August 9, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
By: Jen Judson
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Missile defense leaders within the Pentagon as well as Congress are pushing for more missile defense capability in space and the Missile Defense Agency Director Gen. Samuel Greaves laid out a rough idea of what a space-based missile defense sensor layercould look like.
The missile defense community has been talking “seriously” about a sensor layer in space “actively over the last year,” Greaves said in an August 8 speech at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
While many decisions still have to be made regarding requirements definitions, development paths and the acquisition process, “the key thing,” Greaves said, “is that there is serious consideration and support being given to the need to deploy these space sensors because we must do so.”
Greaves laid out a very rough sketch of what the agency is looking for to build a robust sensor layer.
First, the MDA might use something like a current system from the U.S. Air Force — the Overhead Persistent Infrared OPIR Global Scanning system — to alert and characterize activity in space, essentially “to be the bell ringer if something is going on,” Greaves said.
October 17, 2023 | International, Aerospace
High-level bureaucrats on Tuesday provided an update on the government’s acquisition of a new fleet to replace its aging CP-140s, which has come under fire amidst rumours the feds are considering directly awarding the contract to Boeing.
August 22, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
By: Daniel Cebul Lockheed's Martin second GPS III satellite has passed all of the U.S. Air Force's technical and safety tests and is ready to be launched, likely in 2019, according to a company statement Aug. 21. The statement marks the formal designation that the satellite is “available for launch.” The first GPS III satellite was available for launch in September 2017 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is set to liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida before the end of 2018. The next satellite will launch aboard a rocket from United Launch Alliance. The new satellite constellation is expected to be a significant improvement over the current generation of satellites. According to Harris Corp., the company that provides Lockheed Martin with the satellites navigation payload, the next-gen satellites are equipped with “a Mission Data Unit (MDU) with a unique 70 percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened computers and powerful transmitters." This allows for signals three times more accurate than those on current GPS satellites, the company said. In addition to being more accurate, the satellite is also eight times more resistant to jamming. This model also adds and maintains signals to ensure compatibility with Global Navigation Satellite Systems and provide stronger signal integrity. Harris also unveiled an upgraded payload in November 2017 to be used for the Air Force's GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) program, which will begin with the 11th GPS III satellite. This next-gen payload will grant the clock signal for a new GPS III Search and Rescue (SAR) payload, and extend the satellite's service life. Lockheed Martin is expected to be the prime contractor. In June, the third GPS III satellite completed thermal vacuum and environmental testing to simulate how the satellite will hold up in the space's unforgiving environment. https://www.c4isrnet.com/c2-comms/satellites/2018/08/21/air-forces-next-gps-satellite-ready-to-boost-accuracy-anti-jamming-capabilities
March 23, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Eurosatory, le salon international consacré à la défense et à la sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres, aura lieu du 13 au 17 juin à Villepinte, près de Paris. « La crise ukrainienne, représentative de l'évolution des combats asymétriques vers des conflits interétatiques de haute intensité, amène les États membres de l'Union Européenne à décider d'investir davantage dans leurs capacités de défense et de sécurité. Plusieurs pays ont déjà augmenté considérablement leurs budgets », précise un communiqué. « 227 délégations venues de 65 pays » sont déjà attendues, indique le général Charles Beaudouin, PDG du COGES (Commissariat Général des Expositions et Salons du GICAT), qui organise le salon Eurosatory. Il attend également le commissaire européen Thierry Breton, qui défend le projet d'une Europe de la défense. « Une révision des modèles et des capacités de leurs forces armées et de sécurité pour s'adapter aux nouvelles menaces », pourrait s'avérer nécessaire, selon le COGES. Les quelques exposants russes qui s'étaient déjà inscrits pour participer au salon ont été désinscrits. La Tribune du 21 mars