News

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Two companies are competing to build the Army's new light tank for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams and, in order to win, their prototypes will be judged by the users themselves. Those tests will be part of an extensive evaluation beginning roughly a year from now, Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, Army program executive officer for ground combat systems, told Defense News. BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems were chosen in December 2018 to build 12 prototypes each of the Army's future Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle identified in the Army's ground combat vehicle strategy, released in 2015, as much needed capability the service lacked. GDLS will build a vehicle that takes the United Kingdom's AJAX chassis and combines it with an Abrams turret. BAE Systems will bring an M8 Buford Armored Gun System with new capabilities and components. The MPF is going to be critical for the infantry, according to Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, who is in charge of combat vehicle modernization. “Looking in every war movie ever watched, the infantry has been pinned down and they have a machine gun nest or another enemy vehicle that's preventing them to get their objective,” Coffman said. “It takes an Audie Murphy-like character to go up and sneak around and take it out from the rear.” MPF is going to take care of those impediments to forward progression, he said, and is a “vital piece of equipment for our Army. Right now we are doing that with Humvees and Javelin.” The soldier vehicle assessment will take place at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Stewart, Georgia, and will include live-fire tests and operating in IBCT formations, Cummings said. The assessment will not just cover how the vehicles perform operationally, but how they hold up when assessed against warfighting doctrine, organization, training, maintenance in the field, logistics and sustainment. “This will be different, even though we've done it in history,” Cummings said. A team will look at doctrine in terms of having a light tank in the formation as well as having mechanics, fuel and the ability to recover vehicles as part of the operational assessment. “It's important we learn that early on,” in the prototyping process rather than after choosing a winning vehicle, Cummings noted. The Army is now reviewing design maturity of the vehicles and is making sure that everything stays on track to meet the soldier vehicle assessment requirements. These prototypes have to be ready for prime time when they get into an operational environment toward the end of next year, according to Cummings. Cummings also has two groups working with each vendor that are firewalled from one another. Those groups will be working with vendors through the SVA and to eventual down-select to one vehicle around the second or third quarter of fiscal year 2022 to go into production. The prototypes are expected in the third quarter of fiscal 2021. The first units will get MPF by FY25. The Army plans build 26 vehicles initially with an option to build 28 more and retrofit eight prototypes. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2019/10/15/soldiers-to-get-a-say-in-light-tank-competition

By: Kelsey D. Atherton Military planners spent the first two days of the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting outlining the future of artificial intelligence for the service and tracing back from this imagined future to the needs of the present. This is a world where AI is so seamless and ubiquitous that it factors into everything from rifle sights to logistical management. It is a future where every soldier is a node covered in sensors, and every access point to that network is under constant threat by enemies moving invisibly through the very parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that make networks possible. It is a future where weapons can, on their own, interpret the world, position themselves within it, plot a course of action, and then, in the most extreme situations, follow through. It is a world of rich battlefield data, hyperfast machines and vulnerable humans. And it is discussed as an inevitability. “We need AI for the speed at which we believe we will fight future wars,” said Brig. Gen. Matthew Easley, director of the Army AI Task Force. Easley is one of a handful of people with an outsized role shaping how militaries adopt AI. The past of data future Before the Army can build the AI it needs, the service needs to collect the data that will fuel and train its machines. In the shortest terms, that means the task force's first areas of focus will include preventative maintenance and talent management, where the Army is gathering a wealth of data. Processing what is already collected has the potential for an outsized impact on the logistics and business side of administering the Army. For AI to matter in combat, the Army will need to build a database of what sensor-readable events happen in battle, and then refine that data to ultimately provide useful information to soldiers. And to get there means turning every member of the infantry into a sensor. “Soldier lethality is fielding the Integrated Visual Augmentation Systems, or our IVAS soldier goggles that each of our infantry soldiers will be wearing,” Easley said. “In the short term, we are looking at fielding nearly 200,000 of these systems.” The IVAS is built on top of Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality tool. That the equipment has been explicitly tied to not just military use, but military use in combat, led to protests from workers at Microsoft who objected to the product of their labor being used with “intent to harm.” And with IVAS in place, Easley imagines a scenario where IVAS sensors plot fields of fire for every soldier in a squad, up through a platoon and beyond. “By the time it gets to [a] battalion commander,” Easley said, “they're able to say where their dead zones are in front of [the] defensive line. They'll know what their soldiers can touch right now, and they'll know what they can't touch right now.” Easley compared the overall effect to the data collection done by commercial companies through the sensors on smartphones — devices that build detailed pictures of the individuals carrying them. Fitting sensors to infantry, vehicles or drones can help build the data the Army needs to power AI. Another path involves creating synthetic data. While the Army has largely fought the same type of enemy for the past 18 years, preparing for the future means designing systems that can handle the full range of vehicles and weapons of a professional military. With insurgents unlikely to field tanks or attack helicopters at scale anytime soon, the Army may need to generate synthetic data to train an AI to fight a near-peer adversary. Faster, stronger, better, more autonomous “I want to proof the threat,” said Bruce Jette, the Army's assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, while speaking at a C4ISRNET event on artificial intelligence at AUSA. Jette then set out the kind of capability he wants AI to provide, starting from the perspective of a tank turret. “Flip the switch on, it hunts for targets, it finds targets, it classifies targets. That's a Volkswagen, that's a BTR [Russian-origin armored personnel carrier], that's a BMP [Russian-origin infantry fighting vehicle]. It determines whether a target is a threat or not. The Volkswagen's not a threat, the BTR is probably a threat, the BMP is a threat, and it prioritizes them. BMP is probably more dangerous than the BTR. And then it classifies which one's [an] imminent threat, one's pointing towards you, one's driving away, those type of things, and then it does a firing solution to the target, which one's going to fire first, then it has all the firing solutions and shoots it.” Enter Jette's ideal end state for AI: an armed machine that senses the world around it, interprets that data, plots a course of action and then fires a weapon. It is the observe–orient–decide–act cycle without a human in the loop, and Jette was explicit on that point. “Did you hear me anywhere in there say ‘man in the loop?,' ” Jette said. “Of course, I have people throwing their hands up about ‘Terminator,' I did this for a reason. If you break it into little pieces and then try to assemble it, there'll be 1,000 interface problems. I tell you to do it once through, and then I put the interface in for any safety concerns we want. It's much more fluid.” In Jette's end state, the AI of the vehicle is designed to be fully lethal and autonomous, and then the safety features are added in later — a precautionary stop, a deliberate calming intrusion into an already complete system. Jette was light on the details of how to get from the present to the thinking tanks of tomorrow's wars. But it is a process that will, by necessity, involve buy-in and collaboration with industry to deliver the tools, whether it comes as a gestalt whole or in a thousand little pieces. Learning machines, fighting machines Autonomous kill decisions, with or without humans in the loop, are a matter of still-debated international legal and ethical concern. That likely means that Jette's thought experiment tank is part of a more distant future than a host of other weapons. The existence of small and cheap battlefield robots, however, means that we are likely to see AI used against drones in the more immediate future. Before robots fight people, robots will fight robots. Before that, AI will mostly manage spreadsheets and maintenance requests. “There are systems now that can take down a UAS pretty quickly with little collateral damage,” Easley said. “I can imagine those systems becoming much more autonomous in the short term than many of our other systems.” Autonomous systems designed to counter other fast, autonomous systems without people on board are already in place. The aptly named Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar, or C-RAM, systems use autonomous sensing and reaction to specifically destroy projectiles pointed at humans. Likewise, autonomy exists on the battlefield in systems like loitering munitions designed to search for and then destroy anti-air radar defense systems. Iterating AI will mean finding a new space of what is acceptable risk for machines sent into combat. “From a testing and evaluation perspective, we want a risk knob. I want the commander to be able to go maximum risk, minimum risk,” said Brian Sadler, a senior research scientist at the Army Research Laboratory. “When he's willing to take that risk, that's OK. He knows his current rules of engagement, he knows where he's operating, he knows if he uses some platforms; he's willing to make that sacrifice. In his work at the Vehicle Technology Directorate of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Sadler is tasked with catching up the science of AI to the engineered reality of it. It is not enough to get AI to