21 juillet 2023 | International, Naval
Singapore’s Navy receives first of four new German-built submarines
6 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Here’s what the Space Development Agency wants from its first 10 satellites
Nathan Strout
The Space Development Agency is seeking proposals for its first batch of satellites, which will make up its initial transport layer — an on-orbit mesh network that will connect space-based sensors with terrestrial shooters.
According to the May 1 solicitation, SDA is looking to award two contracts to build a total of 20 small satellites, which will comprise Tranche 0 of the National Security Space Architecture, a proliferated, low-Earth orbit constellation that will fulfill a multitude of military needs, including tracking hypersonic weapons; providing alternative position, navigation and timing data; delivering beyond-line-of-sight targeting; and more. Ultimately, the agency envisions a constellation made up of hundreds of interconnected satellites.
Ten of those Tranche 0 satellites will form the agency's initial transport layer.
The spiral development approach
The agency is taking a spiral development approach to its National Security Space Architecture. Tranche 0 will be a testing and training segment that will demonstrate the integration of the architecture with other war-fighting efforts and inform future SDA developments.
Tranche 0 is anticipated to be on orbit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, with the SDA adding new tranches of satellites every two years, increasing the constellation's size and capabilities.
Launch services will be acquired through the Orbital Services Program 4 contract or follow-on contracts.
The philosophy behind the spiral approach is that the two-year cycles allow the agency to rapidly put new capabilities on orbit in response to evolving threats. Instead of waiting years for the perfect satellite system, the agency wants to push technologies that are currently ready into orbit as soon as possible, giving war fighters increased capabilities in the near term.
With Tranche 0, the SDA wants to achieve periodic, regional, low-latency data connectivity. With Tranche 1, which will add 150 satellites to the constellation, the agency plans to provide persistent regional connectivity.
Building a mesh network
The National Security Space Architecture will be made up of several layers serving different functions. Tranche 0 will establish the transport layer, a space-based mesh network that will be able to pass data from one satellite to the next. The mesh network will operate as part of the Integrated Broadcast System, the Defense Department's standard network for transmitting tactical and strategic intelligence and targeting data.
The key technology that will enable the transport layer are optical inter-satellite cross links, providing approximately 1 Gbps connections between the satellites. Each Transport Layer satellite will have four such cross links — forward, behind, right and left — which will allow them to pass data on to the nearest or next-nearest transport layer satellite operating in the same orbital plane.
The satellites will also be capable of cross-plane cross links, meaning they will be able to connect to non-transport layer satellites operating above or below them. Assuming that they also have optical inter-satellite cross links, these non-transport layer satellites would then be able to pass data through the transport layer's mesh network to another satellite or even to a terrestrial shooter.
For example, it could work like this: A space-based sensor collects imagery that it wants to pass to a ground-based system, but it is not within range of any ground station. No problem. The sensor would pass on that imagery to a transport layer satellite via an cross-plane optical cross link. The data would then bounce from transport layer satellite to transport layer satellite until it arrives above its destination, where it would then be downlinked to an optical ground terminal or distributed to the appropriate weapons system via the Link 16 tactical data network.
In theory, this would allow shooters to receive space-based sensor data in near-real time.
Since the SDA plans to continue building on the transport layer in subsequent tranches across multiple vendors, the optical inter-satellite cross links will need to be designed with interoperability in mind. The SDA also wants radio frequency cross links as a backup to the optical cross links.
Tranche 0 will include 10 transport layer satellites — three of which will include Link 16 payloads.
During an April industry day, SDA Director Derek Tournear said this initial, space-based mesh network will form the space network component to the Defense Department's Joint All-Domain Command and Control enterprise, or JADC2.
“The transport layer, which is what the draft [request for proposals] and the industry day was talking about today, is going to be the unifying effort across the department. That is going to be what we use for low-latency [communications] to be able to pull these networks together, and that, in essence, is going to be the main unifying truss for the JADC2 and that effort moving forward. That is going to be the space network that is utilized for that,” Tournear explained.
The agency has six goals for its Tranche 0 transport layer:
- Demonstrate low-latency data transport to the war fighter over the optical cross link mesh network.
- Demonstrate the ability to deliver data from an external, space-based sensor to the war fighter via the transport layer.
- Demonstrate a limited battle management C3 functionality.
- Transfer Integrated Broadcast System data across the mesh network to the war fighter.
- Store, relay and transmit Link 16 data over the network in near real time.
- Operate a common timing reference independent of GPS.
According to the request for proposals, the SDA plans to award a contract Aug 10, with delivery expected by July 31, 2022. Responses to the solicitation are due June 1.
