Modern Battlefield Technologies

[Kunal Biswas]

Army Rangers Test New Software-Defined Radio

Written on February 28, 2012 at 8:00 am by glenn.selby

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 10, 2012) — The U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan recently completed an operational assessment of the software-programmable Joint Tactical Radio Systems, or JTRS, Rifleman Radio. The assessment highlighted the radio's ability to share combat-relevant information, voice and data across small units in real time.

"We have just entered the era of the networked Soldier," said Col. John Zavarelli, program manager, Joint Program Executive Office, or JPEO JTRS, Handheld Manpack Small. "The individual rifleman now has a game-changing capability."

The Operational Assessment marked the first formal combat use of the single-channel, software-defined Rifleman Radio, which uses Soldier Radio Waveform, or SRW, a high bandwidth waveform which draws upon a larger part of the available spectrum compared to legacy radios to share information and "network" forces.

Rifleman Radio is part of a family of software-programmable JTRS radios, which make use of NSA-certified encryption to safeguard and transmit information. The radios are built to send packets of data, voice, video and images via multiple waveforms between static command centers, vehicles on-the-move and even dismounted individual Soldiers on patrol.

The operational assessment of Rifleman Radio is part of an overall acquisition strategy aimed at rapidly and effectively harnessing Soldier feedback as a vital element of procurement and technology development efforts, said Brig. Gen. Michael Williamson, Joint Program Executive Officer, JTRS.

"This is a near perfect example of how early engagement by the warfighter working closely with the PM and the acquisition community can deliver capability smarter and faster," said Williamson. "There was a tremendous amount of work done by the program manager, the Rangers and the acquisition leadership within the DOD and the Army to achieve this milestone."

The general said the Rangers spent a lot of time using the radios and "clearly had a significant level of confidence" in the system. Rangers liked the size, weight and power of the Rifleman Radio, which provided a battery life of up to ten hours and increased the units' ability to communicate despite obstacles such as buildings and nearby terrain.

The elite Ranger unit, which outfitted multiple platoons with the Rifleman Radio while conducting various tactical missions in Afghanistan, indicated that the systems greatly assisted their unit's ability to exchange key information such as position location information faster, further and more efficiently across the force, Zavarelli said.

"Communications were effective and reliable," Zavarelli said. "Team leaders and squad leaders benefitted from the position location information because of the information carried by the SRW waveform."

Rifleman Radio and SRW allowed the Ranger units to establish a mobile, ad-hoc network. Using that network, squad leaders, commanders and dismounted infantry shared and viewed mission essential information using small, hand-held, end-user devices with display screens. The devices displayed digital maps that allowed users to view surrounding terrain and to also locate nearby friendly forces, Zavarelli explained.

"The Rangers felt the radio was very effective for conducting infantry operations, especially at the small unit level," Zavarelli said. "Rifleman Radio allowed them to execute missions very rapidly because they had an improved awareness of where they were in relation to surrounding troops. Mission Command decisions were achieved faster."

Using the software programmable Rifleman Radio and SRW, the Rangers were able to "network " voice, data and information across deploying units in austere environments, without needing to rely upon a "fixed" infrastructure or GPS system to communicate across the unit while on the move.

"With the SRW networking waveform all you have to do is get to the next node," Zavarelli said. "The waveform that we were using is critical to bending around corners. Instead of having to push through obstacles you just have to hop to the next node. They were in a situation where the networking function worked well for them."

The success of this Rifleman Radio Operational Assessment, which included 125 radios, is expected to inform ongoing JPEO JTRS, Army and U.S. Special Operations Command considerations regarding planned future deployments of the radio. In fact, further development of the JTRS Rifleman Radio is being greatly assisted by feedback from Army Rangers who used the device in theater.

Overall, incorporating feedback from the Rangers is consistent with the aims of the Army's ongoing bi-annual Network Integration Evaluations, which are geared toward identifying, integrating and assessing capability, systems and technologies for Soldiers before they are sent to theater, Williamson explained.

