Mil-Tech

Double Load For Ariane 5 ECA For Upcoming Launch.

Preparations continue by Arianespace for the upcoming Ariane 5 mission, which involves parallel processing of Germany’s COMSATBw-1 military relay satellite and the Amazonas 2 commercial telecom platform for Spain’s HISPASAT. COMSATBw-1 is in the S5C large preparation hall of the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation center where it is undergoing pre-launch checkout — Amazonas 2 has been topped off with its propellant load in the S5B fueling and integration hall.

The S5 facility, which has three separate clean room zones, enables multiple passengers to be processed in parallel for Arianespace missions, and ensures high security for even the most sensitive of payloads. Its S5C high bay is the largest of the facility’s preparation halls, providing a 700-sq.-meter work area. The S5B is a 400-sq.-meter dual-function hall capable of handling both satellite integration and fueling. For Ariane 5′s launch late this month, the heavy-lift vehicle’s two passengers will have a combined payload weight of 8,000 kg.

The 2,500-kg. COMSATBw-1 plays an important role in the German Bundeswehr’s (German Armed Forces) concept for network-centric operations. This spacecraft is crafted to handle secure information for use by units on deployed missions, including voice, fax, data, video and multimedia applications, with a coverage area that stretches from America to eastern Asia. COMSATBw-1 will serve as the backbone of a strategic command infrastructure and interface for the Bundeswehr’s tactical arms. Overall industrial responsibility for the secure communication program is with Milsat Services (a 75 percent Astrium/25 percent subsidiary of ND SatCom Defence). The program’s space segment prime contractor is EADS Astrium, which has booked its two spacecraft for Arianespace launches beginning with COMSATBw-1. Thales Alenia Space is responsible for integrating the Spacebus satellite bus, while Astrium’s German subsidiary TESAT delivers the payloads.

Accompanying COMSATBw-1 on the upcoming Ariane 5 missions is Amazonas 2, which was built by EADS Astrium using the Eurostar E3000 spacecraft bus, and is to weigh approximately 5,500 kg. at liftoff. When operational with the Spanish-based HISPASAT telecommunications operator, Amazonas 2 will provide relay capacity over the Americas with a coverage area extending from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. It carries 54 Ku-band transponders and 10 C-band transponders for the relay of a wide range of communications services, including direct-to-home television. The mission with Amazonas 2 and COMSATBw-1 will be the fifth of seven flights in Arianespace’s busiest launch year for Ariane 5 since its 1999 commercial service introduction.

Maxwell To Undergo DISA Enhanced Compliance Validation.

Maxwell will undergo a Defense Information Systems Agency Enhanced Compliance Validation, or ECV, network inspection Sept. 28 through Oct. 2. “The ECV is very similar to an Operational Readiness Inspection, or a Nuclear Surety Inspection, of our secure and non-secure networks,” informed Major Gerald Yap, 42nd Communications Flight commander.

Col. Kris Beasley, 42nd Air Base Wing commander, said, “Network and information security is everyone’s business. It’s critical that every network user understands that their actions can have an impact across the Air Force and DoD. A vulnerability created by one is a vulnerability shared by all!”

Colonel Beasley noted that network security is a “top priority” for Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Education and Training Command Commander Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Allen Peck and all of Maxwell-Gunter senior leadership.

Colonel Beasley said General Schwartz emphasized this subject in his May 27 memo to all Airmen titled, “Cyberspace Operations Culture Change,” in which he stated, “Our Air Force must move to a system of tight network control, personal responsibility and accountability as we execute our global mission on behalf of our Nation.”

Major Yap said that while taking proper network security measures must be a part of everyone’s daily routine, organizations across the base, led by 42nd CF, are taking a number of actions to prepare for the ECV. Major Yap said the 42nd CF is using DISA’s security directives, known as Security Technical Implementation Guides, or STIGs, to ensure Maxwell-Gunter’s networks are compliant with all Department of Defense security measures.

“We perform automated scans on the networks to find vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities must then be fixed either through an automated patch or through manual intervention by a client support administrator, or CSA,” he said. “In addition, 42nd CF is working with outside organizations, such as the 561st Network Operations Squadron, AETC Computer Systems Squadron and Air Force Network Integration Center Scope Edge teams, to ensure that we are using the best practices, and that the portions of the Maxwell networks that are no longer locally controlled are meeting security standards.”

Major Yap said base personnel must be security minded in all their actions on the network. Base network users need to log off their computers after work hours, but leave their computers turned on so they can receive automatic patches.

What is more, classified Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet, workstations need to be connected to the network every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon to allow for vulnerability scans and patches. Building managers need to ensure that rooms housing network equipment are properly secured and not used for storage.

And users that have vulnerabilities that can’t be fixed automatically need to work with base CSAs to remedy the problems. He also noted that units who maintain and operate their own servers need to help with ECV preparation by ensuring their servers are scanned with the latest DISA “Gold Disks” which are an automated tool for checking compliance. The major said frequent communications between base units and the 42nd CF can help ensure ECV preparation tasks are on track and alleviate any misunderstandings.

“The ECV will help validate that our networks are secure and the information crossing the networks isn’t compromised,” Major Yap said. “Our adversaries continually try to exploit DoD networks, and we at Maxwell-Gunter need to do our part to protect the entire Global Information Grid,” Major Yap said. “Network security is now a part of the Air Force mission culture.”

Four Things That Make Combat UAVs Special.

The U.S. Air Force squadrons that form the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing here are the first that exist only to fly unmanned aerial vehicles. The base, which currently hosts training and operations for MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers, is trailblazing modern military aviation. It’s a perfect place for practitioners who fly UAVs every day to set the record straight on some common misconceptions about UAVs.

The Air Force still trains more pilots for manned airplanes than it trains UAV controllers. Col. Pete Gersten, the air wing’s commander, informs that despite some media reports that give the edge to UAVs, the number of pilots the Air Force is training to fly manned aircraft remains at 51 percent. The Air Force wants to increase UAV combat air patrols (CAPs) from 34 to 50—that means having 50 UAVs in the air at one time—by the start of 2011. Each CAP flight requires a three-person team in the United States and a landing crew stationed in the area of operations that handles launch and recovery from a control station that uses line-of-sight communications. Having takeoff and landing crews stationed closer to the front line avoids the 2-second delay associated with controlling them via satellite from halfway around the world.

For every UAV in the air on a mission, there are three others in inventory. While one is on the job, there is one transiting to where it’s needed, one coming back and one on the ground being repaired and otherwise readied for a mission. So an Air Force fleet capable of 50 CAPs at once — the current end-of-next-year goal for the Air Force — would require a force of at least 200 UAVs. Training that many UAV pilots in time is the real issue; “we’re sort of struggling with that,” Gersten says. The commander is responsible for all UAV training and combat operations — at least until 2010, when training will shift to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Last Wednesday the first Predator test flights were conducted from Holloman in preparation for the move.

UAVs aren’t unmanned — they’re remotely controlled. It takes a crew of three — a pilot, sensor operator and intelligence coordinator?— to perform a Reaper or Predator mission, not including the maintenance and takeoff/recovery personnel. But these remote-control aircraft are more intelligent than you might imagine. Some of the craft’s intelligent software allows the operators to set “hold modes” that set orbits, altitudes and speed limits. A Reaper can also autonomously autobalance its draw of fuel from the wings to preserve its center of gravity, report mechanical failures during flights, follow waypoints and automatically wheel over a designated rally point if the satellite link to ground station is lost. Predators and Reapers will also automatically return to their base after a while if there is no communication. There, they will spin around a preprogrammed spot near the base, waiting to be collected using the recovery team’s line-of-sight, C-band-frequency communications gear.

Reapers and Predators are more useful for snooping on enemies than killing them.Despite the hype associated with the USAF and CIA unmanned missions that launch missiles, the demand for air strikes is not high on the list of missions the ground forces request from UAVs. The staff at Creech say that 97 percent of missions provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in support of convoys, raids, air assaults and all manner of guerrilla-hunting. There are many ways for Army and Marine troops to kill insurgents, but finding the right ones, and clearing the way for a clean air strike, can only be done with human intelligence on the ground (risky and manpower-intensive) or by observing from above for long stretches of time. Sensor operators here speak of 4-hour, wrist-fatiguing stretches spent aiming a UAV’s onboard infrared camera at a single vehicle around Afghanistan or Iraq. Spotting roadside bombs and identifying bombmakers are other roles well-suited to a UAV’s “persistent stare.”

Shieldtech Back In Black.

BODY armour supplier Shieldtech is muscling in on overseas markets and is on the acquisition trail after returning to profit.

Shieldtech, based at Woolston, Warrington, counts police forces, the Ministry of Defence and UNICEF among its clients. It has expanded its network of agents and distributors abroad and this has contributed to a rise in orders from across Europe in recent months, the company said.

Revenues for the year to the end of June surged 72 per cent, from £6m to £10.3m, and the firm turned pre-tax losses of £10.2m in 2008 into profits of £100,000.

As well as increased demand for its products, Shieldtech’s performance was boosted by production and administrative efficiency improvements.

Shares in Shieldtech, which employs 80 staff, gained nearly seven per cent, or 0.75p, to 11.75p after the update.

An Icy Reception In The Meridian UAV's Future.

The University of Kansas has completed its first test flight of an unmanned craft designed to gather information on polar ice sheets. The university claimed Wednesday the Meridian UAV flew at Fort Riley last month and will next go to Utah for more tests. The 1,100-pound Meridian was designed and built by university student engineers. Scientists at the university’s Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets plan to use the Meridian’s on-board radar to measure ice thickness and conditions at the bottom of glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. They say the UAV can skim icy terrain closer and at slower speeds than could be done safely with manned vehicles. Researchers say the Meridian could make test flights in Antarctica later this year.

Acquiring Minds Want To Know Raytheon And BBN Technologies.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has entered into an agreement to acquire BBN Technologies, a privately-held research and development company and provider of critical solutions for national defense and security missions. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is not expected to materially impact revenue or earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2009, and is expected to be accretive in 2010. Terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. BBN’s portfolio encompasses a range of technologies including advanced networking, speech and language technologies, information technologies, sensor systems, and cybersecurity. The company’s deep scientific and engineering talent aligns well with Raytheon’s expertise and commitment to excellence. BBN Technologies has a long history of innovative products and solutions including the ARPANET (forerunner of the Internet). Current offerings include the Boomerang acoustic-based shooter detection system currently deployed with U.S. forces, and a broad range of technology development programs, many considered mission-critical by defense and intelligence clients. Following the acquisition, BBN Technologies will become part of Raytheon Network Centric Systems (NCS).

Australia To Deploy Israeli-Made UAVs In Afghanistan.

Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner informed that the Royal Australian Air Force would begin deploying the Israel Aircraft Industry-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicle during missions in Afghanistan.

The announcement follows an agreement between Australia and Canada, whose armed forces work closely together in Afghanistan. According to the deal, the RAAF will lease the UAV from the Canadians for an estimated US $81 million.

The Heron UAV operates at an altitude of 30,000 feet, and can remain in the air for up to 40 hours.

In August 2008, the IAI won a tender with the MDA company to start supplying the Canadian military with the Heron.

The Australian Defense Minister added that the Heron would deliver its forces in Afghanistan with vital aerial support.

Cyber Command May Grab New DISA Headquarters.

The U.S. Cyber Command, created to protect the military’s digital networks from attack, is looking to locate its headquarters at Fort Meade, MD in a new complex that now is being constructed to house the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

The $390 million, 1-million-square-foot multi-building complex now under construction could deliver the Cyber Command with the type of facility it needs to conduct operations. It will include sensitive compartmented information facility rooms for classified work, built-in fiber-optic networks, and a secure wireless system.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates in June approved the creation of a unified U.S. Cyber Command to oversee the protection of military networks against foreign and domestic cyber threats. As part of its mission, the command is expected to develop a range of offensive cyber warfare capabilities.

Gates stated earlier this year that the United States is “under cyber-attack virtually all the time, every day” and that the Pentagon is changing its strategy to combat and use cyber-warfare in the U.S. defense policy.

The Pentagon is expected to more than quadruple the number of security experts it employs to combat cyberattacks.The Cyber Command will be part of the U.S. Strategic Command. A Pentagon spokesman said no decision has been made on the location of the Cyber Command, and is now under review by the defense secretary.

DISA is a Pentagon combat support agency that provides real-time information technology and communications support to the president, vice president, secretary of defense, the military services, and the combatant commands. Nearly 4,300 DISA, Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations and tenant positions are scheduled to transfer to Fort Meade by 2011.

MILCOM Network Connectivity Improved By General Dynamics

The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) team, led by General Dynamics C4 Systems, has successfully added the highly capable Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW 1.0c) to the Rifleman Radio (AN/PRC-154) and the HMS Manpack Radio intended for use in vehicles. This places HMS first in line to bring the JTRS SRW 1.0c to dismounted soldiers for an unprecedented level of network connectivity.

Next steps for the Rifleman Radio include Security Verification Testing and final certification, followed by a Department of Defense Milestone C decision which is the last step before low-rate initial production (LRIP). The government expects to make its LRIP award for HMS in November 2009. In preparation for initial production, the General Dynamics-led team has qualified four producers as suppliers of HMS radios to the government. Each of the producers — BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Rockwell Collins and Thales Communications — have successfully built and provided HMS radios to the government for testing and use during military exercises. Keeping soldiers on the ground better connected to their team members and commanders while reducing power consumption and extending battery life is the HMS mission. Using the Soldier Radio Waveform, HMS radios create their own communication network without the use of towers to relay radio signals, linking any platform — such as vehicles soldiers, even robots – into ad hoc networks. This is an advantage when users are in remote locations or have to work around obstructions as one HMS radio will find another, automatically routing the message to the end user.

A Solution To Defeat Indian Ocean Pirates

Mark Abramson of Stars & Stripes is report that U.S. officials plan to use MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the Indian Ocean as a way to combat piracy in the region. Some 75 U.S. military personnel and civilians will be headed to the Seychelles islands in the coming weeks to set up the Reaper operations, which could start in October or November. U.S. Africa Command is calling the Navy-led mission Ocean Look.

The U.S. will base the Reapers — to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — at Seychelles’ Mahé regional airport, Vince Crawley, AFRICOM spokesman, said. The Navy has been using ship-based UAVs in the region for some time, but using land-based drones for counterpiracy work is new, he stated. Piracy is a major problem for the Seychelles because it is dependent on shipping, he added. The mission should last several months, with a Reaper airborne at all times, Crawley said. Details on exactly how long the UAVs would be in the Seychelles are still being worked out, he said. The UAVs would not be armed.

According to San Diego-based General Atomics, which produces the Reaper, the UAV can stay in the air for 30 hours and fly at speeds up to 275 mph. The decision to base the Reapers in the Seychelles — about 1,000 miles off the east coast of Africa — comes at a time of year when the weather in the area clears up and pirates based out of Somalia and the region take to the seas. “Traditionally what we are seeing this time of year, the monsoon season will end,” Lt. Nathan Christiansen, spokesman for the Navy’s 5th Fleet, stated. “Last August, right about this time, we saw 12 attacks in one day.” In addition to Reapers, the Navy has experimented with operating P-3 Orion patrol aircraft at the same Seychelles airport. A P-3 crew with Squadron VP-10 operating out of Djibouti stopped off at the Seychelles overnight from Aug. 12 to Aug. 13 to test the idea.