Mil-Tech

Laser Weapons Next Up in the U.S. Arsenal

Lasers are currently used to guide bombs to their targets, new high-energy beams in development would have the capability of shooting down aircraft or burning through the surfaces of ground vehicles.

 
Three branches of the armed forces are working on their own laser programs. The U.S. Air Force is testing its Advanced Tactical Laser, designed to be fired from a C-130 Hercules at targets below. The U.S. Navy is working on the Free Electron Laser which it hopes will defend ships from high-speed cruise missiles. And the U.S Army has two programs: the Laser Avenger, for blowing up improvised explosive devices before they can harm soldiers; and the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator, which is intended to destroy incoming rockets, mortars and artillery shells. Boeing’s Directed Energy Systems has contracts to develop many of these lasers.
 
The military likes the idea of using lasers because their light-speed capability can respond faster to threats or attacks than conventional weapons. The drawback to such weapons is their vulnerability to inclement weather or dusty conditions.

Soldier rewrites standard in satellite reliability

CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar — Sgt. Jeffrey Yauch, from Plover, Wis., adheres to the old Army conviction: leave it better than you found it. During a one-year deployment, the 1st Cavalry Division soldier wrote detailed technical standard operation procedures for tactical satellite hubs employing the military’s latest communications technology.

Yauch’s painstaking labors led to an unprecedented 99-percent satellite reliability rate, according to signal reports at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. Tactical environment uptimes typically range between 90 and 95 percent, according to Chief Warrant Officer Scott Gray, 1st Cavalry Division Special Troops Battalion network technician chief.

“Our team set a new standard for maintaining a tactical satellite hub,” said Gray, who then commended the entire unit for supporting communication requirements for over 230,000 combat patrols in Iraq this year.

The 1st Cavalry Division, a rapidly deployable armored division based at Fort Hood, Texas, assumed duties as the Multi-National Division – Baghdad headquarters in January. While the main body moved into Iraq, Yauch and 18 other Soldiers formed a tactical satellite hub at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, located on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

The team of Soldiers inherited a critical mission: set up and maintain a robust satellite hub at the Qatar base. Warfighters throughout Iraq would depend on their signal integrity for a variety of audiovisual services, such as telecommunications, video teleconferences and network access. Unfortunately, specific instructions about fielding the Army’s most recent equipment didn’t exist. Yauch resolved to fix that discrepancy, as the Soldiers went to work.

“I basically took a quick-reference manual and turned it into a 40-page TSOP,” said Yauch. He documented satellite positions, database creation, network maintenance procedures – all the best configurations for signal strength and fidelity in a deployed location. He crammed hours of troubleshooting into a clean how-to format.

“The hardest part was dummying it all down,” said Yauch. “It needed to be simple … so anyone with a basic knowledge of satellite communications could comprehend it.” Aside from understanding suitable implementation methods, reliable uptimes require operators who care for their equipment, he said.

The tactical satellite document has been disseminated throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s a step-by-step guide on everything from setting up to maintaining,” said Sgt. Andrew Haase, 1st Armored Division satellite communications operator. The 1st Armored Division will relieve the 1st Cavalry Division at MND-B next month. “We’ve been using it to set up here,” referring to an ongoing relief-in-place transition in Qatar.

source > TMCnet.com

ManTech Focuses On Security Support And Military Programs

ManTech International Corporation has named Robert P. Frisbie as Senior Vice President in its Mission, Cyber and Technology Solutions group. Frisbie will be responsible for the security support and special military programs business areas, and for business development efforts in Afghanistan.

Prior to joining ManTech Mr. Frisbie was the Senior Vice President, Defense Sector, STG Inc. responsible for defense and intelligence programs including those in Korea, Qatar, Hawaii and Europe. At Northrop Grumman he was the Vice President and Director for the Information Operations and Net-Centric Defense operating unit which focused on cyber, information assurance and intelligence support.

US watchdog backs BAE in military vehicle deal

BAE Systems has welcomed a decision by the Government Accountability Office, the US watchdog, in favour of the UK-based arms manufacturer after it protested against the award of a lucrative contract to a US competitor.

