July 15, 2024 | International, Security
10,000 Victims a Day: Infostealer Garden of Low-Hanging Fruit
Discover how infostealer malware threatens your data and learn steps to protect yourself from cybercriminals.
December 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Turkey to Rolls-Royce: Let’s renegotiate terms for TF-X fighter jet support
By: Burak Ege Bekdil
ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish government is keen to revive talks with Rolls-Royce for the design and production of its first indigenous fighter jet, the TF-X, a top cabinet minister has said.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the government wants to move forward with its planned cooperation with Britain for the production of the new-generation aircraft. But Turkey must first select an engine for the TF-X and then finalize the aircraft's full design — a process that has has lagged behind schedule.
Its aerospace and procurement officials now aim to fly the TF-X in the 2025-2026 time frame, despite an original target of 2023.
A £100 million (U.S. $132 million) deal between Rolls-Royce and Turkish manufacturer Kale Group was effectively put on hold amid uncertainties over technology transfer.
In October 2016, Rolls-Royce offered a joint production partnership to Turkey to power Turkey's planned platforms. The offer also involved potential sales to third parties. The British company's proposal also included a production unit in Turkey to manufacture engines for the TF-X, as well as for helicopters, tanks and missiles.
A year before that, in October 2015, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Turkey and Rolls-Royce for technological know-how and a production unit. Under the plan, Rolls-Royce would launch an advanced manufacturing and technology center in Turkey ― the company's eighth such unit worldwide.
Also in 2017, BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries, the prime contractor of TF-X, signed a $125 million heads of agreement to collaborate on the first development phase of the planned fifth-generation fighter jet.
After its membership in the U.S.-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program was suspended, Turkey started to look for alternatives for an off-the-shelf bridge gap solution until its own fighter jet can be built. Talks with Russia are underway for a potential Su-35 or Su-57 deal, according to officials in Ankara and Moscow.
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January 16, 2020 | International, Naval
L3Harris to deliver Iver4 underwater drone to Navy
By: Chiara Vercellone WASHINGTON — The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit has selected L3Harris Technologies to provide the Navy with an underwater drone for use in expeditionary undersea missions, according to a Jan. 14 news release from the company. As part of the contract, L3Harris will deliver for testing an Iver4-900 PW unmanned undersea vehicle, as well as two field swappable modular payload sections, which, along with additional sensors, will allow the vehicle to detect, classify, localize and identify targets on the ocean floor, the release said. An earlier version of the drone was already sent to the Navy, but under this contract, the company will deliver a version modified to fit the Navy's requirements, a company spokeswoman told Defense News. She would not share the value of the contract. “The Iver4 is leading the next generation of small class UUVs,” said Daryl Slocum, vice president of unmanned maritime systems at L3Harris Technologies. “This platform has been custom-built to address the needs of the Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures and Explosive Ordnance Disposal communities.” The contract award comes as the Navy seeks to bolster its unmanned inventory. Congress recently approved the purchase of two large unmanned surface vessels for the service. In 2019, L3Harris received a contract from the University of Southern Mississippi for an older version of the underwater drone to be used by the university's school of ocean science and engineering. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/01/15/l3harris-to-deliver-iver4-underwater-drone-to-us-navy
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February 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Singapore Airshow 2020: ST Engineering unveils Veloce family of fixed wing VTOL UAVs
Singapore defence prime ST Engineering has unveiled the Veloce family of hybrid fixed-wing/vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the 2020 Singapore Airshow, which is being held at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 11-16 February. The company is showcasing two market-ready Veloce variants - the Veloce 15 (V15) and Veloce 60 (V60) - at the event, with both air vehicles centred on a common airframe design comprising a main fuselage pod that supports the type's payload, avionics, shoulder-mounted wings, and a rear-mounted piston engine that drives a two-bladed pusher propeller. The airframe also features four vertical-lift electric motors housed in booms attached to the underside of the wings, which in turn supports an inverted V-shaped tail assembly. Like other fixed-wing VTOL UAVs produced by manufacturers elsewhere in the world, both the V15 and V60 can be deployed without a runway or a dedicated launch and recovery system (LARS) due to their ability to take-off and land vertically using their electric motors, before transitioning to conventional flight when the appropriate altitudes have been reached. The V15 will feature a 3.7 m wingspan and a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of between 16-17 kg as well as speed and endurance ranges of between 30-40 kt and 2-3 hours depending on its configuration, although it will typically carry a nose-mounted electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) turret. In contrast, the larger and more capable V60 will feature a 5 m wingspan and a MTOW of between 50-70 kg, while flying at payload-dependent speeds of between 50-70 kt and staying aloft for 12-14 hours. It will also carry a nose-mounted EO/IR turret with provision for an optional laser rangefinder. https://www.janes.com/article/94301/singapore-airshow-2020-st-engineering-unveils-veloce-family-of-fixed-wing-vtol-uavs?from_rss=1