8 août 2019 | International, Terrestre
By: Jen Judson
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The Army is planning to field a high-power microwave capability to take out drone swarms as part of its Indirect Fires Protection Capability system in development.
Through the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) the service is looking to get the capability fielded to a unit by 2024 with a demonstration of the capability planned in 2022, the RCCTO director said August 7 at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
RCCTO's job is to serve as a bridge between the science and technology community and the program executive offices, helping bring technology out of development and into soldiers' hands, first on a small scale and then a larger scale when passed off to program offices. The RCCTO right now is focused entirely on hypersonics and directed energy weapons.
The IFPC system is being developed to counter rockets, artillery and mortar, as well as cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft systems, and the means to do that would be through a system featuring multiple types of missiles and also a laser capability to take out threats. Adding lasers to the mix means decreasing the number of expensive shots that would be taken against very inexpensive weapons.
The Army is working to initially field a 100-kilowatt laser capability on a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles as part of the IFPC program with a plan to demonstrate the capability in 2022 and then field prototypes to a unit. And the RCCTO is also looking at how to field even more powerful lasers for the IFPC mission between 250 and 300 kilowatts.
But the service recognizes it might be easier to disrupt the flight of multiple drones at once rather than try to take out each one with a laser.
“Lasers can do things but if you are a combatant commander, there is a toolbox of things you need to be successful on the battle space,” Thurgood said. “It's not just one tool but a series of tools.”
So the program is teaming with the Air Force's effort to develop a high power microwave capability, he said. The Air Force will do the research and development work, but the Army will supply them with funding to build prototypes.
The goal is to demonstrate a high-power microwave capability in 2022 and then field the capability to a small unit, much like what the RCCTO will do with the IFPC high-energy laser system.
If the laser and high-power microwave capability both work well in small units, then they will transition to programs of record within the IFPC program, Thurgood said.
Earlier this year, the Army awarded a contract to Dynetics, who is partnered with Lockheed Martin and Rolls Royce, to build the 100-kilowatt laser system for IFPC.
The Army is also rapidly fielding a 50-kilowatt laser on a Stryker. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are competing to build the system and, in FY21, the two lasers will be tested on difficult threats. The service will choose on to build prototypes that will be fielded to a Platoon in FY22.
26 mai 2024 | International, Naval
It's unclear when or how the Navy will buy small unmanned surface and undersea systems. But the desire is there, and L3Harris is responding to that signal.
15 juillet 2019 | International, Autre défense
ICF International has received a contract from the US Navy to provide cyberspace technical, management and professional services. The multiple-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract is with the Navy Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific). With a potential ceiling value of $800m, the seven-year contract includes a base period of three years and two two-year options. The base period has a ceiling of $330m. ICF cyber line of business senior vice-president Jonathan Sholtis said: “We view cyber as an enabler for resilience, one of many domains that affect the security of the entire enterprise. “At ICF, we're focused on providing holistic solutions designed to secure all systems, from IT to people and processes to physical infrastructure, where clients have access to a diverse set of capabilities designed to meet the full scale of diffuse and asymmetric cyber threats.” Under the contract, ICF will provide cyber services to NIWC Pacific and any US Navy client agencies. The range of services will include supporting technology assessments, research and development in cybersecurity, quick prototyping and integration, cybersecurity operations, vulnerability evaluations, and simulation and training. The contract will allow the company to further expand its cyber services offering within the armed services. ICF also provides cyber services support to the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the US Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). ICF cyber and enterprise resilience business development senior vice-president Baris Yener said: “The navy win is a natural extension of our overall growth strategy: to extend ICF's cyber and resilience capabilities from our work with ARL and ACC to additional defence clients. “We're truly honoured to have been selected by the navy to support its ongoing cyber mission.” https://www.naval-technology.com/news/icf-secures-cyber-services-contract-from-us-navy/
23 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial
DÉFENSE Salon IDEX : Tawazun et MBDA vont coopérer pour le développement des systèmes d'armes guidés intelligents « SmartGlider » Tawazun et MBDA ont signé un accord de principe visant à créer un partenariat pour développer des systèmes d'armes guidés intelligents « SmartGlider ». L'accord a été signé lors du salon IDEX, en présence de S.E. Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO de Tawazun, et d'Eric Béranger, CEO de MBDA. L'objectif est de créer un partenariat à long terme entre Tawazun et MBDA, permettant le développement des systèmes d'armes « SmartGlider », de la conception à la phase de production. Une équipe commune d'ingénieurs des deux parties sera chargée des études de développement. Ils opéreront depuis le premier centre régional d'ingénierie des missiles de MBDA établi aux Émirats arabes unis. Ce cahier des charges s'inscrit dans le cadre de l'accord de coopération bilatéral signé entre la France et les Emirats arabes unis. Éric Béranger, PDG de MBDA, a déclaré : « Nous sommes ravis d'entamer cette coopération unique avec l'un de nos clients de longue date, qui soutient son ambition de développer son industrie de défense nationale et permet le développement d'un système d'armes de nouvelle génération exceptionnel ». Aviation Week du 23 février