Windsor police unveil new crime fighting drone

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  January 29, 2021 | International, Naval

  Rheinmetall, MBDA building high-energy lasers for Germany’s Navy

  By: Vivienne Machi STUTTGART, Germany — Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland have officially been tasked to build, test and field a high-energy laser weapon system for the German Navy over the next year. The consortium, dubbed ARGE, was awarded a contract “in the low double-digit million euro range” by Berlin's military procurement office, the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). Work will be conducted through the end of 2021, with trials scheduled for 2022 aboard the Navy frigate Sachsen, per a joint press announcement released Thursday. The work is to be split on a “roughly equal basis,” the companies said. Rheinmetall will be responsible for the laser weapon system, the beam guiding system, cooling, and integrating the weapon system with the overall laser source demonstrator. MBDA will focus on the operator console along with tracking technology and command-and-control system integration. Details have yet to be revealed about where the system's development will take place. This latest contract continues the companies' collaboration on high-energy laser efforts, which was first announced in August 2019. Rheinmetall and the Germany military have been testing high energy laser technologies in the maritime domain since 2015, a company spokesman told Defense News. “The contract marks a systematic extension of the functional prototype laser weapon successfully tested in recent years, with the experience gained now dovetailing into one of the most ambitious projects in the field of laser weapon development in Europe,” said Alexander Graf, head of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition's laser weapons program, and Markus Jung, who leads the company's laser weapon development segment. Once the demonstrator is installed, it will be used to test other aspects of the laser weapon system, such as the sensor suite and combat management system, and evaluate rules of engagement, said Doris Laarmann, MBDA's head of laser business development, in the release. The German arm of MBDA announced a restructuring of operations in late 2020, following mixed signals from Berlin regarding the status of the Tactical Air Defense System (TLVS) program. Executives have expressed skepticism that a contract award would emerge soon for the follow-on work of the former Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). In 2015, the German government announced it would use MEADS as the basis for TLVS, which would eventually replace the nation's 1980s-era Patriot air defense systems. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/28/rheinmetall-mbda-building-high-energy-lasers-for-germanys-navy

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  December 22, 2024 | International, C4ISR, Security

  LockBit Developer Rostislav Panev Charged for Billions in Global Ransomware Damages

  LockBit's developer charged for enabling global ransomware attacks netting $500M; U.S. leads extradition effort.

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  January 10, 2019 | International, C4ISR

  Parsons acquires geospatial intelligence provider OGSystems

  By: Mark Pomerleau California-based Parsons Corp. announced Jan. 8 it has acquired OGSystems, which provides advanced technologies in geospatial intelligence, big data analytics and threat mitigation. According to a press release, the move follows “a series of strategic investments” and is the third acquisition by Parsons in the last 14 months. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. OGSystems' main customers include the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and Special Operations Command. The company's VIPER Labs and Immersive Engineering techniques were the catalysts for deployment of geospatial systems and software, embedded system threat analytics and cloud engineering solutions, the release stated. “OGSystems will expand our position in critical markets, including space operations, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and beyond,” Carey Smith, Parsons' chief operating officer, said. “Parsons' existing artificial intelligence and cloud computing expertise will augment OGSystems' support for customers demanding more efficiency in analyzing overwhelming volumes of geographic imagery and data.” Parsons' last major acquisition, in May 2018, was Polaris Alpha, which provides innovative mission solutions for complex defense, intelligence, security customers and other U.S. federal government customers. Parsons noted at the time that its artificial intelligence, signals intelligence and data analytics expertise supporting defensive and offensive cybersecurity missions will be expanded by integrating Polaris Alpha's machine learning, data, video, multi-source analytics and automated reasoning technologies. Moreover, Polaris Alpha's portfolio of electromagnetic warfare, signals intelligence, space situational awareness and multidomain command and control technologies will “significantly increase the scale and scope of Parsons' capabilities and customer relationships.” “Parsons' strategy is focused on disruptive, differentiated technologies demanded in high-growth, mission-oriented programs in the defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure sectors,” Chuck Harrington, Parsons' chairman and CEO, said following the acquisition of OGSystems. “The actionable intelligence that geospatial imagery and data analytics brings to Parsons' portfolio through OGSystems is a game changer. Whether informing our national security customers' mission planning or designing tomorrow's resilient smart city, Parsons now brings deeper intelligence expertise to the challenge.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2019/01/09/parsons-acquires-geospatial-intelligence-provider-ogsystems