Nouvelles

Source: Airspace Systems Inc. Airspace Systems today introduced Airspace GalaxyTM, the first family of fully-automated, always-on airspace security solutions that accelerate the integration of drones into cities and protects people and property -- on the ground and in the air -- from clueless, careless or criminal drone operators. The new Airspace Galaxy security platform combines input from multiple sensors to detect drone activity at long-ranges, instantly identifies authorized and unauthorized flights, assesses risk, and if necessary and permitted, deploys an autonomous mitigation system to safely capture and remove an unauthorized or malicious drone. “We created Airspace to accelerate the integration of lifesaving drone technologies while giving communities the ability to ensure safe and secure skies,” said Jaz Banga, Airspace co-founder and CEO. “Galaxy is the first crucial step toward creating the trusted environment required to unlock the full potential of drones.” The airspace security company also today announced that cybersecurity veteran David DeWalt has invested in Airspace through the NightDragon Fund, and joined the Airspace board of directors as Vice Chairman. Additionally, Airspace announced that former Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta has joined the company's board of advisors. Airspace developed the Galaxy security platform for business, public venues, government, law enforcement, and the military to protect people, property, and IP from harm. Galaxy was recently deployed to detect and identify drone activity behind the scenes for Major League Baseball during the 2018 World Series games in Boston and Los Angeles, for the San Francisco Police Department in support of the U.S. Navy to protect its annual San Francisco Fleet Week, and in Sacramento for the 36th annual California International Marathon. And in the fall, during the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's BLACK DART live-fire exercise, Galaxy was the only airspace security solution to deliver a fully autonomous drone mitigation capability – from takeoff to landing – capturing both stationary and moving targets. “Airspace security is a prerequisite to realize the full potential of the drone economy,” said Huerta. “We are on the verge of many great things that drones can do for us, but without the kind of safety and security Airspace Galaxy offers, we are just one terrible event away from stalling what could be a thriving, multi-billion dollar industry.” We believe in the good that drones can do Drones have already proven critical in disaster response. Firefighters have used them to monitor ongoing fires to focus their efforts, keep themselves safe, and help them save lives. Emergency teams have used drones to survey damage after natural disasters, deliver supplies, and find missing people. But as drones get smaller and cheaper, the potential physical and cyber threats grow exponentially. And regardless of whether a damaging drone event is caused by the naïve or nefarious, the results will be the same: progress derailed, and benefits denied. Airspace developed the Galaxy software platform to protect people, property, and IP by stopping drone threats before they happen. Galaxy: Mobile, Modular, Simple to Operate The critical first step in airspace security is accurate long-range detection of drone activity. As a modular system, Galaxy options include the ability to configure detection based on a customer's site- and mission-specific requirements and includes identification of all types of drones, both signal and non-signal emitting. The Airspace sensors detect anomalies operating from ground level to 400-feet and beyond in the sky, and cover up to a 25-mile radius. Detection comprises three primary functions: radio frequency (RF) sensors that use drone-to-operator communication links to legally identify a drone's unique identifier and launch location, a camera array to minimize false alarms and improve localization, and communication alerts to the Galaxy operator. Galaxy then fuses data from multiple sensors into a single, easy-to-use graphical user interface that is coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to create actionable intelligence for the system to handle automatically or with human override. Users can log in from a browser on their desktop or mobile device to see all pertinent information. Finally, if necessary and permitted by law, the Airspace mitigation option dispatches the Airspace Interceptor drone with a single click. Using advanced guidance systems and powered by AI, the Interceptor autonomously locks onto identified rogue drones and heads them off at high speed without human guidance. Trusted and deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Airspace Interceptor fires a Kevlar net to neutralize and capture unauthorized or malicious drones, and then delivers them to a safe place, preventing damage to either people or property. “Thinking about security in two dimensions is antiquated -- it's just not good enough to keep the bad guys out today,” said DeWalt, who has led two of the biggest companies in cybersecurity – McAfee and FireEye – and is now Delta Air Lines chairman of Safety & Security. “Today you have to protect in three dimensions – basically create an airspace security dome over everything -- events, your company – your entire city.” Among many other positions, DeWalt is the founder of cybersecurity platform NightDragon Security and the managing director of early-stage investor AllegisCyber. He sits on the boards of several cybersecurity firms, including Optiv, Callsign, and Claroty, and he has served on the Department of Homeland Security's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee since 2011. DeWalt was president and CEO of McAfee between 2005 and 2012 and was CEO of FireEye between 2012 and 2016. “David's and Michael's experience across the cybersecurity and aviation industries is incredibly relevant to our mission to create autonomous airspace security and our vision of a world of safe and secure skies open for business and social good,” said Banga. “They are both equally strategic assets for Airspace.” Airspace began producing Galaxy solutions that are now ready to deploy in three configurations after raising a $20-million Series A round led by Singtel Innov8 Ventures in March 2017. The company was founded in 2015 by a team from Apple, Google, and Cisco Systems, and backed by SterlingVC – the venture capital arm of the New York Mets – as well as Shasta Ventures, Granite Hill Capital Partner, Singtel Innov8, and S28 Capital. http://www.asdnews.com/news/aerospace/2018/12/20/airspace-launches-galaxy-drone-security-solution

