Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
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.
Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
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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
Dec 30, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
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Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
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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.
