23 janvier 2019 | International, C4ISR
DARPA's Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) is set for launch in late February to space-qualify a new type of membrane reflectarray antenna. The antenna, made of a tissue-thin Kapton membrane, packs tightly for stowage during launch and then will deploy to its full size of 2.25 meters in diameter once it reaches low Earth orbit.
R3D2 will monitor antenna deployment dynamics, survivability and radio frequency (RF) characteristics of a membrane antenna in low-Earth orbit. The antenna could enable multiple missions that currently require large satellites, to include high data rate communications to disadvantaged users on the ground. A successful demonstration also will help prove out a smaller, faster-to-launch and lower cost capability, allowing the Department of Defense, as well as other users, to make the most of the new commercial market for small, inexpensive launch vehicles. Satellite design, development, and launch took approximately 18 months.
“The Department of Defense has prioritized rapid acquisition of small satellite and launch capabilities. By relying on commercial acquisition practices, DARPA streamlined the R3D2 mission from conception through launch services acquisition,” said Fred Kennedy, director of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office. “This mission could help validate emerging concepts for a resilient sensor and data transport layer in low Earth orbit – a capability that does not exist today, but one which could revolutionize global communications by laying the groundwork for a space-based internet.”
The launch will take place on a Rocket Lab USA Electron rocket from the company's launch complex on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor and integrated the 150 kg satellite; MMA Design designed and built the antenna. Trident Systems designed and built R3D2's software-defined radio, while Blue Canyon Technologies provided the spacecraft bus.
Rocket Lab will host a webcast and provide coverage of the launch via live stream: http://www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream.
3 août 2022 | International, Aérospatial
As the Canadian federal government negotiates with its U.S. counterpart for the sale of the F-35 to replace the RCAF CF-188 Hornet, Top Aces is preparing for how best to deliver aggressor air training for a fighter far more advanced than the Hornet.
17 septembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Paris et Berlin doivent impérativement régler leurs différends sur l'avion de combat du futur, avertit Dassaut Aviation. Le projet européen d'avion de combat du futur tarde à prendre forme. A cet égard, le patron de Dassault Aviation a appelé Paris et Berlin à rapidement se mettre d'accord sur des règles d'exportations concernant le Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF) franco-germano-espagnol, pour permettre de lancer les études menant à la conception d'un démonstrateur. "La notification (du contrat) des démonstrateurs aurait dû se faire en juin lors du salon du Bourget. Septembre devait être l'heure du lancement, on évoque aujourd'hui la fin de l'année. Attention que cela ne se décale pas trop encore", a mis en garde Eric Trappier à l'occasion de l'Université d'été de la défense sur la base aérienne d'Avord (Cher). Un démonstrateur est un premier prototype, capable de voler. "Ce n'est pas de l'impatience, c'est indispensable" pour conserver l'objectif d'une entrée en service à l'horizon 2040 avec un premier démonstrateur en 2026 comme il est prévu, a prévenu le patron de Dassault, qui assure la direction du programme côté industriels. Paris, Berlin et Madrid ont signé le 17 juin lors du salon du Bourget un accord-cadre structurant les trois pays autour du SCAF. Au coeur de ce système se trouve le futur chasseur (NGF, Next Generation Fighter), destiné à remplacer les actuels Rafale et Eurofighter. Un premier contrat d'architecture, d'un montant de 65 millions d'euros, avait été notifié en janvier à Dassault Aviation et Airbus. Mais pour Eric Trappier, "pour que ce projet prenne réellement son vol, il faut désormais dépasser le stade de la première étude qui nous a été notifié en début d'année. Il faut le poursuivre par le lancement des démonstrateurs, c'est vital". "La volonté de lancer un programme incombe toujours aux politiques et à eux seuls. Il reste encore des points délicats à trancher, notamment des points d'exportabilité", a-t-il noté. Une source gouvernementale française a toutefois confié à l'AFP : "nous sommes en train de converger" sur la question des exportations. https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/avion-de-combat-du-futur-paris-et-berlin-doivent-regler-leurs-differends-selon-dassault-1350087