By: Kelsey Reichmann The Defense Innovation Unit — the Department of Defense's emerging technology accelerator — is working on several projects aimed at improving national security by contracting with commercial providers: According to the DIU annual report for 2018, using AI to predict maintenance on aircraft and vehicles could save DoD $3 billion to $5 billion annually. DIU determined maintenance on aircraft and vehicles was often done too early, removing parts that still had a working life ahead of schedule, so, using AI, DIU analysts found they could predict 28 percent of unscheduled maintenance on the E-3 Sentry across six subsystems and 32 percent of on the C-5 Galaxy across 10 subsystems. DIU found deficiencies in the commercial drone industry, resulting in a lack of smaller options for war fighters. Through partnership with the Army's Program Executive Office Aviation, it was able to build an inexpensive, rucksack-portable VTOL drone fit for short-range reconnaissance, according to the report. DIU launched a project, VOLTRON, to discover vulnerabilities in DoD software. This follows a 2018 Government Accountability Office report that found $1.66 trillion work of weapons systems at risk for cyberattack. Using this automated detection and remediation system, DIU will be able to provide DoD software with more secure networks. DIU is also working to secure networks on the battlefield through its Fully Networked Command, Communications & Control Nodes, or FNC3N, project. This project wants to create wearable technology that will provide data to users in a secure interconnected tactical network, according to the report. Using commercial satellite images, DIU is filling gaps in space-based reconnaissance. The peactime indications and warning project has completed the launch of the first commercial, small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite. The use of commercial data will allow the department to easily share the data it receives with allies and partners because it is unclassified. In August 2018 DIU was solidified within the Defense Department when “experimental” was removed from the office's original name, according to the report. It also received a large funding increase, from $84 million in 2017 to $354 million in 2018. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/2019/06/21/could-these-5-projects-transform-defense/

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, McKinney, Texas, was awarded a $96,639,799 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification (P00007) with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract line items to an existing contract (H92222-16-D-0033). This contract modification increases the ceiling from $203,360,201 to $300,000,000 for continued low-rate initial production of the Silent Knight Radar system in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2019 procurement funds in the amount of $54,720,000 are being obligated at time of contract modification. The remaining costs will be funded via delivery/task orders, and depending on the requirement, may be funded using research, development, test and evaluation; procurement; or operations and maintenance funding. The ordering period is valid for five years. The work will be performed in McKinney and Forest, Mississippi, and is scheduled to be completed by October 2022. USSOCOM headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. NAVY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, is awarded an estimated $72,817,062 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for the Transformational Reliable Acoustic Path System (TRAPS) on behalf of the Maritime Surveillance Systems Program Office, Navy Program Executive Office Submarines. The TRAPS capability complements fixed surveillance systems and the surveillance towed array sensor system. TRAPS provides flexible and responsive wide area surveillance for theater antisubmarine warfare commanders worldwide. This contract has a three-year ordering period up to the contract award amount. There are no options. Work will be performed in Long Beach, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by June 2022. No funding is obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This sole-source contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1). The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-19-D-0030). FlexDecks Inc.,* Houston, Texas, is awarded a $17,200,997 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to procure up to 40 each V-22 and MV-22B maintenance wing platform stands for the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Houston, Texas, and is expected to be completed in June 2024. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 aircraft procurement and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $5,490,973 will be obligated at the time of award, $4,519,637 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100% small business set-aside; three offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-19-D-0134). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded a $16,273,896 cost-plus-fixed fee, firm-fixed-price, cost contract (N00024-19-C-6269) for the procurement of multifunction modular masts for new construction Virginia-class Block V hulls, spares and repairs. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $97,860,000. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (70%); and Syracuse, New York (30%), and is expected to be complete by June 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 2024. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $13,932,928 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Accenture Federal Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $65,447,464 other transaction agreement for the execution of the enterprise information technology as a service compute and store risk reduction effort experiment. This agreement provides for an experiment for services to include providing a flexible and scalable hosting solution for applications and data, operation and maintenance of the compute and store environment, and application rationalization. Work will be performed in Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Cannon AFB, New Mexico; and Hurlburt Field, Florida, and is expected to be completed by June, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $28,517,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8726-19-9-0002). Harris Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded an $18,084,893 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00003) to previously awarded FA8819-19-C-0002 for the manufacturing of Air Force Satellite Control Network complaint L and S band antennas for the space combat range. Work will be performed at Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by June 19, 2021. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $18,084,893 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, California, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $17,780,580 cost-plus-fixed fee with an embedded fixed-price and cost reimbursement contract to provide sustainment services for the Lebanese Air Force Armed Caravan Program. This contract provides field service representatives, repair and return, calibration, support equipment and spares. Work will be performed in Beirut, Lebanon, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2021, with the possibility of extending the completion date to June 30, 2024. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to Lebanon. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $10,732,607 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-19-C-3001). EaglePicher Technologies,* Joplin, Missouri, has been awarded a $14,125,999 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract action for an F-35 Agnostic Battery System. This contract provides for the acquisition of the manufacturing process improvement for the F-35 agnostic battery. Work will be performed in Joplin, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by June 17, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive Small Business Innovative Research action and one offer were received. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $7,248,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory Contracting, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-5077). Joe Torres Co., Bakersfield, California, has been awarded a $9,080,374 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for integrated solid waste management services. This contract provides for collection and disposal of municipal solid waste, recycling and landfill services. Work will be performed in Edwards Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $439,615 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, California, is the contracting activity (FA9301-19-D-A006). ARMY General Dynamics Mission Systems, Marion, Virginia, was awarded a $44,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Army Standard Family ISO Shelter, one-side expandable, two-side expandable, and modified extended rigid wall shelter. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 21, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0078). BIS Services LLC,* Kenner, Louisiana, was awarded a $32,305,200 firm-fixed-price contract for Calcasieu River and pass stone foreshore protection. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 12, 2020. Fiscal 2019 civil construction funds in the amount of $32,305,200 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-19-C-0051). BIS Services LLC,* Kenner, Louisiana, was awarded a $14,785,945 firm-fixed-price contract for Calcasieu River and pass stone foreshore protection, repairs and armoring. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 10, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, civil funds in the amount of $14,785,945 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-19-C-0047). Huffman Construction LLC,* Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was awarded a $13,757,500 firm-fixed-price contract for Ohio River shoreline repair work for multiple pump stations and the construction of a new pump station. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Paducah, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 6, 2022. Fiscal 2017 civil construction funds in the amount of $13,757,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-C-0050). Gilbane Federal, Concord, California, was awarded a $13,601,007 firm-fixed-price contract for repair to Moran Hall South (Bldg. 29802). Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Fort Gordon, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 2, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $13,601,007 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-19-C-3007). Bhate Environmental Associates Inc.,* Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded an $11,382,741 firm-fixed-price contract for demolition services to plan and execute the removal of buildings and facilities to include the abatement and removal of asbestos containing materials and other regulated materials, disconnect and capping of utilities, complete removal of utilities, disposal of all debris materials and restoration. Nine bids were solicited with three bids received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 19, 2021. Fiscal 2019 NASA funds in the amount of $11,382,741 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-19-F-0428). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Sysco Seattle, Kent, Washington, has been awarded a maximum $21,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full line food distribution for Navy ships customers in the Puget Sound/Seattle, Washington area. This was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 240-day bridge contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Washington, with a Feb. 15, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-19-D-3227). (Awarded June 20, 2019) Federal Prison Industries Inc.,** Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $17,232,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for Navy coveralls. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Atlanta, Georgia, Arizona, Mississippi, and District of Columbia, with a Nov. 30, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-F027). Sysco Seattle, Kent, Washington, has been awarded a maximum $14,300,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full line food distribution for land based customers in Seattle, Washington, and surrounding areas. This was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 240-day bridge contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Washington, with a Feb. 15, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Army National Guard, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-19-D-3226). (Awarded June 20, 2019) DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Iridium Satellite LLC, Tempe, Arizona, was awarded a non-competitive firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00012) for the extension of services on the current Airtime contract (HC104714C4000). The face value of this action is $8,579,000, funded by fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $469,483,000. Performance will be at the contractor's facility. The original solicitation was issued on the basis of other than full and open competition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). Only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services would satisfy agency requirements. The period of performance is June 22, 2019, through July 21, 2019. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 19, 2019) *Small business **Mandatory source https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1884099/source/GovDelivery/

By: Jill Aitoro LE BOURGET, France — As a number of companies chase maintenance work for the F-35 fighter jet, one firm is planning to clean up on the F-16. AAR Corp., a provider of global aftermarket aviation services, won a seven-year contract with the Royal Danish Air Force to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, of Pratt & Whitney F100-220 engine components on the General Dynamics F-16 jet. That win, which came earlier this year, is the latest contract in a long-term relationship supporting the Danish Air Force and air forces across Europe with MRO services from the company's repair facility in Amsterdam. That facility supports about $500 million in business, much of it tied to the F-16. But the win also fits well into a grander ambition of the company, said Brian Sartain, senior vice president of repair and engineering services at AAR. “Everybody is running after F-35 capability,” he said. “But the Danish Air Force is still going to have a lot of F-16s for [the] foreseeable future, and there are still a lot of F-16s being flown around the world.” Sartain pointed to “fairly high-publicized” F-16 maintenance requirements coming down the pike for the U.S. Air Force, which reported a 65-70 percent mission-capable rate for F-16s in 2017. AAR has a facility in Duluth, Minnesota, which is located across the airfield from Duluth Air National Guard Base — home to the 148th Fighter Wing and its F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft. “Our facility is a perfect place to do F-16 maintenance. We have a lot of capacity,” Sartain said. “We're three tiers down in the F-35 component chain in the way those are being bid. We're not interested. So, while others are running after the F-35, we're cleaning up on the F-16s, and we're happy to do that.” Beyond its F-16 work, AAR supports airframe maintenance for the P-8A fleet for the U.S. Navy, Australia and Foreign Military Sales customers. AAR and Boeing were each awarded seven-year indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts from Naval Air Systems Command in February 2018, competing each year on workshare. While Boeing performed the majority of work the first year, AAR was recently awarded the larger slice for 2019. “Frankly, we're moving to majority share because our performance has been better,” Sartain said. “Most program competitors will need to sub tier to another company and then stack profit on top of profit. For government, it's a better value for us to be a prime, and for us it's a great opportunity to be a prime.” AAR supports the P-8 work from its Indianapolis facility, where at any given time four P-8s are in the hanger, with two steady lines of maintenance. The location is also used to support maintenance of Southwest Airlines 737 aircraft, which share the same airframe as the P-8. It's gone from about 20 percent military and 80 percent commercial maintenance to an even split. “Southwest asks that airplanes are returned in about 21 days. For the P-8, the Navy allows 60 for turnaround,” Sartain said. “The airplane comes in, we have a small crew of 30-40 that hold secret clearances and lock in a room the top-secret equipment, and then I can flex mechanics from Southwest to take advantage of that experience." https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/paris-air-show/2019/06/21/with-all-eyes-on-f-35-aar-looks-to-clean-up-on-f-16-maintenance/

