Responding to the U.S. Army’s urgent need for mobile air defense to protect ground troops, Raytheon Company integrated and demonstrated a Stinger air defense missile mounted on a Stryker armored fighting vehicle.
Raytheon offers Stryker-mounted Stinger missile for U.S. Army mobile air defense
Raytheon incorporated the Stinger missile into a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, and mounted it on a Stryker. During a late September demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Army fired Stinger missiles from a Stryker vehicle and successfully intercepted airborne targets.
«With so many airborne threats in the battlespace, our ground forces need the protection of additional mobile air defense systems», said Kim Ernzen, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. «Combining these two proven systems gives the Army an immediate, low risk, high-value solution».
The Army is now evaluating the Stinger missile/Stryker vehicle solution.
The Stinger weapon system is a lightweight, self-contained air defense system that can be rapidly deployed by ground troops and on military platforms. It’s combat proven in four major conflicts and in use by more than 20 nations as well as all four U.S. military services.
Lockheed Martin received $337 million in orders to supply Apache Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M‑TADS/PNVS) systems and services to the United States, United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Lockheed Martin delivering next-generation Apache Sensor Systems under new U.S. army contract (Photo credit: Lockheed Martin)
The awards are part of an initial task order under a new Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract signed with the U.S. Army. The ID/IQ, with at least $2 billion in potential orders and a five-year period of performance, serves as the contracting vehicle to provide M‑TADS/PNVS systems and services to U.S. and international customers.
«Lockheed Martin is committed to a strong and sustained partnership with our customers in the United States and around the world», said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/Special Operations Forces Contractor Logistics Support Services at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. «This contract enables us to respond rapidly to their emerging defense needs, including requirements for new M-TADS/PNVS systems and upgrades».
Under an order for the U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin is providing upgrade kits for the M‑TADS/PNVS Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) and Modernized Laser Range Finder Designator. For the U.K. Ministry of Defence, it is delivering M-DSA upgrade kits for M-TADS/PNVS refurbishment as part of a remanufacture effort to upgrade D-model Apaches to E models. For the Saudi Ministry of National Guard, it is providing M‑TADS/PNVS systems for new E-model Apaches.
M-TADS/PNVS, known as the «eyes of the Apache», provides pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities for safe flight during day, night and adverse weather missions. M-DSA increases M-TADS/PNVS designation and ranging capabilities to fully accommodate current weapons and those planned for the future. The upgraded sensor enables Apache pilots to see high-resolution, high-definition, near-infrared and color imagery on cockpit displays. M-DSA also provides a new laser pointer marker that improves coordination with ground troops, and an updated multi-mode laser with eye-safe range designation that supports flight in urban environments and critical training exercises.
The U.S. Navy with assistance from the submarine’s sponsor Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of the 75th Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, commissioned and brought to life the newest Virginia class submarine, USS Washington (SSN-787), during a ceremony on board Naval Station Norfolk, October 7.
USS Washington Brought to Life, Commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk
Washington, named in honor of the 42nd state, is the 14th Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine to join the U.S. Navy’s operational fleet. Elisabeth Mabus expressed how proud she was of the crew and their families.
«I know, though you are all eager to set out on the Washington, this like all naval service will requires you to be away from your families for long stretches, so thank you to the families», said Mabus. «In a very real sense you are plank owners of this ship as well».
Mabus gave the order to «man our ship and bring her to life» before the crew of about 130 men ran across the brow, onto the vessel.
Washington is the fourth of eight Block III Virginia-class submarines to be built. The Block III submarines are built with new Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT) designed to lower costs and increase missile-firing payload possibilities. The first 10 Block I and Block II Virginia class submarines have 12 individual 21-inch/53.34 cm diameter vertical launch tubes able to fire Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMS). The Block III submarines are built with two-larger 87-inch/2.2 m diameter tubes able to house six TLAMS each.
«We won’t know what challenges we will face as a nation in 10, 15 or 20 years, but we know because of the work being done now at Newport News and Electric Boat and by the Sailors who call this ship home, USS Washington will be prepared for whatever is to come», said Mabus.
USS Washington (SSN-787) commanding officer, Commander Gabriel Cavazos, highlighted the Washington’s capability to dominate the undersea domain and enable military success in any engagement.
«As I have told the crew on many occasions, they are the most important component of the ship. They give the ship its personality and warfighting spirit. Without the crew, Washington would not be the warfighting platform she was built to be; however, combine the two, and, together, we are the Blackfish», said Cavazos.
«Today USS Washington is alive and stands ready for mission. Thank you for being here to celebrate this momentous occasion with us», said Cavazos.
Washington is the fourth U.S. Navy ship, and first submarine, to be named honoring the State of Washington. The previous three ships were an armored cruiser, (ACR-11), which served from 1905 to 1916, the battleship (BB-47) a Colorado-class battleship launched in 1921 and sunk as a gunnery target in 1924 after her construction was halted, and the battleship (BB-56) credited with sinking more enemy tonnage than any other U.S. Navy battleship during World War II, serving from 1941 to 1947.
USS Washington (SSN-787) is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW); Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW); delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); and mine warfare. Their inherent stealth, endurance, mobility, and firepower directly enable them to support five of the six maritime strategy core capabilities: sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence.
The submarine is 377 feet/114.8 m long, has a 34-foot/10.36 m beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800+ feet/244+ m and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots/28+ mph/46.3+ km/h submerged. It will operate for over 30 years without ever refueling.
Construction on Washington began September 2011; the submarine’s keel was authenticated during a ceremony on November 22, 2014; and the submarine was christened during a ceremony March 5, 2016.
The submarine’s sponsor was Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of the 75th Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus
General Characteristics
Builder
General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. – Newport News Shipbuilding
Date Deployed
October 3, 2004
Propulsion
One GE PWR S9G nuclear reactor, two turbines, one shaft; 40,000 hp/30 MW
Length
377 feet/114.8 m
Beam
33 feet/10.0584 m
Hull Diameter
34 feet/10.3632 m
Displacement
Approximately 7,800 tons/7,925 metric tons submerged
Speed
25+ knots/28+ mph/46.3+ km/h
Diving Depth
800+ feet/244+ m
Crew
132: 15 officers; 117 enlisted
Armament: Tomahawk missiles
2 × 87-in/2.2 m Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of launching 6 Tomahawk cruise missiles
Armament: MK-48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes
4 torpedo tubes
Weapons
MK-60 CAPTOR (Encapsulated Torpedo) mines, advanced mobile mines and UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles)
USS Washington is the U.S. Navy’s 14th Virginia-Class attack submarine and the third commissioned Navy ship named for the State of Washington (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffrey M. Richardson/Released)
Block III
Ship
Yard
Christening
Commissioned
Homeport
SSN-784 North Dakota
EB
11-2-13
10-25-14
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-785 John Warner
NNS
09-06-14
08-01-15
Norfolk, Virginia
SSN-786 Illinois
EB
10-10-15
10-29-16
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-787 Washington
NNS
03-05-16
10-07-17
Norfolk, Virginia
SSN-788 Colorado
EB
12-03-16
SSN-789 Indiana
NNS
04-29-17
SSN-790 South Dakota
EB
Under Construction
SSN-791 Delaware
NNS
Under Construction
Pre-Commissioning Unit Washington (SSN-787) pulls into Naval Station Norfolk after completing sea trials. Washington is scheduled to be commissioned October 7, 2017 at Naval Station Norfolk
In line with its strategy of innovation for the future of vertical flight, Airbus Helicopters is developing an experimental on board image processing management system aimed at performing automatic approaches and landing in challenging conditions, as well as paving the way for future sense & avoid applications on autonomous Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems.
Project Eagle aims at improving safety and automation capabilities for existing and future platforms
Codenamed Eagle, for Eye for Autonomous Guidance and Landing Extension, this system federates the entire helicopter’s image processing functions and feeds them into the avionics system, thus improving the crew’s situation awareness and reducing the pilot’s workload by automating and securing approaches, take-off and landing in the most demanding environments. Ground tests of Eagle have been ongoing since May this year and initial flights tests on a testbed helicopter will begin shortly.
«While existing missions such as search and rescue and offshore transportation will benefit from Eagle’s capabilities, the system will also help address future requirements for operations in urban environments», said Tomasz Krysinski, Airbus Helicopters Vice-President Research & Technology. «Ultimately, thanks to its ability to provide increased situation awareness, Eagle will also contribute to improve the safety, autonomy and performance of future unmanned vehicles».
The system, which could be embedded in a variety of existing and future Airbus VTOL vehicles, relies on a gyro-stabilized optronics package, which includes three high resolution cameras and state-of-the-art processing units, as well as on-board video analytics providing advanced functionalities such as object detection and tracking, digital noise reduction as well as deep learning.