21 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, the U.S. Air Force embarked on a hotly anticipated test: Could it use a semiautonomous drone, in this case a Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie equipped with a special payload, to stealthily translate and send data between F-35 and F-22 fighter jets? Air Force leaders still think the answer is “yes,” but because of technical issues encountered during the test, proof that the concept works is still months away. During the Dec. 9 demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Valkyrie was outfitted with gatewayONE, a system capable of translating information from the F-35′s Multifunctional Advanced Data Link and the F-22′s Intra-Flight Data Link into a format that can be understood by other aircraft, all while maintaining a low probability of enemy forces intercepting that data. But “shortly after takeoff, the communications payloads lost connectivity,” leaving nine out of 18 test objectives incomplete, the Air Force said in a news release. Early feedback from the test team indicates that, during the rocket-assisted takeoff of the Valkyrie, some of the gatewayONE hardware came loose from where it was mated to the drone, said Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper. “We think we had a connector that came loose during it because the gateway itself was fine when the Valkyrie landed. So [it's] a thing we've learned from and we'll fix next time,” he told reporters Dec. 18 during a Defense Writers Group roundtable. “Next time we get out, flying in the next on-ramp, we'll probably check those soldering points more than one time.” Despite the setbacks, the Air Force still clocked in a number of wins during the exercise. Because the service had a second, land-based version of gatewayONE, it was able to use that system to pass targeting cues from an F-35 to an F-22 and exchange other data between the two aircraft. GatewayONE also pushed data that usually is confined to operations centers on the ground to the F-35 and F-22, while allowing those aircraft to send precise location data back through the translating system to the operations center. Although the Valkyrie couldn't transmit data between the F-22 and F-35, it still safety demonstrated that it could fly semiautonomously in operations with the two stealth jets for the first time ever. Aside from the inclusion of the XQ-58A, it's unclear how the Dec. 9 demonstration differs from ground tests of a similar system during the first Advanced Battle Management System on-ramp exercise in 2019. During that demo, the Air Force rigged together a number of radio systems built by F-35 and F-22 prime contractors Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman with antennas from Honeywell, and the aircraft flew over the test stand, exchanging data, officials said. As early as 2015, Northrop has touted its Freedom 550 radio as a translator for the F-35 and F-22, but it is unknown whether the technology is part of the gatewayONE system. The Air Force did not respond to questions from Defense News seeking more information about gatewayONE, such as a request to identify the manufacturer. During a phone call with reporters on Dec. 16, Air Force Chief Architect Preston Dunlap said the next opportunity for the service to experiment with the gatewayONE payload onboard Valkyrie is during the Advanced Battle Management System experiment slated for May 2021. Using a low-cost, expendable drone like the XQ-58 to transmit data between platforms is a contrast from the Air Force's usual approach for solving communications challenges among its assets, Dunlap said. Usually, as new data links or waveforms are developed, aircraft must be retrofitted with new radios and apertures — an expensive and time-consuming process that often leaves platforms out of the loop. “It's obvious to me that it's not a winning strategy and is a real estate problem on some of these platforms, but then it's a lost opportunity because when you have diversity of pathways, you have greater assurance,” he said. By creating a small, modular payload like gatewayONE that can be carried by a number of manned and unmanned aircraft, the Air Force will have more options for getting data into the cockpits of all of its planes. “The real big win — and we heard this from the pilots themselves — is being able to push information into their cockpits so that they have access to it in a way that is operationally relevant and useful to them,” Dunlap said. “It's not all the data they would want, but it has opened a door that's amazing. So we've got to keep pushing the technology.” The Dec. 9 test was carried out by personnel from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and the 46th Test Squadron from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/12/18/heres-why-the-valkyrie-drone-couldnt-translate-between-an-f-35-and-f-22-during-a-recent-test/