The $3bn (£2.7bn) defence contract for the production of FMTVs, or Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, was awarded to Oshkosh by the US Department of Army in a surprise decision in August.

BAE had held the previous contract but the department stripped BAE of it and opted for Oshkosh over both BAE and Navistar International. Navistar partners BAE in producing other military vehicles.

From 1991, the contract had been with Armor Holdings, which was acquired by BAE in 2007 for $4.1bn. During these 16 to 17 years of production the company built more than 50,000 vehicles at its operations in Texas and Michigan.

FMTVs are a series of vehicles that vary by payload and mission requirements but are based on a common chassis. They are used in Iraq and Afghanistan as trucks and trailers.

The GAO ruled that the Army had overestimated Oshkosh’s capability to deliver on contractual obligations.

The GAO recommended in a statement that the US army “re-evaluate the offerors’ proposals” and “make a new selection decision”.

BAE managed to gain the backing of two US congressmen who wrote to Pentagon acquisitions chief Ashton Carter to protest against the award to Oshkosh.

The decision comes as BAE is embroiled in a similar fight in the UK as it battles with US competitor General Dynamics for a £4bn contract to produce FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) reconnaissance vehicles.

The new vehicles are planned to replace the Scimitar scout vehicles currently in use in Afghanistan.

U.S. Military Looks to Robotic Ground Soldiers

Soldier launching UAV  (Source: Sgt. 1st Class Michael Guillory, U.S. Army)Robots with ethics could one day be used on the battlefield

The United States military continues to invest heavily into robotic technology, as the newer generations of robot-based soldiers will be programmed to understand battlefield ethics.

According to an article in the Army Times, the so-called ‘ethical robots’ would follow international laws.  Ronald Arkin, from the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology, wrote a book to discuss the future of robotics.

In “Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots,” Arkin claims robotics, if programmed correctly, have numerous advantages over human ground troops.  Robots are emotionless , expendable, and can be customized for specific missions. 

It’s possible the robots could be taught remorse, compassion and guilt, but exact senses the robots would be programmed with are still unknown.  Furthermore, depending on the determined level of guilt, and the mission being carried out, the firepower and effectiveness of weapons used will change.

The robots could also be used to monitor soldiers to ensure international treaties are being followed by U.S. and coalition ground troops.  Although many soldiers don’t want to be monitored in such an intrusive manner, several high-profile cases of abuse and murder have further blemished the military’s image among locals in Iraq. 

If funding is properly allocated for the research, it could be available in 10 to 20 years.  As the U.S. continues to fight wars using enhanced technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other unmanned resources have become popular alternatives to launching manned missions — and is expected to further increase in the future.

 source > DailyTech.com

Aura gets new Viper funding

 U.S. company Aura Systems Inc. has been selected to receive additional funding to continue a program integrating its power technologies in a military vehicle.

Aura announced the recent 2010 defense authorization bill included an $800,000 allocation of funding to the company for continued development of military vehicle applications for its 30 kW Viper system.

The $800,000 in funding is for work on upgraded electronics for the Viper power technology. As part of the funding, Aura will build and test the system for integration into a military vehicle and conduct an eventual demonstration.

Sanswire Invites Public to US Debut of Its STS-111 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Sanswire Corp. (OTCBB: SNSR), through its joint venture Sanswire-TAO Corp., today announced that it opened requests to cordially invite interested parties to the US unveiling of the STS-111 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2010 at Sanford International Airport (SFB) in Orlando, Florida. Exact dates will be promulgated at a later time. Sanswire has posted a special request form on www.sanswire.com/invite where shareholders, investors, members of the media, aerospace industry executives, US military personnel, as well as federal and state government officials can request a formal invitation to the event.

The demonstration of the STS-111 UAV will take place on runway 9R-27L at Sanford International Airport, and will feature flight tests and systems presentations that showcase the unique capabilities of the STS-111 and demonstrate how the airship could be deployed in various global and homeland security applications. In addition, attendees can participate in a “hands-on” inspection of the STS-111 and the craft’s onboard systems.