work; it has to be understood. “If people don't trust AI, people won't use it,” Tim Barton, chief technology officer at Leidos, said at the C4ISRNET event. Building that trust is an effort that industry and the Army have to tackle from multiple angles. Part of it involves iterating the design of AI tools with the people in the field who will use them so that the information analyzed and the product produced has immediate value. “AI should be introduced to soldiers as an augmentation system,” said Lt. Col. Chris Lowrance, a project manager in the Army's AI Task Force. “The system needs to enhance capability and reduce cognitive load.” Away from but adjacent to the battlefield, Sadler pointed to tools that can provide immediate value even as they're iterated upon. “If it's not a safety of life mission, I can interact with that analyst continuously over time in some kind of spiral development cycle for that product, which I can slowly whittle down to something better and better, and even in the get-go we're helping the analyst quite a bit,” Sadler said. “I think Project Maven is the poster child for this,” he added, referring to the Google-started tool that identifies objects from drone footage. Project Maven is the rare intelligence tool that found its way into the public consciousness. It was built on top of open-source tools, and workers at Google circulated a petition objecting to the role of their labor in creating something that could “lead to potentially lethal outcomes.” The worker protest led the Silicon Valley giant to outline new principles for its own use of AI. Ultimately, the experience of engineering AI is vastly different than the end user, where AI fades seamlessly into the background, becoming just an ambient part of modern life. If the future plays out as described, AI will move from a hyped feature, to a normal component of software, to an invisible processor that runs all the time. “Once we succeed in AI,” said Danielle Tarraf, a senior information scientist at the think tank Rand, “it will become invisible like control systems, noticed only in failure.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2019/10/15/can-the-army-perfect-an-ai-strategy-for-a-fast-and-deadly-future

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army spent years internally developing its own multimission launcher for the Indirect Fires Protection Capability program — designed to counter threats like rockets, artillery and mortars as well as cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft systems. But that grand plan is now officially off the table. The service has purchased two Rafael-made Iron Dome systems as an interim solution to get after the cruise missile defense capability gap, but it's taken a step back to rethink its enduring IFPC program strategy. While much is up in the air, it's certain that the launcher that will ultimately be part of the IFPC program won't be the MML. “It'll be something different that we will develop,” Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson, who is in charge of the Army's air-and-missile defense modernization, told Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference. As of 2016, the Army had spent $119 million to build MML prototypes, which included owning the technical data rights. The cost of developing the system outside of the Army would have been about three times as much according to the service at the time. Over the course of its development, the launcher was able to defeat a cruise missile target and an unmanned aircraft system using an AIM-9X missile at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and fired the Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) and Tamir missiles as well. The U.S. Army had awarded three $2.6 million contracts in the summer of 2018 for the first phase of a program to find a second interceptor — the Expanded Mission Area Missile (EMAM) — for the MML. Also already selected was the first interceptor for the launcher, the Sidewinder. Lockheed Martin's MHTK missile and two missiles from Raytheon were chosen to be qualified for the launcher: Sky Hunter, the U.S. version of the Iron Dome missile Tamir; and the Accelerated Improved Interceptor Initiative missile. The effort to qualify the MHTK has been paused, Scott Arnold, Lockheed Martin's vice president and deputy of integrated air-and-missile defense with the company's Missiles and Fire Control business, said at AUSA. The company did not have an intercept test, but was able to move the MHTK missile through some testing prior to the Army's decision to pause the program. The Army may take technologies developed as part of the MML effort and spiral them into a future launcher, “but there were a lot of things, with all the right reasons, that launcher turned out the way it did,” Gibson said. An assessment of the launcher determined it was not sufficient for an enduring capability, he added. “All the variables of when you define a new piece of hardware matter and, for air defense, it really comes down to angles you launch things at, whether it's vertical or whether it's horizontal, and the applicability of how many different interceptors potentially you can put in,” Gibson said. “Those are all lessons learned from MML and it matters on the threat set.” The one-star added that he is confident the Army is capable of developing something appropriate on the right timeline when it comes to a launcher for the enduring IFPC plan. And while the service doesn't want to buy beyond the two batteries of Iron Dome already purchased, the Army is considering the feasibility of taking its launcher and missiles for the future IFPC program. The Army has until the end of 2023 to field an initial enduring capability or, by law, will have to buy more interim Iron Dome systems. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2019/10/15/army-developed-multimission-launcher-off-the-table

