New Zealand seeks industry input for maritime helicopters, drones

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  22 mars 2021 | International, C4ISR

  DoD SBIR/STTR Component BAA Pre-Release: Army SBIR 21.4 Topic 005

  The DoD Small Business and Technology Partnerships Office announces the pre-release of the following Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) topic: Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 21.4 SBIR Topic A214-005: “Waveform Challenge for Tactical Radios,” published at: https://rt.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/Army_21.4_ASO_Announcement_4.pdf IMPORTANT DATES: April 1, 2021: DSIP pre-release (March 16, 2021 on beta.SAM) April 1, 2021: Topic Q&A opens to questions June 1, 2021: BAA opens (begin accepting proposals in DSIP) June 1, 2021: Topic Q&A closes to questions at 12:00 PM ET June 18, 2021: BAA closes, full proposals must be submitted in DSIP no later than 12:00 p.m. ET Full topic and instruction document is available at: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/23a3541bee074eea8deef2abcdf1bbef/view. IMPORTANT: A prize competition, xTech|SBIR Waveform Challenge, will be used to identify small business concerns that meet the criteria for award of a Phase I or Direct to Phase II (D2PhII) SBIR contract under 10 U.S.C. §2374a. Winners selected from the xTech|SBIR Waveform Challenge prize competition will be the only firms eligible to submit a Phase I or D2PhII SBIR proposal under this announcement. A separate xTech|SBIR Waveform Challenge prize competition announcement will be issued concurrent with this BAA and can be found by selecting the xTech|SBIR Waveform Challenge tile at: https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/ Topic Q&A During pre-release, proposers can contact TPOCs directly. Once DoD begins accepting proposals on June 1, 2021, no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed. Topic Q&A will be available for proposers to submit technical questions at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login beginning April 1, 2021. All questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing. Topic Q&A will close to new questions on June 1, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET but will remain active to view questions and answers related to the topics until the BAA close. DSIP Help Desk Contact Info Phone Number: 703-214-1333 Email: DoDSBIRSupport@reisystems.com Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET Thank you for your interest in the DoD SBIR/STTR Program. DoD SBIR/STTR Support Team To sign up and receive upcoming emails, please follow this link: https://secure.campaigner.com/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=667492&ac=g9gk 

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  11 juillet 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  Air Force unveils ‘Digital Air Force’ initiative

  By: Diana Stancy Correll The Air Force is launching a “Digital Air Force” initiative aiming to revamp its data management, IT architecture and business operations so the force will remain competitive against adversaries. “Our advantage in future battles depends on our ability to fuse vast amounts of data to accelerate our decision cycle to guarantee the success of any mission," said acting Air Force Secretary Matthew Donovan in a news release Tuesday. “Victory in combat will depend on us becoming a Digital Air Force.” This means the Air Force must establish tools to efficiently generate information and data in real-time to help the service make informed and quick decisions, he said. "Doing so will allow the Air Force to rely less on personal experience or intuition. The Digital Air Force initiative, detailed in a July white paper, focuses on eliminating “antiquated processes” and overhauling how the service curates, uses and shares data and information, amid difficulties coordinating systems across air, land, sea and cyber domains. Specifically, the initiative calls for cultivating a 21st century IT infrastructure that can react to the demands of modern combat. This will require cloud-based solutions to store and share data so airmen have constant access to data, the white paper says. Additionally, the Air Force said it is creating data management architecture and standardized policies that facilitate sharing data and using platforms. “This requires data that is gathered, stored and transmitted in commonly read and digested formats to minimize the delay between receiving, processing and using information derived from multiple systems,” the white paper said. The service said it is hiring contracted service providers to handle daily IT infrastructure management so cyber professionals can “focus on warfighter tasks and connecting information operations to our tactical and strategic ends.” The process accompanies the Air Force's plan to streamline its business practices to free up funding for “efforts that increase the lethality and readiness of the force.” “We must move beyond antiquated processes, systems and mindsets,” the white paper says. “We will pursue new ways to leverage technology and institute a culture of innovation and informed risk-taking.” Such changes will influence every segment of the service, the Air Force said. The undersecretary of the Air Force is spearheading the initiative. “The Air Force must control and manipulate massive volumes of information to out-think and out-maneuver its opponents,” Donovan said. “The Digital Air Force initiative will ensure all Airmen have uninterrupted access to the data they need, where and when they need it.” https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/07/10/air-force-unveils-digital-air-force-initiative/

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  25 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Turkish firm develops AI-powered software for drone swarms

  Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — A privately owned Turkish company says it has developed an artificial intelligence-based software for swarm drones. MilSOFT announced Nov. 19 it developed the software after four years of research, and the the technology could be used in both fixed- and rotary-wing drone platforms. A government aerospace official said swarm drones would be used in Turkey's future unmanned aerial combat concept due to their low hardware costs and stealth technology. “These drones could be ideal in asymmetrical warfare. They are quick, cost-effective and easy to operate,” the official said. “Most importantly, they are assets designed to minimize human loss in asymmetrical warfare.” The Turkish military has been operating a big fleet of tactical and armed drones primarily in combat against Kurdish militants in Turkey's southeast provinces but also in cross-border operations in northern Syria and Iraq. Turkish drones have also been used in Libya's civil war and, most recently, in conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Many countries have yet to try drone swarm technology in a simulated, controlled environment. Turkey is among those that have the technology and the ability to test it in the field during operations. Turkey's top procurement office, the Presidency for Defense Industries, launched its Swarm UAV Technology Development and Demonstration program with a view to develop algorithms and software for the use of unmanned platforms with a swarm capability. The program is also meant to involve micro-scale companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. MilSOFT has specialized in software solutions since 1998, and it is one of the participants of the government-run program. It has been offering products to the Turkish military for tasks including identifying detection by automatic moving target technology using AI, and machine-learning techniques with image-processing algorithms. The company said with the integration of intelligence and image evaluation products, drone swarms can be updated with additional capabilities such as reconnaissance, detection, recognition, search and rescue, and vehicle tracking. MilSOFT's software-based solution will allow drone swarms to be launched from aerial, land and naval platforms, and the images they obtain will enter a central command system. In the meantime, the drone flocks will transfer images between different military units with a relay function. AI technology can help catch elements that cannot be caught by the human eye and enable multiple attack capabilities by arming vehicles in operation. MilSOFT's AI-based software is also expected to enable swarm drones to perform frontal attacks on command from helicopters and provide operational support to other friendly platforms. The drones can reportedly operate autonomously from the beginning to the end of a mission, and can be instantly monitored and controlled via intelligence applications. The UAVs have a flight time of more than half an hour and a payload capacity of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). The vehicles work with landing gear that can land on rough terrain. While five UAVs are currently used in a herd in the field, this number can reach up to 25 in a controlled environment. MilSOFT aims to make a drone swarm of 50 operational vehicles. Communication between the drones is also provided by MilSOFT's own technology. Vehicles can communicate with each other from up to 500 meters. There is also a 10-kilometer network solution for data transfers. MilSOFT plans to integrate its technology for underwater and surface platforms as well as land vehicles. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/11/24/turkish-firm-develops-ai-powered-software-for-drone-swarms/