Placing a premium upon Soldier feedback is a key element of the Army's "agile process" approach to acquisition, which seeks to expedite development and delivery of emerging technologies by evaluating them in tactically-relevant, combat-like scenarios such as the NIE.

Ultimately, the Army plans to broadly deploy the JTRS Rifleman Radio across the entire force.

(Kris Osborn writes for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.)

http://science.dodlive.mil/2012/02/2...defined-radio/

 

[Kunal Biswas]

TechSolutions: Connecting the Warfighter with the Scientist

Feb 19, 2012

The Office of Naval Research TechSolutions is a rapid-response technology development program that funds government laboratories to produce prototype solutions for problems identified by Sailors and Marines.

This video features a Driver Vision Enhancer Retrofit (DVE) that improves safety and vision while driving combat vehicles at night, an Automated Shipboard Observation System (ASO) capable of replacing manual weather observation with an automated process and the Improved Performance Assessment Readiness Training System (IPARTS), a hand-held electronic data collection device for use by the landing signal officers on aircraft carrier flight decks

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Army step closer to enabling self-aware network

(Left to right) Mitesh Patel, technical lead for the Cognitive Algorithm & Network Design Experiment, and Eric Williams of C4ISR & Network Modernization inspect radios during an E11 test. The CANDE algorithm can determine which tactical radio signal has the best bandwidth or least traffic before transmitting data.


November 7, 2011

By Edric Thompson, RDECOM CERDEC Public Affairs

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., Nov. 7, 2011 -- U.S. Army engineers will discuss the results of their efforts to enable a self-aware, decision-making network during the Military Communications Conference 2011, Nov. 8 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's communications-electronics center, or CERDEC, has developed cognitive wireless networking capabilities that employ network-wide learning and reasoning algorithms that share information that enable nodes to make decisions.


CERDEC engineers hope that the results of their Cognitive Algorithm & Network Design Experiment, or CANDE, will enable easier network maintenance, reduce human decision-making requirements, increase network lifetime, transfer data with less delay, and reduce energy consumption -- all of which result in a higher degree of network performance on the battlefield.

"It's important that we apply learning and reasoning because currently, there's no 'intelligence' in the network. Therefore, we're developing capabilities that will aid the network in taking on this adaptive layer of learning and information sharing to reduce the complexity in managing the network," said Sharon Mackey, chief for the Network Design and Cognitive Networking Sciences branch of CERDEC's Space &Terrestrial Communications Directorate.

A more intelligent infrastructure reduces the need for Soldier intervention and aids in providing seamless information, noted Mitesh Patel, S&TCD technical lead for CANDE.

"A Soldier has to keep track of a lot of things to maintain the network such as network constraints, requirements and objectives. With cognitive algorithms, the network is more intelligent and self aware thus reducing resource management in the network," Patel said.

One of the products within CANDE is the Cognitive Network Engineering Design Analytic Toolset, or CNEDAT, which can provide network design architectures for networks as they are being engineered, maintained, repaired or redesigned.

"The CNEDAT does not need a constructed network. Provide the constraints and objectives, and it will create a network for you: that is the power of this tool. It can optimize existing networks, and it can design a network from scratch while providing the most optimized way of maneuvering through the network," Patel said.

One way it does this is by choosing a tactical radio signal's "hopping pattern." Radios typically "hop" to the closest radio; however, the closer radio may not always be the better choice if it is congested with traffic, explained Charles Graff, an electronics engineer with CERDEC S&TCD.

"The algorithm looks at the delay estimation to all source destination pairs and then determines which route has the best bandwidth or least traffic before transmitting data. The algorithm then updates itself on a periodic basis and learns from past experience not to take certain paths," Graff said.

The algorithms can also enable a "dimmer-switch" capability to help reduce network energy consumption.