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3 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Northrop Grumman Contracted to Provide DevSecOps Capabilities for US Air Force
San Antonio, Texas – February 1, 2021 – The U.S. Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) as one of multiple companies competing for task orders under the five year Software Development Security Operations (DevSecOps) Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) contract. Under the BOA, Northrop Grumman will support the Air Force's LevelUP Code Works Platform One team's product development by providing full-stack DevSecOps engineers, cloud engineers, infrastructure engineers and other key personnel to include developers, trainers and consultants. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the U.S. Air Force and delivering expanded DevSecOps tools, services and talent to support current and future Department of Defense cyber missions,” said Dedra Bonner, program manager, Unified Platform system coordinator program, Northrop Grumman. “Through the BOA, we'll provide leading-edge DevSecOps and Lean-Agile services to ensure the U.S. Air Force continues to operate, pivot and adapt faster than our adversaries.” LevelUp is the cyber software factory for the Air Force. With the help of industry partners, LevelUp is developing the next generation of advanced cyber tools for the Air Force and Department of Defense by leveraging military compliant Lean-Agile and DevSecOps methodologies. Northrop Grumman is currently providing Lean-Agile and DevSecOps services to the U.S. Air Force as the Unified Platform system coordinator, a contract the company was competitively awarded in 2018. Work awarded under the BOA will be performed in San Antonio, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Ogden, Utah; and in other locations throughout the United States. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 97,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. Media Contact James Drew Manager, Global Media Relations Mission Systems 703-556-1520 j.drew@ngc.com View source version on Northrop Grumman: https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-contracted-to-provide-devsecops-capabilities-for-us-air-force
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22 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial
The Corps is going all in on small tactical drones as it preps for future war
By: Shawn Snow A briefing to Congress in January 2018 on the Corps' family of small tactical droneshighlighted the Marines' desire to incorporate thousands of drones from the battalion level down to the squad. The briefing slides, obtained by Marine Corps Times via Freedom of Information Act request, displayed a wide variety of small tactical drones generally weighing under 55 pounds with an array of capabilities and varying flight radii. Marine Corps Combat Development Command/ Combat Development & Integration, or MCCDC/CD&I, told Marine Corps Times that the slides were no longer current and that “significant updates” have already been made to the Corps' fixed wing and vertical take-off and landing systems. But the drone briefing last January does provide a window into the Corps' desire to stretch the range of its drones, its growing reliance on unmanned systems, its preparation for future warfare, and how the Corps is trying to keep pace with a technology rapidly evolving. “In the near future, maneuver elements will have a blend of VTOL [vertical take-off and landing] and Fixed Wing SUAS [small unmanned aerial system] based on the capabilities,” MCCDC/ CD&I explained. “The idea is to provide capability to lower echelons, understanding there comes with it increased human tasks and gear.” Small tactical drones “organic to tactical maneuver units, generally at the battalion level and below provide battlespace awareness and target development in support of squads, platoons, companies, battalions and Marine Special Operations Teams and Companies,” MCCDC/CD&I said. Included in the brief were the fixed wing Stalker XE and quadcopter Aeryon SkyRanger. These systems have not been highly publicized as being in the Corps' fleet of tactical drone systems, unlike the widely known Instant Eye already fielded across the Corps' squads. Lockheed's Stalker XE is a roughly 26 lbs fixed wing drone with a 50 km range that can fly up to eight hours with a fuel cell. The drone has been in use with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, or MARSOC. According to the briefing slides, MARSOC had high praise for the system, calling it as flexible and a force multiplier. The Aeryon SkyRanger is a quadcopter drone with a roughly 5 km range. Both these drones may find their way into the inventories of conventional Marine forces. However, MCCDC/CD&I said the drones highlighted in the presentation were “representative” platforms based on the capabilities they provide. “For example, the Stalker XE offers a capability desired by the infantry battalions but no decision has been made on a future performer for this capability at that level in the regular Marine Corps formation,” MCCDC/CD&I said. Though, the Stalker XE did participate in the 2017 iteration of the Steel Knight exercise held aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Moreover, the Corps is about to kick off a field user evaluation with a series of small tactical drones that will include PSI Tactical Robotics' InstantEye Gen 5, Aeryon Lab's SkyRanger, FLIR's PD 100 Black Hornet and Lockheed Martin's Indago, according to Jamie Cosgrove, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command. “The Marines routinely perform field user evaluations (FUE) to determine if the particular system meets their requirements for SUAS,” Cosgrove said. “Based on the FUE, the Marine Corps may end up using a combination of systems to meet their needs.” The evolution and proliferation of drone technology has been moving at light speed, which is creating a slew of challenges for the Corps as it tries to keep pace with advancements and changing dynamics on the battlefield. But MCCDC/CD&I said the Corps' drone acquisition strategy is focused on capability sets and interoperability, not necessarily any specific platform. “Future fielding numbers are in flux pending results of a formal study on SUAS utilization and budgetary decisions,” MCCDC/ CD&I said. “The numbers and types of systems we want to buy is changing as demand increases beyond the Ground Combat Element.” https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2019/01/18/the-corps-is-going-all-in-on-small-tactical-drones-as-it-preps-for-future-war