MELBOURNE, FLA., October 14, 2019 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has begun initial deliveries of its new Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) that provides U.S. Army soldiers with improved situational awareness, mobility and protection. The delivery is part of an initial order under a $391 million ENVG-B Directed Requirement contract from the U.S. Army received in 2018. L3Harris delivered the first 40 combat-ready systems as part of an initial fielding that is expected to be completed by early 2020. This advanced binocular night vision goggle supports the Army's Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional team priorities. The ENVG-B includes L3Harris' high-performance white phosphor image intensification technology in a dual-tube goggle, as well as a separate thermal channel for image fusion and thermal target detection. This technology will enhance the ability to locate and engage threats and access common operating environment imagery. “The ENVG-B is the result of a year-long collaboration with the U.S. Army to deliver the most advanced night fighting system ever fielded,” said Dana Mehnert, President, Communication Systems, L3Harris. “This is the first networked night vison system that brings battlefield imagery and data directly to the soldier's eye, providing situational awareness beyond the capability of near-peer threats facing the U.S. military and our allies around the world.” Following the delivery of the first 40 units, L3Harris received two additional delivery orders totaling approximately $153 million for nearly 7,000 additional systems and logistics support. Combined with the initial $88 million delivery order, L3Harris has received orders to deliver just over 10,000 ENVG-B systems under the Directed Requirement contract. The ENVG-B includes a new high-resolution display and an embedded soldier wireless personal area network, rapid target acquisition and augmented reality algorithms to interface with the U.S. Army's Nett Warrior. The complete system will interface with the Army's family of weapon sights, while enhancing interoperability and data sharing. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, with customers in 130 countries. L3Harris.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about system capabilities, contract values and number of systems to be delivered are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on L3Harris Technologies: https://www.l3harris.com/press-releases/2019/10/88486/l3harris-technologies-providing-us-army-new-networked-night-vision-goggles-with-advanced-mobility-capabilities

ARLINGTON, VA, October 14, 2019 ̶ Leonardo DRS announced today it has been awarded a $14.7 million dollar contract to provide next-generation, near real-time battlespace awareness capabilities for the U.S. Army's Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) program directorate at Redstone Arsenal, AL. The company's Joint Tactical Terminal - Integrated Broadcast Service (JTT-IBS) radio system is used by the U.S. military and select allied military forces to receive and transmit near real-time multi-source threat, survivor and Blue Force Tracker data among airborne, land-based and ship-board tactical systems. It enables world-wide beyond line of sight situational awareness by connecting tactical users and intelligence nodes over UHF SATCOM. Under the contract with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Leonardo DRS Airborne and Intelligence Systems business will provide 81 JTT-IBS tactical terminal sets to complete fielding of C-RAM's situational awareness and command and control cells. The JTT-IBS provides a key capability in C-RAM's mission to provide in-theater force protection against the indirect fire and Unmanned Aerial Systems threats. “We are proud to be a trusted provider of JTT systems to the U.S. Army's Missile and Space Defense units over the past 15 years and ensuring warfighters have the best situational awareness available to them,” said Larry Ezell, vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Airborne and Intelligence Systems business unit. “As the operational need of JTT systems increase, we look forward to continue working with existing and new customers to provide this long trusted critical situational awareness equipment and support to the war fighter.” Leonardo DRS recently completed design and certification efforts on the third-generation JTT-IBS adding to its family of systems currently operational in Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Special Operations applications. The latest JTT-IBS is positioned for long-term operations as the Army continues to modernize. Leonardo DRS's JTT systems are the only certified IBS transmit capability in production today. Leonardo DRS provides a family of Joint Tactical Systems supporting Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS) receive-only and IBS transmit users across multiple airborne, land and sea platforms. These systems are well positioned as the leading solution for the pending Joint Tactical Terminal – Next Generation (JTT-NG) acquisition program. To see more of the Leonardo DRS Tactical Terminal