Future versions of the Eagle system will also integrate a laser, which combined with the high processing capability could open the door to other applications such as a new generation of search lights, obstacles detection and 3D terrain reconstruction.
U.S Marines with 2nd Marine Division tested remote controlled craft made through additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 26-27, 2017.
Marines prepare to test a small unmanned aerial system at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 27, 2017. Technicians from the United States Army Research Lab demonstrated to the Marines how easy the system is to create and have it fully operational with little to no training (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Taylor W. Cooper)
The technicians and engineers with U.S. Army Research Lab gathered Marines from different military occupational specialties to demonstrate the usefulness and convenience of the additive manufactured Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS).
Unlike systems the military has in use already, the additive manufactured SUAS has the flexibility to adhere to all types of different missions, and can be created much faster.
«At this point we are focusing on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions», said Eric Spero, a team leader in the vehicle technology directorate of the U.S. Army Research Lab. «We have different cameras such as an infrared and a day camera; there are different things we can do like stream the video to systems or a heads-up display and record it for later viewing».
Researchers have created a catalog for the crafts that allows service members to select an SUAS that is tailored to fit the needs of the mission.
Troops simply pick the SUAS that fits their mission objectives and download the information that allows the parts to be 3-D printed.
An additive manufactured SUAS can be created, constructed and ready for operations in approximately 24 hours.
«Basically, what we are doing is combining two emerging technologies», said John Gerdes, a mechanical engineer at the U.S. Army Research Lab. «We have taken 3-D printing and quad-copters and created a means of giving troops a customized vehicle right when they need it, with the capabilities they need from it, on demand».
Instead of fitting troops to systems that are already in use such as the RQ-11 raven or the RQ-20 puma and forcing them to compromise to complete the mission, they can instead take their needs and create a vehicle specific to the job, said Gerdes.
«These craft are the future because they’re protected by obsolescence», said Gerdes. «We are able to give troops the technology almost immediately by printing new parts and making slight adjustments so they will always have a craft that is able to complete the mission».
U.S Marines with 2nd Marine Division tested remote controlled craft made through additive
As part of its FY2018 budget submission, the U.S. Navy has initiated a new program, called the FFG(X) program, to build a new class of guided-missile frigates. The U.S. Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020, a second FFG(X) in FY2021, and two FFG(X)s per year starting in FY2022. Given current Navy force-structure goals, the U.S. Navy might procure a total of 8 to 20 FFG(X)s. The U.S. Navy’s proposed FY2018 budget requests $143.5 million in research and development funding for the program.
Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) ProgramU.S. Navy frigates are smaller, less capable, and less expensive to procure and operate than U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers. In contrast to cruisers and destroyers, which are designed to operate in higher-threat areas, frigates are generally intended to operate more in lower-threat areas. The U.S. Navy envisages the FFG(X) as a multimission ship capable of conducting Anti-Air Warfare (AAW, aka air defense) operations, Anti-Surface Warfare operations (ASuW, meaning operations against enemy surface ships and craft), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations, and Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare (EMW) operations (EMW is a new term for electronic warfare).
Although the U.S. Navy has not yet determined the design of the FFG(X), given the desired capabilities just mentioned, the ship will likely be larger in terms of displacement, more heavily armed, and more expensive to procure than the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs). The U.S. Navy envisages developing no new technologies or systems for the FFG(X) – the ship is to use systems and technologies that already exist or are already being developed for use in other programs.
The U.S. Navy’s desire to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020 does not allow enough time to develop a completely new design (i.e., a clean-sheet design) for the FFG(X). (Using a clean-sheet design might defer the procurement of the first ship to about FY2023.) Consequently, the U.S. Navy intends to build the FFG(X) to a modified version of an existing ship design – an approach called the parent-design approach. The parent design could be a U.S. ship design or a foreign ship design. The U.S. Navy intends to conduct a full and open competition to select the builder of the FFG(X), including proposals based on either U.S. or foreign ship designs. Given the currently envisaged procurement rate of two ships per year, the U.S. Navy envisages using a single builder to build the ships.
The FFG(X) program presents several potential oversight issues for Congress, including the following:
whether to approve, reject, or modify the U.S. Navy’s FY2018 funding request for the program;
whether the U.S. Navy has accurately identified the capability gaps and mission needs to be addressed by the program;
whether procuring a new class of FFGs is the best or most promising general approach for addressing the identified capability gaps and mission needs;
the U.S. Navy’s proposed acquisition strategy for the program, including the U.S. Navy’s intent to use a parent-design approach for the program rather than develop an entirely new (i.e., clean-sheet) design for the ship;
the potential implications of the FFG(X) program for the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base; and
whether the initiation of the FFG(X) program has any implications for required numbers or capabilities of U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers.
L3 Technologies announced on September 28 that it has successfully delivered the third and final RC-135V/W Rivet Joint (RJ) signals intelligence aircraft to Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF), a milestone marking the completion of the historic U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) Airseeker program.
L3 Successfully Delivers Final Airseeker to U.K. Royal Air Force
The three U.K. RJ aircraft form the backbone of the U.K.’s Airseeker capability, providing new and collaborative Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) resources in support of global security missions. Upon touchdown at Royal Air Force Waddington, Lincolnshire, U.K., the aircraft was formally transferred to the RAF, completing the hardware deliveries under the Foreign Military Sales contract valued at approximately $1 billion.
Taken together, the U.K. RJ and USAF RJ aircraft form a combined fleet of 20 aircraft, and L3 will perform future baseline upgrades and periodic depot maintenance on the fleet. L3 has also delivered a station to support ground operations and training systems to train both operators and maintainers.
«This groundbreaking agreement gives the U.K. access to future innovative technology and presents a very high level of interoperability with major coalition partners», said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3’s President and Chief Operating Officer. «This partnership has provided our U.K. allies with an intelligence-gathering platform that supports near-real-time on-scene collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities».
«Analysts have hailed this U.K./U.S. program as the highest level of intelligence cooperation between the two countries since World War II», said Mark Von Schwarz, L3’s Senior Vice President and President of its Aerospace Systems business segment. «The U.S. and the U.K. will be closely involved in future maturation of the Rivet Joint weapon system for at least the next 25 years».
Under the agreement, the U.K. purchased three Rivet Joint aircraft for conversion by L3 from KC-135R tankers to the RC-135W configuration. The first two aircraft were delivered in 2013 and 2015, respectively, and upon gaining their airworthiness releases.
«The cooperation between L3, the USAF and the U.K. MOD throughout the Airseeker program has been the key to delivering aircraft early and fielding the capability ahead of the original schedule», said Bill Chrispin, the U.K. MOD’s Airseeker Delivery Manager.
Headquartered in New York City, L3 Technologies employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide and is a leading provider of a broad range of communication, electronic and sensor systems used on military, homeland security and commercial platforms. L3 is also a prime contractor in aerospace systems, security and detection systems, and pilot training. The company reported 2016 sales of $10.5 billion.
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s subsidiary Remotec Inc. is unveiling the newest member of the Andros line of proven Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), the Interoperability Profile (IOP)-compliant Nomad.
Northrop Grumman’s next-generation multifunction, multimission Andros Nomad is a mid-sized Interoperability Profile-compliant unmanned ground vehicle that offers affordability and versatility with extraordinary mobility
IOP is a U.S. Department of Defense initiative to organize and maintain interoperability standards for UGVs. With IOP-compliant software messaging and hardware interfaces, Nomad can easily integrate the best available capabilities, sensors and payloads for multiple functions and missions.
«Building on our 30-year heritage, Nomad represents another exciting chapter of Andros innovation, performance and value in render-safe operations», said Dan Verwiel, vice president and general manager, missile defense and protective systems division, Northrop Grumman. «Future upgrades can be spiraled via IOP compliance and its next-generation track pods allow Nomad to go where others cannot. We continue to improve affordability. Over the past few months, working with supply chain, advanced materials and manufacturing availability, we have cut even more costs to make the Nomad available to a greater range of users», said Verwiel.
Nomad was designed using a proven concurrent engineering process to develop a superior product at an affordable price. Like other robots in the Northrop Grumman Andros fleet, Nomad incorporates the feedback from decades working with first responder and military customers to offer advanced technology, ease of use and reliability.
The mid-size Nomad weighs 164 pounds/74.4 kg and measures 35.5 inches/90.2 cm long, 23 inches/58.4 cm wide and 26 inches/66 cm high when its mast is horizontal or 42 inches/106.7 cm high when the mast is fully vertical. Nomad’s manipulator arm has a lift capacity of 15 pounds/6.8 kg when fully extended and impressive dexterity through extensive shoulder pitch, shoulder rotation, elbow pitch and wrist roll abilities. Its four independent track pods provide extreme mobility with stability climbing uneven terrain, complex obstacles and inclines as steep as 60 degrees.
