February 15, 2023 | International, C4ISR
Babcock wins $480 million bid to run Britainâs Skynet SATCOM program
The company, which unseated Airbus in operating the satellite constellation, is expected to take full control in 2024.
February 22, 2018 | Aerospace, C4ISR
Small drones in the Middle East have become a $330 million problem
The threat of small unmanned aerial systems overseas – especially in Iraq and Syria – has been a key focus of top leaders from across the Department of Defense.
Groups such as the Islamic State have not only curated a fleet of commercially available drones to use for aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but they have modified them to drop bombs resulting in a miniature air force.
The problem has become so acute that top officials in the region have made counter-drones the top force protection priority. Such systems also threat installations as well, spying overhead or acting as flying bombs on one-way kamikaze missions.
As such, the Army is asking for a total of $188.3 million in fiscal 2019 for counter-unmanned air systems. That request combines $69 million from the base budget and $119.3 million from the overseas contingency operations,, according to recently released documents.
This strategy is part of a joint operational need statement created in 2017 for the Central Command area of responsibility totaling $332.2 million over the next five years, the line item in the Army's research and development budget states.
The counter drone effort will work to identify, develop, test, evaluate and integrate technologies to provide an overall evolutionary capability to defeat drones, especially smaller group one and group two systems that can weigh up to 55 pounds.
The effort also involves a phased approach to CENTCOM that will provide interim standalone capability within the first few months eventually achieving a full networked capability by the end of the operational need period.
The program will involve kinetic – or what are known as “hard kill” – solutions, development of radar and integration of multi-function electronic warfare with a “full On-The-Move” capability.
The anti-ISIS coalition has previously utilized electronic warfare capabilities in theater to counter drones by interrupting their command and control mechanisms.
On the same subject
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June 18, 2024 | International, Land
Citing missile mismatch, Lockheed snarls at HIMARS challenge in Europe
"If Germany was to opt for PULS, they could not gain access to our missiles,” a Lockheed Martin exec said, referring to a competing system from Elbit.
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July 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace
National Reconnaissance Office launches “revolutionary” satellites from Virginia
Nathan Strout The National Reconnaissance Office successfully launched four classified payloads into orbit July 15 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility — the agency's first dedicated launch from the Virginia facility. NRO is in charge of acquiring, launching and operating the nation's intelligence satellites, and while the agency does not typically reveal the details or purpose of its classified satellites, the agency's director noted that the four payloads will demonstrate revolutionary capabilities. “NROL-129 represents a collaboration between the NRO and our industry partners to design, build, launch and operate a system of satellites that will demonstrate revolutionary capabilities of value to the nation and our allies,” said NRO Director Chris Scolese. “Despite facing challenges in 2020, we have found new and better ways to collaborate with our partners from a distance, relentlessly pursuing our mission and denying sanctuary to our adversaries.” The four NRO-built payloads — dubbed NROL-129 — were launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket at 9:46 a.m. ET. This was NRO's first launch with a Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV, a rocket capable of delivering payloads of up to 3,814 lbs into low Earth orbit. The first three stages of the four stage, 78-foot tall rocket utilize solid rocket motors taken from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs. The launch was acquired under the U.S. Air Force's Orbital/Suborbital Program-3, a contract mechanism built to take advantage of the growing commercial small launch sector. This was NRO's third launch of 2020 and its first to take place on U.S. soil. The previous two launches, taking place respectively in January and June, were launched aboard Rocket Lab Electron rockets from the company's New Zealand facility. The agency's next mission, NROL-44, is set to launch in August from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/07/15/national-reconnaissance-office-launches-revolutionary-satellites-from-virginia/