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 phased-array iMOTR features enhanced clutter suppression capabilities to deliver clearer, more accurate assessments of object launch trajectory and flight path data. (Photo: BAE Systems)
BAE Systems announced that it has successfully completed tests in the US of its prototype Innovative Multiple Object Tracking Radar (iMOTR) for test range instrumentation.
The test at Fort Walton Beach in Florida ‘included gathering of time-space-position information data collected on airborne test vehicles,’ the company noted in a 31 March 2022 statement, claiming that it ‘demonstrated iMOTR’s ability to meet critical key performance parameters – range, transportability, accuracy, and beacon tracking – that other radars, with comparable cost, size, weight, and power, cannot’.
BAE Systems designed iMOTR to track up to 20 targets in real time at ranges of up to 100km.
Operating in the C- or X-band, the phased-array iMOTR features enhanced clutter suppression capabilities to deliver clearer, more accurate assessments of object launch trajectory and flight path data on low-flying objects such as UAVs, sea-skimming missiles and rockets, and surface craft.
The phased arrays (originally developed by DARPA) are operated with an interferometry design for enhanced accuracy in test instrumentation.
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.