Collins Aerospace's vice president and general manager for communication, navigation and guidance solutions, said "our ground radio gives warfighters access to the most advanced networked communication technology available, ultimately leading to improved situational awareness and mission success. We've delivered superior communications capabilities with our airborne radios for decades, and we've leveraged that expertise to provide a complete, interoperable solution for both ground and air assets at the lowest life cycle cost.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/it-networks/2020/04/29/l3harris-and-collins-split-203m-order-for-army-radios/

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Marines look for IBM Watson-like artificial intelligence to plan large-scale wargames

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Lockheed Martin Eyes Asia-Pacific Multi-Domain Opportunities