CERDEC S&TCD proved their concept in an operationally-relevant environment June 1- July 15 at Fort Dix, N.J., during Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance & Network Modernization Event 2011.

Throughout CANDE, CERDEC S&TCD utilized commercial off-the-shelf radios to prove the operations of cognitive algorithms. The overall field network performance validated the predictions of CNEDAT based on prior work done in CERDEC laboratories, Mackey said.

"Anytime you try to put something on the network, it consumes network overhead, which in turn reduces bandwidth; the implementation of CANDE was achieved with minimal impact on the network overhead," Mackey said.

CERDEC S&TCD is seeking to establish a follow-on program to conduct analysis on tactical radios in a testbed environment; currently, they are looking at the WIN-T and JTRS communities as targets of opportunity for transition, Graff said.

Army step closer to enabling self-aware network | Article | The United States Army

 

[Kunal Biswas]

DARPA to develop mobile millimeter-wave backhaul networks

February 10, 2012
Advanced communications backbone envisioned to support dismounted warfighters in austere locations

Providing high-bandwidth communications for troops in remote forward operating locations is not only critical but also challenging because a reliable infrastructure optimized for remote geographic areas does not exist.

When you introduce additional needs, such as communication support for data feeds from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) transmitting information to troops on patrol in remote areas, you face a host of new challenges where dropped signals can create a serious threat to a warfighter's situational awareness.

DARPA's recently announced Fixed Wireless at a Distance program seeks to tackle the problem of stationary infrastructure designed specifically to overcome the challenge inherent with cell communication in remote areas.

To overcome the challenge of data transmission in remote areas outside forward operating locations, the Agency's Mobile Hotspots program intends to develop and demonstrate a scalable, mobile, millimeter-wave communications backbone with the capacity and range needed to connect dismounted warfighters with forward-operating bases (FOBs), tactical operations centers (TOCs), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, and fixed communications infrastructure.

The backbone should also provide reliable end-to-end data delivery among the hotspots, as well as from ISR sources and command centers to the hotspot users. In essence, Mobile Hotspots seeks to provide cell-tower-class performance without the infrastructure.

The program envisions air, mobile and fixed assets, most of which are organic to the deployed unit, that provide a gigabit-per-second tactical backbone network extending to the lowest-echelon warfighters. To achieve this, the program seeks to develop advanced pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT) technologies, not commercially available, needed to provide high connectivity to the forward-located mobile hotspots.

Advanced PAT technology is key for connectivity to small UAVs, for example, enabling them to serve as flying nodes on the mobile high-speed backbone.

"While some advanced commercial millimeter-wave components can be leveraged for this program, the technical challenge is more complex given the infrastructure and terrain challenges of a forward-operating locations," said Dick Ridgway, DARPA program manager.

"Mobile Hotspots will require the development of steerable antennas, efficient millimeter-wave power amplifiers, and dynamic networking to establish and maintain the mobile data backhaul network. We anticipate using commercial radio protocols, such as WiFi, WiMax or LTE [Long Term Evolution], as a cost-effective demonstration of the high-capacity backbone. However, the millimeter-wave mobile backbone developed during this program will be compatible with other military radios and protocols."

Additionally, the program seeks novel technologies to increase the transmission power to provide adequate ranges within the small size, weight, and power (SWAP) constraints required for company-level unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

2012/02/10 DARPA TO DEVELOP MOBILE MILLIMETER-WAVE BACKHAUL NETWORKS

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS)

Guided Rockets Hit Fast-Moving Boat Targets in Test

Written on December 22, 2011 at 2:54 pm by Julie Weckerlein

James Bond would be jealous.

A weapon prototype developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully hit two high-speed boat targets during recent testing in Point Mugu, Calif.

"It's a fire-and-forget weapon," said Ken Heeke, the ONR program officer for the Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS). "No longer do you have to continue to monitor the target after you've fired the weapon. You can move on to the next threat with the assurance that the rocket will hit the target."

ONR researchers produced LCITS, a suite of low-cost technologies that modify existing helicopter-borne rockets into precision-guided weapons. By adding an infrared imaging guidance section to 2.75-inch Hydra-70 rockets, the researchers are providing naval aviators with a new lethal capability.


Unlike laser-guided weapons that require operators to select and monitor a target from launch to detonation, LCITS gives unguided rockets the ability to compute and home in on targets automatically after launch.

In the Nov. 3 test, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division engineers used a shore-based launcher to fire two LCITS rockets, one inert and the other with an explosive warhead.

Using inertial guidance, they flew to a point where the infrared terminal guidance system took over.

Onboard imaging infrared seekers identified their intended targets among five maneuvering small boats.

The rockets adjusted trajectories to intercept and eliminate two of the boats.

The test was part of the Medusa Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, an effort funded by the Department of the Navy, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Republic of Korea.

By Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research

http://science.dodlive.mil/2011/12/2...rgets-in-test/



Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS)


Uploaded by usnavyresearch on May 10, 2011

The LCITS system allows pilots to designate a target, fire a rocket and move on to the next target. The LCITS system comprises three main components: the algorithms that calculate targeting and transfer alignment data; a digital smart launcher; and the prototype LCITS weapon.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012...Danger+Room)
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...irearm+Blog)
EXACTO - Effective Sniper Fire at 2500 m' | Defense Update

Adding:

 

[Kunal Biswas]

DARPA Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements (SeeMe)


DARPA's SeeMe program aims to give mobile, US warfighters overseas access to on-demand, space-based tactical information in remote and beyond-line-of-sight conditions. If successful, SeeMe will provide timely imagery to warfighters of their immediate surroundings via handheld devices.

The SeeMe solicitation is at http://go.usa.gov/VyA.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

DAGR Successfully Engages Moving Target

Lockheed Martin's DAGR Successfully Engages Moving Target in Apache Demonstration

Orlando, Fla., May 8, 2012

Lockheed Martin's Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) successfully tracked and engaged a moving target in a recent demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.

"DAGR hit a moving target from 3.5 kilometers," said Hady Mourad, DAGR program director in Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control business. "Defeating high-value targets on the move is a critical capability, and demonstrating this ability is a significant milestone for the precision-strike DAGR."

Test pilots launched an inert DAGR round in high winds from an AH-64D Apache, designating the target using the helicopter's lock-on-before-launch mode. The target was a truck moving at 25 miles per hour.

The demonstration, which consisted of four flight tests, also showed other DAGR capabilities including use of lock-on-after-launch mode, a long-range 5 kilometer flight and launch from a 5-degree offset. The DAGR round hit within one meter of the laser spot in all four tests.

Lockheed Martin has conducted more than 30 DAGR flight tests from ranges of 1 kilometer to 5.1 kilometers. DAGR has been launched from multiple HELLFIRE-equipped rotary-wing platforms, including the AH-64D Apache, AH-6 Little Bird and OH-58 Kiowa Warrior.

DAGR incorporates proven HELLFIRE II technology into a 2.75-inch/70 millimeter module that integrates seamlessly with legacy Hydra-70 rockets. The result is a laser-guided missile that puts a 10-pound warhead within one meter of the laser spot, devastating high-value, non-armored or lightly-armored targets while minimizing collateral damage. DAGR enables pilots to lock on to targets before or after missile launch, and provides a large engagement envelope that allows them to pursue offset targets with confidence.


http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/ne...-050812-lm-DAGRsuccessfullyengagesmoving.html

 

[Kunal Biswas]

BAE Scouts Reactions for New Lightweight Tracked Tank

LONDON — BAE Systems is looking to breathe new life into the lightweight tracked tank market with a vehicle design that it is taking to the upcoming Eurosatory defense show in Paris next month to canvas potential customer opinion on their requirements.