Northrop Grumman is the largest provider of ground robots to the first responder market in the U.S. In addition, the company’s UGVs are fielded across all U.S. military services and bomb squads in 36 countries.
With more than 75 years of experience in advanced autonomy, Northrop Grumman’s autonomous systems expand the boundaries of human potential to deliver end-to-end solutions that meet evolving mission requirements for a rapidly changing world.
Northrop Grumman’s newest UGV, the Andros Nomad, has four independent track pods that provide extreme mobility with stability climbing uneven terrain, complex obstacles and inclines as steep as 60 degrees
Within the next few decades, armed forces could be using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with adaptable aircraft technologies that alternate between fixed-wing flight and rotary-wing flight.
Engineers unveil futuristic unmanned aircraft concept that uses both fixed and rotary wing flight
Engineers from BAE Systems together with students from Cranfield University, have revealed a new technology concept – named Adaptable UAVs – which can alternate between the two different flight modes in the same mission. When in rotary wing mode the UAVs can be launched and recovered from battlefields and docked on a special pole.
The Adaptable UAVs are a hybrid between fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, and would use adaptive flight control and advanced navigation and guidance software, which would allow the aircraft to benefit from the greater speed and range afforded to fixed-wing aircraft, before alternating to rotary-wing mode to hover and achieve vertical take-off and landing. This novel technology could allow UAVs to better adapt to evolving future battlefield situations and through working together in a swarm, tackle sophisticated air defences, as well as operating in complex and cluttered urban environments.
In the rotary wing mode of flight, the Adaptable UAVs can be easily and safely launched and recovered using a range of vehicles in dangerous environments that might be cluttered by personnel, other aircraft or vehicles. The pole constrains the lateral or sideways movement of the UAV when being launched or recovered so strong winds cannot dislodge them and avoids any damage to personnel nearby. This is particularly important when recovering a UAV to the aft of a ship or a land vehicle. The pole’s gyro-stabilised element also ensures that it remains upright independently of the host vehicle’s orientation, which may be rolling if on a ship, or in the case of a land vehicle driving up or down a slope at the time of the launch or recovery.
«The battlefield of the future will require novel solutions to meet emerging threats and to keep human operators safe wherever they may be’», said Professor Nick Colosimo, BAE Systems’ Futurist and Technologist. «The Adaptable UAVs concept and related technologies are one of a number of concepts being explored through close collaboration between industry and students in academia».
Professor Antonios Tsourdos, Head of the Centre for Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems at Cranfield University, said: «Working with BAE Systems on the Cranfield University MSc in Autonomous Vehicle Dynamics & Control has provided a great opportunity for the students and research staff to explore a range of novel concepts and technologies».
Cranfield University is one of BAE Systems Strategic University Partners. Research staff and students have explored a range of UAV technologies including research into adaptive flight control and advanced navigation and guidance software.
BAE Systems has developed some of the world’s most innovative technologies and invests in research and development to generate future products and capabilities. The Company has a portfolio of patents and patent applications covering approximately 2000 inventions internationally.
Leonardo is pleased to announce the successful maiden flight of the first of eight upgraded Brazilian Navy Super Lynx Mk21B helicopters at its Yeovil facility, in southwest England, on 28th September 2017. The upgraded Lynx helicopters will give Brazil’s Naval Aviation a significant improvement in its capabilities, with much increased aircraft performance and mission effectiveness.
Leonardo Helicopters has flown the first of eight Brazilian Navy Super Lynx Mk21A helicopters to undergo a major upgrade; the first three upgraded aircraft will be delivered in 2018 (LH photo)
The Super Lynx Mk21B is powered by two new generation CTS800-4N engines, already used on the Super Lynx 300 and the AW159 helicopters, which provide the helicopters with major performance improvements, especially in hot environments, increasing payload and mission effectiveness. A new glass cockpit will be complimented by an advanced avionic suite comprising a tactical processor, satellite based navigation system, civil navigation aids including a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Automatic Identification System (AIS), radar warning receiver/electronic surveillance measures integrated with countermeasures dispensers and a full Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible cockpit, together with a new electrically powered rescue hoist.
The maiden flight marks another milestone in the long-standing partnership between Leonardo and the Brazilian Navy, which has been operating Lynx helicopters since 1978.
![Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program](http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FFGX-program.jpg)
