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.
Thales has developed a new ECM in an effort to counter radio-controlled IEDs (RCIEDs, which the company says are currently the enemy’s ‘weapon of choice’.
The Gecco ECM is undergoing tests by Thales, and is expected to be available to order by 2012, Martyn Pratt, ECM product line manager said at a pre-DSEi media briefing on 13 July.
‘IEDs are currently the widest threat and killer in the military forces, and RCIED triggers are a weapon of choice,’ Pratt explained. ‘Give the insurgent a choice and he will used a radio-controlled link.
‘This is for a number of reasons: it enables him to be away from the point of detonation, and more importantly enables him to hit the target he wants, so there is a better kill rate, but also a reduced level of casualties amongst the indigenous population that he has to live in.’
He explained that the key is to not only stop the attack, but to ‘identify attacks and exploit them later on’, maintaining sovereignty over your capability.
This system provides intelligent and agile protection, but also brings some EW capability to the front line, according to Pratt.
Current systems have problems with size, weight and power on both mounted and dismounted platforms.
Pratt pointed out that a lot of equipment currently in service came about as a result of an urgent operational requirement and, therefore, today’s equipment is only designed for today’s conflicts; the ‘new threat new box’ concept needs to be deterred from.
The Gecco is a re-look at technology, and is ‘spectrum-flexible’, making it easy to support because it is modular and extendable.
‘We have created a new base technology that has enabled us to deal with some of those issues that exist today. We have also looked at the architectures of vehicle systems that are coming into service, and we’ve designed them to interface into modern platforms,’ Pratt said.
Following field tests that began last September, Thales has delivered ‘a number of platforms’ to customers.
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.