Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
Lockheed Martin has submitted its proposal for the US Air Force's GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) programme, it was announced on 17 April.
The programme aims to build up to 22 next-generation satellites with enhanced capabilities. Lockheed Martin's proposal adds more power, resiliency and capabilities to the GPS III satellite design currently in production.
Lockheed Martin's proposed GPS IIIF will feature a regional military protection capability that will increase anti-jam support in-theatre to ensure that the US and allied forces are not denied access to GPS in hostile environments. It will also feature a fully-digital navigation payload. The payload on the first ten GPS III satellites that are currently in production is already 70% digital.
Each GPS IIIF satellite will have a laser retro-reflector array, which would refine the positioning of on-orbit satellites with ground-based laser precision. The US government will provide each of these satellites with a new search and rescue payload, making it easier for first responders to detect and respond to emergency signals.
Johnathon Caldwell, program manager for Lockheed Martin's navigation systems mission area, said: ‘When we developed our design for the first ten GPS III, we used a flexible, modular architecture that would allow for the insertion of modern technologies and new USAF requirements in a low-risk manner.
‘In addition, our GPS IIIF solution is based off a design already proven compatible with both the USAF’s next generation operational control system and the existing GPS constellation.’
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
Persistent Systems has been cleared by National Security Agency (NSA) to transmit sensitive data on commercial networks. The devices are added to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) component list which also includes other companies’ products providing the same security.
The release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has been long promised as mid-year. It is possible it could be as early as 2 June although the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play its cards close to its chest.
Intelsat outlines how its multi-orbit SATCOM architecture is enhancing connectivity and resilience for special operations forces operating in degraded and contested environments.