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May 2, 2022 | International, Aerospace

NORAD boss wants to get creative about defeating cruise missiles

The U.S. commander responsible for North America says he's open for new ways to defend against cruise missile attacks on the homeland, including electronic warfare and other non-kinetic means.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/04/25/norad-boss-wants-to-get-creative-on-defeating-cruise-missiles/

On the same subject

  • TNO has signed a contract with ESA to start phase 2 of TOmCAT

    July 8, 2020 | International, C4ISR

    TNO has signed a contract with ESA to start phase 2 of TOmCAT

    July 2, 2020 - TNO has signed a contract with ESA to demonstrate cutting-edge optical communication technologies for future terabit-per-second telecom satellites. The TOmCAT project (Terabit Optical Communication Adaptive Terminal) will enable high-throughput laser communication between ground stations and satellites. This project is Phase 2 of TOmCAT, which started in 2017. It brings together key players in the Space and High-Tech industries, including: TNO, Airbus Defence & Space Netherlands, FSO Instruments (consortium partner Demcon), Hittech Multin (NL), Celestia-STS (NL), MPB Communications (CA), Airbus DS SAS (FR) and Eutelsat (FR), SES (LU). TOmCAT is a co-funded activity in which TNO, the companies involved, the Canadian Space Agency and the Netherlands Space Office invest through the ESAs ARTES Strategic Programme Line ScyLight. Key technologies include high-bandwidth adaptive optics, thermally stable opto-mechanics, high-power photonics, and high-throughput optical transceivers. TNO Space aims to enable secure broadband connectivity that will support the growing demand for data and increase communication efficiency. We also help stimulate economic growth in the Netherlands and Europe by enabling companies to realise new products, generate new business and improve their competitive position. TOmCAT is one example of these goals in practice. HOW DOES TNO CONTRIBUTE TO TOMCAT? TNO brings all parties together and integrates all expertise to: 1) Design the end-to-end Optical Feeder Link for high-throughput satellites. 2) Build and test cutting-edge technologies required for future Terabit Optical Ground Stations. 3) Build an end-to-end Optical Ground Terminal demonstrator and test it in a 10 km ground-to-ground link. This will show the technical feasibility of future terabit-per-second laser communication between ground and satellite terminals. TNO considers development in the TOmCAT project to be a major and important step towards the realisation of commercial Optical Ground Terminals and Optical Ground Stations for high-throughput Optical Feeder Links. Furthermore, TNO will work in the coming period, in parallel with TOmCAT phase 2, with Airbus Defence & Space Netherlands on business development and, in collaboration, position Airbus DS NL as future Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMer) of these Optical Ground Terminals and Optical Ground Stations. TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION TOmCAT is a technology development project with the end goal of developing a commercial optical ground station product. With high-data-rate laser links, this ground station can communicate with the next generation of Very High Throughput Satellites. One of the innovative elements of TOmCAT is its ability to pre-correct the laser light with adaptive optics. When light moves between the surface of the Earth and space, it gets distorted due to the fluctuations in the atmosphere. TOmCAT measures the distortion of the received laser light from the satellite, and by applying the inverse of this distortion to the transmitted light, a robust communication link can be established. In order to enable this, high speed adaptive optics is required. An important objective for the project is to build a demonstrator to test and prove this concept. View source version on TNO: https://www.tno.nl/en/about-tno/news/2020/7/tno-has-signed-a-contract-with-esa-to-start-phase-2-of-tomcat/

  • Lithuania boosts defense budget to buy Switchblade drones

    September 29, 2022 | International, Aerospace

    Lithuania boosts defense budget to buy Switchblade drones

    In response to Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine, Lithuania has decided to expand its military budget.

  • Northrop Grumman Continues Joint STARS Sustainment and Modification Work for US Air Force

    January 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Northrop Grumman Continues Joint STARS Sustainment and Modification Work for US Air Force

    Melbourne, Fla. – January 9, 2020 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) received a $302 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 1, 2019 for continued support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). The 2020 contract executes the Total System Support Responsibility (TSSR) program for the E-8C Joint STARS fleet with Northrop Grumman as the prime systems integrator of all nine components of support and sustainment. “The capacity and technology of the Joint STARS weapon system make it unique in the multi-domain command and control arena,” said Janice Zilch, vice president, manned airborne surveillance programs, Northrop Grumman. “Northrop Grumman has delivered innovative capability to this aircraft system for more than 30 years to give the Joint Force a strategic advantage.” Joint STARS delivers real-time battle management situational awareness and wide area search essential to the warfighter through continued investment and development in its mission systems hardware and software. Joint STARS combines high fidelity wide-area moving target detection, synthetic aperture radar imagery and robust battle management systems to locate, classify and track surface targets in all weather conditions from standoff distances. The E-8C Joint STARS fleet has flown more than 150,000 hours in support of combatant commands around the globe. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter @NGCNews, for more information. View source version on Northrop Grumman: https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-continues-joint-stars-sustainment-and-modification-work-for-us-air-force

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