US Space Force increases efforts to plug training capabilities gaps
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The US Space and Naval Warfare Center (SPAWAR) Atlantic has awarded a contract to Arotech for the manufacture and integration of 12 Communication Emitter Sensing and Attacking System (CESAS) II Platform Integration Kits (PIK), the company announced on 19 August.
The contract is valued at $6.7 million and will be executed by Arotech's North American Power System division, which includes UEC Electronics.
CESAS is a high-power, ground-mobile electronic attack asset that provides US Marine Corps commanders the ability to disrupt, deny and detect enemy communication.
The contract was awarded following the successful completion of prototype performance and environmental testing of the CESAS II PIK by the US government.
Mark Matthews, CEO, UEC Electronics, said: ‘UEC Electronics has been supporting the SPAWAR intelligence group for more than 10 years and is pleased with the most recent contract award. The DoD is focused on cost savings. Our automated manufacturing processes, coupled with our history of quality products and on-time delivery, make us an ideal provider for this type of mission critical system.’
Steven Esses, president and CEO, Arotech, said: ‘The award of this contract is a testament to our team and performance of our product. We are excited about the initial opportunity and are optimistic that this award could lead to the procurement of additional units in the future.’
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The service has been conducting several acquisition and upgrading efforts involving artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve communication, data analysis and ISR systems.
The Syracuse 4B communications satellite, developed by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, was launched last year, bolstering secure military satellite communications for the French Armed Forces. Thales has now been selected to provide terminals for vehicles.
The growing importance of space in modern warfare, advancements in satellite technology, and increasing threats from rivals like China and Russia were among the topics of a Eurosatory 2024 panel on military space operations.
AN/ARC-232A is a Starfire radio that provides VHF/UHF communications to airborne platforms and the transceiver is software-programmable, allowing for multiple waveform support as well as optional national electronic counter counter-measure (ECCM) capability.
During the 18-month period of the contract, Lockheed Martin will apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments.