60 · MT 5/2022 Persistent Systems to Supply AERONet to Nigeria The new order follows interest stimulated during the CLAE event in May. (Photo via Persistent Systems) Persistent Systems has received a request from the US Air Force to supply the Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network (AERONet) to an African nation – which has (subsequent to the company’s original announcement) turned out to be Nigeria. A second request for a similar proposal is making its way through the system in favour of Tunisia, according to sources close to the programme. The request comes on the heels of a successful demonstration in May of the exportable AERONet airborne communications relay at the Continued Light Attack Experiment (CLAE). “We showed partner nations how AERONet could be used to support missions such as close air support and high-value target takedowns,” said Robert Truglia, AERONet programme manager for Persistent. At CLAE, USAF aircrew flew AT-6E Wolverine turboprop aircraft with Colombian, Nigerian, Thai, and Tunisian personnel, conducting simulated bombing runs and high-value takedowns, in which the aircraft aided in the capture drug smugglers and violent extremist role players. During this experiment, the platform-agnostic AERONet kit provided the communication backbone for participating nations linking aircraft, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, and three geographically dispersed C2 centres. This allowed partner nations to view full motion video and participate in the event from their home countries. Lt Col Gerald Ferdinand, CLAE Collaboration Director, called CLAE a success, stating, “AERONet can advance joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) capabilities by expanding our network with existing partners.” As part of the new order, Persistent Systems will supply equipment and services to both the USAF and the partner nation. Meanwhile, interest in light attack aircraft for surveillance and strike missions grows elsewhere. “We’ve just seen the US Special Operations Command’s Armed Overwatch program sign an IDIQ contract with L3Harris for AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft,” Truglia commented. “Like the aircraft tested in CLAE, these Sky Wardens will be used in coordinated close air support and precision strike efforts in irregular warfare operations.” Escribano Wins Guardia Civil Maintenance First Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) won a contract for the majority of the maintenance of Spain’s Guardia Civil’s Integrated External Surveillance System (SIVE) – marking the first time a domestic integrated electro-optical systems manufacturer has undertaken this critical role. EM&E has won some €19 million worth of business – which the company says could double in the coming years – in direct competition with larger companies such as Indra, which have been responsible for SIVE The Virginia-headquartered developer stated that the platforms were selected as they met a customer requirement for long-endurance flight capability while carrying EO/IR sensors, communications relay equipment and high-intensity light panels simultaneously. “The client wanted an overwatch capability to help secure their area of operations during emergency response efforts,” Chairman Kutlay Kaya said. “And unlike regular, untethered drones, our TAVs can stay in the air for days at time while carrying a variety of payloads.” The aircraft have a payload capacity of 20lbs and operate at 200400ft, with power drawn from a supply on the ground and delivered via the tethering cables. The lighting units carried for this customer’s aircraft are weather-resistant LED panels rated at 17,000 lumen each. “These high-powered lights are ground-controlled for intensity and on/off functions,” Doganc Kucuk, Zenith’s lead designer, said. “When they are activated, it becomes like daytime on the ground.” Leonardo-Led Team Endure Wins £40 Million UK Bomb-Disposal Protection Contract Team Endure, a consortium led by Leonardo, has been awarded a £40 million ($48 million) contract by the British MoD to supply digital protection against remote-controlled bombs. The technology is to be used by Army specialists when called on by police or other civil authorities to respond to emergencies in and around the UK. It works by scanning for control signals and jamming them. The systems include vehicle-mounted and portable hardware, and deliveries will commence in the autumn of 2024, ahead of deployment with the Royal Logistic Corps’ 11 EOD and Search Regiment in 2025. Leonardo is systems integrator. The consortium additionally comprises the UK-based SMEs CommsAudit, Emla Electronic, Kirintec and Waymont Consulting, as well as Marshall Land Systems and training firm EWS. The contract includes the first two years of training, with options to extend beyond that. Leonardo says that “around 50%” of the contract value will go to UK SMEs. The contract is set to be the first fielded which derives from the defence ministry’s Land Cyber and ElectroMagnetic Architecture initiative. This approach will underpin all future electronic countermeasure programmes within the British military and follows established policy in leveraging open systems architectures. This will ensure a minimum of technical difficulty when integrating new or third-party subsystems, and in integrating the equipment onto platforms or within extant networks. The digital systems will ensure operators attempting to disarm bombs in domestic situations will be protected against remote detonation. (Image: Leonardo) Industrial Focus Homeland Security Forum
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM5Mjg=