June 14, 2023 | International, C4ISR
What war elephants can teach us about the future of AI in combat
Inspired by the historical relationship between humans and war elephants, we can develop a similar partnership between military personnel and AI.
July 11, 2019 | International, Other Defence
U.S. Army issues full-material release for new M17, M18 handguns
By Ed Adamczyk
July 10 (UPI) -- The new M17 and M18 handguns of Sig Sauer Inc. received full-material release notification from the U.S. Army, the company said, the final stamp of approval for military use.
"Full-material release is a significant milestone for the MHS [Modular Handgun System] program and is the official determination that the U.S. Army has rigorously tested and evaluated the M17 and M18 handguns, and associated ammunition, to determine it as safe for use when operated within its stated parameters," a statement from the New Hampshire-based company said on Tuesday.
The official approval came from the U.S. Army's Pitcatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, N.J.
The U.S. Marine Corps adopted the new standard-issue pistol in June, a change in armament for the first time in 30 years. The M18 will replace the Beretta M9 starting in 2020. All branches of the U.S. military have now approved the new handgun.
The M18 is a 9mm, striker-fired pistol, tan in color, with a stainless steel slide. It is equipped with front night sights and removable night sight rear plate, as well as a manual safety. It was developed my Sig Sauer in conjunction with Winchester Ammunition.
The M17 offers the similar features but its barrel is about one inch shorter.
The contract announced last week includes a stipulation that Army generals will receive specially-built pistols, referred to as GO handguns.
GO handguns are "essentially an M18 with a distinguished serial number," Samantha Piatt of Sig Sauer said. "Additionally, each GO handgun is supplied with a large and small grip module in addition to the medium grip module it is configured with upon delivery."
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August 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Thales Alenia Space will build SES-22 and SES-23 satellites
Cannes, August 7, 2020 – Thales Alenia Space, a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced that it has signed a contract with SES to build SES-22 and SES-23, geostationary communications satellites. These two new satellites are designed to provide digital broadcasting services over North America. Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the design, production, testing of the satellites and support of the payload in-orbit acceptance tests. SES-22 and SES-23 are based on the proven Spacebus 4000 B2 platform and will be 3.5-ton class satellites at launch. These satellites are the 11th and 12th satellites based on the Spacebus 4000 B2 platform to be built by Thales Alenia Space. The two satellites will help SES meet the Federal Communications Commission's accelerated C-band clearing deadlines in the United States and will contribute to the effort to clear spectrum necessary to roll out 5G in the United States. Hervé Derrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space, said “The robustness and flight proven heritage of our Spacebus 4000 B2 platform, combined with our ability to timely and quickly deliver SES-22 and SES-23, have been key elements leading to the decision of SES working with us to replace its existing C-Band fleet. This demonstrates Thales Alenia Space's expertise in developing tailored solutions that meet each operator's specific needs to clear the C-Band spectrum.” ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies' Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.15 billion euros in 2019 and has around 7,700 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com THALES ALENIA SPACE – PRESS CONTACTS Sandrine Bielecki Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94 sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com Catherine des Arcis Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 72 82 catherine.desarcis@thalesaleniaspace.com Marija Kovac Tel: +39 (0)6 415 126 85 marija.kovacsomministrato@thalesaleniaspace.com View source version on Thales Alenia Space: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press_release/thales-alenia-space-will-build-ses-22-and-ses-23-satellites
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August 30, 2018 | International, Naval
Navy Making Room for Railguns in Next Warship, But No Extra Investments
By: Megan Eckstein THE PENTAGON – The Navy's next large surface combatant will have all the space, weight and power margins the sea service could need now and into the future to accommodate new weapons in development – but the director of surface warfare said the Navy would not accelerate weapons development to get them ready in time to outfit the new ships. Rear Adm. Ron Boxall, OPNAV N96, spoke to USNI News on Aug. 28, in his first interview on the Future Surface Combatant program since its initial capabilities document was signed out by leadership. Noting that the next large surface combatant would pull from some of the advances made with the Zumwalt-class destroyers (DDG-1000) – including potentially its integrated power system that could easily support laser guns, an electromagnetic railgun, powerful radars and other power-hungry technologies – Boxall told USNI News that the new large surface combatant represented an opportunity to put these technologies into the surface fleet whereas the legacy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers simply do not have the power and cooling capacity to do so. “We're just excited that we think we do have something that is expandable, has SWaP-C (space, weight, power and cooling) for the future. I think all of us were kind of a little bit nervous about the DDG Flight III and whether we'll have long-term ability to put future energy weapons on there, or the power that we need for directed energy, lasers, things like that,” he said. But just because the new ship will be able to support energy weapons doesn't mean Boxall wants to accelerate energy weapons development to ensure they're ready to field on the first new ships. He said moving to the Future Surface Combatant in 2023 is an “aggressive timeline” and that at some point the Navy will have to “snap the chalk line and say, this is what you have that's good enough to go on there” – and if a technology isn't ready, it would wait for fielding in a later block buy of the ship. With the Navy already seeking a new hull to better support the Aegis Combat System and the AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense radar – collectively called the DDG-51 Flight III capability – Boxall said he didn't want to force too many changes all at once. “So I'm inclined to say, as long as we build it modularly, we're going to make those assessments in stride” in terms of inserting in new weapons as they come through the development process, he said. “But I don't want to get too crazy about trying to accelerate new technology in the first of the class as we change hulls, which will hopefully be a hull that will be with us for a very long time.” Full article: https://news.usni.org/2018/08/29/navy-making-room-railguns-next-warship-no-extra-investments