UAV Program Prime SelectedIn a major decision for the global unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market, the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected a team led by Thales U.K. to implement its Watchkeeper program. Watchkeeper is the British Army’s next generation of reconnaissance system envisioned to offer greater range and time on station and carry more payload options than is possible with the current Phoenix system. Other competitors for the contract were BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Operational benefits of the Thales solution include a fully integrated ground environment; higher endurance, lower attrition air vehicles; a minimal logistic footprint and the ability to deploy to theater in a single C-130 Hercules aircraft. Based on the endorsement of their solution that this £850 million ($1.5 billion) contract represents, Thales expects to secure approximately £400 million ($730 million) worth of export orders as well. According to Thales officials, including export sales, Watchkeeper could sustain up to 2,500 jobs in the U.K. in the areas of systems integration, prime contracting, engineering and manufacturing. The company is establishing a joint venture company with Elbit Systems in Leicester to manufacture tactical UAV subsystems to supply both Watchkeeper and the worldwide UAV systems market estimated to be worth £3 billion ($5.5 billion) over the next 10 years. The Thales U.K. team for the MOD contract includes the joint venture company Elbit, Marshall SV, LogicaCMG, Vega, Boeing, Cobham, Cubic, Supacat, QinetiQ and Praxis. Watchkeeper is due to enter service in 2006.
Secure Messaging SystemsThe German Bundeswehr will be replacing legacy teletype systems at more than 280 sites to provide high- and medium-grade message exchange for security levels up to Top Secret. EADS Defence Communications Systems, Ulm, Germany, will install the NuKomBw off-the-shelf secure message system under a 20 million euro ($24 million) contract with the German Bundeswehr Information Technology Office. The system will use existing Internet protocol-based Bundeswehr network infrastructure. NuKomBw includes a nationwide directory service, integrates existing commercial e-mail systems and provides gateways to other national or international systems. The work includes providing more than 40 racks with servers, switches and security equipment; reference and training systems; and all engineering services from site planning to operational support.
Working Within the Spatial Limits of Screen Displays
Technology to enable users of complex data to interact with the data more intuitively and directly without spending time fine-tuning the data presentation is being developed through a partnership between Canada’s Department of National Defence, Defence Research and Development (R&D) Canada, and Idelix Software Incorporated, Vancouver, Canada. Under a $470,000 grant, Idelix will work with the Intelligence Information Management Group of the Canadian Department of National Defence and Defence R&D Canada to research the next generation of pliable display technology, known as PDT Smart Lens Technology. PDT is an immersive user interface designed by Idelix to improve the efficiency of users interacting with large imagery, motion imagery and other two-dimensional and three-dimensional geospatial data. It provides new capabilities for data fusion and direct data interaction, while improving situational awareness within the spatial limits of any display screen. Most recently, PDT was integrated within the Black Coral geospatial information system, a new situational analysis tool that was showcased at the Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstrations in June 2004. Through the recently announced grant-supported partnership, PDT developers will gain crucial defense industry input and feedback as they move through the research to proof-of-concept stages to the next generation of PDT.
Wireless Market in Rural AmericaThe largest independent rural wireless communications provider in the United States, Dobson Communications Corporation, has placed an order for Alcatel, Paris, to deploy a broadband software-defined base station solution in Michigan. Many rural areas in North America are underserved by mobile operators because of the lack of cost-effective and reliable solutions. Alcatel’s solution for Dobson is based on Airnet AdaptaCell 4000 base stations and Airsite 3000 Backhaul-Free base stations. It also includes Alcatel 1630 and 1631 digital cross-connect products and the integration of the complete solution by Alcatel. The objective is to significantly reduce Dobson’s operating expense by enabling the use of global system for mobile communications frequencies to link several base stations. Dobson’s real estate expenditures may be further reduced because the rapidly deployable base stations can be mounted on poles. Dobson Communications is headquartered in Oklahoma City.
EW Team for JSF
Country work-share partnership agreements for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) electronic warfare program have been signed with companies in Norway, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. These are the first teaming agreements with international suppliers to support BAE Systems during the system development and design stage and the low-rate-initial-production phase of the JSF electronic warfare program. BAE Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems, Nashua, New Hampshire, is responsible for the JSF electronic warfare system integration. Kitron ASA, Billingstad, Norway, develops and manufactures electronic components as well as complete electronic systems for use in advanced military equipment and will be involved in the assembly of electronic test equipment for the JSF electronic warfare program. Thales Nederland B.V., Hengelo, will provide machining and casting of submodules and components, and assembly of electronic components. Galileo Avionica S.p.A., based in Italy, will assemble cables and selected electronic components. BAE Systems Australia Limited, Edinburgh Parks, will produce wiring boards and assemblies, cable assemblies and selected electronic components. The JSF project is sponsored by the JSF Program Office, Arlington, Virginia.
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