Northrop Grumman Selected to Enhance Networks for US Air Force

Sur le même sujet

• 

  10 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

  A human F-16 pilot will fight against AI in an upcoming contest

  Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON ― An artificial intelligence algorithm will face off against a human F-16 fighter pilot in an aerial combat simulation in late August, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced Aug. 7. The simulation — the third and final competition in DARPA's AlphaDogfight Trials — will take place Aug. 20. The event will be virtual due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The AlphaDogfight Trials was created to demonstrate advanced AI systems' ability in air warfare. Eight teams were selected last year to participate in the final competition that runs from Aug. 18-20. The competition is also part of DARPA's Air Combat Evolution, or ACE, program, which was started in 2019, and seeks to automate air-to-air combat as well as improve human trust in AI systems to bolster human-machine teaming. “We weren't able to host the finals at AFWERX in Las Vegas as we'd originally planned with fighter pilots from the Air Force Weapons School at nearby Nellis Air Force Base,” Col. Dan Javorsek, program manager in DARPA's Strategic Technology Office, said in a statement. “We are still excited to see how the AI algorithms perform against each other as well as a Weapons School-trained human and hope that fighter pilots from across the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as military leaders and members of the AI tech community will register and watch online. It's been amazing to see how far the teams have advanced AI for autonomous dogfighting in less than a year.” The eight teams are Aurora Flight Sciences, EpiSys Science, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Heron Systems, Lockheed Martin, Perspecta Labs, PhysicsAI and SoarTech. On the first day of the competition, the teams will fly their respective algorithms against five AI systems developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. Teams will face off against each other in a round-robin tournament on the second day, with the third day featuring the top four teams competing in a single-elimination tournament for the championship. The winner will then fly against a human pilot. “Regardless of whether the human or machine wins the final dogfight, the AlphaDogfight Trials is all about increasing trust in AI,” Javorsek said. “If the champion AI earns the respect of an F-16 pilot, we'll have come one step closer to achieving effective human-machine teaming in air combat, which is the goal of the ACE program.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/08/07/a-human-f-16-pilot-will-fight-against-ai-in-an-upcoming-contest/

• 

  22 juillet 2020 | International, Naval

  Navy issues $14M more for continued Knifefish testing

  Nathan Strout WASHINGTON - General Dynamics will continue providing engineering support for the U.S. Navy's Knifefish, an unmanned undersea mine hunter, as the service looks to increase testing and evaluation before entering full-rate production.. The Navy issued a $13.6 million contract modification to General Dynamics for continued engineering support for Knifefish on July 20, just as the original $9.2 million contract issued last July was set to expire. Work is now expected to be completed in September 2021. The contract extension will support test and evaluation, engineering change proposal development and upgrade initiatives. The Knifefish is a medium-class unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) designed to be deployed from a littoral combat ship to detect bottom, volume and buried mines underwater. The two unmanned vehicles that comprise the Knifefish system use low-frequency broadband sonar and automated target recognition software to find mines and help their host ship steer clear. The program achieved its Milestone C authorization in August 2019, and the Navy issued the company a $44.6 million contract to prime contractor General Dynamics to begin low initial rate production of five Knifefish systems. The Navy has previously stated that it plans to purchase 30 Knifefish systems in total. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/07/21/navy-issues-14m-more-for-continued-knifefish-testing/

• 

  21 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  How a defense expo reflects troubles for South African military

  By: Christopher Torchia, The Associated Press JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is one of the continent's biggest defense spenders but its military is increasingly stretched as the country faces recession and a weakening currency. This week's biennial Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition is a showcase for the country's military, which is one of the top 20 contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions and helps with anti-piracy operations off Mozambique's coast. Concerns also are growing about possible corruption linked to state-owned defense conglomerate Denel, part of a wider inquiry into the alleged plundering of state resources under former President Jacob Zuma. South Africa's military "has got a lot on its plate," said Guy Martin, editor of defenceWeb, an industry news site. The country has a defense budget of more than $3 billion. However, the weakening South African currency and the economic recession are making it harder for the military to acquire new equipment and training. President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the fair this week with a speech acknowledging the "economic reality" and pledging support for the defense industry, a key earner of foreign currency. Despite the problems, soldiers at the five-day trade fair were enthusiastic. Capt. T.G. Netshineulu encouraged a group of schoolchildren to consider joining the military after they finish their studies. “I can die for this country,” he said. “And I'm willing to do so.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2018/09/20/how-a-defense-expo-reflects-troubles-for-south-african-military