Boeing moving closer to deploying next-generation electronic warfare (EW) airborne jammer on EA-18G Growler

Sur le même sujet

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  2 août 2021 | International, Aérospatial

  Britain’s ‘next generation’ Tempest fighter jet secures huge funding boost

  PLANS for a new British fighter jet received a major boost, with another £250million secured for the project.

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  21 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 20, 2019

  DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY Applied Research Associates Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, is being awarded a maximum ceiling $240,000,000, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year base ordering period and an additional five-year option period. Competitive proposals were solicited and two offers were received. The contract provides for 24/7/365 technical reachback operational and decision support analysis, as well as research and development, to develop and advance the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA's) weapons of mass destruction operational support capabilities. The work will be performed at multiple DTRA locations, primarily at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $150,000 (the guaranteed minimum) are being obligated at time of award. DTRA, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HDTRA1-19-D-0007). ARMY The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $154,890,000 modification (P00026) to contract W58RGZ-16-C-0023 to procure new-build Apache AH 64E helicopters. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $154,890,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Berg Manufacturing Inc.,* Spokane Valley, Washington, was awarded a $44,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for a self-service laundry system. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 19, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-19-D-0027). DynCorp International LLC, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $32,753,836 time-and-materials contract to train, advise and assist. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of Aug. 19, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Afghanistan security forces, Army funds in the amount of $32,753,836 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W560MY-19-C-0002). Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rental of a cutterhead pipeline dredge for dredging in Mobile Harbor, Alabama. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-19-D-0040). Manufacturing Support Industries Inc.,* Salisbury, Maryland, was awarded a $9,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for M240 lightweight adjustable bipod. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 20, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-D-0097). AIR FORCE Akima Intra‐Data LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $152,871,144 firm-fixed-price contract for Facility Support Services II. This contract will provide for industrial and test security; security services; command, control, and communication functions; fire and emergency services; environmental; safety; occupational and environmental health; base supply; cargo movement, and vehicle maintenance at Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, with specific performance at White Oak, Maryland; and Moffett Field, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive small business set-aside acquisition utilizing a single solicitation and received two offers. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Test Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, is the contracting activity (FA9101‐19‐C‐1000). The Stratagem Group Inc., Aurora, Colorado,* has been awarded a $32,600,866 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Radio Frequency Identification, Detection, and Geolocation of Emitting Systems software/hardware. This contract provides for improved collection and processing capabilities across multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensing sources in the detection and characterization of priority radar waveforms. Work will be performed at Aurora, Colorado, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 19, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-0072). NAVY BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, New Hampshire, is awarded a $74,990,530 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure 1,440 Radio Frequency Countermeasures and the maintenance and repair of multi-function test stations in support of the F-35 aircraft. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (74%); Landenberg, Pennsylvania (7%); Topsfield, Massachusetts (2.5%); Industry, California (1.6%); Hamilton, New Jersey (1.5%); Carson, California (1.3%); Dover, New Hampshire (1.1%); Londonderry, New Hampshire (1%); Chartley, Massachusetts (1%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (9%), and is expected to be completed in March 2022. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force); fiscal 2019 procurement ammunition (Navy, Marine Corps); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $74,990,530 will be obligated at time of award, $2,394,867 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($37,068,372; 49%); Navy and Marine Corps ($13,556,992; 18%); and FMS countries ($24,365,166; 33%). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0001). Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded $48,325,008 for firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee order N00019-19-F-4126 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-19-G-0029) to procure spare parts to repair and maintain CH-53K low-rate initial production Lot Three configuration aircraft. Work will be performed in Quebec, Canada (14.88%); Stratford, Connecticut (9.17%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (2.32%); Rome, New York (2.06%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (2.02%); Chesterfield, Missouri (1.52%); Forest, Ohio (1.47%); Davenport, Iowa (1.38%); Rochester, Kent, United Kingdom (1.36%); Milford, Connecticut (1.22%); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (1.13%); various locations within the continental U.S. (53.97%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (7.50%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $48,325,008 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $13,248,183 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5410 to exercise options for engineering and technical services in support of Standard Missile-2/6. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. government (96%); and the governments of Australia, Taiwan, Germany, Denmark, Korea and Japan (4% total) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be complete by December 2020. This contract includes options which, if exercised, be complete by April 2022. Fiscal 2019 and 2017 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 and 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); fiscal 2019 other Department of Defense; and Foreign Military Sales (governments of Australia, Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Korea and Japan) funding in the amount of $13,248,183 will be obligated at time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification is not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Campbellsville Apparel Co., Campbellsville, Kentucky, has been awarded a maximum $7,562,400 modification (P00006) exercising the third one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-16-D-1083) with four one-year option periods for fuel handler's undershirts and moisture wicking t-shirts. This is an indefinite-delivery contract. Location of performance is Kentucky, with a Sept. 7, 2020, performance completion date. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1939263/source/GovDelivery/

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  28 septembre 2020 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR

  Inside the Army’s futuristic test of its battlefield artificial intelligence in the desert