The STS-111 is a Mid Altitude Long Endurance (MALE), lighter-than-air UAV designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The STS-111 airship is a low-cost unmanned platform designed to be rapidly deployed, and ideally suited to work in tandem with currently deployed heavier-than-air UAVs in global operations. The STS-111 incorporates Sanswire-TAO’s patented segmented design, which utilizes a non-rigid articulating structure. Under gust loads, this proprietary design allows the airship’s segments to articulate and relieve stress, greatly enhancing the craft’s stability. The increased stability of this design provides all of the benefits associated with a lighter-than-air vehicle to be employed in Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions.

Saab Signs Contract With LIG Nex1 For Localisation of Signal Intelligence Systems for Submarines

Defence and security company Saab has signed a contract with LIG Nex1 for the localisation of Saab’s naval ESM system for the South Korean second batch of Class 214 submarines. The order value is close to MEUR 11 (approximately MSEK 114).

The contract, which sees LIG Nex1 localise parts of the Saab ESM (Electronic Support Measures) system, is for the delivery of ESM systems to Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) for the South Korean Navy’s second batch of Class 214 submarines.

 
As the main contractor LIG Nex1 takes full responsibility for the ESM system. The co-establishment of an Integrated Test Bench, used for system acceptance and maintenance, at the LIG Nex1 production facilities in Gumi, South Korea, will also ensure future support of the system.

 
Saab was contracted in 2002 and successfully delivered ESM systems from its South African operations to HDW for the first batch of Korean Class 214 submarines. This second contract once again confirms Saab’s position as a world leader in ESM and ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) systems for non-nuclear submarines. Saab’s submarine ESM systems have been sold and delivered to Greece, South Korea, Portugal and South Africa.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

Savi provides DOD with RFID supply chain tracking technologies

Savi, a Lockheed Martin company in Mountain View, Calif., won orders worth $6.6 million for standards-based active radio- frequency identification (RFID) tracking technologies and accompanying services under the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) RFID III procurement contract. The RFID tags, which are affixed to cargo containers and other military supplies, comply with the ISO 18000-7 standard (also called DASH7), enabling near realtime supply visibility and interoperability with allied defense forces and government organizations.

The U.S. Army Information Technology,  Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) issued the procurement orders utilizing competitive procedures under the RFID III contracting vehicle. RFID III was established for active RFID hardware, software, and engineering services, and is open to all U.S. military Services, U.S. federal agencies, and non-U.S. defense forces. The contract includes orders for the Savi ST-654, which is an active RFID tag used to track shipping containers, vehicles, and other large and valuable assets.

Maneuver Battle Lab tests new mortar system

The Army wants to decrease the weight Soldiers carry on missions, and Fort Benning’s Maneuver Battle Lab is part of the effort.

Last week, 10 Soldiers evaluated a lightweight base plate being developed for the M224 Lightweight Company Mortar System during a series of live-fire, static and movement exercises at McKenna Urban Operations Complex, Fergusson and Buckner ranges.

The current M8 base plate limits the direction and distance a mortar can be fired, said Rusty Schulten, a project officer for MBL’s Soldier Team, and Soldiers still have to carry the M7 base plate – weighing more than 14 pounds – in order to fire in any direction and at maximum range.

“The new base plate will reduce the need to carry both during offensive operations when there may be a need to fire beyond hand-held range,” Schulten said. “(It) can support firing at maximum range, which could eliminate the need to carry the M7 base plate, significantly decreasing the weight of the Soldiers’ total equipment load.”

Factoring in the cannon and bipod, the current 60mm M224 mortar system weighs 46 pounds. The M8 X is 4.8 pounds, so the goal is to get the entire package down to about 33 pounds, said Alex Wright, mortar projects officer for the Soldier Requirements Division.

The Army is trying to reduce weight and improve performance on all mortar systems, said Chris Therkorn, who works at the program manager’s office for mortars in Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

After using both the old and new base plates, the Soldiers, mortar instructors with 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, provided feedback to the Maneuver Battle Lab.

Even if the M8 X is ultimately fielded, the Army will continue to use the M7 base plate for all sustained operations, Schulten said.