By: Sebastian Sprenger PARIS — U.S. drone-maker General Atomics looks to get a foothold in the European market by touting the promise of smooth civilian-airspace integration of its aircraft by militaries there. The company considers the United Kingdom, with its Protector program of 20 or so planned aircraft, as the launch customer for the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, a successor to the Reaper. The medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones come with safety features that executives at this year's Paris Air Show said will enable a so-called military-type certification by the British authorities in the summer of 2023 — the final step toward allowing the drone to fly routinely alongside civilian air traffic. Belgium also has gained U.S. approval to buy four of the aircraft, complete with a detect-and-avoid suite that can alert the system whenever its flight path risks hitting another aircraft, according to a March 26 announcement by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency. That technology, along with a host of technologies for safe operations that have long been standard in manned aviation, is still considered something of a holy grail in the drone business. With unmanned aircraft expected to reach deeper into military and civilian life in the coming years, manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic have been working feverishly to construct their products with requisite safety certifications in mind. General Atomics' sales pitch is perhaps indicative of an industry where the potential for airspace integration is now taking an equal seat to reconnaissance capabilities and combat punch. The American company can be expected to tread on manufacturers' toes in Europe, where vendors are shaping the evolving regulatory landscape of the European Union and member states to ensure compliance with all expected safety requirements. “We believe we should be there first,” General Atomics President David Alexander told reporters at a briefing during the air show. Being first with a certified drone, he noted, would also open vast potential of the commercial market. But questions remain. Most importantly, issue experts said, it is unclear if the European authorities will honor whatever progress in safety certifications the MQ-9B has made in the eyes of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Company officials told Defense News they try to keep their fingers at the pulse of the relevant policymaking processes on the continent, putting them at the same tables as suppliers in the European industry, like Airbus, Hensoldt or Leonardo. The American firm recently worked with the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center, or NLR, to simulate a SkyGuardian flying in European airspace. “During the first simulations performed in May, we subjected air traffic controllers to many contingency procedures ranging from engine failure to loss-of-link between the pilot and the remotely piloted aircraft,” Emmanuel Sunil, an NLR project manager, said in a June 18 statement by the research center. “The results indicate that the new procedures that we are developing will make it possible for MALE RPA to fly safely and efficiently in civil European airspace along with other manned air traffic.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/paris-air-show/2019/06/21/us-drone-maker-senses-a-leg-up-in-europe/

Author: Mike Rees The U.S. Army has announced that its Howler counter unmanned aerial system (UAS) capability has achieved Initial Operational Capability, putting critical protection against drones in the hands of soldiers. Howler, a name coined by the U.S. Army, combines the capabilities of Raytheon's Ku band radio frequency system multi-mission simultaneous radar and Coyote unmanned aircraft system. The KuRFS advanced electronically scanned array acquires and tracks all size UAS threats. Coyote works with KuRFS using its advanced seeker and warhead to identify and eliminate UAS threats. “We developed and fielded this system in just 17 months,” said Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Mission Systems and Sensors. “Detecting the drone threat is the first critical step in the counter-UAS kill chain. The combination of precise tracking and engagement of these two proven systems gives the U.S. Army a vital capability to defeat this constantly evolving threat.” In addition to providing advanced situational awareness, precise discrimination and mobility to successfully counter UAS threats, Howler gives the Army singular flexibility to adapt to the quickly changing, multidimensional threat environment. “Test after test proves that our Coyote is an integral solution for defeating the growing number of enemy drones in the skies above the battlefield,” said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “Protecting soldiers on the ground is a top priority, and this new system truly delivers.” Raytheon's portfolio of sensors, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors networked into a command and control system covers the full counter-UAS kill chain. https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2019/06/us-army-deploys-new-battlefield-counter-uas-capability/

Posted By: Malek Murison The combination of drones and wildfires isn't usually a productive one. Emergency teams tasked with fighting them are often disrupted by opportunistic aerial photographers. But the technology has also proved to be a useful situational awareness for fire crews. Drones can cover ground quickly and provide an indication of a fire's scale and threat, reducing the need to put emergency teams in danger. Full article: https://dronelife.com/2019/06/20/telefonica-combines-drones-with-iot-sensors-for-early-fire-detection/