The company's Global Combat Systems arm has already sanctioned funds to build a representative demonstrator later this year but has stopped short of a full launch of the program while executives scout potential customer reaction to the 15-ton to 17-ton vehicle armed with anything up to a 40mm cannon.

Jamie MacKenzie, the international account manager on the program, told reporters at a briefing in London May 8 that Eurosatory would be used to soft launch the program to minimize expenditure while trying to understand what the market is for the vehicle, which will be known as the CV21.

Early soundings at a recent defense show in Malaysia appeared to confirm the company was on the right track, he said.

BAE believes there is a major capability gap for a lightweight tracked vehicle offering good protection but with high mobility in areas where the infrastructure of roads and bridges limits the ability of 36-ton to 40-ton platforms — such as BAE's CV90 Scout and General Dynamics U.K.'s Scout vehicle — to move around .

The executive said that provided there is sufficient interest, BAE could next year move to a fully fledged demonstrator capable of being taken for trials.

For the moment, the rolling demonstrator, for which private venture funds were approved by BAE last week, would feature a representative, nonmoving turret on a chassis.

BAE intends to fit an existing turret equipped with the CTA International novel 40mm case telescoped cannon for the initial demonstrator.

MacKenzie said the CTAI cannon was used because of its availability to BAE. He said the company would work with the customer on lethality requirements and the tank could carry cannons, such as the Bushmaster, or other weapons, including missiles.

CTAI is a joint venture between BAE and Nexter of France. The British army is the launch customer for the weapon, which is being fitted to the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle and the Scout version of the new General Dynamics U.K. specialist vehicle now being developed for the military.

The General Dynamics Scout vehicle will replace the venerable BAE-built CVR(T) platform currently used by the British army for reconnaissance missions starting in the second half of the decade. However, questions have been raised in the last year about the U.K. Ministry of Defence's ability to afford the entire program during an era of budget cuts.

MacKenzie strongly denied the emergence of the CV21 was in part aimed at offering the British a cheap alternative to the ASCOD 2-based vehicle now being developed by the U.K. arm of General Dynamics.

The BAE executive said the vehicle, which the company had set a target price of 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) for the chassis, was aimed at export markets in places such as the Middle East, the Far East and South America.

He said BAE initially at least was particularly targeting the 15 export customers that had purchased the CVR(T) and other members of the same vehicle family.

Jordan, Oman, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are among the nations that have acquired the CVR(T) or other members of the same family during the program's 40-year life.

The CV21 has its roots in the CVR(T) family, but MacKenzie said it is a new design for a vehicle that is bigger, longer, heavier and wider than its predecessor.

The executive said the new vehicle uses the lessons of the recent CVR(T) updates for use by the British in Afghanistan as well as some components.

BAE was asked to dust down its design last year to produce new hulls for the Scimitar variant of the vehicle the British army operates in Afghanistan.

That vehicle, known as the Scimitar 2, weighed about 12 tons. Among other updates, its hull was built with new aluminum alloy.

Among the CV21's characteristics are an operating weight of 17 tons, a width of 2.7 meters and a maximum speed of 80 kph. The vehicle is able to swim, has a rear escape door and can carry a crew of three plus a passenger.



BAE Scouts Reactions for New Lightweight Tracked Tank | Defense News | defensenews.com

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Saab 9Land BMS of C4I command and control..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The Army's antennae in the sky

No satellites? No problem. Army officials say they can expand the range of their Joint Tactical Radio Systems by deputizing unmanned aerial vehicles as relay stations, according to an official story this week about the ongoing network test at White Sands, N.M. Blimps and the Army's Shadow UAV both can carry JTRS equipment that increases the distance over which soldiers can talk to each other, keeping everyone on the battlefield connected without the need for a satellite link.

The Aerostat blimps being used in the [Network Integration Evaluation] are carrying a four-channel, software-programmable JTRS Ground Mobile Radio as well as two-channel JTRS Handheld Manpack Small radios. The Shadow UAS are engineered to carry single-channel JTRS Rifleman Radios.


