March 21, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Northrop Grumman to Produce MESA for The U.S. Air Force E-7
As part of the E-7 weapons system, the combat proven MESA sensor will provide critical long range sensing, detection and identification
July 5, 2019 | International, Other Defence
Top Army Official Tests Out Futuristic Smart Combat Glasses
By Matthew Cox
The U.S. Army's new boss recently got a chance do shoot-house training with the latest Microsoft-based, smart soldier glasses.
Ryan McCarthy, who is now serving as acting secretary of the Army, and incoming Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville traveled to Fort Pickett, Virginia earlier this spring to try out early prototypes of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS.
The Army awarded a $480 million contract to Microsoft in November to develop IVAS -- a high-tech device that relies on augmented reality to create a synthetic training environment for soldiers. The experience is reportedly similar to first-person shooter video games. The system is being designed to also be worn in combat, projecting the operator's weapon sight reticle into the glasses.
"He and I literally put them on, and we went through a shoot house together," McCarthy told Military.com on a flight to Fort Knox, Kentucky.
"Here's the thing -- they are empty rooms, because we had the synthetic feed."
McCarthy then described how the IVAS device presented targets that resembled enemy fighters from terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
"I literally came in a room ... and they looked like Taliban targets and ISIS guys with black turbans," he said. "They had one where they had a guy holding a civilian. It looked like a very good video game."
IVAS is part of the Army's effort to create a synthetic training world so soldiers can run through many repetitions of combat scenarios, such as clearing urban areas and engaging enemy forces, without having to leave home station and travel to training facilities.
Leaders can view the data compiled by IVAS during the training to show soldiers where they need improvement.
McCarthy and McConville were joined by Army and Marine Corps sergeants who also took a turn with IVAS.
"We had a bunch of NCOs from the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 1st Marine Division, and they did the shoot house and reminded me that I have been out for a while," McCarthy chuckled, referring to the days when he served in the Ranger Regiment. McCarthy served in the Army from 1997-2002.
McCarthy acknowledged that these were early prototypes of IVAS that need further development.
"You would do it for a little bit, and they would go out and [engineers] had to make a tweak and they would get the screen back up," McCarthy said.
Rangers and Marines liked the technology, he said.
"The one thing that they all really liked about it was the greater depth perception," he said.
"It was like a pair of glasses ... and literally when you are walking through a room and seeing the target, I had depth perception to my left and right, so I could see down the hallway."
IVAS replaces the service's Heads-Up Display 3.0 effort to develop a sophisticated situational awareness tool soldiers can use to view key tactical information before their eyes.
Officials hope to complete the prototyping phase on IVAS by 2020; when the system might be fielded to soldiers is still unclear.
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January 25, 2021 | International, Aerospace
L’armée face aux enjeux de la « guerre spatiale »
Le Figaro analyse les enjeux de défense liés à la maîtrise de l'espace, à l'heure où près de 90 États disposent d'au moins un satellite en orbite. Selon le CNES, 2 200 satellites en fonctionnement sont aujourd'hui en orbite autour de la Terre. L'augmentation est exponentielle: en dix ans, le nombre de satellites opérationnels a plus que doublé, notamment sous l'impulsion des acteurs privés du «New Space», tels que SpaceX. La France a établi une doctrine militaire et un commandement de l'espace en 2020, avec deux objectifs : des capacités de connaissance et, à moyen terme, de défense active. « La clé, c'est détecter, identifier, agir », explique le général Lavigne, chef d'état-major de l'armée de l'Air et de l'Espace. Des capacités de suivi sont développées : pour la France, l'approche du satellite franco-italien de télécommunication militaire Athena-Fidus en 2017 a ainsi été détectée par le système GeoTracker, développé par ArianeGroup, équipé de huit télescopes au sol. L'armée veut aussi se doter de moyens de défense active. En 2023, elle doit lancer le démonstrateur Yoda, qui sera capable d'accompagner des satellites en orbite géostationnaire. Au sein du CSpO (Combined Space Operation), la France cherche aussi depuis un an à établir avec ses partenaires des Five Eyes (États-Unis, Royaume-Uni, Canada, Australie, Nouvelle-Zélande) et de l'Allemagne un « code de bonne conduite ». Dans un entretien accordé au Monde, les chercheurs Marc Julienne et Isabelle Sourbès-Verger décryptent par ailleurs la montée en puissance de la Chine dans le domaine de l'espace, et ses enjeux militaires. Le Figaro et Le Monde du 25 janvier
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January 22, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
With this upgrade, these aircraft will have anti-jamming comms
By: Nathan Strout The Air Force awarded Raytheon a $442 million contract Jan. 16 to develop new technology that will allow the B-52 and RC-130 aircraft to utilize the nation's advanced anti-jamming communications satellites. The contract is part of the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T) program, an effort to replace legacy communication terminals with secure, nuclear-survivable terminals capable of utilizing the nation's most secure communications satellites for protected communications — including Presidential and National Voice Conferencing — and nuclear command and control. In 2015, the Department of Defense divided the FAB-T program into two segments: the Command Post Terminals (CPT) subprogram, which will provide terminals for ground posts and E-4 and E6 aircraft, and the Force Element Terminal (FET) subprogram, which will place new terminals in B-52 and RC-135 aircraft. The $442,265,464 cost-plus-incentive-fee undefinitized contract will provide for the latter, with Raytheon designing, developing, testing, integrating and providing logistical support for force element terminals for the two aircraft. Once in place, the terminals will allow airmen within those aircraft to utilize a trio of highly advanced satellites: the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites, the Enhanced Polar System satellites, and the legacy Milstar satellites. The FAB-T terminals will also allow command and control of those three constellations. According to the Government Accountability Office, the force element terminals are essential to the FAB-T program — without them, the program “cannot achieve its planned capabilities that are based on the interaction of bomber aircraft with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft and CPTs.” The GAO also reports that due to delays in the FAB-T program, all six AEHF satellites are expected to be on orbit before the system is in place, resulting in an underutilization of costly satellite capabilities. The same day, The FAB-T contracting office award Raytheon a $36,848,806 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to develop a software encryption platform for the system approved by the National Security Administration. Work is expected to be completed by March 2023. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center also issued a Request for Information Jan. 15 seeking industry sources that can support the installation of the FAB-T Command Post Terminals worldwide. According to a May 2019 Government Accountability Office report, the CPT subprogram is expected to reach initial operating capability in June 2021 and full operational capability by March 2023. Raytheon is also the primary contractor for the CPT subprogram. Responses to that RFI are due Jan. 22. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/c2-comms/2020/01/21/with-this-upgrade-these-aircraft-will-have-anti-jamming-comms/