technology, visit: https://www.leonardodrs.com/TacticalTerminals About Leonardo DRS Leonardo DRS is a prime contractor, leading technology innovator and supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and defense contractors worldwide. Its Airborne and Intelligence Systems business unit is a global leader and strategic partner committed to delivering world-class, full life-cycle defense and intelligence products that protect the security of our nation and our allies. From air combat training to state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems, our technology is deployed by virtually all U.S. military and government agencies around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Leonardo DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. See the full range of capabilities at www.LeonardoDRS.com and on Twitter @LeonardoDRSnews. For additional information please contact: Michael Mount Senior Director, Public Affairs 571-447-4624 mmount@drs.com View source version on Leonardo DRS: https://www.leonardodrs.com/news/press-releases/leonardo-drs-to-provide-joint-tactical-terminal-integrated-broadcast-service-systems-to-us-army/

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The U.S. should follow Canada's lead in putting far-right extremist groups on its list of outlawed terrorist organizations, a new report on the danger of the white supremacist movement recommends. There is also a growing trend for white supremacist groups to seek military training and experience in foreign conflicts, particularly in Ukraine, warns the New York-based Soufan Center in its report “White Supremacy Extremism: The Transnational Rise of The Violent White Supremacist Movement. U.S. government efforts to fight white supremacy extremism (WSE) are lacking despite the increasing danger it poses, the report pointed out. “White supremacy extremism is a transnational challenge — its tentacles reach from Canada to Australia, and the United States to Ukraine – but it has evolved at a different pace in different parts of the world,” noted the report. “To make serious progress, the United States should consider building upon Canada and the United Kingdom's leadership by sanctioning transnational WSE groups as foreign terrorist organizations.” The report specifically pointed to Canadian efforts against the international neo-Nazi network called Blood & Honor. In June, Canada for the first time added right-wing extremist groups to its list of terrorist organizations. Blood & Honor as well as its armed branch, Combat 18, which has carried out murders and bombings around the world, were both put on the list. Blood & Honor was founded in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s but has supporters in Canada. By designating white supremacist groups as international terrorists, the U.S. government could hinder the travel of their members and prosecute individuals for providing material support to designated groups. In 2018 white supremacist extremists were connected to 50 murders in the U.S. The Soufan Center, created by former FBI agent Ali Soufan who was involved in a number of counter-terrorism cases, also warned white nationalists have been traveling to Ukraine to learn combat skills. Such recruits are on both sides of the conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists and an estimated 17,000 foreigners from 50 countries have gone to fight in that war, it added. “In Ukraine, the Azov Battalion has recruited foreign fighters motivated by white supremacy and neo-Nazi beliefs, including many from the West, to join its ranks and receive training, indoctrination, and instruction in irregular warfare,” the report outlined. The Azov Battalion has been formerly incorporated into the Ukrainian military, at least in theory, the report added. But the battalion has cultivated a relationship with members of the Atomwaffen Division, a U.S.-based neo-Nazi terrorist network. In late September police arrested a U.S. Army soldier in Kansas for allegedly sharing bomb-making instructions online and discussing attacks on the news media, left-leaning activists and former U.S. Congressman Beto O'Rourke. The soldier, Jarrett William Smith, was interested in joining the Azov Battalion in Ukraine, according to the FBI. He was corresponding with another man in Texas who had fought in Ukraine for a right-wing extremist organization. In June 2018 Canadian government and military officials in Ukraine met with members of the Azov Battalion, which earlier that year had been banned by the U.S. Congress from receiving American arms because of its links to neo-Nazis The Canadians were photographed with battalion members, images which were shared on the unit's social media site In a statement to this newspaper Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said the meeting was planned by Ukrainian authorities and Canadian representatives had no prior knowledge of those who would be invited. “Canada has not, does not, and will not be providing support to Azov and affiliated entities,” Le Bouthillier said. “Canada is strongly opposed to the glorification of Nazism and all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance and extremism.” The Soufan Center report also noted that Russian neo-Nazis have links with white supremacists in western nations. On the other side of the conflict in Ukraine, Russian groups like the Russian Imperial Movement and its paramilitary unit have also attracted and trained foreign fighters motivated by white supremacy and neo-Nazi beliefs, the report added. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/us-should-follow-canadas-lead-in-placing-far-right-groups-on-terror-list-says-report

