May 7, 2024 | International, Naval
Teledyne unveils Rogue 1 exploding drone sought by Marine Corps
Should the Rogue 1 drone not explode or be recalled, it can be disarmed and reused thanks to a mechanical disconnect.
September 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Land
The Corps just slapped a counter-drone system on an MRZR all-terrain vehicle
By: Shawn Snow
In yet another sign the Corps is becoming increasingly concerned about air defense, the Corps decided to slap a counter-drone system on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle.
It's called the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or LMADIS, and it's comprised of two MRZR vehicles, a command node and a sensor vehicle.
The system is a “maneuverable ground-based sensor, electronic attack, C2 [ command and control] system," 1st Lt. Ariel Cecil, the commander of the Low Altitude Air Defense detachment for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166, said in a video posted by the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The LMADIS can detect, track, identify and take down drones with electronic attack, according to Cecil.
The MRZR counter drone system is currently deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit where it recently participated in the Theater Amphibious Combat Rehearsal exercise in Djibouti.
The Corps has been investing heavily in counter air and drone threats. It's an issue the Marines really haven't had to focus on for some time now.
But as the Corps begins to face down more sophisticated hostile actors there's no guarantee Marines will always operate on a battlefield where they own the airspace.
That means enemy air or drone attacks are now a reality the Corps must plan for.
And increasingly, drone technology has found its way into the hands of terrorist groups and ragtag militias.
ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have been known to weaponize small commercial quadcopter drones, dropping small munitions and hand grenades on Iraqi and partner nation forces. Even the Taliban in Afghanistan have gotten in the game, using small drones to film attacks on remote Afghan army outposts.
But the big threat, according to the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller, is that adversaries will eventually learn how to control these small attack drones in massive swarms.
“When you think about enemy air attacks, you think about jets and bombers and stuff,” Neller said at the Atlantic Council in April. “I think the real future in enemy air attack is going to be swarming drones.”
So, the Corps has embarked on an ambitious plan to field a new suite of tech to bolster the Corps' air defense and counter drone capabilities.
Two such systems are the Ground Based Air Defense-Transformation, or GBAD, and the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, or G/ATOR.
The GBAD systems is basically a detection system with laser weapon that can track and destroy drones, and it's mountable on the Corps' new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or Humvee. That program is still undergoing testing and evaluation.
The G/ATOR system has been in the Corps' arsenal since 2013 and it can detect rockets, mortars, artillery cruise missiles, and drones. The system is highly mobile making it integral to the Corps' distributed operations plan in the Pacific should a conflict come between the U.S. and China.
And the Corps is also dishing out money to modify Stinger missiles as part of Service Life Extension Program.
On the same subject
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February 8, 2023 | International, Other Defence
Private equity : Weinberg Capital lance un fonds dans l'industrie de la défense
Dépassant les réticences européennes en matière d'ESG, l'homme d'affaires et président du conseil d'administration de Sanofi, Serge Weinberg, vient de lever un fonds d'investissement dédié aux industriels de la défense.
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October 27, 2020 | International, Land, C4ISR
Défense : l'américain Teledyne va racheter Photonis à prix soldé
Le groupe de Thousand Oaks a déclaré avoir obtenu un « accord de principe » pour acquérir le leader français de l'optronique à un prix 15 % moins élevé que celui de départ, soit 425 millions d'euros. Une réduction accordée par le vendeur Ardian suite aux conditions imposées les pouvoirs publics tricolores. Anne Drif La pépite de l'optronique militaire Photonis s'apprête bien à basculer sous pavillon américain... et pour 15 % moins cher. « Je pense que nous avons un accord de principe maintenant et nous avons besoin de finaliser les formalités administratives », a déclaré à la séance de questions analystes Robert Mehrabian, le président exécutif de l'acquéreur américain Teledyne, lors de ses résultats fin octobre. Le groupe de Thousand Oaks compte mettre ainsi la main sur Photonis pour 75 millions d'euros de moins, soit au final 425 millions d'euros, confirment des sources proches du dossier. Fin septembre, après des mois de négociations avec le ministère des Finances, des Armées et la reprise en main du dossier par l'Elysée suite à la vaste polémique soulevée par ce projet de cession auprès des parlementaires, Teledyne avait fait part à la SEC son intention de retirer sa demande d'autorisation d'achat auprès du gouvernement français. Une décision que ses opposants dans l'Hexagone ont immédiatement interprété comme un abandon à l'usure, lié aux exigences de gouvernance et le droit de veto imposés par les pouvoirs publics tricolores. https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/defense-lamericain-teledyne-va-racheter-photonis-a-prix-solde-1259299