15 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre, C4ISR

Afghanistan deployment proves One World Terrain is more than a training tool

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army began building an entire virtual world a few years ago for its Synthetic Training Environment (STE) to bring accuracy and a real-life feel to training, but a deployment of One World Terrain in Afghanistan has proved it's not just a training tool, according to Maj. Gen. Maria Gervais, who is in charge of the service's STE development.

One World Terrain, or OWT, compiles realistic and, in some cases, extremely accurate virtual maps of territory all over the globe. The idea is to be able to click on any place on a virtual globe and go there. Soldiers can then train virtually in an exact environment in which they can expect to operate in reality.

“We're seeing now there are better uses for operational capability,” Gervais told Defense News in an Oct. 8 interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference. “And it's helping us inform how do we now expand this to meet training, operational and also targeting requirements.”

It all began with a unit that used OWT for training at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California, and saw value in it, Gervais said. When the unit deployed to Afghanistan, the soldiers asked to take the system — which included a drone and software — she said.

The unit was able to capture terrain for the purpose of mission-planning rehearsal and route planning. But the soldiers also used it to take an in-depth look at the forward-operating base to see how it was set up and analyze it for vulnerabilities.

“I will tell you from that usage, they figured out they had to make some changes,” Gervais said. “And then they went out and they started looking at other operating bases within their area. They expanded it.”

The system “immediately started proving its utility to them,” she said, “but from that unit from what they were able to do, we then were able to take the next unit that was coming in behind them and provide all that information to them and allow them to understand how One World Terrain could be used.”

The Army's 82nd Airborne Division also used the system prior to deploying to another theater. The division captured the terrain, using it for predeployment planning and mission rehearsals, including how and where to set up a base and where to position electronic warfare systems.

OWT also helped the 25th Infantry Division out of Hawaii prepare for a Joint Training Readiness Center rotation, and its members also plan to use it during the exercise.

These uses have led the Army to provide more drones and software for more units, Gervais said. Starting in December and January, the Army will begin fielding “a little bit more capability,” she added.

In March, the STE team went to Germany to observe an assured position, navigation and timing exercise that included a sensor-to-shooter, live-fire drill. The team worked with the 1st Cavalry Division's intelligence analysts and put OWT on the Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) system, which is an intelligence analysis platform.

“We showed them the capability, and what came out of there was pretty astounding,” Gervais said. With 3D terrain from OWT in the system, decisions could be made more quickly because there was no need to compare two different databases and reason against it, she said. That cut workload by about 60 percent, she added.

OWT was on a DCGS-A system at Project Convergence at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, this year, Gervais said, and it showed the realm of the possible from a targeting perspective.

While the STE had a limited scope during Project Convergence, “we're going to be more integrated in Project Convergence 21 next year,” she added, so that “everybody's kind of operating off the 3D terrain.”

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2020/10/14/afghanistan-deployment-proves-one-world-terrain-is-more-than-a-training-tool/

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25 janvier 2021 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR

Elbit UK to make new target-marking kits for British foot soldiers
By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – Britain's armed forces are investing just over £100 million ($134 million) acquiring equipment to improve sensor-to-shooter capabilities for dismounted troops, the Ministry of Defence announced Jan 21. Under the effort, the UK arm of Israeli-based Elbit Systems has been awarded an £101 million deal to supply the British dismounted joint fires integrators (D-JFI) program. The equipment will give British Army, Royal Marine, special forces and Royal Air Force units improved ability to find, identify and instantly distribute battlefield target information to artillery, aircraft and others. The new kit, based around the latest thermal sight technology, will primarily be used by joint terminal attack controllers and fire-support teams. The contract, which includes support, comes to a close in March 2026, although there is an option to extend it by two years. Elbit Systems UK secured the contract in mid-December, but officials only now announced it. British defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin said the contract “not only delivers the very latest in battlefield technology to our frontline soldiers, but also invests in the British defense industry, sustaining more than 500 jobs across the UK.” In a statement the company said their D-JFI solution will “enable fast and secured transition of target information across the British and allied armed forces, allowing swift and accurate utilization of artillery and close air support.” Several Elbit technologies are being used in the system, including: the TORCH-X battle management application; the HattoriX system for high-precision target marking, the CORAL thermal-imaging system, and the Rattler XR laser designator. This new contract is the latest of a number of deals secured by Elbit Systems UK in recent years, furthering the British Army's digitalization efforts. The company was awarded the £40 million Battlefield Management Application program in 2018 as part of the Morpheus communications modernization program, followed by the Joint Fires Mobile Trainer and the Joint Fires Synthetic Training contract in 2019. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/21/elbit-uk-to-make-new-target-marking-kits-for-british-foot-soldiers/
5 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

NASA Invites Media to Observe Quiet Supersonic Flight Series Operations
NASA is inviting journalists to learn about the agency's Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018 campaign during a media day event taking place Friday, Nov. 9, in the Houston area. Test pilots and project leads will be available for interviews and to share information about the flight series, known as QSF18, and its contributions to NASA aeronautics research. Media also will get a close-up look at flight operations with NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft as they are used to test community response over Galveston, Texas, using a “quiet thump” technique designed to reduce loud sonic booms typically associated with supersonic flight. The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CST at Ellington Field, just north of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, then moves to Galveston, where QSF18 field team members operating microphone stations will measure sound levels. Reporters will have an opportunity to observe the field equipment and interview personnel during periods between quiet thumps. Media planning to attend must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-482-5111 before 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. The event is weather dependent. Should inclement weather occur, please contact the Johnson newsroom for more information. The QSF18 campaign is a cooperative effort involving NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, Johnson, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. For more information about NASA's QSF18 flight campaign, visit: https:/www.nasa.gov/QSF18 For more information about NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology project, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/2qpg81Q -end- J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Brandi Dean Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov Matt Kamlet Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. 661-221-3459 matthew.r.kamlet@nasa.gov https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-media-to-observe-quiet-supersonic-flight-series-operations
8 août 2018 | International, Aérospatial

Lockheed Martin claims both USAF hypersonic programmes
BY: STEPHEN TRIMBLE The US Air Force has selected Lockheed Martin to rapidly develop and field both new hypersonic missiles launched as a response to surprise developments in high-speed weapons by China and Russia, newly-released acquisition documents confirm. The service already announced a $928 million award in April deal for Lockheed's Missiles and Space company to develop the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW, pronounced “Hacksaw”). But a new document reveals that the USAF awarded a separate deal to Lockheed's Missiles and Fire Control division in July 2017 to rapidly develop and field the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW, pronounced “Arrow”). The ARRW, now assigned the designation AGM-183A, evolves from the Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) programme launched in 2014 by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). By using a rocket to boost the missile to very high altitudes, the unpowered ARRW then glides down to lower altitudes at speeds up to Mach 20. Full Article: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-martin-claims-both-usaf-hypersonic-programm-450968/

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