The idea is to expand a terrestrial, JTRS-based communications network by adding aerial nodes designed to extend the ability to relay information across further distances through line-of-sight connections. The software-programmable JTRS radios, which can make use of encryption to safeguard information, are built to send IP packets of data, voice, video and images via multiple waveforms between static command centers, vehicles on-the-move and even dismounted individual soldiers on patrol.
"The aerial layer allows RF [radio frequencies] to travel further and more freely. It gets you line-of-sight connections to additional nodes on the network," said Jerry Tyree, deputy for material at Brigade Modernization Command. "We're getting ranges greater than 60 kilometers with the aerial layer."
Part of the rationale for JTRS technology is to afford battlefield communications in an austere environment where satellite technology might not always be available.
​

Commanders hope that expanding the breadth of these networks will let everyone in the battle space — on foot, in vehicles, in the air or back at the FOB — stay on the same page.​

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/07/07/the-armys-antennae-in-the-sky/#ixzz1RkGhIOgU
DoDBuzz.com
​

​

 

[Kunal Biswas]

RAFAEL's Sea Spotter System


Should be on Every Modern IN Ship..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

In a constantly shifting battle space, Data Link Solutions with Link 16 capability keep coalition warfighters operating as one prepared and aware force. This combat scenario video demonstrates how our products help warfighters accomplish their mission and safely returning to base. All elements are connected to the Link 16 network using technology provided by Data Link Solutions -- the DLS MIDS-LVT, MIDS-LVT2, MIDS JTRS, MIDS-FDL, MIDS-on-Ship and URC-138.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) capabilities


Published on Jul 30, 2012 by RockwellCollinsVideo

This video animation demonstrates Rockwell Collins Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT), and its ability to deliver simultaneous voice, data and image services at a very low latency and high throughput via our IP mesh networking technology. TTNT allows for the coordination of multiple mission-critical applications during all phases of operation and reliably moves the right information to the right assets in real-time.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Darpa's Super Sniper Scope

By Robert Beckhusen
August 3, 2012 | 6:30 am

On Wednesday, Darpa awarded a $6 million contract to Cubic Corporation's defense division to develop the device, called the One Shot XG. the new device is intended to be a "compact observation, measurement, and ballistic calculation system" that is mounted onto a sniper's rifle or scope, allowing accurate shots "under crosswind conditions, at the maximum effective range of current and future weapons." One day the optics having built-in LASER rangefinder, ballistics computer, thermal imaging, environmental sensors, and so on.

More: Coming Next Year: Darpa's Super Sniper Scope | Danger Room | Wired.com

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Marines evaluate multiple Oshkosh TerraMax-equipped MTVRs in convoy operations
OSHKOSH, Wis. (Aug. 6, 2012)


Unmanned tactical wheeled vehicles that have the potential to serve as a force multiplier and reduce Warfighters' exposure to lethal attacks continue to come closer to reality. The U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) and Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation , recently conducted the Marines' first-ever training of multiple unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in a single convoy using the Oshkosh TerraMaxâ„¢ UGV technology. The Marines then evaluated the UGVs to determine how they can be utilized to support real-world "dull, dirty and dangerous" missions.

These most recent developments are a continuation of the MCWL's Cargo UGV initiative, which uses Oshkosh Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR) equipped with the TerraMax UGV technology, and took place during the MCWL's Enhanced MAGTF Operations (EMO) Limited Objective Experiment (LOE) 2.2, July 24 through Aug. 5 at Fort Pickett, Va. The EMO LOE 2.2 sought to evaluate technologies and capabilities being developed for future missions.

"Seven Marines were trained on our UGVs' operations in only three days at the EMO LOE 2.2," said John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer for Oshkosh Corporation. "That's a testament to the TerraMax technology's ease of control and user-friendly design. The capabilities of our highly sophisticated UGV systems require minimal user intervention to complete their missions – opening the door for future logistics operations to be conducted with fewer Warfighters, reducing cost and saving lives."

