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.
Lockheed Martin is in the final stages of developing a 'miniaturised' version of its Communications-On-The-Move (COTM) technology with a view to submitting it for testing with the US Army next year, Shephard has been told.
According to Lockheed Martin senior programme manager Steven Frith, the downsized COTM system will receive TRL Level 7 in the next month or two. Unable to detail specific size and weight savings in relation to the larger system, Frith said it would provide 'significant savings in weight and reduction in power'.
Lockheed Martin's solution is described as being a 'network in a box' and can be used to extend the network at the tactical edge of the battlefield. A company spokesperson said: 'It is completely scalable and provides SATCOM connectivity and can push various types of broadband data, such as satellite imagery down to small, company-level units that lack wideband connections'. It can also enable the Enhanced Position Location Reporting System; Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System and UHF\VHF line of sight.
Having undergone its first test with armed forces at the Joint User Interoperability Coalition Exercise (JUICE) in Hawaii in July, Frith said he hoped to enter the system for the army's Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) in April/May next year.
'If the government selects the system, we will take it to NIE which, I think, will have heavy focus on comms-on-the-move technology. It is a key request,' he told Shephard while describing various urgent operational requirements to have come out of Afghanistan for such a system.
Earlier in the day, commander of US Special Operations Command Adm William McRaven had enforced how important such technology was to his forces, especially in the realm of conducting video teleconferences while on the move.
There are a number of other COTM capabilities currently being developed including ITT's Global Network On the Move-Active Distribution (GNOMAD) system which is already understood to have been deployed to theatre in order to fill the gaps in Beyond Line of Sight capability for battalion levels and below.
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.