San Diego, CA, October 14, 2019 - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has been awarded a contract from Dynetics Technical Solutions (DTS) for the manufacture and production of subassemblies for the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). GA-EMS will provide cable, electrical, and mechanical manufacturing to support DTS' three year contract award from the U.S. Army Hypersonic Project Office, part of the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, to produce 20 prototype glide bodies with an option for additional quantities. “We bring expertise in manufacturing highly complex systems, a long standing relationship with Sandia National Laboratories, and prior experience on the Block 0 glide body, to this high priority national security program,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. ”Hypersonic weapon systems will provide our nation with the ability to strike strategic targets across the globe. We look forward to working with DTS to deliver this strategically important capability to the warfighter.” “For over a decade, we have been working directly with Sandia National Laboratories to support the research and development of hypersonic weapon systems for the Army and Navy,” continued Forney. “We have provided design analysis, flight test planning and execution, and manufacturing services for ground and flight hardware for the prototype hypersonic glide body that has already completed successful test flights. We are pleased to now play an important role in transitioning this technology from the lab to the field.” GA-EMS will manufacture its portion of the glide bodies at its San Diego, CA, Huntsville, AL, and Tupelo, MS facilities. About General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Group is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS' history of research, development, and technology innovation has led to an expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions supporting aviation, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and processing and monitoring applications for critical defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide. For further information contact: EMS-MediaRelations@ga.com View source version on General Atomics: http://www.ga.com/general-atomics-awarded-contract-for-manufacture-of-hypersonic-glide-body-prototypes

ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- ImSAR LLC was awarded a $7.2 million contract for work on payload systems and communications packages of the RQ-21 Blackjack unmanned aerial system. The cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order against a previous ordering agreement calls for work to be executed by October 2020, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The RQ-21 Blackjack is 8.2 feet long, weighs 134 pounds and has a wingspan of 15.7 feet. It can carry a payload of up to 39 pounds, and is used primarily for forward reconnaissance. Introduced in 2014, it was designed by Insitu, a Boeing Co. subsidiary. The contract with the U.S. Navy is in support of a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research program effort named "Advanced Radar Concepts for Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft." ImSAR, headquartered in Springville, Utah, will provide research, development, procurement and sustainment of the AN/DPY-2 split aces payload systems and communications relay package aboard the RQ-21A. The SBIR program is coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to aid small businesses conduct research and development for future U.S. government needs, with a goal of technical innovation through investment of federal research funds. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/ImSAR-LLC-wins-72M-contract-for-work-on-RQ-21A-unmanned-aerial-systems

ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced the sale of over 1,000 THOR mini-drones to an unnamed Southeast Asian country in a $153 million deal. The contract for the unmanned aircraft systems, including other unmanned aircraft manufactured by the company, will be executed over a 22-month period, Elbit said earlier this week. The contract calls for THOR multirotor vertical-takeoff-and-landing mini-drones, as well as larger Skylark LEX, Skylark 3 and Hermes 450 tactical models and ground control stations. The drones are light and small, and suited for reconnaissance missions. At nine pounds, it can carry a 1.5-pound payload, typically a camera, to an altitude of 2,000 feet. It features a 4-mile range and can stay aloft for up to 55 minutes. The Israel Defense Force uses the aircraft extensively on its northern border with Lebanon. "This contract award underlines our competitive edge as armies increasingly view multi-layered UAS [unmanned aerial systems] solutions as key to providing superior intelligence and maintaining a high level of operational flexibility," said the Bezhalel Machil, Elbit president. While the receiving country was not named, Asia is a burgeoning market for the aircraft. Israel is a leading developer of unmanned aerial vehicles, once selling up to $500 million per year, a figure reduced in recent years by competition from China. The Philippines reportedly were nearing a deal with Elbit worth $180 million in the summer. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/Israels-Elbit-Systems-sells-153M-worth-of-mini-drones-to-unnamed-country