  Nathan Strout YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — After weeks of work in the oppressive Arizona desert heat, the U.S. Army carried out a series of live fire engagements Sept. 23 at Yuma Proving Ground to show how artificial intelligence systems can work together to automatically detect threats, deliver targeting data and recommend weapons responses at blazing speeds. Set in the year 2035, the engagements were the culmination of Project Convergence 2020, the first in a series of annual demonstrations utilizing next generation AI, network and software capabilities to show how the Army wants to fight in the future. The Army was able to use a chain of artificial intelligence, software platforms and autonomous systems to take sensor data from all domains, transform it into targeting information, and select the best weapon system to respond to any given threat in just seconds. Army officials claimed that these AI and autonomous capabilities have shorted the sensor to shooter timeline — the time it takes from when sensor data is collected to when a weapon system is ordered to engaged — from 20 minutes to 20 seconds, depending on the quality of the network and the number of hops between where it's collected and its destination. “We use artificial intelligence and machine learning in several ways out here,” Brigadier General Ross Coffman, director of the Army Futures Command's Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, told visiting media. “We used artificial intelligence to autonomously conduct ground reconnaissance, employ sensors and then passed that information back. We used artificial intelligence and aided target recognition and machine learning to train algorithms on identification of various types of enemy forces. So, it was prevalent throughout the last six weeks.” The first exercise featured is informative of how the Army stacked together AI capabilities to automate the sensor to shooter pipeline. In that example, the Army used space-based sensors operating in low Earth orbit to take images of the battleground. Those images were downlinked to a TITAN ground station surrogate located at Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington, where they were processed and fused by a new system called Prometheus. Currently under development, Prometheus is an AI system that takes the sensor data ingested by TITAN, fuses it, and identifies targets. The Army received its first Prometheus capability in 2019, although it's targeting accuracy is still improving, according to one Army official at Project Convergence. In some engagements, operators were able to send in a drone to confirm potential threats identified by Prometheus. From there, the targeting data was delivered to a Tactical Assault Kit — a software program that gives operators an overhead view of the battlefield populated with both blue and red forces. As new threats are identified by Prometheus or other systems, that data is automatically entered into the program to show users their location. Specific images and live feeds can be pulled up in the environment as needed. All of that takes place in just seconds. Once the Army has its target, it needs to determine the best response. Enter the real star of the show: the FIRES Synchronization to Optimize Responses in Multi-Domain Operations, or FIRESTORM. “What is FIRESTORM? Simply put it's a computer brain that recommends the best shooter, updates the common operating picture with the current enemy situation, and friendly situation, admissions the effectors that we want to eradicate the enemy on the battlefield,” said Coffman. Army leaders were effusive in praising FIRESTORM throughout Project Convergence. The AI system works within the Tactical Assault Kit. Once new threats are entered into the program, FIRESTORM processes the terrain, available weapons, proximity, number of other threats and more to determine what the best firing system to respond to that given threat. Operators can assess and follow through with the system's recommendations with just a few clicks of the mouse, sending orders to soldiers or weapons systems within seconds of identifying a threat. Just as important, FIRESTORM provides critical target deconfliction, ensuring that multiple weapons systems aren't redundantly firing on the same threat. Right now, that sort of deconfliction would have to take place over a phone call between operators. FIRESTORM speeds up that process and eliminates any potential misunderstandings. In that first engagement, FIRESTORM recommended the use of an Extended-Range Cannon Artillery. Operators approved the algorithm's choice, and promptly the cannon fired a projectile at the target located 40 kilometers away. The process from identifying the target to sending those orders happened faster than it took the projectile to reach the target. Perhaps most surprising is how quickly FIRESTORM was integrated into Project Convergence. “This computer program has been worked on in New Jersey for a couple years. It's not a program of record. This is something that they brought to my attention in July of last year, but it needed a little bit of work. So we put effort, we put scientists and we put some money against it,” said Coffman. “The way we used it is as enemy targets were identified on the battlefield — FIRESTORM quickly paired those targets with the best shooter in position to put effects on it. This is happening faster than any human could execute. It is absolutely an amazing technology.” Dead Center Prometheus and FIRESTORM weren't the only AI capabilities on display at Project Convergence. In other scenarios, a MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone was able to identify and target a threat using the on-board Dead Center payload. With Dead Center, the Gray Eagle was able to process the sensor data it was collecting, identifying a threat on its own without having to send the raw data back to a command post for processing and target identification. The drone was also equipped with the Maven Smart System and Algorithmic Inference Platform, a product created by Project Maven, a major Department of Defense effort to use AI for processing full motion video According to one Army officer, the capabilities of the Maven Smart System and Dead Center overlap, but placing both on the modified Gray Eagle at Project Convergence helped them to see how they compared. With all of the AI engagements, the Army ensured there was a human in the loop to provide oversight of the algorithms' recommendations. When asked how the Army was implementing the Department of Defense's principles of ethical AI use adopted earlier this year, Coffman pointed to the human barrier between AI systems and lethal decisions. “So obviously the technology exists, to remove the human right the technology exists, but the United States Army, an ethical based organization — that's not going to remove a human from the loop to make decisions of life or death on the battlefield, right? We understand that,” explained Coffman. “The artificial intelligence identified geo-located enemy targets. A human then said, Yes, we want to shoot at that target.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2020/09/25/the-army-just-conducted-a-massive-test-of-its-battlefield-artificial-intelligence-in-the-desert/