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.
RADA Electronic Industries’ Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) has supported testing of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) prototype laser weapon system at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the company announced on 16 October.
The MHR was purchased by Lockheed Martin in 2015 and has been used since then in the development and testing of the ATHENA laser system.
During the testing the 30kW class ATHENA laser system brought down five 10.8ft wingspan Outlaw UAS. The MHR provided aerial surveillance, detecting aerial threats and cueing the ATHENA optics to the target.
The MHR is an S-Band, software-defined, Pulse-Doppler, active electronically scanned array radar with sophisticated beam forming capabilities and advanced signal processing. Compact and mobile, it is designed to deliver organic, tactical surveillance capabilities for force and border protection.
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.