Rheinmetall’s advanced MK82-EP general purpose aircraft bomb wins orders in France and Germany

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  October 18, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  FCAS Plans Could Challenge Eurofighter Fleet Harmonization

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  June 3, 2019 | International, C4ISR

  Cyberthreat intelligence firms sells for $780M

  By: Kelsey Reichmann Insight Partners, a leading global capital and private equity firm, has acquired Recorded Futures, an intelligence solution company that has made its name in the cybersecurity world in recent years by providing threat intelligence. The cash deal is for $780 million. Recorded Future focuses on information related to public, private, and open source data associated with cyber intrusions. Insight had made a previous investment in the company. Recorded Future claims to be the largest privately held threat intelligence software in the world. The company has ties to the defense and intelligence communities. Recorded Future was awarded a Defense Innovation Unit contract in September 2017. In-Q-Tel, the intelligence community's investment arm, had made an initial investment in the company in 2010. “We have relied heavily on a unique blend of focused data science concepts, advanced machine-enabled collection, and intelligence subject matter expertise, always with an eye toward the usability of the intelligence that we present to our clients — be it government agencies, large corporations, or forward-leaning companies,” said Christopher Ahlberg, co-founder and CEO of Recorded Future, in a May 30 press release. “This deal represents one of the largest security software transactions of the year, and the largest ever in the threat intelligence space. Insight's renewed commitment to our future validates the path that we are on and lays the foundation to drive our collective requirements forward." https://www.fifthdomain.com/industry/2019/05/31/cyberthreat-intelligence-firms-sells-for-780m

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  June 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  NATO’s new surveillance drone begins test flights over the Mediterranean

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — The first of five new NATO surveillance drones began test flights over the Mediterranean Sea this month, nudging the alliance toward a new capability meant to relieve the demand for U.S. equipment. The flights took off from Sigonella air base in Sicily, Italy, the future headquarters of the Northrop Grumman-made Global Hawks of the Alliance Ground Surveillance program. The planes are owned by a collective of 15 NATO members. The alliance's supreme allied commander for Europe, a job currently filled by U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, has tasking authority over the new capability. The North Atlantic Council also gets a say in cases of missions outside of NATO territory. The first two drones arrived late last year. Officials expect the rest of the fleet to make the trip from the manufacturer's facilities in Palmdale, California, throughout the summer. Earlier this spring, travel restrictions spurred by the spread of the novel coronavirus had raised the possibility of a delay in getting the initial plane approved for its flight schedule. But the Italian government allowed a team of Northrop specialists into Italy in late May for acceptance testing, a key step in obtaining an airworthiness certificate for the drone. “COVID-related delays ended up only being a few weeks, but nothing that significant,” Camille Grand, NATO's assistant secretary general for defense investment, told Defense News in an interview, referring to the coronavirus disease. “We are now moving to a pattern of regular flight to enable the force to use the drone.” Officials have been tight-lipped about exactly where they intend to use the aircraft once they are fully operational. “You can imagine missions of looking into the situation on NATO's borders,” Grand said. “Both in the south, in the Middle East or the east. The drones enable you to collect intelligence beyond your airspace.” While the initial aircraft has already completed at least one nine-hour flight over the Mediterranean Sea, it remains to be seen if the the aircraft can get clearance from Italian regulators to fly over land, where air traffic is more crowded and a mishap could be catastrophic. The general idea is to use the Italian airworthiness approval to fly anywhere. “The beauty of the European airspace is that once your are certified in Italy, you can fly across the European airspace,” Grand said. He noted that the certification currently in effect is provisional, and that the scope of the process is “likely to expand over time.” For now, high-flying military surveillance drones traversing the continent must obtain permission from national airspace authorities for a restricted flight corridor to protect nearby civilian traffic. Such is the case, for example, when U.S. unmanned aircraft fly reconnaissance missions close to the Baltics. The Alliance Ground Surveillance program's ambition is to “lift any limitations,” Grand said. “It is a very interesting and fascinating challenge because it is the first time ever that we are incorporating those Global Hawks in what is usually a crowded airspace on a permanent basis.” https://www.defensenews.com/smr/transatlantic-partnerships/2020/06/22/natos-new-surveillance-drone-begins-test-flights-over-the-mediterranean/