Combat-veteran Marines were trained on the Oshkosh UGV technology for the first time in August 2011 and also assessed it in a series of tests in challenging terrain and environments. Following that successful evaluation, Oshkosh delivered a second TerraMax-equipped MTVR earlier this year, and in June the government evaluated two Oshkosh UGVs operating in concert with a manned command-and-control vehicle.


Several key tasks were accomplished, including:

One operator supervised the operation of two unmanned MTVRs in convoy operations Vehicles operated successfully in complete blackout mode during night operations with no degradation in performance

Vehicles navigated a wide range of terrain, including deep sand trails, clay roads with encroaching vegetation, two-track trails overgrown with grass and narrow creek crossings, and adjusted speeds to maintain proper intra-vehicle spacing

TerraMax UGV Technology

The Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology is designed as a scalable kit.

It can be integrated on new-production vehicles, including those built by other manufacturers, or retrofitted on existing vehicle fleets.

Vehicles using the TerraMax technology can retain original payload and performance capabilities, and they can run planned missions in full autonomous mode or by "shadowing" a leader vehicle.


The TerraMax technology can function in the same weather conditions and operating environments as manned vehicles, requiring minimal human interaction and operator training. Oshkosh is teamed with the National Robotics Engineering Center of Carnegie Mellon University for perception system and autonomy software development.

The Cargo UGV project is sponsored by MCWL and the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise Robotics Technology Consortium. Oshkosh received a contract for the Cargo UGV initiative in June 2010.

http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/news/4...uture-missions

 

[Kunal Biswas]

'Silent Sentry' gives deployed Airmen upper hand in space superiority

Posted 10/9/2012
by Senior Airman Bryan Swink
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

10/9/2012 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- With the advancement of technology, satellite communication has been a key factor in maintaining space superiority throughout the entire area of responsibility.

Airmen assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron operate the Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting System, which monitors and protects the U.S. military's SATCOM links.

This mission is called Operation Silent Sentry.

Using RAIDRS, the team conducts defensive counter-space operations in support of theater campaigns and combatant commanders. They monitor high priority SATCOM signals, detect electromagnetic interference on those signals and geolocate the source of that interference as well as other signals of interest.

"It's like a game of chess we are playing with the enemy," said Tech. Sgt. Josh Swicegood, 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron Silent Sentry operator. "They attempt to run interference and we counteract by creating a work around. We continuously update our TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) to best support our assets in the field."

Jamming occurs when a legitimate signal is overpowered by another signal. This can be intentional (hostile) or accidental due to misconfigured equipment.

Fortunately, RAIDRS detects the jamming signal. When the enemy uses a SATCOM jammer, the jamming signal acts somewhat like a flashlight beam hitting a wall. The main portion of the jamming signal will hit the intended satellite, while a small portion of the signal also hits nearby satellites; similar to the way a beam of light would illuminate across a wall.

RAIDRS exploits these characteristics by measuring the time it takes the signal to travel the two different distances as it is relayed through the satellites. It also measures the observed difference in frequency between the two signals due to the Doppler Effect. Using this data, the Airmen then conduct a series of complex calculations to predict where the jammer is located. They relay the information forward to ensure appropriate countermeasures are taken.

The team monitors hundreds of different signals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their unique capability is not only utilized by the Air Force, but also by numerous joint agencies in the AOR to support the United States efforts to combat the enemy throughout the world.

Operation Silent Sentry began as a proof of concept experiment in 2004, which led to a 120-day deployed demonstration in 2005. The program was so successful, U.S. Central Command retained the capability indefinitely.