By Hope Hodge Seck When the Navy's F-35C Joint Strike Fighter embarks on its first carrier deployment in 2021, it's expected to take with it a pinpoint-accurate landing system that purports to make the terror of night approaches and high sea-state traps all but a thing of the past. Raytheon announced this week that the Navy awarded a $234.6 million contract for a low-rate initial production of 23 of its Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems, or JPALS -- enough to outfit every carrier and L-class amphibious assault ship with the technology. The contract also will include retrofitting three earlier systems that had been installed, a Raytheon executive said. Delivering to the Navy will start late next year, and installation will begin shortly thereafter, retired Navy Rear Adm. C.J. Jaynes, Raytheon's JPALS technical executive, told Military.com this week. The work is expected to be completed by August 2023, according to a published contract announcement. The system, which uses shipboard-relative GPS to guide planes in for landings and communicates with the aircraft from the deck of the carrier up to 200 nautical miles out, is accurate within 20 centimeters, or about 8 inches, Jaynes said. "It hits the third wire every time," she said. "It's [reliable in] all-weather and all sea states, including Sea State 5 (waves of roughly 8 to 12 feet)." For Navy pilots, catching the third of four wires on tailhook landings (or the second of three wires) has historically been a game of skill and precision that becomes orders of magnitude more difficult in the dark or in low-visibility weather conditions. Marine Corps F-35B pilots, who use the aircraft's vertical-landing configuration to put it down on the smaller flight decks of amphibious ships, face the same problems. And those issues may actually be exacerbated by a number of F-35-specific issues pending resolution. The custom-made, $400,000-per-unit helmet that F-35 pilots wear -- a piece of technology that allows them to "see through" the plane via a display for better situational awareness -- features symbology that emits a green glow, interfering with pilots' vision in low-light conditions. A video that emerged in 2017 showed an F-35 pilot landing "in a fog" on the amphibious assault ship America at night, his vision obscured by the helmet display. A recent Defense News report highlighted another issue with the helmet display at night that obscures the horizon. JPALS, which has already deployed in an early-development version with F-35Bs aboard the amphibious assault ships Wasp and Essex, would decrease reliance on visibility for accurate landings. Another F-35C-installed tool, Delta Flight Path, will keep aircraft on a steady glide slope for carrier landings, reducing inputs and corrections required from pilots. Early reports from the JPALS deployments with the Marines have been extremely positive, Jaynes said. "The pilots absolutely love it. It's been 100 percent accuracy, always available, they haven't had any issues at all," she said. "We know they have not had to abort any missions due to weather or due to sea state." Raytheon is now pitching an expeditionary version of JPALS, easily transportable and designed to guide aircraft to safe landings on bare airfields. The whole system can fit in five transit cases, be transported by C-130 Hercules, and be assembled within 90 minutes, Raytheon says. The Navy's future tanker drone, the MQ-25 Stingray, will also be JPALS-equipped; Jaynes said Raytheon is in talks with the service now about selling expeditionary JPALS for the MQ-25 program for shore-based tanker landings at locations like Norfolk, Virginia, or Point Mugu, California. Meanwhile, she said, the Marine Corps is considering buying a single expeditionary JPALS system for testing in order to develop a concept of operations to employ it. But "the closest customer outside of MQ-25 is actually the U.S. Air Force," Jaynes said. "They'd be able to move their aircraft possibly every 24 to 48 hours and do island-hopping in the Pacific. We're going over to [United States Air Forces in Europe -- Air Forces Africa] in July to talk with them about the system," she said. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/06/21/all-navy-carriers-amphibs-get-f-35-precision-landing-system.html

DAVID PUGLIESE The three Beechcraft King Air planes, to be based at CFB Trenton in Ontario, will be outfitted with sensors and equipment to intercept cell phone and other electronic transmissions. Canadian special forces and, potentially, other government departments will use them for missions overseas and in Canada. The agreement for the aircraft was finalized on April 26 with the U.S. government. Three aircraft and equipment will be delivered in the spring of 2022, the Canadian Forces noted. The federal government is also setting up a competitive process to select a company to maintain the aircraft and related systems for a potential period of 20 years. A Request for Proposals is expected sometime this summer. The agreement signed with the U.S. government is for $188 million (CAN). The value of the project is estimated at $247 million. The funding includes the acquisition of the aircraft and prime mission equipment from the U.S. and an initial portion of the associated in-service support of the aircraft. The main contractor is Beechcraft in Wichita, Kan. Canadian companies had wanted to provide the aircraft and on-board equipment, and several have formed alliances with U.S. firms who supply the Pentagon with the same or similar aircraft. But the Canadian military decided it needed the planes more quickly than they believed Canadian companies could deliver, and that U.S. security regulations governing the on-board sensor equipment might cause delays. As a result, it determined the U.S. government was the only supplier capable of providing the planes. DND has declined to provide an estimate of what that long-term support would cost taxpayers. RCAF pilots will fly the aircraft but members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command will operate the specialized equipment in the planes. The planes will be outfitted with electro-optical sensors that would allow the aircraft to track the movement of individuals and vehicles on the ground. Canadian special forces had access to similar aircraft in Afghanistan to track and target insurgents. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-special-forces-will-receive-three-new-surveillance-aircraft-aircraft-expected-2022