"This is the Air Force Space Command's only defensive space control asset," said Lt. Col. Blake Tibbetts, 379th EOSS Silent Sentry commander. "Prior to Silent Sentry, our nation's SATCOM was completely vulnerable to jamming that went unresolved. Our ability to geolocate sources of interference means the warfighter can find and resolve the source of the jamming, and the mission can go on. Under the Fly, Fight, Win banner, you don't know where to fly, what to fight or who won unless it's communicated correctly - we make that happen."

379th Air Expeditionary Wing Silent Sentry Airmen are composed of active-duty and reserve personnel from the 16th Space Control Squadron and 380th Space Control Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

"This team is a great group of dedicated Airmen," said Capt. Chad Gilbert, 379th EOSS Silent Sentry crew commander. "They truly are technical experts and do an incredible job. Many of the circumstances they face over here, they have never experienced stateside in training, but they learn quickly and adapt to the situation."

The next installment to Operation Silent Sentry is RAIDRS Block 10. It is expected to be operational in 2013. The Block 10 system allows for the remote control of RAIDRS sensors located worldwide from a central operating location within the United States.

Staff Sgt. David Terry (left) manual ly adjusts an antenna while Tech Sgt. Josh Swicegood tightens it in place. Both Terry and Swicegood are 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron Silent Sentry operators who monitor satellite communication signals for potential jamming devices. Operation Silent Sentry began as a proof of concept experiment in 2004, which led to a 120-day deployed demo in 2005. The demo was so successful that U.S. Central Command retained the capability indefinitely.

(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Bryan Swink)

'Silent Sentry' gives deployed Airmen upper hand in space superiority

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Textron's Remote-Controlled Flying Bomb

by Matt Cox on September 19, 2012

Textron Defense Systems has a new flying drone that's designed to explode on contact with enemy positions.

The compact BattleHawk Squad Level Loitering Munition is armed with a 40mm high-fragmentation charge.

It has a video camera built into its nose, so ground troops can remotely pilot it over rooftops or hills to attack hiding enemy forces.

defensetech.org/2012/09/19/textrons-remote-controlled-flying-bomb/

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Boeing Non-kinetic Missile Records 1st Operational Test Flight

CHAMP high-powered microwaves degrade or destroy electronic targets without collateral damage

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Oct. 22, 2012

A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully defeated electronic targets with little to no collateral damage.

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., successfully tested the Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) during a flight over the Utah Test and Training Range that was monitored from Hill Air Force Base.

CHAMP, which renders electronic targets useless, is a non-kinetic alternative to traditional explosive weapons that use the energy of motion to defeat a target.

During the test, the CHAMP missile navigated a pre-programmed flight plan and emitted bursts of high-powered energy, effectively knocking out the target's data and electronic subsystems.

CHAMP allows for selective high-frequency radio wave strikes against numerous targets during a single mission.

"This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare," said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. "In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy's electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive."

CHAMP is a multiyear, joint capability technology demonstration that includes ground and flight tests.

Boeing Non-kinetic Missile Records 1st Operational Test Flight

 

[Kunal Biswas]

High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW)



High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW) Demonstration Program Industry Day 1

Solicitation Number: HSSWDEMO-INDUSTRY-DAY-1
Agency: Department of the Air Force
Office: Air Force Materiel Command
Location: AFRL - Eglin Research Site

Mod/Amendment Posted Date: September 11, 2012

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

(1) HSSW Demonstration Program Objective:

The High Speed Strike Weapon is an AFRL demonstration of a Mach 5+ (i.e.,hypersonic) velocity weapon capable of holding fixed and relocatable targets (i.e., time critical targets) at risk from tactically relevant standoff distances in tactically relevant timelines.

The demonstration program will integrate and flight test a demonstrator weapon accelerated by a booster to an appropriate Mach number/airspeed condition to allow for air breathing propulsion for the remainder of the mission.

Guidance and control systems will present the weapon to representative targets at lethal proximities and simulate detonation of a mock warhead and/or detonate a live warhead.

As a minimum, lethal mechanisms compatible with the air vehicle will be evaluated in ground test.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportun...5f624&_cview=1